I've been getting hot flushes again. Thought I went through menopause about 10-12 years ago I've also been suffering from a sort of anxioys fearful tummy fir 20months. The tummy started first and then about 3 weeks later these hit flushes started up.
I had blood test for estrogen progesterone and testosterone.
Estrogen was <56
Progesterone was < 1
Testosterone was 1
I've read recently that women can get menopausal anxiety and flushes etc even though post menopause.
Would bio identical hormones help me. I feel desperate now.
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I used to be super arrogant about hot flashes. Figured, no way, I won't get them. I should have shut up. Delete from the thinking.... anyway, I then thought, okay, so hot flashes before menopause, during menopause, after menopause.... surely they'll end? (I'm on HRT because as soon as I reduce dose to less than 1/2 of normal dose (it's cream) I get the damn hot flashes back.) Then I thought, maybe when women have lots of children and estrogen naturally reduces with each pregnancy, when they get menopause they won't have hot flashes and maybe hot flashes are an artifact of not having many pregnancies.
HA! I asked one of the ladies I know and she told me her mother had 13 children (two sets of twins) and had hot flashes in her 80s! You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that..... NOT!
I give up. Some women don't get them and some do. Some don't get them forever and some do. Why?
I do know that it's the hypothalamus over reacting to temperature changes in the body. And fluctuating hormones will do it. They make the body's thermostat which is in the hypothalamus over sensitive.
Try HRT and see if you feel better. That way you keep the hormones from bouncing around.
If you need to lose weight, do it. Fat makes estrogen. That's why overweight ladies can be estrogen dominant.
Are you particularly stressed? The anxious tummy and hot flushes could be linked to stress. Dr Christina Northrup says the no 1 hormone we have to think about at menopause is not estrogen or prog or testosterone but cortisol. My flushes are certainly worse when I'm upset or stressed. Recent study found mindfulness to be as effective at easing them as other remedies. My flushes wax and wane so I'm never sure what is actually helping or whether they are just waning naturally. Im trying serenity cream at the mo. The admin team told me it takes at least two months to sometimes see results so I will persevere with it. Being under or over medicated can cause flushes too. Anxious stomach/ hot flushes - could you be slightly over medicated? When did you last have bloods done?
I had bloods done last week. The results were tsh 0.45. T4 10.6 t3 4.
I'm thinking maybe either ndt doesn't suit me or that because I have to stay low on iron due to serious blood condition that all of this is to do with that.
Vit D is good. B12 is good. Iron saturation is low.
Also got extremely painful muscles now.
That's the trouble with having a complex condition.
I'm not an expert on any of this but have navigated my way through my own health problems. My diagnosis was M.E. / nutter but over the years I have been tested for thyroid and adrenals and help myself with treatment for for this. Anyway getting to the point, before starting thyroid and adrenal treatment apart from severe muscle pain and weakness, I had night sweats and butterflies in my tummy. It was the sort of feeling you get when you feel nervous when you remember something, but with nothing to feel scared about! That and the night flushes/sweats have now stopped.
It may be worth checking your adrenals? But if nothing else I share your experience.
I was never sure if ME was an illness or a lack of diagnosis so started looking at other possibilities. After a lot of failed attempts and some things that helped symptoms I started to look into thyroid health.
I sought advice from Dr Peatfield and had thyroid and adrenal tests. My cortisol levels were also low in the morning and recovered towards bedtime. I was on T4 for a while but eventually had to be on T3 only. However I feel it is the hydrocortisone/prednisilone that has helped with the anxiety response (with no anxiety), hot flushes and hypoglycaemic feelings.
Are you receiving advice from anyone professionally? it can be difficult to find anyone who will help beyond TSH . Are your anxiety symptoms just since you have changed your thyroid meds?
No not new since I changed meds. Was on levo only when it started. Been on levo for 28 years up to then with no problem. Suddenly my tummy started doing somersaults. After a couple of weeks went to Dr who did blood tests. Came back with only tsh result which was 0.22. So dr reduced my levo from 125mcgs to 100mcgs.
After about a week I started getting the hit flushes. After 6 weeks went down to 75mcgs. I then started to drip with sweat under slightest exertion. Even walking slowly.
Then another blood test revealed tsh tsh really quite high. Still no other thyroid blood tests. Anyway put levo back up to 100mcgs. By this time almost ten months had passed. Did another bloid test only this time I asked for all tfts to be done.
They came back at tsh 5.28 T4 above range at 22. T3 below range. I knew this was wrong so asked to see endo. I saw a private endo who said I wasn't converting properly so she put me on combo T4/t3. I was on this for just over 3 months. Bloid tests showed tsh down to 2.46 T4 11 and T3 3.2. Endo said t3 only. So was on T3 only for another few months but T3 had only gone up to 3.7. So she said I needed ndt. Well I've been on ndt since mid Feb. Last bloid tests showed tsh 0.45 T4 10.6 t3 4.
My endo did have me take an iron supplement as saturation was low. I took this for a month and flushes seemed to ease a tiny bit.
But due to a serious blood condition my haematologist said I had to stop iron as it would endanger my life. So I had to stop it. The Haematologist asked that my endocrinologist explain to him the importance of the iron but she refused.
I am on a chemotherapy drug for my bloid condition which lowers rbc saturation and the other iron.
I never feel tired but over the past few weeks my muscles have started hurting me bad in my back. It starts a couple of hours after standing up. I work on a till and it's a standing up job.
How did you get your cortisol levels right???
Did you have to lower your highs in order to higher your morning low???
Did dr peatfield guide you through it all and dud you tell him about your feeling if anxiety in your tummy??
I am post menopausal and have had a great deal of trouble withanxiety and my thyroid meds . I got lots of hot flushes and anxiety when my T4 was too low (t4 mono) but had them even worse, plus shaking, terrible anxiety when on T3 only.
Currently back on T4 mono (but planning to add in small amount T3 as my T3 is quite low, similar to your reading) but really believe the bio identical progesterone cream helped very quickly to stem the flushe and make me feel better all round.
Yes I noticed the difference very swiftly. Am using the Wellsprings Serenity 'topically' (down below) which Dr P recommended after seeing my sex hormone results.
Another friend on this forum has recommended a cream from the USA which she says will give better results (with no stinging). I can send you a link if you like.
Now my T4 has come up to 14.9 and my T3 3.9 (although both still a bit on the low side) my anxiety/ tummy discomfort and flushes are under control. I think its a combination of a better level of thyroid meds, and the addition of progesterone.
I hope it works out for you, Wellsprings get it to you pretty quickly. I am going to go on a T4/T3 combo when I can pluck up the courage, but one thing I have learnt is that I definitely need both T4 and T3.
Wrll I have to say I found combo ok.but still wasn't converting very well hence endo put me on T3 only but personally I think we do need a bit of T4. Were your sex hormones very low??? Mine are but went through menopause about 10-12 years ago..
Do you nit put the cream.on.your arms? I had hysterectomy when.I was about 32.
I am 59 and had bad menopause - dreadful flushes etc night and day and anxiety - which started about 9 years ago. Couldn't take Hrt either. yes I have low sex hormones andi low DHEA and dr P suggested the progesterone cream .
I also use Vagifem pessaries which are oestrogen (from GP) and which you insert , an d the Wellsprings.com natural progesterone cream which I use 1/8 teaspoon twice a day. I rub it in sometimes on my arms and sometimes 'down below' as it helps prevent dryness. Ithas certainly helped prevent my hot flushes and night sweats.
Hot flashes are super annoying and cause a lot of sleepless nights. Everyone I know that has started drinking Plexus Slim (not just for weight loss) has seen their hot flashes vanish in just 2-3 days. It will also increase your mood and energy.
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