Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:^ 54 still having sex with spouse- no problems.
What do you do for dryness and other changes to the vagina and surrounding tissue?
I don’t have dryness yet. 54–but periods only stopped 5 months ago.
I was like you at 54-even about when the periods stopped. Two years later and it is a completely different story. I felt pretty good for the first few months after periods stopped. But now, after menopause, I feel horrible. I exercise a lot, eat pretty well, cut way way back on alcohol, but in the last six months my moods and the hot flashes have become almost unbearable. I remember thinking around 6 months after my last period, "well, this is easy. These little hot flashes are nothing." Now, each one is preceded by a quick headache, then massive increase in heart rate, burning all over, then cold sweats. About once an hour. It was "cute" at first, now it's really causing discomfort and making my life much less enjoyable. I'm over it. Cannot take HRT.
Why can’t you take HRT? There is more research coming out saying it might be appropriate and safe for cancer survivors.
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone successfully used one of the online menopause portals (like Alloy) to diagnose and treat menopause symptoms (esp libido and anxiety)? There are several options but not sure if this is worth pursuing.
My PCP and gyn don’t seem equipped to help.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:^ 54 still having sex with spouse- no problems.
What do you do for dryness and other changes to the vagina and surrounding tissue?
I don’t have dryness yet. 54–but periods only stopped 5 months ago.
I was like you at 54-even about when the periods stopped. Two years later and it is a completely different story. I felt pretty good for the first few months after periods stopped. But now, after menopause, I feel horrible. I exercise a lot, eat pretty well, cut way way back on alcohol, but in the last six months my moods and the hot flashes have become almost unbearable. I remember thinking around 6 months after my last period, "well, this is easy. These little hot flashes are nothing." Now, each one is preceded by a quick headache, then massive increase in heart rate, burning all over, then cold sweats. About once an hour. It was "cute" at first, now it's really causing discomfort and making my life much less enjoyable. I'm over it. Cannot take HRT.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:^ 54 still having sex with spouse- no problems.
What do you do for dryness and other changes to the vagina and surrounding tissue?
I don’t have dryness yet. 54–but periods only stopped 5 months ago.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I feel great! Love not having my period and I lost weight.
Did you gain during peri? Did you do anything different---or weight just came off when periods stopped?
Anonymous wrote:I experienced brutal symptoms in perimenopause which was all exacerbated by having one ovary removed and part of the other and thus an extreme dip in hormones while still having periods for years. I had such awful hot flashes and night sweats that I didn’t sleep more than a few hours each night for years which devastated my mental health. Hormone shifts brought on gallbladder issues and a removal which then resulted in an absorption disorder and chronic vitamin deficiency that caused serious neurological problems and ultimately cost me my career.
I’m on HRT now which in my case was critical to restore my sleep which of course is the basis for all good health. I finally got the deficiency properly diagnosed and treated and I’m on the path to restoring my health but I experienced such drastic sarcopenia it will take some time to rebuild my muscle mass at this age and stage of life. Luckily the substantial weight gain I suffered kept my bones very strong so I don’t have issues there despite suffering a few fractures while suffering the neurological problems and resulting frequent falls.
It’s been quite a journey, but a few years into menopause my mental health is restored, I have hope for my body and a lot of love for it after all it has endured and how much it is still capable of healing. I feel better about myself than I ever have before even though I’m the least attractive I’ve ever been in my life - if we are lucky menopause cleanses our minds of a lot of stupid distractions and allows us to just be.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:^ 54 still having sex with spouse- no problems.
What do you do for dryness and other changes to the vagina and surrounding tissue?
Anonymous wrote:^ 54 still having sex with spouse- no problems.
Anonymous wrote:I feel great! Love not having my period and I lost weight.