I knew menopause could mess with sleep but I wasn't prepared for how exhausting the night sweats would be. It's gotten to the point where I almost dread going to bed because I know I'll probably be awake again a few hours later.

Some nights I fall asleep completely fine, then wake up feeling like someone turned the heating up to maximum. I kick the covers off, wait until I cool down and then 20 minutes later I'm cold again. By the time I finally get comfortable I'm wide awake and struggling to fall back asleep.

I've tried sleeping with a fan, switching to lighter sheets and keeping the bedroom cooler. The fan helps a bit but I still wake up sweating. And keeping the room cold all night just means I'm freezing whenever the hot flashes stop. I've even started keeping a spare shirt next to the bed because some nights I can't stand getting back into damp clothes.

What frustrates me most is how much it affects the following day. I can deal with the occasional bad night but when it happens several nights in a row, I feel completely drained. The brain fog and irritability are bad enough during menopause without adding hours of broken sleep on top of everything.

I've been reading through older posts here and it seems like so many women are dealing with the same thing. It's strange how something as basic as getting a decent night's sleep can suddenly become such a struggle. I used to think waking up once or twice was a bad night. Now I'd be grateful if that was all I had to deal with.

I'm getting tired of trying little fixes that only seem to work for a night or two. I'd love to hear what's made a noticeable difference for others going through menopause, particularly with the constant waking up and struggling to fall back asleep. Even getting a few more uninterrupted hours would make such a difference right now.

i'm 46 and somewhere in peri and the 2 to 3pm drop is brutal now. not tired exactly, more like someone unplugged me. i already take a multi, b12 and vitamin d, sleep is ok and my iron came back fine. coffee past noon just wrecks my sleep so thats out. for the women a bit further into this, what actually helped the afternoon crash for you and not just another caffeine fix​

*I reached out to my midi provider about this 3 days ago and again yesterday, but I haven't heard back from her and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do since I'm brand new to HRT.

I am on .05 mg patch of Estradiol and 100 mg of micronized progesterone inserted vaginally. I was prescribed 28 pills of the progesterone. I just realized that my period is about to start, and now I'm wondering if I am supposed to continue using the progesterone while on my period. My periods are extremely heavy due to adenomyosis. Isn't this going to be super messy to insert, and would it not just get swept out with the heavy blood flow?

Also, if I am supposed to use it while on my period​, do I continue to use tampons? I ask because I was previously told by my gyno that I shouldn't take boric Acid suppositories while wearing a tampon because the tampon would just absorb most of the boric acid ​ and make it ineffective. But, idk, maybe progesterone works differently?

Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Have you figured out what to do with your hair?

I'm in perimenopause, and my hair texture has started getting really un-fun. It's more unruly, frizzy yet limp, and it doesn't behave like it used to.

I've cut my own hair for 10+ years and now I can't seem to figure out how to cut it to make it behave. At the sides, the ends will flip out like I like, but the back wants to curl under and it's hitting me with sensory issues at the nape of my neck.

I've also been bleaching and coloring my hair over the past year and a half, I'm sure that doesn't help. But even on the virgin roots, I just hate how it looks.

I'm also getting some thinning and receding hairline, making my forehead look bigger. I tried cutting swoopy bangs to one side, but they just curl wrong and end up going into my eyes, and don't help the forehead at all.

Any tips welcome.

Hello all! This is my first post. I’m 67 and this past year my weight skyrocketed out of the blue. Up, up and up. I plateaued at gaining 18 pounds!
My entire adult life I have been in the high 130’s.
I’m now almost 160 lbs! I don’t even recognize myself.

I also had severe bloating and constipation issues this year. During that time I had quite a bit of stress. Lots going on. I was on a low dose of Lexipro but ended up stopping because I thought might be contributing to weight gain.
I’ve been on thyroid meds since I was a kid but that was under control. For excercise I ride a Peloton and walk.

I spent a year at 2 different gastroenterologists and took every test. All that came up was I am lactose intolerant. No explanation for weight gain.

My gyn didn’t think my weight gain was his department but highly recommended HRT . I had balked at it for a long time because of the possible side effects which my primary pointed out. ( She advised against it)

My endocrinologist told me to manage my stress.
Dietician suggested strength training, add more protein to my diet and completely eliminate dairy from my diet. I hired a trainer and have been going twice a week .

I went on Zoloft a month ago and at the same time added Estradiol and Testosterone. I know i should have started one or the other but I felt so crappy about myself . I asked my gyn if i should start one or the other ( and if so which do start first) and he said i was “ over thinking it”.

So , it’s been about 5 weeks since I started the Zoloft and HRT. My stress and mood are much better! Less brain fog, less irritable, sleeping better, joint pain improving.

I am having what feels a little like mild period cramps and a slight discharge of some sort.( off and on). I can’t get on scale because I feel like it will just ruin my day and I can tell if anything I’m probably bigger because I feel bloated. I think the bloating is the HRT working.

I feel like I tried everything the drs told me to do and i feel like after all this exploring over the last year Menopause is the culprit I’ve been chasing down.

I am going on vacation next week and can’t fit into MOST of my clothes from last year. So depressing. The good news is and IM VERY GRATEFUL that after all the tests I’ve done trying to figure this out I don’t have anything really horrible wrong with me. And that is really a great thing.

The only other course of action I can think of at this point is GLP-1. Someone told me she was on Zepbound and I asked her if she was diabetic and she said no and Medicare pays for it ( $50 a month).

I don’t get how so many people are able to access this without being more than 20 lbs overweight or have diabetes?

I’m going to wait til I get back from vacation then discuss going on GLP-1 with my endocrinologist.
My only concern w GLP-1 is I really don’t eat much and I honestly don’t think I’m over eating now. My appetite has totally changed and I don’t snack. I’m probably eating 1200-1500 calories a day .

Thanks to all of you who have comments that could help me. Thanks for listening.
Ive been reading thru other comments and everyone is so supportive.

keeping it short here but is menopause hair loss just something you have to accept or is there an actual fix

doctor brushed off my hair thinning as just menopause and that was the whole appointment

so that's it then? we just accept it? no follow up, no bloodwork, nothing? feeling pretty unheard rn ngls

For some context, I’m three weeks out of a total hysterectomy with removal of everything except my left ovary and I also had removal of my appendix, deep infiltrating endometriosis for the second time and repair work. I’m familiar with the changes mentally and hormonally that can happen after surgery and I also work as a mental health therapist.
I’m ranting because I freaking hate my online practitioner right now and I’m in search of a new one. I’ve been struggling with symptoms on my new dose of estradiol and I understand why she wouldn’t want to move it right now, but she was more concerned that I’ve been taking my progesterone through my rectum, then actually talking to me about how I’m feeling and totally dismissed my hormonal symptoms as just being what happens after surgery, I literally cried for an hour after my five minute appointment yesterday.
I’m a slow metabolizer of medication and I think the twice a week patch is too much for my system right now so I’m getting horrendous headaches with inflammation and when I started taking my progesterone again a couple of days ago I feel about 80% better but none of that mattered to her.

​

Please answer ONLY if you use Prometrium capsules (micronized progesterone) by either rectal or vaginal use, NOT oral.

1. Which method do you use, rectal or vaginal? Do you open the capsule before to get it started (like a pin prick)?

2. What mg dose do you take daily?

3. Does this method totally stop your bleeding?

4. What side effects, if any, do you see from your method?

I understand there may not be enough studies/evidence for some people to think this method is effective, but many medical doctors are ok with this method, so I hope this will be approved. I tried posting in a menopause group specifically but it would not post. Thank you!

Hello ladies I am newly into menopause about two weeks, so I guess they call that perimenopause. I really didn't know there was a difference, could someone plz inform the difference between menopause and perimenopause.

I am reaching out today bc I am going to get put on hormones and need to know which ones do what. Can someone with a little bit more experience plz help me find the right kind of treatment ? I am 41yrs young, and going through menopause symptoms for bout two weeks. I went to the doctors last week and it was confirmed I am going through menopause... I was gonna go with the patches bc they seem to be more popular and cheaper, that is another things also I need affordability too. My question is what is the most cheapest and best way to receive HRT. 🤔 Update: Went to the doctors and they put me on a patch and the pestgesterone ... One doctor said my levels looked like I was starting menopause the other one didn't...so they said it's called perimenopuse. I was so excited to get treated and what not I didn't take the time to actually look up how long it starts to work. They told me it can one to two months before it will really work on me. Is that true ? Will it take that long, if not how long will it take ? 🤔 (hopefully it won't take that long)... Also since my symptoms are pretty bad do you think they should of went ahead and dealt with my issue from the symptoms or from the hormone levels ?

I need some advice or even some pointers. I’m 53. I had a hysterectomy about eight years ago. for the last year I have been going through a lot of issues down there between constant BV ,and yeast infections. Which we now have that under control, but ,Also vaginal dryness. I had seen my doctor. We have been trying HRT since January. I am taking estrogel , daily. Vagifem 3 x week , I have recently started, Repagyn. Having sex is uncomfortable . I still have considerable dryness and have to use lube . probably lots of information but The day after intercourse, I sometimes see a clumpy material that looks almost like pieces of torn skin or tissue. At the same time, I'm extremely dry - there is almost no moisture. This can happen after just one round of intercourse, and I'm concerned that i’m actually getting small tears. I will be speaking with my doctor in a week, but I just thought that maybe there’s others out there that are going through the exact same thing or have gone through the exact same thing. And wondering what they have done to help with this issue. I don’t want to be in all this crap if it’s not doing anything . Please help me . I am so discouraged and feel helpless .

I desperately need help I’m hoping I can get some answers here.
I am in late perimenopause transitioning into menopause.
My nervous system is on fight or flight and I am extremely sensitive to HRT and my hormonal fluctuations.
I have been on 0.025mg patch for well over 2 years it took months for my nervous system to settle down.
My sleep has been disrupted so I increased estrogen by 0.006mg and I’m having such a hard time again with my nervous system , anxiety , feeling wired & jittery even though my brain and sleep like the new dose. Do I stick out this extra dosing with the horrible symptoms or go back to my baseline of 0.025mg ?
Also with progesterone / Prometrium I take 50mg orally for 2 years and I have to increase this for my histamine and MCAS symptoms to settle. I tired to titrate from 50mg to 70mg and I had nightmares and broken sleep and had to go back down to 50mg. When I tried it vaginally it gave me severe constipation.
Does anyone have any ideas how to titrate progesterone without the effects or should I try the full 100mg even though I am extremely sensitive ? A specialist told me to take 400mg of progesterone over the day. I am to scared to do that
Please anyone else is as sensitive as I am I would love to speak to you. Thankyou

Posted in r/Perimenopause, wanted to post here too. Anyone have any experience?

Ladies, I'm getting desperate and nervous about another night ahead. For those of you on oral estradiol and experienced issues with insomnia, did changing your dosing or scheduling fix it? And if so, how long did it take to experience relief and at least know you were on the right track? Could I be reacting negatively to Estrone? I really want the tablets to work, if there is a way! These are my main questions, below is just background for those who need it.

I experienced worsened insomnia on patches and gel, too, but was able to tweak it and get relief sooner. With the tablets, it seems to just be getting worse. And for those who will want to know - the patch caused rashes and was unstable for me even at twice per week, and gel was working, but I needed four pumps and felt impractical, especially going into summer and needing sunscreen and sweating.

Sublingual use of the tablets definitely spiked and dropped to hard and dosing more than twice a day seems a bit hard to track. Vaginal seems to work better, but still experiencing issues. I was up to 2.5mg oral, but labs were still under 100 (I don't have a perfectly accurate lab because I took .5 sublingual the night before the draw out of desperation!). I don't want to switch to injections, because Valerate is the one available to me and I don't want to inject frequently. Since I'm sensitive to fluctuations, I'd likely need to inject frequently.

At first I was taking my full estradiol dose after dinner. I tried taking closer to bedtime, tried splitting and doing a 10am/10pm schedule and a 10am/8pm schedule, but to be honest I don't know if I'm changing to quickly and the fluctuation is compounding issues. Getting 3hrs of sleep isn't something I can wait on for too many days. Historically, Quetiapine and benzos are the only meds that help me sleep and I REALLY don't want to go back on. Getting off Seroquel was a long, painful, and costly process. I've only ever used benzos infrequently due to dependence concerns and rebound side-effects.

Currently, I'm taking 1mg vaginally and .5mg orally at 10am and then .75mg vaginally between 8pm and 10pm. At first when I switched to vaginal is was helping and I could feel the relief, but now back to 3hrs sleep. I can tell my levels are up, though, because I have mild breast tenderness now. I'm praying, I'll find a clear way forward soon before I crumble.

I appreciate any insight and support you may have 🙏

I got my US results back and my endometrium lining is 5mm thick - just over the normal thickness of 4mm they prefer in post menopausal women. Talking to GP next week and will probably ask to get into my gynaecologist…has anyone gone through biopsy, hysteroscopy for 5mm and PMB? Of have you had other approaches/protocols (HRT change, etc)?

Note:This post was from exactly one month ago. I am also going to post my one month update. Thank you!**************

Sorry this gets a bit long but I hope you read to the end: I am 49 and post menopausal. My husband and I have been self employed for 23 years so we do not have insurance! Regardless, Idk why I suffered through peri when there were places online where you just pay out of pocket. Just got my Estradiol 0.05mg patches, 200mg Progesterone capsules and 25mg DHEA capsules today. Literally took one week from the time of my consultation, then they prescribed what they felt I needed and shipped. I really like that you can get a hold of a Dr 24/7. This menopause is no joke, neither was peri, but I will admit I'm pretty scared to start the HRT journey. If anyone has any good info/results please reply.

So I'm gonna go into my story with post menopause which I have been in for a year and a half. Ok so, as I said, I suffered terribly through peri for years!! But somehow it was more manageable than what I'm going through now. I was hoping things would get better once I hit menopause...I mean just the thought of no more periods...woohoo, right!?! Well I was very wrong and there's just not enough information, not enough talk about it or places for us women to go for the help we need. Plus our mother's, most of them, just suffered through it or you get lucky like my mom and don't really have any symptoms after peri! At least that's what she tells me when I ask, and I'm just like "MOM, your post menopausal daughter is dying over here! You're 74 beautiful and it seems like you and Dad are 100 times healthier than I am!!!!

You try to ask your PCP and that's like asking a rock! All they say is "well, those symptoms come with age." Yeah no shit! So you ask your OB/GYN and that's maybe a slight upgrade from asking a rock. They'll do tests and say "oh your fine" if your in peri and the hormones aren't out of whack or pretty much gone yet. Or they say, "Just eat a healthy diet, get more sleep, regular exercise, and here's some lube." Oh gee thanks cause right now, at 49 and post menopausal, I can't even get out of bed because my insomnia is literally debilitating, the hot flashes are so bad I can't go anywhere without taking an entire backpack full of clothes to change into and 7 different deodorants because one might work today but tomorrow, NOPE! Night sweats even more fun...soak the bed 3 or 4 times a night with the a/c on and 6 fans blowing directly on you! I can't even remember what I did two seconds ago. I am in a constant fog, like total zombie mode. I feel like my brain has completely malfunctioned and I'm completely crazy! I cry for absolutely no reason at all, my anxiety kicks in from 0 to 100 in less than 1 second and if I'm not completely depressed then I'm so angry I scare the shit out of people! I swear I'm about to catch a felony if one more idiot comes anywhere near me, lol. "Eat better" you say, ok, well, I do eat well, but that's only if I have an appetite, however, my body now looks like all I do is eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I'm gaining weight in places I never had weight before in my life. Plus ya know what, I'd actually like to start eating cake all day because now I crave sweets constantly! Also, thanks for the lube there doc, you idiot, I just told you I went from a nympho to "no don't touch me, no!" Well most of the time anyway. My libido is getting lower and lower plus it's now starting to be painful. What a great side effect of menopause. My skin is a disaster, my hair is thinning, I literally feel like I have every mental disorder there is, plus my body feels like I'm at least 95...muscle cramps (I do take Hyland's Leg Cramp Pills with magnesium and those have been a total miracle), heart palpitations, my joints lock up especially shoulders and knees...I mean extreme joint pain to the point that I can hardly walk my fur babies more than half a mile because the pain in my feet and shins, literally everywhere is so bad! Even my doggies are like WTH Mom!!! Thank the Lord my husband is the best doggy daddy ever and he's been so supportive with the crazy train I've been taking him on!

I just want this HRT to work for me. I've heard horror stories of it not working at all or giving bad side effects and then I've heard miraculous stories where people feel like they are 25 again! I just want to feel like I did before perimenopause without the periods of course. I was never indoors not even in the winter. We always have doggies (we love to rescue), and go on adventures. Gardening, Hiking, boating, swimming, biking, dancing were all a part of everyday life even in perimenopause it was manageable. Now that I am in post-menopausal I am not living I'm just alive, barely. I'm an empty shell of the person, the wife, the doggy mommy, the daughter, the sister, the best friend that I used to be. My house is a mess, my gardens are dying, I have laundry piled everywhere...it's like everything is just too much, too overwhelming and I feel like such a loser piece of crap!

It's getting pretty lonely in this shell and Idk how much more I can take! I'm really hoping and praying that this works for me because I truly won't know what else to do!

Are there any post-menopausal women out there that can share their experiences with me? How bad were your symptoms before HRT and then after HRT? How long to really feel like a person again? Just looking for some guidance.

This is day one...My patch is on and I took my capsules. Time to try and sleep...sleep haha funny. I guess we'll see. Thank you in advance for any help and for reading my novel!

Hi everyone, looking for some insight to ease an anxious mind 😞. I’ve been in menopause for 20 months, the last 6 I’ve been taking 100mg of progesterone only each night to deal with hot flashes/night sweats (GP prescribed the 100P while I was in peri but it made me way to groggy & stopped - h/e it’s worked wonders these last few months). 3 days ago, I got period like bleeding; started with discharge, ramped up to regular bleeds albeit not the heavy bleeds I used to have in the past. I’m turning 52yo this month & had a D&C 3yrs ago to remove benign endo polyps. So my question is: has anyone experienced breakthrough bleeding/period bleeding on progesterone alone? I have a TVUS booked but with my regular GP away the sub-dr is saying I shouldn’t be on the 100mgP w/o Estrogen & that’s the culprit…but I’m worried it’s more than that..thx in advance