I’m glad you’ve pointed out that HRT isn’t necessarily the Holy Grail. I am almost 70 and have very happy memories of the time in my fifties when I was going through menopause. My symptoms were so mild and so few that they didn’t impact my life at all. I’m sure I can’t be the only one who has managed to escape unscathed? There seems to be a plethora of information which conflates people’s fear of the dreaded “perimenopause” - a phrase I’d not even come across then. Had a lumpectomy in November 2024, now on Tamoxifen for 5-7 years as I couldn’t tolerate Letrozole.
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Hi @knitter56
Yes - we are all different . I had awful heavy painful periods from age 12 upwards often coming on every 24 days with a bloated stomach and swollen ankles for half the month. I had a small op in 2007 which helped a bit but then started with the perimenopause which for me meant bouts of cardiac arrhythmias which didn’t require treatment but were disconcerting when I felt my heart missing beats . Then there were the horrible migraines in the ten days before every period some of them lasting 3 days . I won’t say I didn’t notice my menopause - the main symptom for me was brain fog and changes in energy which stabilised . Obviously there’s changes to skin / hair etc. but those are superficial .- I’m really sorry for those who have had severe symptoms .Thankfully over the years the migraines have dwindled to a handful per year and I have fewer bouts of missed beats . I don’t miss anything about having periods or the symptoms that came along with them and I’ve had no desire to take any HRT which might rock what feels like a reasonably steady boat. Xx