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[SarahtheFlower]

Hi There,

I've been reading around the Forum for some weeks and just decided to say hello 

Last year, at the age of 42, I was diagoned with early menopause.   I actually think it started over 10 years ago when I started on the combined pill as my periods were getting about 2 weeks apart.   I now know that the combined pill can mask the symptoms of menopause (and can be used as a treatment for it).   A couple of years ago I started getting night sweats.   After joking about it with work colleagues, someone suggested I got some blood work done and recommended a company called Medichecks, so I got done an 'Advanced Female Hormone' blood test done.   Sure enough, all my hormones levels indicated menopause.   I went to see an NHS doc armed with my results and had a 3 minute appointment during which she re-did the bloods and said it was early menopause (and that's all I got for that first appointment).   I was quickly prescribed HRT patches, with no information at all about how to use them (I was still having the bleed you get with the combined pill so I didn't know at what point in my 'cycle' to start using them).   So I Googled it and the first thing I read was that you can't be on the combined pill and HRT at the same time   

Anyway, finally got sorted with the mini pill and started on those and the patches.  I then found my symtoms got much worse, with anxiety, palpitations, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain and OMG the memory loss....!  I really felt like I was losing my mind in a very literal sense.     

So I went and saw another NHS doc.  She was fantastic.  I had a long appointment and discussed all sorts of aspects.   She got me on the gel (one pump) and off the patches and separate progesterone. 

I then became aware of a private menopause clinic that had just been opened in my town, so I paid the money and went along.   Bit of a waste of money if I'm honest, but that doc was adament I needed more estrogen, so I'm now on two pumps of the gel per day. 

Still got brain fog, poor memory, fatigue.   I've dropped a day at work, so now doing a 4 day week, and had to turn down a promotion 

So, that's my history in a nutshell....sorry It's long - I did try not to ramble!

I have a head full of questions, so there will be more from me....  oh and sorry about my bad sepllign 

Sarah. 

[CLKD]

Welcome!

At least you had a GP who listened.  Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use.

HRT doesn't work immediately, some regimes take a bit of Trial and Error .  Do read the 'bladder issues' and vaginal atrophy threads ;-).  4warned is 4armed.

There is also the Daisy web-site for 'early' menopause. 

Has your GP done a complete blood screening to include thyroid function and VitD levels? 

[sheila99]

 
So are you on 2 pumps gel now and nothing else? You need progesterone to keep your womb lining thin (cancer risk of it's thickened). I had the brain fog and poor memory too, my hrt is now optimal and these symptoms have improved but haven't returned to what they were. 

[SarahtheFlower]

Hi CLKD,

Thanks for your comment.  Thank you - i will have a look at the Daisy website if I can find it

Doc has checked thyroid - not sure about the vit D tho - I do take a multi vitamine aimed at menopausal women so hopefully I'm good for vit levels?  What does vit D do for meno?

Hi Sheila,

Thanks for your comment too.  Sorry, no, I'm on 3 pumps of estrogen and progesterone (12 days on / 12 days off) ** brain fog ** lol    Have you thought to try testosterone?

Sarah

[sheila99]

Yes, I'm on Tostran. It's improved libido, muscle tone (was pulling muscles regularly) and motivation but I can't say I noticed an improvement in brain fog with it, the improvement I had came from oestrogen. All the more common fatigue culprits are worth testing for vit d, thyroid, b12, iron. I was deficient in vit d in summer despite spending a fair amount of time outside.

[SarahtheFlower]

Sheila,

Thanks - that is really interesting.  I'm dissappointed that the testosterone has not cleared your brain fog - I had really pinned a lot of hope on that being the magic bullet that might sort my brain out!  I think I will ask for my vit levels to be tested.   Last winter I had a string of 'weird' infections.  Just for example, I had a bout of athlets foot (for the first time in my life and in the middle of winter!)  At about the same time I had a bout of thrush (again unusual for me) and then I had a weird infection on my lip of all places!  The doc said at the time I might have a vit deficiency, but no tests were done at the time, she just gave me some cream.  I will ask.  Regards Thyroid, I had a private hormone test done and thyroid function was normal, but, interestingly, I tested positve for thyroglobin antibodies, which suggests an antoimmune issue, but neither of the docs I've seen have shown any interest in this....?  I've just read on the Daisy website that one cause of early menopause is autoimmune issues....sigh...

[CLKD]

Athletes foot is a fungal infection.  What was the lip infection, herpes zosta?  Your GP should have advised on appropriate treatments 

Could be a zinc or VitD deficiency.  MayB ask at your local pharmacist?

[SarahtheFlower]

Hi CLKD,

It was a fungal infection.   First i tried treating it as a cold sore, but that didn't work, so the pharmacist gave me an anti-fungal to try, but that didn't work either.   Went to the docs and had an anti-fungal and steriod combo cream.   Im still using that.   It has kept the infection in abeyance, but if I stop using it it comes back.  Interestingly, the doc said they've seen a lot of this sort of thing caused by mask-wearing due to Covid...!   I ought to go back really and tell them it hasn't worked....

[CLKD]

Have a lookC at 'athletes foot treatment' - I was looking for the powder* which Dad used in the 1950s/60s ....... there are several remedies including good old vinegar  to soak feet in as well as peroxide - which was used to lighten hair.  It mayB that you require several types of treatment if the fungus gets used to one.

* The name will come back to me, probably in the early hours  .  Is it athletes foot or ringworm which will require a different treatment.  It's not a worm but another fungus.

I would ignore that Covid link  and book an appt with my local pharmacist.

[Cassie]

Hi welcome to the forum. I started early menopause at 38 was also on the pill but at 40 went onto 2 pumps of gel a day and 100mg of utrogestan for 12 days a month I use it vaginally I find it works better for me. I am  now almost 60 and only need 1 pump of gel and its always worked well for me no symptoms or side effects. I do not enjoy the Utrogestan phase as I find it makes me quite wired up compared to others who say it sedates them but it does give me a decent withdrawal bleed that lasts a few days so seems to be a good combo.
Do give it some time, you could try going down to 2 pumps if you find 3 too much and see how your symptoms are. I am really tiny and always found 2 pumps was more than sufficent but now have just been using 1 for several years. I hope to stay on this HRT combo for as many years as I possibly can. Strangely enough I also tested positive for thyroid antibodies and no Drs have really bothered either, just gave me some Eltroxin to take daily. I often wondered if the 2 were linked...

[SarahtheFlower]

Hi CLKD,

Actually the athlets foot only lasted a couple of days and then went away (I did use some medicated talc I had in the house).    It's just the lip thing that's hanging on.   I did forget to mention that a couple of weeks after this spate of infections i was admitted to A&E with pain in the region of the liver.   Tests showed I had raised blood markers to do with liver, pancreas and also raised white blood cells, which indicated infection, but the pain went away as quickly as it came and no diagnosis was reached.   Really strange....!

Hi Cassie,

Thanks for your comments.   I'm pleased to say the progesterone doesn't seem to have any affect on me, except to make me sleep better.  However, I'm a bit annoyed that I am having periods again after some 6 months without - I was getting used to not having that particular malarky to deal with!   

That's interesting about your thyroid - was your actual thyroid function normal?  Mine is, so they're not interested in the antibodies...  I did go and see a private meno doc in the hope that they might take a more holistic view and maybe take into account the possible liver thing (mentioned above) and the thyriod thing, but, no, not interested!   I just think the body is a closed circuit system and everything has an affect on everything else and by that logic there must be a sort of key stone of a problem withe me and if we know what that was then the root of the problem could be fixed and that would fix everything else.....I know, i'm a fantasist lol

[sheila99]

Look up Hashimoto's. I have it too but they won't treat it until your levels are really bad. It seems your levels can be 'within range' according to the nhs but you can still feel lousy. Connected to late meno in my case! I'm also deficient in vit d which I think is connected too. The nhs don't normally test vit d as they assume everyone is deficient, I did it through medichecks.

[SarahtheFlower]

Hi Sheila,

Yes, I'm aware of Hashimoto's, but as my thyroid function appears to be normal the docs are not interested - I was only aware of the antibodies through a Medichecks test (I had the advanced female hormone one).   Maybe my thyroid function will reduce eventually and then they'll take notice?!  To be fair, the 'treatment' seems to be thyroxin and if my thyroid function is normal i suppose there's nothing really to treat...    Re vit D, I believe nearly everyone is deficient (at least in winter).  I do take multivitamin supplements.  I also take a calcium supplement (when i remember) and I think that's got vit D in it too....   I'll be overdosing on something next.... lol

[CLKD]

Most supplements are voided by the kidneys ;-).

VitD capsules should be all the body requires, there was a large article in a Sat paper recently if 1 has a good diet with plenty of diary, fruits and veg.. ;-)

As stated, GPs won't listen if tests 'are within normal limits', even when patients continue to return with thyroid function symptoms .  Negligence?