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Getting hot flashes for a few weeks now- help

Posted , 5 users are following.

pmc1709
pmc1709

I am pretty sure I am in perimenopause. Had 2 periods in a year and the last one was Sept. 47 years old and lately been feeling the heat BIG time for about 2 minutes a few times a day. My sleep pattern is changing and I feel exhausted after work but pick up after a 30 minute nap in the evening. Libido is low but that may be due to the "dryness" making "intimacy" quite uncomfortable. 

Otherwise I feel fine. Been looking into natural remedies but worried about the oestrogen type supplements (red clover and black cohosh)- I thought they would be ideal until i read about increase risk of womens cancers;-( Now I am just confused. I don't know if I should take anything but I just started Menopace to see if it helps.

Any advice or comment would be really appreciated. I feel quite lost in all this and my friends all think i am too young for it as they have not started and are all late 40s. Help?

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • jayneejay
    jayneejay pmc1709

    Posted

    Hi pmc

    I was age 39/40 when my peri started i am age 50 now and post meno.

    Ask your doc for a FSH blood test see where your follicle stimulating hormone is at, if your down to two periods a year it should be pretty accurate result.

    Post meno is 12 months no peroids following peri.

    Have your periods been declining over the years down to two

    Vit B 6 is helpful

    Jay x

    • pmc1709
      pmc1709 jayneejay

      Posted

      Hi Jayneejay

      Thank you for the reply. I will look at this link in a minute.

      Yes, my periods have been a bit out of whack since 2013 after being very predictable and straight forward all my life. Even after having my kids my cycle returned to a normal quickly.

      It got shorter (from being 28 days, went down to 24 days in 2013- then last year it skipped a month then made up for it the following month etc until May- then nothing until September and now nothing since....will get this FSH test done to double check though.

      Thanks again

      Pip x

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay pmc1709

      Posted

      Hi

      Well it certainly sounds like peri alright,

      If periods are erractic in early peri then the FSH blood test is nearly always in normal range.

      But if your down to a couple in a year then should be a menopausal range result.

      Always good to get full bloods checked to, glucose, thyroid, etc

      Jay x

    • kristi63
      kristi63 pmc1709

      Posted

      sounds like me.  my periods have been regular (even after stopping b/c 4 years ago and going on and off mirena)...for the last year they have been getting closer together 22- 25 days though.  however, today is day 28 and nothing showing up yet.  i'm 52 and been having lots of hot flushing (skin feels sunburnt), dry skin, tired, nausea for the last 6 weeks, hot and cold at night (no sweats yet).  think it's time??  finally!!  most women are post menopause by my age.  i've been taking evening primrose (great for my complexion!), fish oil, additional calcium supp's, acidophilus, and b-complex.  i've cut out most sugars (simple and complex) and eating more fresh veggies, nuts and legumes, quinoa and added fresh fish.   i think it's a change that requires a lifestyle change:  eating right, exercise and relaxation.    one step at a time.  smile
    • pmc1709
      pmc1709 kristi63

      Posted

      Great post. Thank you. I am trying the B complex and GLA (Evening Primrose) as this seems a good place to start. Good to compare notes.

      Diet and exercise are featuring a lot in menopause articles and I am convinced they are key to getting through this with a sound mind:-)

      Thank you. All the best. X

    • pmc1709
      pmc1709 jayneejay

      Posted

      Thanks Jay:-)

      It is really good to know folk out there are on the same page.

      Will sort out some tests.

      Pip x

  • jennifer01077
    jennifer01077 pmc1709

    Posted

    Hi there,

    When I read this, it took me back to when all these symptoms started out for me, and how bewildering it was. Honey, you are fine, everything that is happening is really normal. Your age is normal, your symptoms are really normal. 

    I learned to control my hot flashes through controlling my carb intake. Carbs enter the bloodstream as sugar three or four hours after you eat them (the rice or bread or pasta). I would get a hot flash then. I learned to space out my carbs, eat smaller amounts of them, and then eat lower glycemic index carbs (they enter the bloodstream more slowly and over a longer period, so your blood sugar is undisturbed).  You can google glycemic index to find which carbs are lower.

    As for the information on the Internet, it is also pretty bewildering! It used to make me pretty nervous. But I reflected that my mother went through this without ANY information, and that wasn't pretty! I guess you have to gauge the severity of your symptoms and what you are willing to put up with, and what is better to treat. It seems that HRT is good if taken after the periods stop for a period of five years, and then stopped. I try to be thankful about what I can control, and kind of give it up to the universe about what I can't (which, for me, is a lot.)

    I am in NO position to be telling anyone about how to deal with sexual relationships, as I am single. However, I have heard and read that intimacy with your husband is really important for your relationship in the long run. Of course it is case by case. And of course he has to be patient right now, and maybe needs to understand what is going on with you in order to do that. But yeah, if you have dryness, I would seek a solution to that. I don't think it will go away. There is a wonderful movie with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones about an older couple's intimacy. It's called Hope Springs. Their problems turn out to have started during her menopause, although that's a bit of a spoiler. 

    I hope I haven't run on too long. I just want to wish you the best with this transition, and not to worry too much. Get lots of rest and do much less.

    Big hugs,

    Jennifer

     

    • pmc1709
      pmc1709 jennifer01077

      Posted

      Hi Jennifer

      Thank you so much for your post. It was encouraging and uplifting-(just what I need today).

      I will take on board the dietary comments -something I can control:-)

      So glad I joined this forum.. I appreciate your input, it is good to get comments from someone who has been there (got the t shirt).

      All the best. X

  • maxine87456
    maxine87456 pmc1709

    Posted

    Hi,

    Am 56 and going right through all of this. Not easy. However, I am doing this all naturally. Try and have a blood test to see if you are deficient in any minerals. If you are getting the night sweats, there is a strong probability that you are deficient in potassium. Try and have a banana every day and eat green leafy veg, black grapes, raisins. It will help. Even a small deficiency in a mineral can make all the difference in how you feel.

    Just eat well. Eat dark 70 percent choc if you feel the need and do some yoga to relax. I always have a camomile tea at bedtime to sleep.

    Good luck and hope this helps. Not an easy time I know.

    Best wishes,

    Maxine

    • pmc1709
      pmc1709 maxine87456

      Posted

      Thank you Maxine. It is so good to get peoples' advice and you are the second person to suggest a banana a day. I am noticing that a couple of weeks after starting Vitabiotics Menopace, the sleep is slowly improving as long as I chill before bedtime. I never used to be a night time worrier, but lately my mind starts racing despite trying to switch off. The last two nights have been great sleep and I am keeping fingers and toes crossed that maybe something is starting to work.

      Many thanks.

  • susan21149
    susan21149 pmc1709

    Posted

    Hi pmc

    no you are not to young I am 46 and i am in menopause. It can happen at any age anf you a month youger than me I turn 47 on August 2 

    The natural remedies are better for you than the synthetic ones I would go natural that way you won't have a lot of side effects. 

     

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