Menopause symptoms?

[givemeananswer]

I personally dread going through the symptoms of menopause but how long can anyone tell me can I expect to be really affected.

I'm referring strickly to the flushes, mood swings and whatever else you can tell me to expect.

I am currently 50 and am suffering with pain, wondering if surgically induced menopause is worth putting off as opposed to linguring pain for what might be yet another 5-6 years. The specialist told me I don' t exhibit any sign of menopause soon.

I welcome your input whether your menopause was surgically induced, natural progression or hormone induced.

And whether you were aware or not. Or if your weren't' aware but those around you told you otherwise.

[therapist2014]

Hi im 29 and found out i have just now got endometriosis and have experienced nearly three years of chronic pelvic pain, im on prostap injection to trick my body to go through menopause and since i been on this the pain completely gone i couldnt believe it, im going through menopause at moment and i tell you now yeah i get hot flushes etc but its better than what pain i had and all the meds i was on, nothing to worry about trust me im only a certain age

[louisianna]

hi. I had a full hysterectomy 7 weeks ago. To be honest I felt like I had been hit by a train when my hot flushes started 1 week after surgery. However I have been using a ladycare magnet for the past week and I have seen a dramatic difference in the severity and frequency. My mood has also improved.

I keep reminding myself that I would have gone through menopause someday anyway (even though more gradual) and I can go on hrt in 4 mths if I want to.

I guess it depends on how bad and how frequent your pain is.

its a big decision to make and I wish you well.

[GrittyReads]

I was in the throes of perimenopause when I was about 52, having had mild Endo for most of my life ...

[most of my life I just had bad periods, nothing like the endo horrors that women on here describe. It was worse when I was not on the pill, but as we didn't want kids I took the pill on and off for much of my life. The pains became worse in my late 30s when I stopped the pill after my husband's death - that was when I was actually diagnosed with endo, after a lap (no ablation). I carried on with the pill, then, until I was told to stop at 50, because of my age. When things then got too bad, I had a second lap, with a lot of endo removed, and things were better for a short while; but they quickly got worse, so that nearly 5 years ago I had a mirena coil fitted. For me this was 'heaven', the period pains, more frequent and heavier periods, and all joint pains and abdominal [ibs-like, but not ibs] pains all disappeared after a few months, and the last 4.5 years have been brilliant. My oestrogen was very high before the mirena, and was still high a year or so after. I have no idea if it is still high, and will no doubt find out soon as the mirena will need removing - I'm hoping if my oestrogen is still high I can have another mirena. ]

However, I'm assuming I have gone through the menopause, as I have had hot flushes for the last 2.5 years. They are the only menopause symptom I've had while having the mirena in situ, so I would recommend investigating having one. They don't always work for everyone with endo (I'm assuming you also have endo, as you're posting on this site), but if you can put up with a few months of discomfort, the rest, since, has been well worth having it for.

The hot flushes were awful at first, but that was largely because I foolishly thought I just had to put up with them. The worst aspect for me was that they were mainly at night, and they were so bad they were stopping me from sleeping. Eventually, the lack of sleep got so bad that I was a walking wreck and having incredible migraines (never had them before), all due to stress through lack of sleep and increasing panic every night, when I just could not sleep. BUT, as soon as I saw my GP, she solved the lot. For me it was a short course of painkillers, to control the migraines, followed by amitryptilene to help me relax and sleep. The dose of amitrp was tiny, just enough for me to sleep, and I could take as little as I needed, and even stop if the bouts of flushes stopped - they went in phases. The flushes were not too bad during the day, so you do need input from other women about how bad they can be - mine seem to be stopping now - as well as input on all other aspects of the menopause.

This is just my experience, I've heard of women who have had flushes for 14 years during the menopause, and others who have had dreadful times with pain, bleeding, depression, weight gain, etc. I think you need to read far more about the menopause, and then canvas widely, as there is no easy answer to 'how it can be'. I hope you get more - and varied - answers, but I would investigate the mirena.

[Impatient]

It's a scary prospect for any woman but I can assure you that not all women will feel any symptoms of menopause aside from periods stopping.

My mum didn't have any hot flushes etc. She had suffered absolutely dreadful PMS monthly - that was subsiding and that was noticeable to the rest of the family when life at home for everyone else improved but mum didn't have any other issues with it at all.

If you have experienced Chemical menopause with GnRH drugs - and had an awful experience, do remember that all the side effects can be much more severe than with a natural or surgical menopause because the pituitary gland is shut down and you are starved of so many different hormones.

Whereas with a natural menopause it is only the sex hormones that regulate ovulation and the growth of menstrual lining that are no longer effective.

So the real deal when it comes should be a lot less of an impact on your body than GnRH.

Surgical menopause due to ovaries being removed is a sharper shock to the system. Not only because you have the surgery and recovery to cope with but because the pituitary is still producing the sex hormones even though there is no ovary to work on.

Menopause doesn't cure endo. Existing remaining endo can still remain active provided it has enough of a supply of oestrogen. That can come from the adrenal glands, excess stores of the hormone in tummy fat if you are carrying a bit of a spare tyre round the middle what you choose to eat and drink, and also from HRT and supplements like evening primrose oil etc.

Most supplements offered as a remedy for menopause symptoms are promoting oestrogen production which is not endo friendly.

Some ladies will continue to experience the effects of menopause for decades after their periods have stopped and are forced to stick with HRT to just cope.

It really is pot luck to a greater extent how each of our bodies does adjust to the 'change'.

If you are in pain- and you are pretty certain that the pain is from endo as opposed to adhesions and scarring built up over the years then a new surgery is certainly something to strongly consider for your future post menopause years.

Not only would it be an opportunity to get all existing endo removed which is a good thing, but on the flip side of that is that is can be the cause of new adhesions from the surgery holes but it is also an opportunity to have any existing adhesions cut right back too.

Bit of a dilemma but it is no picnic either to be contemplating how many years more you might have of the pains till the periods do stop.

A hysterectomy to remove just the uterus - and also all existing endo BUT DO keep the ovaries - (at east one of them,) and that will avoid the need for HRT because you won't menopause surgically, but naturally in time, is probably the best option in an ideal scenario, but that does depend on a trouble free surgery with few to no complications (which cannot always be guaranteed.)

I currently have the Mirena coil installed - which will need replacing in a couple of years. That has made my life so much more bearable - and I am hoping that I'll only need 1 more coil after that and will end up with good news and follow my mother's example of gently rolling through the Peripause to the point of stopping.

But then again - she didn't have endo and paid a very heavy price before menopause with her terrific mental instability from PMS for so many years that she deserved a break and got one.

Perhaps mother nature will be kind to me too... So many years of endo agony that it will be a doddle for me too when the time comes.

I had a ghastly time on GnRH and survived it - Menopause will not be as bad as the GnRH that's for sure in my case.

I do have an aunt on my father's side - who in her late 70s is STILL needing HRT after a surgical menopause in her 30s. Still wracked with adhesions crippling her some days, still watching her diet so carefully to avoid getting in to pain. Yet there re several aunts and great aunts who has hysts and declare it was the most liberating experience for them. Having spoken to a lot of older ladies on this topic - one thing for sure no two experiences are identical.

I would say from my own experiences so far - having a decent properly done surgery and taking steps to stop periods afterwards made such a huge difference to me. Long may that last.

[givemeananswer]

I should have noted, I already had a hysterectomy with the removal of my uterus and cervix, because of adenomyosis and pre-cancerous cell changes to my cervix. Yes I have a history of stage one endometriosis, but I believe most of my suffering was due to cysts bursting frequently on my ovaries. I enjoyed a good long period of freedom from dibilitating pain for 11 years but I am experiencing it all again the ovarian cyst bursts and the dibilitating back pain, the fatigue, the constipation and bleeding with bowel movements. Yesterday was the most shocking amount of blood that actually clotted. I have been following a very healthy diet so either I'm clearing out endo from that or it's getting worse I can't say. But following that bowel movement I then had dibilitatng ovary pain on the right. It's better today I was able to get out and about. But I think I will visit the GP to let him know maybe it's time for another colonoscopy. It's not something I look forward to the worst part of it is drinking the prep, uggh! Can they even determine if endo is present in the bowel during a colonoscopy, I think I read they can't.