6 years into menopause and no hot flashes or night sweats. Since I’m not doing any HRT, I can only guess it is because of the ground flax seeds I add to my yogurt every morning, as I believe flax seeds are a source of plant estrogen.
I had my last period right about when I turned 55, and nothing since, yay! Before that point I was having periodic hot flashes for several months. Not that often, but maybe 4-5 times a day. It was annoying. I think I have avoided much of the problems because I’m on bioidentical hormones. I’m not taking estrogen, but my estrogen level is still pretty reasonable, I don’t know why.
Question - I am 54 and LMP was March. I tend to run a little warm - have for a few years - and that’s the extent of it. No other issues. Do I need to do anything? I keep reading about hormone therapy and so forth. My last gyn visit was in December, before things stopped. I’m trying to understand if I feel fine, just wait for next appt to discuss or should I do something now?
I was also very lucky and simply stopped having very regular periods one month in my mid fifties. One month there the next month gone and then nothing again. Just boom…done. No hot flashes or issues.
LMP was in September 2016. Have been having hot flashes since a few months after that. At first, they were very frequent (>10/day) but not too severe. Now, they’re a little less frequent (usually - but I had 3 that woke me last night, and some days I still have 10 or so), but more severe. During the day, my face, neck, arms and torso get hot; at night, it is mostly my legs (weird!). I sweat a little, sometimes, but not ‘dripping’.
Am going to talk to my Dr. about HRT when I get back home (currently away, for my son’s graduation!). Thought I might try it, but not sure until I get more info.
“Wow! I have no idea hysterectomy was such a common practice for premenopausal women back in the days. Was it used to treat endometriosis, in addition to cancer? @TranquilMind”
I have no idea. All I know is that every woman I knew in those days had one, including my own mom (and all older female relatives). She did have really heavy bleeding though, and was so relieved. I don’t know what was going on, but I remember thinking it didn’t seem right that it should just be routine for every woman in her late 40’s -early 50’s that I knew.
So I was the first one to find out what menopause is like. It wasn’t bad.
LMP for me, at age 43, was almost 20 years ago and I still have the occasional hot flash, although not nearly as severe as they were at first. They were dreadful at first, combined with what I now think were mini-panic attacks. There were times when sweat beaded up on my forehead and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had to scurry for the door or open the car window for fresh air–really had to talk myself out of getting panicky. That ‘phase’ lasted probably 8-10 years… I tried HRT, but got no relief–discontinued due to family history of reproductive cancers. I have read that menopause symptoms are often more severe in women who are atypically young although I don’t know if there’s much evidence of that. Believe average age of menopause is 50-51.
Clearly there is a ton of variation for each individual. I had a hysterectomy (aged 50+) with ovaries removed just over a year ago. I thought I was coping ok, but quickly, the hot flashes became unbearable. 30+ times a day, I could hardly sleep at night. I was exhausted. Nothing helped. After 3 months of hell, I went on estrogen and literally had no more hot flashes.
In addition to the hot flashes, I developed a sudden onset of arthritis. I could barely climb the stairs. My hands burned and were virtually useless. And, the worst thing of all was developing depression. Not that I thought depression wasn’t real before, but I now completely understand just how devastating and horrendous it is. I was lucky in some ways, because it came on very suddenly and I knew there was a problem, because I looked at a checklist of symptoms of depression and had nearly all of them. I sought help immediately. This all occurred at around the same time, and it was a result of the ovaries being removed. Last summer was not a picnic.
Honestly, I will never stop taking estrogen. Yes, it might increase my risk of getting cancer, but it’s a risk I have to take. It’s better than feeling like a 90 year old person, and being depressed. The estrogen is 100% linked to the arthritis and depression. (Hormones help regulate adrenal glands, or something like that.)
I chose to have my ovaries removed during my hysterecetomy after discussing it with my gynecologist, who I knew well and had been seeing for over 10 years. Do I regret it now? That’s a fruitless question. It’s done, and in some ways, it was kind of a good thing to happen, because it forced me to make some beneficial lifestyle changes and recognize that I must have been experiencing anxiety and a very mild level of “pre-depression” for years.
As far as practical ways to deal with hot flashes, I kept a damp washcloth by the bed every night. When a hot flash woke me up, I would put it on my chest, face, arms, where ever, until it passed. That was quite helpful.
As I mentioned upthread, my mom had a hysterectomy with oophrectomy at 43. She took estrogen for about 20 years but at that point, her doctors said that even if she had a normal menopause (meaning non surgical), she would most likely not have been producing estrogen anymore by that time, so they took her off of it. You may want to revisit the issue with your doctors every couple of years or so.
@techmom99 , I will, of course. Right now though, my doc has said I can expect to take it for at least 7 years. My own mom had a full hysterectomy at 35 and has been taking estrogen since then. She is 83. If I live that long, it’s worth it! Lol!
True - my mom lived almost 20 years after stopping the estrogen, but she had many other health issues.
I use a combination of black cohosh (540 mg 2x a day) and one dose (2 capsules) of Amberen in the morning (mail order, non-prescription). The major flashes subsided almost right away for me. It took awhile (about 6 months) before I noticed the hormonal surges were really almost non-existent. I’ve been doing this for almost 8 years now, with zero negative side effects, and I would say zero hormonal surges now. Ocassionally I think I’d probably be fine if I stopped, but then I shake myself and wonder why I would mess with success, so I’ll continue.
Does your MD prescribe the estrogen? If so, the MD did not recommend a progesterone-estrogen combo? I’m curious because recommendations vary so much-- I don’t mean to pry or be critical!
When I was in peri-menopause, I went thru a stage of very heavy flooding periods. I used an OTC progesterone cream and although it took a few months, the P cream tamed the heavy periods, but not the irregularity of the periods.
When my periods went from irregular to infrequent & irregular, I had a bunch of new symptoms that made me suspect I needed a small amount of estrogen. I switched to an OTC cream by Bezwecken that has progesterone + estrogen, but I take it at 1/2 the dosing on the label. I haven’t had a period in over a year.
I haven’t ever had a hot flash or night sweats, knock on wood. However, I feel like my urinary tract is more easily irritated than before menopause. I use D-Mannose capsules at the very first sign of discomfort and I try not to get dehydrated, which seems to worsen feelings that a UTI might be coming on. I also use Culturelle probiotic caps as a vaginal suppository once a week for maintenance.
I saw several docs. No ovaries or uterus means no need for progesterone apparently.
I am on a cancer drug that gets rid of every bit of estrogen in my body. Estrogen fuels many breast cancers. I was done with hot flashes but they have certainly returned, along with joint pain, fatigue etc. Not a fun drug but better than not being here at all.
I am so sorry to hear that @compmom . That sounds horrendous. I hope you improve soon.
@rockvillemom If you haven’t had a period since March, you’re in what’s known as perimenopause. I’ve been in perimenopause for 4 years now - the longest I’ve gone without a period so far is 9 months. You’re considered to be in menopause after you go for a year without a period. If you are having no symptoms there’s no need to make a doctor’s appointment.
I did end up going on a low dose of an antidepressant because the PMS became extreme when I do get my period. There’s a couple of others I know who have done the same thing - a low dose of Wellbutrin keeps us from wanting to kill those close to us X( . I know I’ve got a period coming when my hot flashes stop. Who’d have thought I’d want them to continue? My only other issue is sweating way more than I used to, which is a problem living in the South.
I know way back in the dark ages, having a doctor find a need for a hysterectomy was hitting the jackpot for married Catholic women who didn’t want any more children.
Thank you. I feel fine so far, just unsure about what comes next.
As far as the seemingly ubiquitous hysterectomies back in the day, the doctors’ attitudes were if you were done having kids and had any problem at all with the uterus or pelvic floor, just take it out, who needs it?
So endrometriosis, fibroids, prolapse, and pretty much any other “complaint” led to hysterectomy. Usually the ovaries were left intact unless they were part of the problem. Out of 4 sisters and our mother, I am the only one with all her parts.
People questioned doctors a lot less in those days, and yes many women found it a relief to be done with birth control and periods. Or, in my sister’s case, when you lose continence big time in a public setting, you’re probably happy with whatever cure the doctor presents.
Hysterectomy is now known to be a risk factor for pelvic floor failure, not a cure. The cure was oversold to many women.