r/Menopause

Today at my annual exam, the main thing I wanted to discuss with my doctor was that at 53, I’m still having regular but extremely heavy and clotty periods. For HRT, I’m been on .037 patch and cyclical oral progesterone. I had been offered the Mirena in previous years but kept refusing because I had a bad experience with it in my early thirties (I don’t remember my exact symptoms but mostly remember increased moodiness and bloating) plus I kept thinking I have to be close to wrapping up periods. But, I’m still like clockwork and the heaviness is truly debilitating. So, this time I let her convince me that the Mirena will be great. She’s my age and has one and loves it. She pointed out that my body will likely respond differently 20 years later. I impulsively had it inserted and now I am panicking. I now see that increased insomnia, vaginal dryness, reduced libido, weight gain are regularly discussed as common side effects. I already have insomnia and can’t handle it if it gets worse. Am I trading the lighter periods for a whole host of other issues? I actually like oral progesterone; it makes me feel calm and relaxed, unlike how it seems to affect others. I’m looking for any thoughts on this, either to confirm my fears with your own stories or to reassure me. I want all of the thoughts!

Would anyone mind sharing their experience, positive or negative with having this biopsy?

Would you also mind mentioning if you had children and whether you are post meno- or not?

I’ve read that having at least one child makes this biopsy less painful,but not sure if it’s true.

This was never an issue for me before but I am having the hardest time with people’s smells. Mostly men lol..

Hello all. Has anyone go in early menospause? Dr was firm on his decision of putting me in hormonal replacement therapy... Is that my only option?

What was your experience.. please share. My mom when into menopause when she was 50.. this is scary and making me nervous.. 😥

I have raging headaches from increasing my estradiol patch dose. I don’t know if I should go back down or wait for this side effect to subside.

Pain relievers don’t touch these headaches. It’s really awful.

I read that once a week patches can cause a drop off in estrogen by the end of the week. That might also be a factor.

The American College of OBGYN has just updated their 2018 guidelines on post menopause bleeding. The 2018 guidelines said that a normal transvaginal ultrasound was enough of an investigation. The new guideline recommends endometrial biopsy even when the ultrasound shows a thin lining in most cases.

There is no differentiation between bleeding in someone on HRT or not unlike the British Menopause Society which treats the workup differently when HRT is involved.

Now if they would only make a guideline on pain management for this barbaric procedure.

https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/9900/updated\_guidance\_regarding\_the\_role\_of.1505.aspx?

how do you cope? I just realized that my "sudden" allergies to pollen coincided with the onset of meno. Now I am adding sauerkraut and canned pineapple to the list. I also suspect an avocado may make me sneeze.

Wondering if anyone else is in the same boat and what do you eat/drink nowadays to combat it?

I am on 200 mg P, Testosterone injections, 0.025 E Patch, and Vaginal E cream. I feel really great, but my clit is COMPLETELY gone- like nothing. I’ve read on here that a little compounded T cream directly on the clit has helped some, but is that redundant since I’m already on injections? Has anyone’s doctor actually prescribed both?

I'm starting to feel when my oestrogen level is a bit low... I'm getting familiar with the symptoms... ie joint pain returns...

I wonder if this is like other hormone disorders?

Have bad depression, bpd, autism anyway. But menopause is kicking my bum. Im on hrt, about six weeks in. Itchiness gone, but im so tired. Like depression tired, brain fog tired. Its hard to even know whats menopause and whats depression at this point. I think its the menopause cos im also more snappy again How long did hrt take to help people? Not sure i can do years of this.

I’ve posted this earlier, but my post got removed, I think because I included lab results, I missed that was in the rules. So, I’m posting this again, but without labs and not asking for medical advice of course, just want to ask experiences from others if someone has had the same issue. (hopefully this is allowed, otherwise, I’m sorry)

I recently had my testosterone tested, because of very low libido and fatigue (I also am on an anti-androgenic progestin (dienogest) because of progesterone intolerant. Besides the libido and fatigue, that got worse, this progestin is working well for me). I was kind of expecting the test confirming that testosterone is low, but very suprised that total testosterone is in normal ranges, but shbg is elevated above range, which of course explains my symptoms, but got me worried because the cause could be bad. I have trialed oral estradiol, but that was over 6 months ago, so that is probably not the cause. As far as I can tell, I’m not on medication that raises shbg (besides oestrogel, but I think 3 pumps is unlikely to cause very high estradiol levels in late peri (I’m 50)). Causes that I can find are hyperthyroidism and liver disease, so I’m going to discuss both with my dr.

My question is if anyone here has had too high shbg and what was the cause for you? My appointment is by phone and I like to prepare extra for those as I tend to forget things if I need to concentrate on the conversation without visual feedback (thank you brain fog). So any input from experiences or articles about high shbg is appreciated.

Anyone figure out how to increase estrogen when dealing with histamine issues? Did your body adjust after a while?

Thanks for.any ideas in advance!

I had to have a radical hysterectomy at 45, background.

Im in a state of confusion bc I was in need of new PCP office a standard blood test as new, but since I told him I was on BHRT he managed to throw in hormones w my insurance (in years nobody has done this - my insurance won't cover.)

So I also paid ...can I say name? Highly advertised Fun*****.

It was the same blood draw, day, all.

My PCP got OPPOSITE readings & ratio (my liver AST, ALT) and on some important tests I monitor (cholesterol, glucose) they were different too, high and average.

I never intended to do detective work I just wanted it all done, but now I feel detective vibes! Esp bc paid private tests were $!

So my exact same blood (where does it go, right? Is it lab x2 result different sample handling?)

Why am I paying F*ion so much to get wildly different results? Should I trust THEM - paid for - vs GP lab facility?

I need to retest imo but F*n paid company won't:do gratis.

To sum up my liver is fatty liver and their results were complete opposites w AST and ALT #s- same blood! How?

But money spent...lodged a complaint w online company...

Any experiences greatly appreciated!! I'm kinda freaking out.

I went for my yearly GYN visit last week expecting a pap to be part of my exam. My gynecologist said that she recommends them once every three years. I’m 57 and my last period was in February. They are no longer regular and I am on estradiol patches and cream, progesterone, and testosterone. Is once every three years the new norm?

Have you noticed a change in your hair since before menopause? Mine was always pretty straight with waves at the end when it was long, when it was cut short it looked so nice. Straight and no frizz. As I was going into menopause and as it grayed, it got really curly and really frizzy, I use products to tame it and have a heated brush that straightens it without damaging it like a flat iron did, but when it’s humid, forget it, I look like one of those long haired goats, it’s a mess. I don’t dye it anymore, which when I did kept it softer, but I don’t want to deal with it. I have a wedding to go to summer at a very fancy place and I don’t know what to do about my hair. Lately I’ve just stuck it in a pony tail. Bit that wouldn’t be suitable for a fancy wedding I don’t think. I’ll probably get it cut some to get the uneven parts and more frizzy parts off, but what is up,with this going from ice soft hair to this mess? Hormones?

Hey folks, I desperately need some advice. I have a friend who is taking HRT (which doesn't seem to be helping much) but due to various circumstances *life in general* has become worryingly depressed. She is nervous of telling the doctor about the depression as they have agreed to put her on testosterone which she feels she really needs, but is worried they won't let her take both.

I really believe she needs some medication to get her back on track mentally but I don't know if there are any rules around this, or even if the testosterone will help or hurt her mentally bearing in mind how close to the edge she is.

Does anyone have any advice/experience with this that might help?

Thank you in advance

A worried friend

I apologized for the long post but I'm so depressed and frustrated and I don't know what to do here.

I'm 3 years post menopause at 56 and my partner is significantly older and a prostate cancer survivor. We have an active and awesome sex life despite his surgically induced ED from the cancer treatment and it's never been an issue as I love him dearly.

I've been on Est/Prog combo HRT for well over a year but lost about 20 lbs over a few months and ever since then, I've been spotting daily with the brown gunk.

I have an "in person" local male gyno who is anti-HRT, I live in a very rural area without many docs to choose from, and ended up using an online menopause clinic to get my blood hormone level tests, Rx, and follow up care.

The problem is, because my partner cannot have regular intercourse anymore he really enjoys finding other ways for us to share intimacy which is amazing. He loves doing oral but I know the discharge is a turn off for him and he's gotten depressed that the spotting just will not stop.

I agree with him on the spotting. I'm beyond frustrated with it. I've had my levels checked again and we've adjusted my doses of both E and P and now even tried changing the types of E from oral to patches to now gel with zero results. Each change got about 3 months before the docs suggested switching to a different delivery.

The patch seemed to make the spotting worse, heavier. It was the Dotti patch that you change 2x week and it seemed to just wear off too fast by the second day. So now I'm on the gel you put on your thigh and I still see zero change.

My progesterone dose is 300mg XR orally daily. I know that's a high dose but lower levels weren't controlling my symptoms. The gel is Estriadol 1.25 mg gel and we also tried lower doses without full relief of symptoms.

I used these strengths of meds for about 18 months with zero spotting and full symptom resolution. Then I started a weight loss program and lost 20 lbs. I went from 145 to 125 over about 5 months and the spotting started randomly and then just became a daily frustration.

I've had THREE full pelvic exams, paps, blood work, and two TV ultrasounds since the spotting started and all were totally normal. No fibroids, no cancer, no infections or abnormalities. Zip.

Hormone levels in bloodwork are still in normal range and my symptoms are all perfect..... except for the discharge.

I cry every day over this. The docs are stumped. They've said it could take up to 6 months for the uterus to adjust to any hormone dose/type changes and I just need to wait. Another doc said I could try the "last resort" shy of halting treatment altogether, which would be to stop all HRT for 3-5 days and then restart it to see if that resets my body's expectations.

My poor partner is depressed because he feels this is somehow his fault because if he could have regular intercourse this wouldn't be an issue (he means the ick factor) and I keep telling him it's not in any way his fault but it's incredibly painful to see the disappointment when he wants to be intimate and there's a mess to deal with.

I've tried careful washing immediately prior to intimacy but there's always some discharge in the vagina that I would have to basically douche to get out (which I don't) that ends up coming out.

WHAT can I do???? I am emotionally drained over this and do NOT want to go back to hot flashes, brain fog, irritability and bone loss. But I don't want my partner to suffer from this either.

I tried using a tampon, which I never liked to use when I had periods let alone now when things are a lot drier. That isn't an option. I also tried a menstrual cup which caught the discharge, but it is uncomfortable and he is very aware it's there as it limits what he can do with his hands to some degree.

Again, all my tests and levels are normal. No disease or abnormalities have been found. Physical exams and tests all came back perfectly clear.

I need this discharge to stop once and for all. Can anyone give me hope that my body will go back to normal one day? I'm losing hope.

Thank you in advance for letting me share. I need a hug. Lol

Do any of you get a SEVERE rage feeling that is like severe PMT but it almost feels physical and like you literally can’t control it!

A long lasting type like that goes on for hours where you feel like everything is irritating you and so overwhelming you and causing anger at the same time like you could just crawl into a ball on the floor?

It all feels very physical like with a tight chest and like rage in your actual brain 😪

I cant take hrt due to a really bad progesterine intolerance reaction followed by 5 weeks of hell on sertraline/zoloft that i wish id realised sooner was causing worse anxiety. Im 53 life just doesnt feel worth it anymore :(

Hello. I have a bad lower back and am having some pain after a long weekend road trip. I normally ice & heat my back to help, but now I use the estrogen patch on the top of my butt which will be covered by the ice pack or heating pad. Should I try to move the patch to a different location? Thanks.