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Hormonal imbalance years after menopause??
I am 72 and new to this site so thank you for your patience with this question,
I have not had hot flashes for many years. Prior to menopause I used to get PVCs (skipped heart beats) and it only happened around my period so it was hormonally related and they stopped after menopause. Vaginal dryness and tightness also increased after menopause making sex impossible. I also have several rather large fibroids which are smaller now but still a substantial size and they cannot see my overies on ultrasound,
All that said and fast forward, suddenly I started getting hot flashes some days off some days severe. The PVCs started back again, some days off some days severe. I had some spotting once.. end of day most likely from atrophy but discovered very tiny cyst on one of my overies. So all odd things hormonally related.
I saw all my docs.. my gyn wants to give me vaginal estrogen, I told her I was concerned about the fibroids growing and she stated that its local and not systemic... however I have used it many yrs ago and my fibroids did seem to get bigger so I stopped. She has no clue re the hot flashes but wanted to give me meds for them. I said no.
I told her I had ordered a hormonal panel thinking maybe my hormones are askew more than ever for some reason. Adrenals? She said, we know what your hormones are like now and the test is not useful. mmm?
One thought I had was to seek out advice from an endocrinologist.
This past weekend I had severe burning below and thought it was a UTI but then I took a look and my vagina inside and just outside had tears and slight bleeding. I used some aquaphor and its somewhat better and have messaged my doc.
SO I have three questions.
Has anyone ever had this combo mess that I am experiencing?
I read on this site about coconut oil so will explore that but has anyone used Juvi gel?
Is anyone post menopause with fibroids and vaginal atrophy using estrogen cream and what is your experience.
Has anyone ever had hormonal fluctuations years after menopause.
I feel we need to be our own doctors in a way, research and learn because our docs are so busy and so focused on their specialty I am not sure they are the systemic problem solvers docs used to be. It seems all they want to do is test and give meds. Sometimes necessary sometimes not. Thank you for reading and please share any similar or relevant experience.
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I am also in my 70’s and still get hot flashes, my doctor said that it’s perfectly normal and he has patients in their 80’s that also get it. I don’t have the nerve to use HRT because of the risk associated with it even if it’s small, there was a discussion about vaginal atrophy a while back and I too heard about coconut oil, although I haven’t tried it you shouldn’t apply it internally, just for external use. As older ladies we know that spotting is possibly a concern but you seem confident that you know what caused it. I am totally in agreement that we must take more responsibility for our own health, I’ve been doing this for years and the doctors don’t appreciate it but it doesn’t stop me from asking many questions or researching things for another opinion. Last but not least, fibroids are harmless so I’ve been assured many times but they can grow large and cause discomfort, other than that they pretty much just stay with us for life, hope that helps you out a little.
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3 Reactions@barb72
I am in my 50s and just went through menopause. I have fibroids and have had cysts on my ovaries.
Have you recently had a virus/infection or Covid shot? Covid caused me to get my period again and it messes with your hormones. Many doctors still have no clue what Covid and the shots do to people so they aren’t much help.
If I was in your situation at your age, I would definitely want an endocrinologist to test for hormones and thyroid plus any other panels that might get to the bottom of your symptoms. An immunologist may be able to help with testing for active viruses.
Beyond exam and transvaginal and abdominal ultrasounds, I would want a MRI of my abdomen to see if there is more to the story. I would want biopsies of my fibroids and uterine/vaginal lining to make sure there are no abnormal cells. Have you had a Pap test due to your abnormal symptoms?
I would not let a doctor just throw medication or bandaids in the problem without investigating further. Keep pushing and advocating for your health and don’t allow doctors to dismiss or minimize your concerns.
1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790
2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21837-postmenopause
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4 ReactionsThank you for your response
I did have an MRI done and that's where they discovered the cyst but everything else looks fine. Both transvaginal and abdominal ultrasounds are not able to see much beyond the fibroids.
No I have not had a COVID shot in a while so I don't think that's it.
I did have a pap smear done and that came back normal
At this point I don't really want to go through getting biopsies unless it's necessary
I'm not even sure that they would do it
One doctor wanted to do a hysteroscopy but I read a lot about it and knew it was going to be risky for my situation so opted for the MRI and everything appears fine
True it's possible I could have cancer cells in the fibroids
I could get the cancer screening but I also read that you can get a lot of false positives and false negatives so it seems useless.
I do plan to follow up with an endocrinologist at this point but getting appointments with doctors particularly specialist these days is impossible. Particularly if you're a new patient. I had an appointment for my current doctor a year out they put me on the wait list and I was able to get an appointment within a month but this is what you face. There's a shortage of doctors and even more of a shortage of good doctors.
If all continues and the endocrinologist comes up with nothing then I might go the route you suggest.
Thank you again for sharing your experience.
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2 ReactionsThank you for sharing. Yes it does help. The concerning thing for me with the hot flashes is I'm not had them for years and suddenly they've appeared along with these other symptoms so I feel like there's something going on ,
You know how you know your body. Something is not right
But I'm not going to give up
My cardiologist is amazing and she is going to do another stress test I think she's not really sure why I'm getting the PVCs again I believe is something going on with my hormones and it's all hormone related but just why I don't know
I miss the doctor I had for 20 some odd years My GYN she retired a few years ago and so it's been difficult finding someone who I feel listens and tries to figure out what's going on. This doctor I have now has great ratings but I just met her for the first time and she didn't seem interested in seeking beyond the fact that I'm post menopause and have hot flashes. Oh she mentioned was getting my thyroid checked but I've already had that done and it's fine. However I think it was a general thyroid test and I think that there are further ones so going to see if an endocrinologist has more to offer. Just getting appointment now is going to be a challenge.
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2 ReactionsI don’t have the hot flashes, but my mom did many years after menopause. She suffered greatly and still does from bladder, vaginal, etc. issues. Unbelievable how bad it was. I did a lot of research and started local vaginal Estradiol cream. It does not go into your system like HRT does. It’s not considered HRT according to what I have read and heard, especially female urologists and gynecologists. I thought I was okay, but just felt healthier after I started it. It supposedly helps protect the integrity of that area. I don’t know how or if it impacts fibroids.
Thyroid and adrenal imbalances can also cause odd symptoms. And, have you checked your blood sugar levels when you have the hot flashes or sweating? You can check it with a home meter. I have type 1 diabetes and if my blood sugar gets too low, I will get anxious, sweat profusely and get very warm. It’s common with hypoglycemia. Some people who don’t take insulin also get low blood sugar sometimes. Wouldn’t hurt to rule it out. Hope you find some answers.
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2 ReactionsSo much for sharing your experience
Yes I've read about the various estrogen creams and have read conflicting information
I read that the more depleted you are in the area the more the body absorbs absorbs and so you can start having symptoms at the beginning
ten they ease up but I am concerned about the fibroids.
I might try a small.low dose and see how it goes. I think it's effecting my urethra as well as the pain I have seems to be around there. My gyn gave me an appt for Thurs so will see what she says. Hopingvshe has a pediatric speculum..this is a new doc and first time woth an exam. I can't tolerate anything bigger. We shall see what she says.
Re blood sugar. I am pre diabetic so no low blood sugar.
I general have the flashes latervin the day often after dinner so not sure that is my issue but an interesting theory.
I def think an endocrinologist should be my next doc.
This stuff is so puzzling
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