I’m worried about what’s coming with menopause. Any advice/guidance?

I had hot flashes at night and sometimes I still do, but not often. I kept some cool wipes by my bedside and when I woke up, would use them to cool off. I would take cool showers. I avoided triggers, For me it was caffine, wine and stress. Easy to say, had to do, but I tried.

Best part, One day it will pass and you will feel amazing. Don't get discouraged. Though I found that understanding its a natural process helped me deal . Talk to your doctor, if it is disruptive.

I'm 78 and menopause came about 60. It was mostly hot flashes and my hands shook sometimes. However, eating healthy which basically means no pre-prepared foods like TV dinners, etc. Orange juice helped a lot and a lot of water! Also I got to where I reacted badly to caffeine in anything and stress. I gained about 15 lbs. without trying! Periods became infrequent and sometimes very heavy, but eventually stopped. I took no hormones or subscribed medicines and ate only natural things such as bananas, nuts, good quality beef, vegetables, fruit etc. Dairy products helped a lot too. Prayer also helps! It really does finally go away completely except for a few occasional hot flashes at night in bed. I just remove the covers for a while and it works.
I wish you the best. I'll remember you in my prayers.
PML

Hi, please check out Dr Mary Claire Haver at thepauselife.com
Tons of free resources. You can also follow her on Instagram. Best of luck.

Thanks for sharing! I really never had any symptoms and couldn’t get my doctor to even talk about it with me. She just kept telling me it was too early for me to be in menopause at 50. But she never took into consideration that I had an ovary removed and I think that may have started things earlier. I have not done anything - no HRT or meds - but now that I am reading these posts it upsets me! I have had a few UTIs and am experiencing incontinence - probably from prolapse but am trying exercise to avoid surgery. So glad you have researched to help yourself!! Good Luck!!

HRT. HRT. HRT. And not just estrogen, either. Estrogen and testosterone (Covaryx). Before I went into deep menopause my internist prescribed this. A life-changer. I took it for twenty-five years until I didn't feel much of a difference, anymore. No breast or uterine cancer in my family, so she was comfortable with the script, and my later doctor later kept refills ("quality of life" issue). It stopped "sugar headaches," prevented migraines (everyone in my family has them, and they began for me), kept my skin soft, my muscles strong, and my hypoglycemic issues were gone. I just had a thecoma removed, and they had to give me a complete hysterectomy, so I started the menopause I had averted; I'm going back on Covaryx asap—I could feel the loss of . . .eveything, my memory, emotional stability, muscle response at the gym. If you still have your uterus, you'll have to take progesterone along with it. Your ovaries produce both sex hormones, so both should be replaced if you want to be normal. We have been too docile in the face of doctors not wanting us to feel good; I honestly think a bit of misogyny is out there on this topic.

I started symptoms in my late 40s, have had a previous hysterectomy due to pain from endometriosis and spinal issues. It is one road of hell, and nothing that drs warn you enough about. Estrogen affects every cell in your body, so replacing it is number one. HRT shouldn't be optional, it should be advised. Before I started taking HRT, I suffered from extreme anxiety (this is due to progesterone loss which happens first)...so much I had to quit my job. Then I got heart palpitations, racing heart out of nowhere, then memory loss and horrible insomnia, migraines, depression...later down the line have had muscle and strength loss. It can feel like you're dying literally. After researching more about menopause and hormone therapy...and you should...I decided to try a very low dose of estrogen patch and a progesterone topical (later learned this isn't ideal for absorption)...gradually had to work up to a higher dose around age 52-53 when full menopause usually kicks in. But it can be earlier or later for some women. When estrogen alone wasn't enough...added a low dose oral progesterone, but it has to be compounded to be low. If you still have a uterus, you will need progesterone, but the only oral dosing available is 100mg. That is way too much for some women, as it does cause sleepiness, dizziness...for me that was extreme. I found it helped me with sleep and anxiety at a lower dose. There are other forms of progesterone you can try like an IUD or vaginal (US drs don't advise this but in the UK they do). Testosterone is another thing that declines...but later. It might be optional, but I am trying this as well as heard it can help nerve structure and bone health. Also has to be compounded or can use gel packs prescribed to men, but at a much lower dosing rate. Most i importantly...no one size fits all, and you will have to trial and error all these hormones over YEARS...and you may get on a good regime, but suddenly it will have to change. Transdermal estrogen is safest due to almost no risk of clots like oral estrogen. I have not had migraine issues with transdermal, but I very often did taking birth control pills in my younger years. Oral estrogens can raise blood pressure also. I've found that transdermal estrogen and oral progesterone tend to lower my blood pressure. I already have osteoporosis also at age 52 and felt being on HRT wasn't optional. Until I can find a med for that i can tolerate, hormones are all I got. Find a good doctor to help you with menopause from the menopause society website: https://www.menopause.org. Most ob/gyne are not educated enough on HRT, nor PCPs or anyone else for that matter. I found videos by Louise Newson from the UK on youtube to be excellent. There's also a podcast by Dr. Lauren Streicher "Inside Information" that is great for recent news on menopause, myths and facts on therapy. Definately check it out. Women have to be very proactive and get this information out to more and more and push for more research!

If you have bladder prolapse, try a pessary. It works for me (I started before any incontinence began). I pop it in every morning and pop it out every night. I hope to avoid surgery "forever." Giving that part of your body time without a pessary helps with this goal.

Many doctors focus on surgery. Find a doctor that advocates its use or a medical practice that has a dedicated person administering to patients that use pessaries.

I went through it pretty early, but the road of peri menopause to menopause was long and really hard on my mental health and my body image. It also had a negative impact on my mood. I felt like my body changed every day and the hot flashes were horrible. I didn’t have any relatives to talk to about menopause, so didn’t do HRT. Now that I’m post menopausal and started HRT, I wish I had done it so much earlier.
I would look into that and make your transition easier. Also, do some reading into natural supplements.
Stop any high intensity cardio, add in strength training, avoid caffeine and dairy (at least temporarily).

The menopause issue has been well covered here, so I will only say this - just because a woman isn’t using those ‘parts’ anymore doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take care of them.
I learned this the hard way.
So, now I use estrogen cream twice a week and coconut oil on
other days.
After two episodes of pelvic floor PT, I learned to continue the PT at home. Pelvic floor PT can feel tedious. The same results can be achieved by just having sex. With a partner or with yourself. Increased blood flow to area.

3yrs post menopause and I'm suffering with vaginal atrophy.
I'm having a full hysterectomy in a week for possible uterine cancer.
During menopause I lost my sex drive and have not had sex for 2 yrs. Everything down there has changed. Literally dried up and shriveled. Wish I would have continued to have sex even though I didn't desire it. I'm paying the price now.
Vaginal tears, itching, chaffing.
After my surgery I'll be doing pelvic PT and hoping I can get some relief.