This is a safe space to talk about all aspects of menopause, including personal experiences of change, as well as any tests or treatments you’ve had or are considering. Conversations here can also be continued and explored further at in-person meetings, such as menopause cafés.
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I have not been able to afford, or to take, HRTs.
And unfortunately, I have renal angiomyolipomas, so HRT is off the table for me.
I’d love to discuss options for things to do other than HRT for menopause!
Hi Kate, there are lots of other things which can help with the menopause transition. We know there is a great evidence base for cardiovascular exercise in the management of many of the symptoms (the mood disturbance in particular). And some really interesting evidence that HIIT (high intensity interval training) has health benefits in menopause too. A balanced diet which avoids ultra processed foods, caffeine and alcohol can often help too. Cutting out caffeine and alcohol will often have a beneficial impact on hot flashes. There are also non hormonal medications which can help with sweats and flashes (such as venlafaxine or oxybutinin) and new medications which are currently in trials (and are available in Alberta) to manage flashes, including fezolinetant. If you have a family doctor, it would be worth having a conversation about these options, to see if they are right for you.
My hot flashes have mostly stopped, so I’m not concerned about them.
My family doctor has been of absolutely no help, says I can’t be in menopause, and my hormone levels seem to be normal (though they aren’t really).
Insomnia is one of my big symptoms, (besides hair loss and growth), and my breasts get extremely sore, almost bruised feeling, one more than the other, and swollen. I never had that problem before, not once during my periods or anything.
And it’s so random. Since I haven’t had a period in over 11 years (I bled for 7 years straight, no days off, prior to my hysterectomy and it took a lot of convincing to finally have it done), I still try to follow cycles. Sometimes they stay sore for a month straight, sometimes a week or two, then I’ll get a week off, and then they are back to being sore (especially underneath and up towards my armpit), and sometimes it can happen once a month, or even once every three months. No real rhyme or reason.
My other symptom that is driving me crazy is the acne. It won’t stop. Minor acne and cystic acne. Started a year ago, and I am breaking out worse than I ever did as a teenager. It’s also happening across my body, not just on my face.
I don’t drink alcohol (maybe 2-3 times a year, I might have a glass of wine during a celebration), and I do not drink coffee or tea, or any soft drinks.
I eat well, mostly homemade food, and rarely eat junk food (rice cakes are the main ones now lol)
I take many vitamins (and it seems to be helping my renal angiomyolipomas- the growth has stopped since I started focusing more on fibre, etc- I can’t eat high protein because of them), I try to get plenty of sleep (in bed by 10pm, up by 6am or so), but I tend to wake up between 1 and 3am, and have trouble getting back to sleep.
I don’t want to harm my body worse than I have in my past (overworking myself). I want to be healthy, and I definitely do try my best.
But these symptoms are the ones that bother me the most.
This sounds really tough. There are a range of non hormonal options to support with insomnia, including some of the newer agents like lembrorexant and daridorexant. I have had some patients have success with these, so would be worth a conversation with your family doctor about these agents, if you have not trialed them before.
The other thing which has an evidence base for insomnia is sleep restriction therapy, which can be tough to do but effective for some: Sleep Restriction Therapy: Everything You Need to Know
Breast tenderness is often hormonally driven, but does not have to be. If not obviously cyclical (and you say in your post it comes randomly), it is often worth trialing a good, supportive bra, and oral anti-inflammatory agent (if you are normally OK with these e.g. ibuprofen) and there is some evidence for evening primrose oil in managing it (this helps more with cyclical breast tenderness, but is worth a try even if not cyclical). I would also suggest being breast aware and having any new lumps, bumps, changes to the appearance of the breast or nipple changes checked out by your family doctor.
In terms of acne, lots of non hormonal options here too. Spironolactone (a water tablet we use for lots of things, including heart failure) has good evidence for safety and effectiveness for acne management in women, as it has an anti-androgenic effect (it counteracts the masculine hormones which can sometimes drive hormonal acne). Also a range of topical, non hormonal treatments (such as prescription topical retinoids, or combination benzoyl peroxide and antibiotic gels), with or without a 12 week course of oral antibiotics alongside.
Those are just some ideas, and it sounds like you are doing all the right things with your diet and lifestyle, so definitely keep going with those too!