Perimenopause, menopause 2023

Good afternoon! Thank you for creating this forum; there really are many pages here. I just hope everyone visits more often. Personally, I find comfort in the forum because the symptoms match, and it makes you think you're not alone.

I'm with you too 🤗

Thank you. Sometimes it's just so tough. The only thing that keeps you going is the forum. You realise you're not alone with your troubled mind and weaknesses.

Who takes which tablets for occasional high blood pressure? For those with constant hypertension, it's all clear. But sometimes it's normal at 115/80, and once a week it rises to 170/100. What should one do? I bring it down myself with magnesium injections, Corvalol, and bisoprolol. Then I feel awful for two days. What does everyone else use in such a situation?

I came across a topic, not through search, but by browsing the new ones for the day—maybe some newcomers will drop by too.

I take Valasedin, generally I've had very low blood pressure my whole life, but it's started spiking sometimes, I take Valasedin and it goes back to normal straight away, but I think it's a panic attack

When blood pressure spikes due to panic attacks, it just goes down with Corvalol. But if it's due to weather, or due to osteochondrosis, then it takes a long time, about an hour and a half, I can't bring it down with anything. I take both Capoten and Cardoflex, I take magnesium and papaverine, I drink 40 drops of Corvalol. It varies. This started during perimenopause. My usual blood pressure is low. I'm 50 years old. Perimenopause for 7 years. I've already been through everything. One symptom replaces another. I still have my menstrual cycle.

I'm also 50 and I've been going through it since I was 43 too. There are many older colleagues at work and friends my age going through menopause, but it seems I'm the only one with such ailments. If it weren't for the forum, I might think I'm the only one having such a difficult menopause. And there's no one like that in my close circle.

I think that's a bit much. Usually doctors recommend Moxonidine for such cases and the smallest dose to observe how it works. Or Captopril.

Girls, hello everyone! This topic is endless, 'cos loads have faced this nightmare, please tell me, how's everyone's gut doing? Mine's falling apart, dunno if it's from the constant shaking or hormone madness, it's tough to handle all this psychologically, and then there's all sorts of pains on top

I have problems with my digestive system too - sometimes pain, sometimes nausea, then bloating, then no appetite, or the opposite. I get my stomach checked with an endoscopy, everything's within normal limits, but I'm suffering. My stomach really reacts to stress.

I had it. Right at the beginning of perimenopause. My intestines went completely mad. And there were different pains, and it was twisting, and my stool became all messed up. I never knew before what this was like or how the stomach could hurt, and I used to go to the toilet like clockwork. Now it's more or less settled down, but not completely. I've had no periods for almost a year. Back then I just didn't understand what was happening, it was absolute horror, I was terrified! I ran off in a panic for a colonoscopy. Well, and the gastroscopy - that's regularly before the colonoscopy.

They write that the mucous membrane of the intestines and stomach is sensitive to hormones, but they're not there anymore and atrophy begins. This process isn't only happening in the female organs but also in the GI tract. There's a huge mucous membrane there. And the tendency for bowel cancer increases without oestrogen. So what should we do? Sit on HRT until we're 90?

So I've noticed that because of hormones - this never used to happen before, but now it's one thing after another. I'm also sitting on the forum, thanks everyone

Girls. Menopause is menopause. But the gut can react to many things. And to vitamin deficiencies too. The very first thing is ferritin. I was told that those in menopause or after surgery need to take vitamin D constantly, the daily dose. And girls on websites here write about this too.

Don't work yourself up. It can happen from pills too. When I diagnosed myself, I stopped taking the pills - turned out they weren't helping anyway. And I stopped burping and feeling sick.

And I've been in menopause for three years now. Perimenopause is a stage I've already passed. A lot has changed during menopause. Perimenopause and menopause can be quite different, very much so.

To be more precise, it's already even 4 years

Constant bloating, and my mental state is also very bad. I'm on hormones

Why? On hormones, everything should clear up, shouldn't it!?

Svetlana, hello, how are you? My name is Tatyana, I'm chatting with you about Estrogel. Sometimes it seems okay, but then out of nowhere there's this anxiety for no reason. I'm still taking the minimum dose as before. My glycated haemoglobin has gone up, almost at the limit. They prescribed me Siofor. Hormones are fluctuating, and you could even develop diabetes like this. Touch wood, sometimes I'm irritable but more often anxious. I feel like crying and I do cry inside somehow. So no one can see. It's hard, but we'll get through it all, this is all temporary.

I'm also experiencing some inexplicable issues with my intestines – sometimes bloating, sometimes cramps, then it's fine, and then there's upset again. I'm on HRT too, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I've tried probiotics as well, but I also feel like it's due to hormonal fluctuations. Whether I'm in perimenopause or menopause, I can't quite tell anymore.

Well in menopause you don't get periods anymore, but in perimenopause they still come.

Did you feel better in menopause?

A woman wrote on that forum that she started taking antidepressants and all her gastrointestinal problems and pains went away.

So according to hormone tests, I shouldn't have periods. But I'm getting periods from my HRT. Maybe they're not adjusting it properly, that's why I feel rubbish.

HRT is tricky to get right.

It's very interesting to hear from women in postmenopause who have gone through perimenopause, menopause, etc. Which stage is the most difficult? Some struggle at the beginning, while others barely notice perimenopause but get hit hard when their periods have long stopped. Please share your experiences—I'm currently in perimenopause, with light and delayed periods.

Did it get easier for you?

Can you tell me how high blood pressure manifests itself? Mine is always low, but tonight was some kind of nightmare - my head doesn't hurt, but my throat went numb, my back, my palms and soles are sweaty. I thought it was a panic attack, but it's the first time like this, usually I either get hot or cold flashes, I quickly drink some valerian and that's it, but this time there's even nausea, really

When my blood pressure rises, my hands and feet get cold, I start shivering and feel like I'm dizzy, and also get goosebumps running over my head and back. I start feeling unwell. I always get scared of this state too.

Yeah, my feet got cold at night too, then I got hot flashes, a lump in my throat, and today it coincided with magnetic storms, my period is starting, basically it's awful

I'm 53, been going through this horror since 43, everyone around me seems normal, working, while I feel like I've been knocked down all at once - my mental health, overall health, weakness and no energy to even do housework properly, constantly dizzy, dragging myself through every minute, everything feels like such an effort

Yeah, and at the beginning of perimenopause I ended up in hospital - there were neurologists, therapists, they prescribed Mexidol, Actovegin and other zeros, personally it didn't help me at all. It feels like they're just filling beds through the compulsory health insurance system, they give you a treatment plan but don't actually care about results. To this day no one has helped with this condition except a psychiatrist, and even then just with a prescription for Atarax - they wouldn't go through hell.

When menopause hit at 52, I was still alive for another year, enjoying myself, buying outfits and lipsticks, but at 53 everything... I had to go on antidepressants. I think it's for life. Many people expect hormones to settle down during menopause. Yeah, except they settle down to zero point fuck all, total estrogen deficiency kicks in, and the body starts falling apart. Everything started hurting - joints, bones, muscles, my neck wouldn't turn from the pain, shoulders and back turned to stone. Dryness and atrophy of all mucous membranes, including the digestive tract. Hair started falling out, teeth too. All sorts of neuralgias began. And right on top of that came depression, fear, anxiety, insomnia, agoraphobia. That's menopause for you

The sensations can be different, it's not the same for everyone. Many people with 180-200 don't feel anything at all! So you always need to measure it

Please describe how it is with your back and muscles, what kind of pains? My shoulders are literally burning, my neck muscle is pulling, it hurts under my left shoulder blade, intercostal neuralgia

Reading women in another group who are on HRT. Nothing much has cleared up with their GI tract either. And loads of other symptoms remain. One woman even ended up with a cyst from taking Femoston, now they might have to operate

For me it wasn't just a feeling of burning or pulling, but my whole body was stiff as a board. Shoulders, neck and back are wooden and in spasm. Any movement is pain, pain. Everything through pain. Even my occipital muscles were - you couldn't touch them with a finger, it hurt so much. I had neuralgias both intercostal and in the tailbone, and knees, hip joints, heels, elbows, fingers - everything hurt, shot, felt like nails. Even in my jaw joints arthropathy appeared. I thought I was developing arthritis, got examined so much, spent loads of money on various tests.

I also had freezing cold feet last night, icy, had to use a hot water bottle, but it was useless. My head felt like cast iron, hurt badly, blood pressure 140/100, Capoten didn't help. Glycine didn't either. Phenibut didn't work, had insomnia. It was a horrible night.

Same here, my tailbone hurts when I sit, my heels burn, no hot flushes, it's hit me in the bones like that

I'm also 53, constantly dizzy with headaches, antidepressants don't really work for me either. Had loads of vascular treatments in clinics too, zero effect. Hormones don't help me anymore either. Sitting here wondering what to do next.

But I've read about people on hormones who are doing really well. And my doctors told me. If it's Climax - you should start feeling better within 2-3 weeks. If you've tried more than one medication.

Everything you wrote is literally me. From the first to the last symptom. But I still have my cycle, I'm 50 years old, can it really get even worse?! There's almost nothing left of my hair and teeth, muscles, bones, neck, back, constant anxiety, blood pressure spikes, neuralgia under my left shoulder blade etc. etc. I guess it's time to start taking ADs.

No matter how many women I read about, they write the same thing - neuralgia under the left shoulder blade, and mine specifically hurts on the left side, I wonder why?

Same here, had a nightmare night, didn't sleep at all, my neck and head were stiff from behind, my feet were either sweating or freezing, now I'm completely shattered

I still think the reason I'm having such a difficult menopause is because I've always been a hypochondriac and prone to anxiety, which has turned into neurosis. I probably have autoimmune thyroiditis too, and it's contributing to it. I'm ready to try anything that might help now; my periods weren't like this before, but now they're just awful. My PMS is severe as well, whereas my mother didn't even notice her menopause.

Maybe it won't get worse for you. But I want to say that when preparing for menopause, antidepressants alone won't be enough anyway (if, say, HRT isn't possible). Neurosis is neurosis, antidepressants do remove that, but the deficiencies of everything remain. So it's also important to find supporting solutions for yourself and take what resonates well with your body. Maybe for you it'll be some supplements, or herbal complexes, obviously vitamins are essential. You need to find what works for you, so you can build a supportive complex, this is besides antidepressants. For those who can have HRT, of course it's simpler, because hormones are the foundation, the basis. After all, even the absorption of vitamins and all beneficial substances happens more easily and completely when there are female sex hormones in the body. And without hormones everything is much more difficult

Yeah, there are many like that with similar situations, the symptoms don't go away and sometimes even get worse, but there are also plenty who go through it almost symptom-free both in perimenopause and in menopause already. It's all very individual. So not everyone suffers.

Girls, if glycine helps anyone at all (and that's very few people), it's only as a placebo effect, nothing more. A neurologist explained - it doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier, so it absolutely cannot work as medication. Just sharing this info with you lot.