Menopause and Me

2019 was my last blog. I can't really recall why I stopped but I am guessing life happened, menopause happened and then a worldwide pandemic hit us, and I can't believe we're still struggling to see any light at the end of the tunnel, considering we are 4 days away from 2022!

(Disclaimer, I am not a menopause specialist, I am not a Doctor. I am me, this is my research, my knowledge, and my experiences, my blog. You must do your own research, speak with your own doctors if you're experiencing menopause symptoms and you need help and advice).

Menopause and Me, why am I writing this? Well, it's something and I quote my daughter 'only old people go through...' Of course, it is, when you reach a time in your life as a woman, you go through the menopause, the transition... Well, this is not always the case!

Did you know perimenopause can start in your early 30s and in some cases, even younger, 20s and even in your teens. You may not have a clue what is happening to you and your doctor may misdiagnose you and, in some cases, prescribe antidepressants, apparently this is very common. Antidepressants are not the answer for treating the menopause.

Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when there is a hormonal shift and because of this happening to me, I am now 100% a Hormone Replacement Therapy supporter. There is a stigma around menopause that it only happens when you're older, that's not the case and also, people still have concerns about taking HRT, as people were led to believe it would cause cancer, there is no medical evidence to suggest this and with the development of body identical HRT, not taking HRT can be detrimental to your health. You can learn more here, with Dr Louise Newson, this is where I get lots of my research from.

The average age in the UK for a woman to start going through the menopause is 51 but what happens when you're in your 30s and you have no idea what is going on...

I can't remember when it started, it didn't just happen overnight. I started noticing things like, a rage like nothing I had experienced before. At points I would get so angry it would affect my whole day and it could be things like road rage, or running late, things that used to be like water off a duck’s back to me now sent me into a raging fit. Tiredness, I would hit the wall by lunchtime and would feel so ill I would need to lay down, again this type of tiredness I had never experienced before. My periods started to slow down to the point they were almost non-existent. I had massive brain fog, couldn’t remember things, I sometimes struggled to string a sentence together and I really thought heading the ball through years of playing football was now affecting me, I seriously thought I had dementia. This is one of the reasons I retired from playing football. I lost the sense of joy in my life, had huge anxiety, and didn’t want to go out or do anything, I am guessing these are the symptoms of why doctors can misdiagnose you as having depression, but I knew it wasn’t that. It wasn’t until I started getting hot flushes through the night that I called the doctor and arranged an appointment. The hot flushes were crazy, again an awful experience. My mum started the menopause in her early 40s and everyone I said this too said, no you’re too young it must be something else, but by this point I had looked up symptoms, researched the menopause and I was convinced I was now menopausal at 39 and could have been going through it even earlier by this point.

My doctor said I was too young and wanted to do some blood tests to check my thyroid. The results came back as dangerously low, and indicated I had an underactive thyroid and was prescribed levothyroxine and was put me back onto the pill to regulate my periods.

Despite feeling better, I still had many symptoms and after 4 weeks I felt I was back to square one. I again spoke with my doctor and demanded a referral to a menopause specialist.

It was like he didn’t want to make that decision in prescribing me HRT but remember, it isn't the doctor's decision, they don't know your body, they can't stop you from trying HRT.

After weeks of waiting and suffering in silence, more blood tests to determine my thyroid level, which was now normal, I eventually saw a female Doctor, not that sex of the doctor should matter but I instantly felt like she got me, she was brilliant. We went through the menopause checklist and I ticked off many symptoms and I came away with a prescription for HRT, Gel and Progesterone. The ongoing support so far has been brilliant with telephone consultations and I have a scan booked in soon, to check all is ok in that area, as no periods and the menopause can damage the womb.

I cannot explain how HRT has change me! I feel 20 years younger, have energy like I was 20 years younger. My skin looks great, my boobs are bigger ;-) yep it's true, and I generally feel an excitement for life again. I obviously still have days when, naturally things affect me, like tiredness which is normal life isn't it, but HRT has been a godsend!

Menopause affects people differently. A percentage of women quit their jobs, stop playing sports, lose their sense of purpose in life and really don't know how to deal with it and suffer in silence for years.

The menopause should not be holding you back. We should be talking about it, after all, over half the population will experience it!

Here are my top tips:

* Seek help and research for yourself. If you're not happy with the outcome from your GP, demand further help. It is your right to choose HRT.

* Stay active and social. Strength training is great for menopausal women.

* Don't give up the things you love.

* Talk about it with your friends and family.

* If you have had breast cancer, you can take HRT. Research the doctors I have listed in this blog.

I am now 40. I feel I have found my purpose again in life and business and will continue to take HRT to support me through the menopause, which can take years and years and it may be a case that I am on HRT for the rest of my life, but for now, I hope you have found this blog useful and even if you're not menopausal you can support someone who is, as sometimes, the support goes a long way.

Here is the link to Dr Naomi Potter Menopause Checklist