Any “older” menopausal ladies out there please?

[Brambledoggy]

Firstly sorry for the older. Not meant as an insult. I just wondered if anyone over 50 or peri menopausal or menopausal could tell me if endo eased up as they got older. My periods are all over the place and I’m literally waiting for them to dry up and end the monthly pain I go through. If anyone can share menopause experiences I’d be really grateful.

[Linley]

I had my menopause at a young 58😉. Had no hot flushes, mood swings or weight gain, and no more period pain. It was like starting a new life. But will mention that as I have IBS d and Endo scar tissue on the ascending colon if I get a flare up I do have some discomfort🤔

Good luck🍀 and do pm me if I can help any further

[Brambledoggy in reply to Linley]

Thanks for the reply and some hope. Please may I ask what causes your flare ups?

[Linley in reply to Brambledoggy]

bowel contractions usually gas on the right side🤭

[Brambledoggy in reply to Linley]

Oh dear. Flipping never thought I’d “want” to be menopausal. But bring it on.

Fingers crossed for us both. 🤞🏼

[Linley in reply to Brambledoggy]

👍

[Moon_maiden]

Diagnosed with endo at 51 last year so not much help as haven’t reached menopause yet. Zoladex stopped periods and consultant hoping it would help pain and body might go into natural menopause as an add on. For me it hasn’t helped pain, might be worth talking to GP or consultant about the problems.

Not insulted either 😀, my only amusement is that I’ve given the local doctors a perplexing time 🤣.

[Brambledoggy in reply to Moon_maiden]

I have talked to my GP (she’s just moved to Canada!) And to consultants too. They’re too focused on dishing out hormones and scary chemical solutions and despite the horrible pain I go through, I won’t just accept the chemical/hormone route so I’m pretty much at the mercy of time now. Waiting for that month my periods don’t come any more. 😌

[Moon_maiden in reply to Brambledoggy]

Last year I ended up going private to see gynaecologist as GPs weren’t doing anything constructive and thought I was nuts half the time. It felt good to prove them wrong. They didn’t consider gynae until fibroids showed on ultrasound. One GP suggested HRT when I mentioned hormones, told her I still had periods, she was very biased on age and menopause. Just told me to expect UTI at my age!

I’ve possibly had endo for many years, but managed to control each month, now it’s deep and more fibroids there’s no let up.

Doctors get fixated on age and stage, if you can get a referral to a different gynae it may help you not to be in pain. When I saw one I didn’t tell the GP, did my own thing and told them after. I don’t like chemicals either, but showing willing to hopefully cross things off and end with a good result.

[Whoisthis]

I’m 45 and issues I’ve faced are the GPS just writing me off a permi menopause, but I had to go private and self diagnose endometriosis and had it removed 9 weeks ago. Painful sex was my first symptom at 40 and they literally have been trying to put the coil in me for the last 5 years, told me to use lube, ignored my UTI symptoms, I now have kidney stones to deal with.

They love to write us off from about 40 onwards seems a Barlow whatever age to be honest but I’m like the other poster, I’m grateful for me age and my ability to not sit and let them give me crap. So they dread me coming in as I know exactly how not to be treated.

[Brambledoggy in reply to Whoisthis]

Yes, and it’s heart breaking to see on this site so many young girls having three/four/five so called surgeries to “remove” endo by ablation, lasering, cauterising etc etc etc. And all by “experts”. I could write a book about the experiences I’ve had. Such a waste of everyone’s time and makes me really quite upset. At 49, no ones pulling the wool over my eyes any more.

[Whoisthis in reply to Brambledoggy]

Exactly the same here, it gives me the absolute rage when I hear poor girls going in for laser it should be in the history books not the NHS it’s disgusting, no other surgery is performed by non specialist surgeons and yet they go inside a women’s pelvis and burn our organs?? Next to major nerves, bowels, bladders it’s barbaric.

[Brambledoggy in reply to Whoisthis]

Couldn’t agree more.

[Realtiger]

I sympathise! Newly diagnosed at 49 by ultrasound discovery of an endometrioma and praying hard for menopause here! Doctors may be guilty of this but I’ve also blamed symptoms on other causes e.g. anaemia and heavy bleeding must be down to Hashimotos and perimenopause and pelvic pain just another part of the fibromyalgia picture. Now I feel really ill the week before my period starts and then haemorrhage for the first 2 -3 days. Still waiting for my first gynae appointment and also feeling very resistant to any hormone treatments. Unless they decide to go down the excision route I’ll be right here sitting it out with you. Hang in there sister!

[Brambledoggy in reply to Realtiger]

Do you think pain stops when periods stop?

[Realtiger in reply to Brambledoggy]

I wish I knew and could offer you some comfort. I’ve been hunting around for advice directed towards women of my age and there isn’t much of it. I have a ton of questions to ask the consultant when I finally get to see them and this is one of them. I don’t know to what extent the back pain and pelvic instability I’ve been dealing with are the product of endometriosis. However I do know that working with a physio for 5 years to realign and strengthen my twisted self as well as Pilates and more Pilates has had a profound impact on my pain levels. Members of a local endometriosis support group also reported that working with a physiotherapist who specialises in pelvic dysfunction has helped them. My impression is that the menopause can definitely bring relief but it’s not the ‘cure’ that some might have us believe - I found this piece quite useful:

health.harvard.edu/womens-h...

[Brambledoggy in reply to Realtiger]

Hello again. Just wanted to catch up and see how you are getting on. My periods are all over the place and this month absolutely horrendous pain. So much I had to take morphine. Just wondered if you had any more insight or advice etc. Nina.

[Realtiger in reply to Brambledoggy]

Hello Nina, nice to chat again and sorry to only see this now - have been missing in action due to stressful workload and battling symptoms - between fibro, Hashimotos and endo I honestly don’t know which condition to attribute them to half the time!

So sorry to hear you’ve been having such a rough time. I haven’t ever had to resort to morphine - I feel for you. I finally had a consult with a gynae - she told me surgery wasn’t indicated unless the endometrioma on my right ovary has grown (it’s 3cm and it hasn’t), and said that adhesions can be as troublesome as the presenting symptoms. I’m also not interested in taking hormones or the mirena and she didn’t disagree when I said “so it’s just as case of toughing out until menopause then?” 🙄 I already take tranexamic acid to slow the bleeding but she suggested adding Ponstan alongside ( mefanemic acid) and to start taking it a few days before as it reduces the prostaglandins that cause the inflammation. I haven’t tried it yet as after 60 days without a period I thought my prayers had been answered so didn’t bother collecting my prescription. How wrong I was - now recovering from 5 days of hell with pain unlike any I’ve experienced before so I’ll be hotfooting it to the pharmacy ready for next time - whenever that might be. If you’re prescribed morphine, however, perhaps you’ve already been down that road? My GP was dubious about how much the Ponstan would help and seemed to prescribe it reluctantly.

At least when my cycle was regular I could psych myself up to deal with the discomfort and inconvenience but this is a whole new ball game. Perhaps it’s time to be grateful for my early warning system of a cold, impetigo, thrush and such crushing fatigue I that I’m praying for my period to start. No-one seems to have any answers for that!

I’m sorry, I wish I could offer you more in the way of insight and advice. Both my physio and chiropractor say endo makes sense of some ongoing symptoms and the consultant agreed that this has probably helped to manage endo pain. Could be worth exploring if it’s a stone unturned.

I’m resigned to things getting worse before they get better. The next thing on my list to try is CBD oil - have you tried it?

[Brambledoggy]

Yes, I went ages earlier this year, over 77 days, (I have an app called Flo) and thought it might all be over after 30 years of pain. Nope. My mum thinks things are getting much worse but I think they’ve always been horrendous. I can’t plan a thing due to being laid up for days. I’ve tried all the acids, and painkillers, all of them. Nothing seems to work. You would think by now someone would have come up with a decent painkiller. Nothing touches one but my Livia device is great. And a huge heat pad is good. And a massive pair of undies!!! Gives me comfort. Well, a little. Endo has ruined my life I can say, so at 49, I wanted to think I would dry up, but who know how much longer this will go on. Morphine didn’t touch my pain, but makes me sleep. Dreadful constipation the next day or two so actually not worth it as endo is on my bowel so I end up fainting with excruciating pain on the bathroom floor. You just can’t win this condition. Chronic fatigue, yes me too. Also can’t sleep because of stress and worry of a current dreadful predicament I’m in at home. So all in all, pretty pants right now. Thanks for messaging me. Nina. X P.S have toyed with cbd oil in the form of gummies and mouth drops, can’t say they did that much. When I went to California last year I got a dosist pen (real cannibals for severe inflammation and pain) and that was brilliant. They sell them here online but they’re a fortune. Almost worth going back to Los Angeles for!!!!

[Realtiger in reply to Brambledoggy]

That sounds rough Nina - I imagined you’d probably exhausted most options by now and am sorry that nothing seems to bring relief. I haven’t experienced sustained pain to the degree that you describe except in short bursts of terrible cramping/spasm and stabbing from endometrioma against a background of duller pain. At least the morphine knocks you out enough to sleep 🙂 Feel free to message any time you’re in need of a comrade in arms. Ruth x

[Bluesea7]

They say menopause can last up to 10 years my sister periods took 3 years to go she still has hot flushes ect it's been 5 years now. I went into menopause after hysterectomy, my gynecology sergen said pre menopausal can last a few years before you even go in to menopause he said endometriosis goes in menopause.