OS menopause memories?

System

My memory of my Mother going through the menopause was when she had to go out of the house and stand in the garden when there was 6 inches of snow on the ground because she was having a hot flush.

I have escaped relatively unscathed myself.

grunnie

Judi wrote: »

My memory of my Mother going through the menopause was when she had to go out of the house and stand in the garden when there was 6 inches of snow on the ground because she was having a hot flush.

I have escaped relatively unscathed myself.

I have done that but no one saw me as it was pitchblack that winter's nights. Me in my nightie with wellies on for the snow.Lovely and instant cooling. I have a chum who is still getting flushes and she is 80 next year. She saves a fortune in central heating and cardigans or so she says.
The only thing HRT did for me was make me fat.

moneyistooshorttomention

80!!!! and still getting hot flushes. Poor woman:eek:

No wonder that, when I went to my doctor one time saying "These hot flushes should have finished by now. How can I get them to stop? How much longer am I going to have them for?" he just held his hands steadily further apart and went "How long is a piece of string?"

EDIT; Just googled with the phrase "hot flushes continuing too long" and a long list of things comes up. On the Vogel webpages, for instance, they list off 10 health issues that might be causing hot flushes (ie besides menopause). Two of these are easily controllable - ie unhealthy diet and obesity and the others are illnesses. I think if my own had gone on much longer I would have phrased that question to my doctor rather more specifically and said "There must be a specific health problem causing this - and I need to know what it is and what to do about it".

CathA

grunnie wrote: »

. I have a chum who is still getting flushes and she is 80 next year. She saves a fortune in central heating and cardigans or so she says.

I used to be the coldest person on earth, always freezing cold hands and feet even in the summer. Roll on menopause years and the story is different. I tend now not to be always freezing; it's as if my inner thermometer has been re set and most of the time imtn "normal" temperature depending on the ambient temperature around me. However once I've had a bath in the evening, particularity in the winter, the heating has to be off or I'll melt. We didn't have the heating on much last winter and only about half a dozen times in the morning, so I understand why your friend had cheap bills!
Unfortunately one of our girls stays here on occasions depending on her work rota and she's always moaning it's cold here but I can't /won't have the heating on, and give her lots of blankets!

peachyprice

My mum had a hysterectomy in her late 30's, although she kept her ovaries she still had an early menopause a few years later, she took HRT for 30 (yes 30!) years and decided at the age of 70 that is was probably time to stop, she's now having a full blown menopause at the age of 75, she says if she'd known then that she would still have to go through it she never would have started HRT. She would have rather coped with it when younger than add it to the list of other ailments she has at her age now.

I'm 51, still don't have any symptoms although I do have a Mirena coil, which is supposed to help.

suki1964

peachyprice wrote: »

My mum had a hysterectomy in her late 30's, although she kept her ovaries she still had an early menopause a few years later, she took HRT for 30 (yes 30!) years and decided at the age of 70 that is was probably time to stop, she's now having a full blown menopause at the age of 75, she says if she'd known then that she would still have to go through it she never would have started HRT. She would have rather coped with it when younger than add it to the list of other ailments she has at her age now.

I'm 51, still don't have any symptoms although I do have a Mirena coil, which is supposed to help.

I have the mirena and tbh I kind of think it's muddying the waters a bit I don't know if I'm peri or in the menopause:(. Trying to get a non urgent Drs appt to discus stuff like this and to get blood tests is nigh on impossible. Can only get an appointment if you ring on the day and are allocated a locum who you have never seen before. Fine for an emergency but, well you know what I mean

My flushes started around aged 47. They were really bad last year aged 51 but this year, not so bad. Last year I felt murderous at times, this year I get mildly irritable. My skin and hair has changed texture and I'm seriously thinking a mach3 is needed for the facial hair, and yes the weight has gone on around the middle, but all in all, if this is the peri or menopause I'm doing ok

milasavesmoney

Oh yes the facial hair! I just hate that aspect of this age thing!

Peachy I too have been on estrogen since a complete hysterectomy at 37yrs. I was told to stop at the beginning of this year and have had a rough time. I range between a rageaholic and a weeping ninny. Sometimes all at once! I'm glad Suki said she has had a better year this year as that gives me hope.
And my hot flashes have felt like I was being electrocuted. My poor husband!
I've walked outside in my nightgown many times. Thankfully we have a fan I can also sit in front of to cool off.

My grandmother was having terrible problems with it all so she went to a herbalist in town (1930's) He gave her something to make tea with and it caused her to start her periods again. Within three months she was pregnant at 48 yrs old. :eek:
Moral of the story: Don't go to the Herbal Doctor!! No mater what!!

moneyistooshorttomention

suki

I hear what you're saying re problems getting a doctor appointment. Since moving somewhere distinctly more rural I've gone from a "plenty of doctors - no problem at all" type situation to knowing exactly what people mean by problems with seeing doctors:(:mad::(.

One thing I did do Back Before was pay for a Mid Life checkover at the local private hospital. Think it was around £100. Personally - I felt it was worth it. It included a (very leisurely) talk with a private GP about anything I wished to ask about etc. I wouldnt have thought that would cost that much more now???

Yes - I know and it's something one shouldnt have to pay for. Tell me about it:mad:. But I wonder whether you might have a decent size private hospital nearby and feel it was worth it to do that?

PEACHY PRICE
I'm glad you said that re the postponed menopause. That does confirm what I'd rather heard - ie that it's not possible to avoid it completely - it comes at some point and the only question is "when?". To me - I could understand postponing menopause with HRT if one is a career woman at the "height of your ascent" (ie high-flying politician or director of an international company) and didnt want feeling ill to interfere with a career. It might make sense to think "I'll postpone it until retirement" in a situation like that.

For someone that just has a job - then I think it's more appropriate to "get it over with" and not have to put up with going through a delayed menopause at retirement age, ie on top of any health problems that might turn up later in life.

thriftwizard

One other reason for NOT delaying the menopause is what my old GP said to me; she'd confirmed my suspicions that that was what was happening to me without recourse to blood tests or anything other than what I told her, BTW. She'd seen several patients delay menopause with HRT, only to start suffering heart problems when they finally came off it, as what's bearable at 50 is a huge strain on a 70 y.o. body. As she said, it's possible that the HRT actually stopped them developing heart problems earlier, which is what the drug companies would say, but she felt strongly that they were actually provoked by the shock of a late menopause.

Not wanting to scare anybody who is on HRT, btw; she mentioned this knowing that there have been heart problems in my family & knew I would want to weigh the risks & benefits up for myself. She was reporting from her own experience & observation as a GP, not from scientific studies funded by drug companies. Most unscientific, but I trusted her, made my own mind up & haven't ever regretted not taking HRT.

moneyistooshorttomention

Which rather confirms a "short cut" method someone I know took when it came to wondering whether to take HRT or no. She asked her female doctor if she personally would take it and got told that "No" the doctor wouldnt take it. Cue for patient thinking "Well - if it's not good enough for her - then it's not good enough for me either".

That's one way to make up your mind in 5 minutes flat:rotfl:. The patient knew the doctor would have done their research on their own behalf - so might as well take the hard work out of the equation of having to do so oneself:rotfl: