Menopause

[nasreentariq]

I’m having many issues since I’ve hit menopause

1- depression

2-weight gain

3- skin blemishes and pigmentation

4- high blood pressure

5- easily exhausted

6- mood swings

How should I handle all these.

[BadHare Ambassador]

Make sure your nutrient levels are excellent, & perhaps get your thyroid hormones & nutrient levels checked as these decline with age. Your symtoms, aside from skin pigmentation which I'm unsure about, are all symptoms of hypothyroidism. Take a look at Thyroid UK on HU for information on the things we primarily need to address to make our hormone & general health better. Your GP would likely choose antidepressants as an easy option (for them, not you), but these just mask the symptoms & potentially make any underlying health issues worse.

[nasreentariq in reply to BadHare]

Thanks. What’s thyroid Uk on HU

[BadHare Ambassador in reply to nasreentariq]

healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk

Best forum on HU, in my opinion of course!

[nasreentariq in reply to BadHare]

How do I get the nutrient level checked? Which tests should I get done

[BadHare Ambassador in reply to nasreentariq]

Vitamins: B12, folate (B9), D, though general B's are important as is K2. If you have thyroid hormones tested avoid B complex containing biotin for a week in advance as this can skew results.

Minerals: iron, ferritin (the iron storage protein in blood). Magnesium is essential, but doctors don't usually test.

Thyroid hormone tests are best done as close to 8am as possible after fasting all night (water's fine). TSH, free T4 & T3, though ignorant doctor's are oftem miserly & won't spend 92p on the latter which is the most important of all!

I may have missed something important, though all the information is available on TUK. Many people have a the basic hormone blood tests done or a full thyroid & ntrient panel done privately if their doctors & endocrinologists aren't helpful. There are often discounts on the forum.

You might find you feel better for supplementing with a good B complex, >2,000iu of vitamin D3 (take with fatty foods), & 400mcg of chelated magnesium (take at bedtime on an empty stomach with water) or transdermal magnesium for a few months, but do look into the other things I mentioned above. Avoid taking multivitamins as the doses are low & they contain vitamins & minerals that can reduce the absorption of each other.

[sweetsusie]

As Izzy said in "Fried Green Tomatoes:" You need to get you some hormones, girl! That will help with all of your awful symptoms....