questions for those of you who have been through the menopause....

[6mark901]

afternoon everybody,

                               right then, here goes.Can you experience different symptoms every month ? one night I had really bad night sweats, the quilt was literally sodden on my side,but only happened the once that bad .next month I missed a period, a couple of times ive almost fainted, joint pain that comes and goes, lightheadedness,numbness, loss of libido.......etc

looking at lists of symptoms I  get most of them but not at the same time, is this normal ? Apart from the one missed period they are regular as clockwork, is it normal for other symptoms to kick in first ?

is it worth visiting the doc? is it too early ?

thankyou 🙂

[chips-and-brown-gravy]

Yes absolutely get yourself to the doctors.

If it is the menopause ask to be referred to a menopause specialist if they are not too helpful (some GPs understand very well, others not so) - there may be a wait, but completely worth it if you need it.

[mandymoosie]

That all sounds pretty normal to me for the onslaught of the menopause 🙂

I had weird and wonderful symptoms coming all over the place and very seldom any uniform to it.

Having said that, have you ever had your B12 tested?? The light headedness, numbness and nearly fainting can be symptoms of pernicious anaemia, which I have, and can also be a symptom of lack of iron anaemia too, this is even more important if you're experiencing heavy periods right now.

I would advise making an appointment with your doctor just to have things double checked really, it probably is only the menopause, but it's still well worth getting things looked at, if only to put your mind at rest :-x

[kiss*my*pixel]

You missed out grumpiness, Mark. I get that a lot apparently (according to my family, can't see it meself) :^O

Seriously though, definitely get yourself to the Dr - all of your symptoms are perfectly normal, but best to get checked out, to be sure. My GP was great (and he's a young chap!) He printed out loads of pages giving pros and cons of HRT and alternative homeopathic remedies.

I would also recommend a book I've got which I've personally found very helpful. "It Must Be My Hormones" by Dr Marion Gluck and Vicki Edgson. ISBN 978-0-718-15430-1

A lot of the symptoms can be controlled by diet, eating the right things and increasing certain nutrients.

Good luck 🙂

[chickengrandma-2008]

But it doesn't have to be bad, everyone's different.  I was one of the lucky ones, a few hot flushes, periods just stopped dead, and that was that.:-)

[6mark901]

appointment made 🙂

never thought about lack of iron !  will see what he says....also forgot to add tearfulness.I can watch a sad film no problem but if I cant find a clean teaspoon im in floods 😞

[kiss*my*pixel]

You're right of course, CG and you were indeed very lucky. But it's not the same for everyone and Mark is experiencing certain symptoms and is concerned, hence her request for advice.

(Hope you're recovering well and feeling much better, by the way, after your op) 🙂

[kiss*my*pixel]

appointment made 🙂

never thought about lack of iron !  will see what he says....also forgot to add tearfulness.I can watch a sad film no problem but if I cant find a clean teaspoon im in floods 😞

:-x

That's how I came by that book - I broke down in my dental hygienist's chair completely out of the blue, much to my embarrassment. She was absolutely wonderful and called round to my house with a copy of the book, several telephone numbers to call and some vitamin recommendations. I love her so much!

[mandymoosie]

Yes CG is absolutely right, a lot of women sail through with no problems and we should also remember that it is a natural process 🙂

However, there are many women out there who suffer a lot, I had the most dreadfully heavy periods, so heavy that I was unable to go out anywhere and I was permanently anaemic and had to be on iron tablets, I'm just so glad that I'm through with it now, I've never felt so good 😄

[bitsnknots]

I had really heavy periods for a while and then they just stopped.  That was about 8 or 9 years ago but I still have hot sweats but I can go for weeks without having them.  Some nights, I get cold sweats as well.

[kiss*my*pixel]

What is a cold sweat please, books_and_bits? I get the hot ones (so hot sometimes I feel I could fry an egg on the top of my head)! But what does a cold sweat feel like?

[captainbovine]

oooh I'd love the cold sweats!!

I get hot sweats at the same time in the night...1am! how weird is that. I have only had them a few times though. I'm pretty much like CG, seemed to have sailed through it.

I get a lot of joint pain though but as I have sore hooves, arthritis and sciatica it could be to do with that.....is falling apart:|:^O

[petitecalicocat]

The hot flushes are horrid but the worst thing was forgetfulness , i would go into another room & forget why id gone there:^O

Some women do very well on hrt  others dont  ,  i went on it for 5yrs  & felt wonderful no mood swings , hot flushes or anything but when i came off it it was worse than ever so wished i hadnt gone on it . Dr told me i could only stay on it for that length of time .

Its the same with other pills or herbal supplements that are available try them it may work for you & i think they are better than hrt anyway .

[stampingpat]

I experienced some of those symptoms, but for me the hot flashes were the worse. I don't know how many times I went to bed with a cold washcloth. LOL The memory loss was not very nice either. I didn't take any hormones and glad I didn't. I did try some of the more natural things...... Like eating bread with the seeds...Linseed is supposed to be helpful as are a few others. I think they actually have a bread now that they sell for women going through the menopause.

[carolyorkie2010]

Hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, mood swings, thinning hair etc etc. I take a herbal supplement which helps for a while then it seems as though I get used to it; I have a break from it and start again which helps the symptoms.

[bitsnknots]

Sorry I've not got back sooner but I've been somewhat busy.  Cold sweats are when start sweating but instead of feeling hot, you feel cold with them.  Luckily, I don't have them often.  I can't have HRT because there is a history of breast cancer in my family so the medics won't let me have it.  Must admit, I don't have the menopause side effects as badly as some do.

[bitsnknots]

One thing I definitely I don't have is thinning of the hair.  My hair grows like grass and it is really thick.  Every time I have my hair cut, I have to have it thinned out.  I'm having my hair cut again next week and the hairdresser will certainly be thinning it out again.

[captainbovine]

my hair has thinned a bit but it's thick and fine. My hairdresser said it had thinned because of the anasthetic from my op, then 9mths later I had another op, so it's no wonder I can see to my scalp at the front. Luckily I have a lot of hair or I'd be near bald I guess!:^O

[chickengrandma-2008]

They reckon taking warfarin makes your hair thin.  Why can't it make your body thin instead!:-(

[merc1_clocks]

My men-or-paws is dreadful...it's the hot flushes X-(

I'll get one, strip down to me undies, open the windows, go out & stand in the snow...

& the next minute, I'm blerdy freezing 😐