Menopausal, perimenopausal, not sure, come join me!

[Disco]

Glad you're ok Sally, though it does sound like a complete ordeal really so kudos for taking it in your stride. I would definitely want GA for that procedure myself.

[sally maclennane]

Thanks Dics, I am glad that I went for the GA, even though it was a bit of a faff, spending the day in hospital and also the recovery time. The hospital staff were really lovely though, they couldn't have been nicer.

[Disco]

That's good they were so lovely. It really does make a difference. I was in a right state when I had an just an internal scan and kept half laughing & crying while they were doing it.

[Dutchie]

Good that you had it done under GA Sal! I've had 2 of the bastards with nothing more than paracetamol and they were honestly quite awful. I spent the whole time babbling like a loon, talking incessantly about the most random things.

[Disco]

That's sounds horrible Dutchie! I'm getting ptsd from my post op c-section on paracetamol.

[sally maclennane]

Oh yikes Dutchie, I had an endometrial biopsy without any painkillers (arsehole doctor just sprung it on me) and that was bad enough!

The consultant called me yesterday afternoon, I was a bit thrown by it, as I tend to think that weekend news won't be good news. However, it was OK and just her going over the next steps. She says that the fibroid I have is growing and is also in an awkward position, bulging into the wall of the womb. She think this may be causing the bleeding rather than the HRT. The problem is that unless I come off the HRT, there's no way to confirm that it's the fibroid. She is going to get an MRI arranged as this will let her see the position of the fibroid better. She'll also see me in August.

I've been on sequential progesterone for 2 months now so I've to stay on that and track my bleeding. She said she'll up the progesterone to 200mg (currently 100mg). I think the bleeding has been better on sequential HRT, but I need to track it properly. I also need to look into the higher dose of progesterone as I'm not sure how that will affect me.

She said that once she knows more about the position of the fibroid, she can decide what to do, including shaving a bit off it ( ) or last resort, doing a hysterectomy but she stressed that would be a long way off.

I am glad that she's being thorough, I half expected that they'd just investigate and rule out anything serious ( ) and then leave me to get on with it. She seems keen to find a solution though which is reassuring.

[Luna]

That is good service and great that she is managing this well for you Sal.

[Dutchie]

Sounds like you've got yourself a good gynae there Sal! I had a lovely one but she just treated the symptoms without looking for the root cause. Then I got another gynae once when she was off and my heart sank as it was a really young (and incredibly good-looking) man, whom I fully expected to dismiss me with a wave of his hand. Instead, he tackled the problem in a typically male way - let's find out what's causing this and tackle it head on. It's so great when a doctor wants to really investigate the problem and takes the time to do so. It might not be the quickest solution Sal but at least it will finally be a proper solution.

[Luna]

So, I’ve just had a free zoom call with women wise about my symptoms and everything is stemming from being fatty liver/ insulin resistant and needs sorting with diet. I kind of knew this but need specific help with macros. I’ll get sent a questionnaire and they test blood and urine to check your cortisol level throughout the day - I suspect mine are upside down. I feel a bit better for doing this as I’ve been scraping along feeling shit for weeks.

[Estrella]

This is a bit random, but I suspect it’s hormonal. Has anyone else found their sense of smell has gone crazy? It’s like 1st trimester pregnancy for me. Like full on everything is getting to me. I also am sweating more but can’t tell if I actually smell like a teenage boy or if it’s just this overactive sense of smell that’s amplifying it.

[sally maclennane]

I had an HRT review last week, after there was another mix up with my prescription at my practice. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, the receptionist eventually got my prescription for me, then said shirtily "you won't get that again until you have a review". I said I was more than happy to have a review

So I went in, a bit annoyed about it all but the GP was actually great. I've seen her before and really liked her, so for future, I'm just going to book with her. She recommended I take more progesterone, suggested that I try vaginal oestrogen and wants to monitor my BP as its been a bit high since starting HRT. She suggested weight training (which I'm not mad about) but I was impressed that she was quite knowledgeable about it.

The bleeding has settled a bit, now I'm in sequential HRT although it's still not as predictable as it should be. She was very sympathetic about that too and said she'd try to do what she could to help.

[sally maclennane]

So, I don't know if its due to the increased progesterone or coming off the mini pill (which she advised me to do) but the fucking bleeding is worse now. And of course, I'm on holiday, in a hot country I vaguely thought last week that i shouldn't make any changes before going on holiday then promptly forgot about it. Then I started bleeding more heavily at the end of last week just as I left to come here.

There's obviously not much i can do right now, luckily I decided to bring enough supplies with me but its so fucking annoying. I honestly think I'm going to have to give up on HRT, I have had this bleeding on and off since last November. There's been times when it's been really scant, and hardly noticeable but it can switch suddenly to heavy, and there's no rhyme or reason to it. Apart from being at the least convenient moments obviously

I suppose it might just be a glitch given that I've stopped taking the mini pill (she said I should come off it as increasing my Utrogestan might mean I was getting too much progesterone). I'll have to see how it goes over the next few weeks but I can't carry on like this. It's absolutely draining the life out of me.

[Kleio]

Sal that sounds so awful. I remember my Mum having similar when she was in perimenopause. She used to bleed for 3 weeks then have thrush for a week then go back to bleeding again.

No wonder you feel utterly drained.

[sally maclennane]

God, your poor mum Kleio!

[SunnyMum]

I remember the 3 to 4 weeks flooding stage, and you totally have all my sympathy. Don't just grin and bear it. I almost ended up with a blood transfusion. I was given pills to stop the bleeding (unhelpfully, I can't remember what they were called) and a gel to rub on my leg.
I think I documented all the gory details on this thread about 5 years ago.

[SunnyMum]

The exhaustion is real. I used to have to have a nap after work from 6 to 8 pm. When the flooding was bad, I didn't dare sit down on the train and I had plastic bags to cover the car seat. I remember vividly walking up the stairs to come out of the metro on the morning aware that blood was tricling down my bare legs. The horror, and the shame is still vivid in my memory. I used to go to work with spare knickers and and a change of clothes.

[sally maclennane]

I remember the 3 to 4 weeks flooding stage, and you totally have all my sympathy. Don't just grin and bear it. I almost ended up with a blood transfusion. I was given pills to stop the bleeding (unhelpfully, I can't remember what they were called) and a gel to rub on my leg.
I think I documented all the gory details on this thread about 5 years ago.

I have the gel already, that's part of the HRT, its the oestrogen. I also take progesterone tablets and that's what I've just been told to increase the dosage of. I think the tablets that you get to stop the bleeding are Tranexamic acid, which I'm sure one of the many doctors I've seen have given me. Helpfully I left them at home though. And ironically the time she gave them to me, the bleeding eased off of its own accord, because that's been the pattern ie there is no pattern, it can be light, medium, heavy, there is no predicting it other than there is always some kind of bleed. I've seen 3 different GPs and a gynaecologist since this started so I'm not putting up with it, its just that nobody seems to be able to find a solution.

I also have a fibroid which is complicating matters, the gynaecologist thinks it may be the problem as apparently fibroid symptoms can be made worse by HRT.

[Dutchie]

Oh Sal, this is utterly miserable, especially if you're far away from home. That horrified feeling when you realise you have just started bleeding again at the most inopportune moments is awful. After years of this I finally got a young gynae who suggested the Novasure treatment (endometrial ablation) and at the end of the procedure he placed a new Mirena, just to be sure. Recent research has shown that Novasure + Mirena gives the best results. I think it was 2 years ago now and ever since then I haven't lost a single drop of blood. The fear is still there - if I think I feel something I sprint to the toilet! But this truly was the solution that I really wish someone had mentioned much earlier!

[sally maclennane]

They keep offering me a Mirena coil, but I'm really not keen to have one. I know a few people who had problems with them and as I'm rubbish with smears etc, the thought of getting one fitted fills me with horror. Then if i didnt get on with it, I'd have to get the bloody thing removed again- it's not like taking a tablet when you can just stop taking it. I doubt they'd do any kind of ablation for me as I don't have endometriosis, the bleeding is due to HRT or the fibroid, or both.

It would also mean going back to the start because it would be a case of "try this for 6 months now" when I've already endured this for 6 months.

[SunnyMum]

Sal, it's so frustrating that nobody can find a solution. But at least they're taking it seriously and trying to help. I sincerely hope thay can come up with a solution soon.