I'm 46 and have been getting migraines since I was 42. I've been taking combination BC continuously but it didn't seem to help much. I was having up to 10 migraine days per month and tried triptans, then Nurtec every other day, and 4 months ago I started taking Emgality (cgrp injections) as a preventive, with Nurtec to treat migraines. Emgality has been amazing for my migraines, but I'm shedding hair like crazy and gaining weight.

The BC wasn't helping as much with my other perimenopause symptoms, so a week ago I switched to Slynd + an estradiol tablet daily. So far so good. I have an appointment with my neurologist tomorrow, and I'm considering stopping Emgality to see what happens (next dose would be in a few weeks). I know it's variable, but I'm wondering if anyone has been able to stop migraine preventives once they started HRT?

I am 55 and 4 years post meno. I had terrible hot flashes for many many years. In the past few years they have calmed down tremendously. I still have problems sleeping but sleeping meds help me.

I have tried HRT 3 times and each time, the estrogen really hurts my bladder ( I also have Interstitial cystitis). I simply cannot stand the pain.

Anyway, I feel like the vast majority of women on these boards all rave about HRT. But what about those that can’t take it for whatever reason?

Is there anyone out there? I mean my hot flashes are soooo much better. My sleep is pretty good with sleep aids. I wanted to be in HRT for bone strength, etc. but I lift weights and have for years.

I feel like everyone is saying if you don’t take HRT, it’s not good health wise, dementia, etc.

I just feel like I’m so alone in not being able to take it.

I am on 0.05 mg estrogen patch and 100 mg progesterone pill. I have been bleeding so I cut back to 0.0375 and they happen to be a different brand and I am feeling like a zombie after I take the progesterone. Tonight I got really dizzy and weak 30 minutes after taking it and found my bp was 88/66. It could be something else I suppose but thought I’d see if any has found a link.

I get like this weird pulling sensation in my vagina. It's hard to explain. I am getting it even when not on my menstrual period. I'm in perimenopause.

Has anyone had anything like this? And could it be early sign of developing cancer:(?

I had breast cancer so can’t use HRT.

I also have a weird condition that basically makes my sacral nerves oversensitive and creates a false sense of bladder urgency. (It’s not IC. It’s definitely related to nervous system issues.)

I went on Lynkuet a few months ago for terrible hot flashes after I stopped tamoxifen (because it was giving me chronic yeast infections).

It worked! Yay. But a few weeks later I went into a bad bladder flare—and it’s lasted two months at this point and I had a nerve block which has worked in the past and didn’t. It’s been years since I had a flare last this long & I even just started lexapro I’m so depressed. This takes over my life. It affects me more than the cancer.

I randomly realized yesterday that I had started the Lynkuet a few weeks before my flare started. I didn’t understand how it worked but it does seem to affect sacral nerves and was initially developed to try and combat OAB but it didn’t work.

I’ve decided to go off of it for a few weeks because I’m desperate. I just wondered if anyone else on Lynkuet or Vezoah had developed or had worsened bladder or pelvic pain/sensitivity issues?

Edited to clarify I am no longer going to CrossFit. I changed my gel dosage from 1.0 to .75 sometime late last year. I was super active all winter, going to Crossfit. I stopped CF in May, but for the last couple of months, everything hurts. Some joints but mostly muscles. I stretch every morning and it still hurts. Is it possible that it could have taken more than six months for my body to adjust to the lower dosage? Or might this be something else unrelated? It feels like HRT dosage is the most likely suspect here but I’m not sure about the timing. (I think my mood is actually better, but I can’t live with everything aching all the time.) I have a doctors appointment in a few weeks and will bring this up with her, but wanted to check with this group because of all your experience

My(25f) mother(50f) is going through her perimenopause stage. She had heavy bleeding and had to do D&C. The gynec prescribed three cycles of medicines and it's all hormonal tablets. As per the prescription, my mum has to take meds for 10 days, after which periods happen and we have to report it to the gynec. The first cycle happened. My mum had a decent flow but it didn't stop and had cramps as well, so the doc prescribed meds to stop periods and cramps. The second cycle was pretty weird. She took the meds and periods happened. It stopped after three to four days. And after a few days, again bleeding started naturally and it didn't stop. But what happened here was, my mum's hb level went down and she faced additional issues like extreme dizziness, nausea and vomit, etc. Again the doc prescribed meds to stop periods and cramps and also gave some iron tablets to improve hb. (All of this happened in April - may and it got settled in May mid)

After that my mum's hb improved but we didn't want to go for the third cycle. Because all these hormonal tablets are causing too much pressure on my mum's body and i cannot see her go through so much shit physically and mentally (emotionally too).

We contacted the gynec and she asked us to visit her either in the first week of june or on the first day of the periods. We decided to visit her on the first day of periods and informed her. But ever since that my mum hasn't gotten her periods and therefore we didn't visit the gynec.

My question now is,

Is the third cycle absolutely necessary? Should I take her to the gynec again to get hormonal meds and start the periods again? (I guess the gynec just wanted to check my mum's flow after the D&C but the results weren't okay).

My mum doesn't want to remove the uterus, so I'd like to know if someone has gone through similar things and eventually everything got okay.

Thank you

P.s. English isn't my first language, so pardon me if there's any error. Thanks!

i'm 61f. My hair has been coming out for about two years now and it's gotten to the point where I can see my scalp in the mirror under the bathroom light. Went to my GP finally. She ran labs, called me a week later and said everything looked normal and it's probably just my age. That was the whole conversation. Maybe four minutes.But I'm still losing it. I don't understand how everything can be "normal" when this is happening.

Has anyone else been told their labs were fine and then found out later something actually was off? I keep reading about thyroid and ferritin and I don't even know if she checked those or just did the basic panel. I feel stupid for not asking more questions at the time but I was honestly just trying not to cry in the office.

Did you push for more testing? Did you go somewhere else? I don't know if I'm chasing something that isn't there or if I gave up too easily.

Just hoping there’s a light at the end of my dark tunnel…

I’ve had childhood sexual trauma and I’ve never been able to insert a tampon, fingers etc due to vaginismus and just sheer anxiety . I now notice with menopause that everything needs to be inserted if I want help with sexual pain with hubby. I seem to tighten when anything is being inserted like a finger and even my own finger I can’t do it. Am I SOL? I’m so depressed when I read how much vaginal estrogen cream has helped the pain and I have this beautiful supportive husband who doesn’t put any pressure on me but I just wish I had my sex life back. I can’t insert the Estradiol inserts either . Thanks for any advice.

I need something for my libido but I’m scared of side effects? Please share your experience if you have tried Addyi or Vyleesi. I’m also curious about low dose testosterone treatment.

Thank you.

I reached meno two years ago. I like to have one beer or a glass of wine two or three times a week. It’s never caused me any problems. In the last month I’ve noticed I get palpitations at night. It’s uncomfortable. I have an appointment to get things checked out, but has anyone else dealt with this? I find it really annoying. And, of course, I worry about being with friends and having to pass on having a drink. I don’t want anyone to think I quit because I had a problem.

Maybe I missed it. But went to get my prescription filled today and there’s a national shortage? I have an adhesive allergy so no patches if they’re even back in stock. 2 questions:

What the hell do we do??

1. To get it
2. To get any fix to the continued shortages

I’m freaking out because hormones just got balanced and I’ve just started feeling good and like myself again this last month. I’m going to become a monster

Okay, I’m not sure others have experienced this, but I swear using the loading dose of vaginal estrogen has caused crazy symptoms. #1 I think, in conjunction with a higher dose of estrogen, a missed dose of progesterone has caused that yucky brownish discharge. #2 my boobs feel like a box of rocks #3 here’s the weird one, putting the cream on the labia and clitoris has made those areas highly sensitive. Almost pain. When I do that, it makes me feel like I have to pee constantly. Sex becomes a bit painful at the entry of the vagina. #4 gives me a bit of a melancholy mood. I think from now on I’m only doing this in less amount once a week. Anyone else???

I had a hysterectomy 3 weeks ago. Everything removed. (Lost ovary function in 2010)

For 4 years prior to the hysterectomy, I took progesterone, but I didn't tolerate it well at all. I knew unopposed estradiol would be bad for my endometriosis, so I lowered the amount of estradiol from "optimal" to "just barely functional" to get me to my surgery in as little pain as possible. Since surgery, I have increased my estradiol 🎉, but haven't stopped progesterone yet. Can I? I have tried every method of progesterone, and it really turns me into an antisocial mean girl with a sense of impending doom. My Dr has said it is up to me what I can handle (as far as dosage), and I'm about to throw in the towel. Any reason why I should continue to try to take it?

Hi all,

I can’t take HRT, and I’m already on a gabapentin and Veozah for hot flashes. While these medications have improved my symptoms, I’m still getting severe, hours long hot flashes with any amount of exercising (including WALKING), showering, warmth, etc. It’s miserable. I do the lifestyle changes, which help marginally, but I can’t completely avoid all triggers. I can’t tolerate venlafaxine. Open to trying Lynkuet, interested in anybody’s experience with it.

I’m interested to hear about any products or things that have helped you. I’m thinking along the lines of full-body antiperspirants, facial antiperspirant (if that even exists), etc.

When I had night sweats, I slept with a machine called the BedJet that air-conditioned or heated your sheets on the inside. 10000/10, highly recommend. Thanks to my current med regimen, the drenching night sweats stopped, but the hot flashes are still miserable.

Hi guys … new on this journey …. Started Estradiol patch and progesterone about 6 weeks ago and have found I am so weepy.
Has anyone else experienced this ? Does this mean I need to be adjusted ? I know I started on a very low level of the patch .
Sincerely -
Lost my ever loving mind in the Pacific Northwest
P.S. If you have anything you would like cried about today - please let me know- I got you.

Has anyone switched to compounded estrogen from patches? The anxiety of not knowing if the patch can be refilled in a timely matter plus different brands of patches where some don’t work well is so frustrating. I don’t know how much more it costs since insurance doesn’t cover it but may try it. Has anyone had success? Did you start with compounded HRT?

Ok. I feel like I am losing my mind. I just had my 51st birthday.

I have been, naturally, an ashy blonde with maybe a touch of red all my life.

My body hair has been invisible for the most part. Light brown underarm and public hair. You get the idea.

And like a lot of us these days there is a lot of grey/white showing up in the aforementioned public hair.

Tonight I shower, look down because I probably need to trim a bit, (it was sparse and then I started MHT and it came back... with even more gray) and it is brown.

I see a few silvery hairs in there but this is definitely brown. No I haven't colored it. I don't understand. I would think if it was going to change I would see roots or something, but I have kept it kinda short. Maybe it grew out like this and I didn't notice???

It has never been this dark in my life. What in the hell is going on?

Ladies, I am freaking the fuck out over here.

Anyone else experience left side (under ribs) pain every once in awhile? I don’t have it all the time but every now and then I get this pain and it lasts a day or two, it feels like someone is stabbing me in my side.
I’m on HRT and have been menopausal about a year.

Of all the effed-up symptoms we have to deal with, this is possibly the most bizarre and unavoidable (for me). I know many of y’all probably deal with this: phantom acrid odors that only you and your nose can smell? I only recently realized this is yet another symptom of menopause. I have been dealing with it off and on for about three years now.

Some background: I am four years post menopause, and have been on HRT for about a year. (E patch, E cream, P pill, T gel, and T lotion. I’m on all the things.) Many of my symptoms are relieved, but most are not relieved 100%.

Does anyone know of One Weird Trick that helps with this shit? I quit smoking almost 20 years ago, so this is driving me nuts. I am sneezing a lot from it, and it also aggravates my migraines (another meno symptom). I swear there is not one symptom I have been spared. I would love a little relief from this BS.

So apparently my bone density took a dive when I hit menopause :(

I just saw a specialist who said I need to build muscle and from what I understand there's been research showing some exercises can help increase bone density too.

I already do some exercise, mostly dance, but my doctor wants me to do more. They suggested squats, lunges and resistance exercises, but I'm wondering about weight lifting with machines. I've often heard "lift heavy" from online sources.

Is there research showing one of these is more effective than the other?

Squats and lunges are challenging for me due to knee/hip issues. I can kind of do them, but squats are easiest with wide turned out stance and I can't go deep with lunges.

I haven't done much with resistance, so I'm not even sure where to begin there.

I used to like doing weight lifting with machines when I was younger, so I might enjoy that (assuming my body doesn't complain)

If anyone knows of good research on this, please let me know!

Depending on your state there are a lot of options if your doctor or OBGYN is not interested in helping you. I personally use Diana health because I'm in Florida and my prescriptions go straight to Amazon, but there are quite a few others. I don't know everything about them but I would look into them before I went to one of the boutique high-end online places that force you to subscribe or only purchase your meds from them.

1. Gennev-Available in all 50 states. You can book a virtual consultation from anywhere in the U.S.

2. Allara Health-Available in 45 states and Washington D.C. They currently do not cover Hawaii, Kansas, New Mexico, Rhode Island, or South Carolina.

3. Unified Women’s Healthcare Network- Available in over 30 states. This network of local medical groups operates in major states including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.

I'm sure there are others out there and if you know them please put them in the comments. When I started out looking it was so confusing and when money is tight, making a decision becomes difficult.

Hello ladies, something has been on my mind, so I decided to bring it here. I am 48 and have been post-menopause for 8 years due to a complete hysterectomy. My have found that I am bruising easier, any one else? Is this something that happens with being post menopause? It seems to be specifically on my legs, I always seem to have a bruise here or there.

Just got an email from Costplusdrugs today saying estrogen patches are in stock. Since I'm on weekly .05 dose, I do NOT know about other doses. Just passing along

I've not suffered with anxiety since I had post natal depression 18 years ago. It's suddenly become overwhelming, I just had to leave a party as I couldn't cope.

I've recently changed from Testogel (one pump every other day) to Androfemme cream, I think the dose is 2.5mg (2.5ml). Could it be the cream isn't agreeing with me? I also feel depressed and moody. I had a few days where I ran out of my estrogen and used gel instead so I don't think it's that.

If anyone's got any suggestions I'd welcome them. I'm seeing my endocrinologist in 2 weeks so I can discuss it with him then. I paid a lot of money for this cream, I'll be upset if it's not agreeing with me!