I AM NOT A DOCTOR. THE INFORMATION THAT I AM SHARING HERE IS BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. DO NOT CONSTRUE THIS AS MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE SEEK ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AS I DID.
This is a post that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Not so long ago talking openly about menopause was frowned upon. However, we know that it can be really helpful to share this type of sensitive information. Not everyone experiences symptoms in the same way nor do we all experience the same symptoms.
I am technically not in menopause yet but come November 22 without a period and I will be!! I have come close a couple of times. One year, I went 10 months without a period and then I went 9 months without one. I am not ashamed to admit that both times I was driven to tears. Many women are not excited about the prospect of menopause but I am! I am 56 years old and am not in child bearing years so having a period is nothing more than a waste and a hassle.
I have been peri-menopausal since 2004. For the past 14 years, I have experienced hot flashes, night sweats, sleepless nights, mood swings that thankfully did not lead to murder but did cause foggy brain, mood swings and fatigue! I thought I was handling the symptoms well but I was really just getting by. The worst of the symptoms for me was the sleeplessness and the mood swings.
Throughout the last 14 years, I have tried various remedies with minor success. At one point I was given Ambien so that I could sleep. At another time, my gynecologist recommended an over the counter remedy called Remifen. The Remifen was effective for a bit but it takes about 3 weeks feel any results. Because my symptoms were intermittent, it didn’t seem like it was necessary to have any other medical intervention.
However, in September 2017, I was at the end of my rope. I felt like crap, couldn’t sleep, was mad all of the time and just in a bad mental state. I had my every 3 year pelvic exam scheduled and decided that I would talk to my gynecologist about possible intervention. The goals was to get a solid and complete night of restful sleep.
The hot flashes and night sweats either woke me up or prevented my sleep. I was sleeping with a fan on me no matter the temperature. It could be freezing outside of the sheets but I was on fire and throwing the covers off of me.
In years past, I had heard about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but it was all bad news. Women were getting cancer from HRT and it was not recommended.
In recent years and with more research, the medical community seems to have gotten a better handle on how and when to safely use HRT. HRT is not recommended for any over the age of 60, it should not be used for more than 5 years and you should take Progesterone along with HRT. My gynecologist explained that HRT provides estrogen at a lower level than the lowest level of birth control pills. She explained that if I had taken birth control pills as a younger person (which I had) and had no issues (which I didn’t) then HRT should be a safe alternative for me. I was also offered twice per year mammograms which I decided would be helpful to me.
I ultimately decided to go with the HRT in the form of the Climara patch. The patch is changed weekly and is placed either on the lower back, abdomen, or shoulder.
I have been using the patch now for over a year and it has changed my life. I no longer have hot flashes or night sweats and I sleep through the night. I only wake up at night now when I have to pee which is another lovely by product of getting older! I also don’t require a fan at night anymore. At one point, I needed a fan so badly that I had to travel with one whenever I was sleeping away from home! My mood is also very much improved. I’m no longer ragefully mad for no reason. Now when I’m raging, I’m really clear why (jk)!
I don’t have a problem with getting older. I embrace it and look forward to much of it. I don’t care for some of the strange weirdness that comes with this new season of life. My body sometimes aches in strange places for unknown reasons, I have soreness when I haven’t bumped into anything and sometimes the body is just tight when I wake up. This is all manageable. But not being able to sleep ruins my life!! I can’t believe that I waited so long to seek assistance. If I can give one piece of advice, that would be it. Don’t wait until you are at the end of your rope to seek help. I have a really good medical team that knows me and my life and that I trust. I feel like we collaborate well with my health care and design strategies that work for me. This is a necessity. As I stated at the start, everything is not the same for every body so do what works for you.
If you are on your own menopausal (or peri-menopausal) journey, I wish you courage, strength and the ability to stay cool. Seriously, stay strong and find what works for you.
Have you found success with managing menopausal symptoms?
What have you tried? Share in the comments!
