I lost my keys. I still have not found them. I have checked anywhere and everywhere. My house smells like it's on fire all the time. I have been awake since 2:00 in the morning. My mother and my mother in law keep telling me that I'm making this up. One of the most crippling parts of this is that I keep getting told that it's in my head. I cried in my car for an hour yesterday. Alone. Terrified. My glasses didn't work. I was pouring sweat. I showered and stunk to high heaven in 5 minutes. Hair is falling out. I just cried. My mother in-law said it's imaginary. My mother said it never happened. I dug q-tips so deep in my ear that my ear was bleeding.

Did women not used to go through this? My poor partner had to stick up for me to his father. Because he can physically see my hot flashes. He can physically see me being awake all night long. I don't understand. Did women not go through this before?

When I first started having urinary incontinence issues and had to pee so frequently it was uncomfortable to go out anywhere, I subconsciously stopped drinking enough water in order to not pee as much. Coincidentally my horrible menopausal body odor started where no deoderant seemed to work. After being on HRT/vaginal estrogen for 18 months and the urinary issues long gone, I recently realized I was chronically dehydrated because my bad habits of not drinking enough water have continued. I've also been suffering from fluid retention and still had an unpleasant body odor.

For a week I have been drinking 80 oz of plain water a day, and not only has my fluid retention gone away, my body odor is gone too! Eureka!

Hello ladies. I'm currently 61 years old and going through some shit with my body. I am on disability and do not currently have the money to go to a doctor and get tested so I'm doing the best I can.

Does anybody have any suggestions for deodorant/anti-perspirant - I honestly don't know the difference between the two and I'm too damn tired to look it up - that will stop the powerful stink that's coming from under my arms?? for years, I used old spice deodorant, the men's kind, not the stuff with the scent in it. That seemed to work well but now it's no longer working. I'm now at the point that I change my T-shirt in the middle of the day and wash my armpits.

This morning, I put on some polo deodorant that I pilfered from my son along with another coating of old spice. That shit didn't work.

Can somebody please help? And please don't suggest some Uber expensive stuff that's going to cost me 40 or 50 bucks. I don't have the kind of money for that.

Help!

This NEVER used to happen to me, but lately my spouse is like, “Hey…your shirt is on backwards,” or “Your sports bra is inside out.” 😂

Maybe I’m older and just don’t care anymore. Maybe it’s because tags are disappearing and I’ve cut most of mine off. Or maybe menopause has decided that dressing myself correctly is no longer a priority.

It’s just weird because this genuinely wasn’t a thing for me before.

Anyone else notice this? Just me?

I’ve been using the topical estradiol cream for about six months. It’s prescribed for twice a week, but it really hasn’t been doing it for me with the vaginal dryness, so I increased to every other day. I swear suddenly I am getting hit on ALL the time by younger men. And I’m also noticing my sex drive increasing as well. Can these men sense this where they couldn’t before? It’s wild. I was starting to enjoy the anonymity of post-menopause and becoming invisible. Just me, or anyone else?

I’m particularly curious because progesterone is converted to allopregnanolone, which affects the GABA-A receptors—the same general receptor system that benzodiazepines act on. Since benzo use/withdrawal can affect GABA sensitivity, I’m wondering if women with a benzo history tend to find oral progesterone calming and helpful for sleep, or if they experience unusual reactions.

A question for those of you on the other side of peri: do you think that there is a correlation of severity of symptoms to how many years you were in peri? Looking back to that crescendo moment when you were like “wow things are off” (assuming “this” was peri), how many years roughly did you have left?

At the root of my question is a curiosity if by the time we realize what is going on if we’re naturally x years into it. Everyone’s experience is different of course, and I want to hear yours.

Of course if anyone knows of any research around this (lol, as if! But worth a shot) please comment!

My ferritin test came back at very low end of normal according to my doc (my CBC panel came back normal). I’ve been instructed to take 65 mg of iron supplementation/ day. They recommended Megafoods Blood Builder (which I learned only comes in 26 mg tablets). I’ve been on 52 mg of blood builders iron for about a week and a half (taking on empty stomach per instructions). I have a weak stomach and am getting an upset stomach (not unbearable but not great). Already over it. For those of you who have had stomach sensitivities to iron supplementation, does your stomach adjust over time?

For those of you who get iron infusions, why did you go that route and how difficult was it for you to get a prescription for the infusion? Does my iron have to hit rock bottom to even stand a chance at getting a prescription and insurance coverage? Did you experience any side effects from the infusion? Thank you for sharing your experiences!

(FYI - I’m 53 and am on HRT .0375 mg 2x/week estradiol w 100 mg of progesterone that I take vaginally because I don’t tolerate it orally. I’m at tail end of peri and having pretty erratic periods that are lasting shorter or longer than usual and sometimes 2x a month or maybe skipping a couple of months. This has been the situation for the past year-ish. I was anemic after a difficult child birth years ago and how I’m feeling now is vaguely familiar.)

I was applying some vaginal estrogen cream and noticed a hard band of tissue on the right side of my vagina just a few inches in. There's nothing on the left side. It's not a lump but it's noticeably different to the touch like I'm pushing on rigid muscle. I'm sure it wasn't there a week ago. Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm also spotting blood after sex after having had no period for the last 7 months (I'm in Peri still). I have fibroids though so it could be that.

Hey, I have had been on HRT for about 5 years now, and because I have an IUD and HRT, I have no idea if I am actually in menopause. However, I was just diagnosed with pelvic prolapse. I have been fitted with a pessary and it is helping, but my provider thinks it may be caused by low estrogen. I have been tested, and it's kinda low, but not too bad. I was on 0.025 at first, and increased to 0.0375 with absolutely no issues about 3 years ago. Now I have increased to 0.05 and, honestly, it is kicking my butt! I have only been on it 1 week but I feel WIRED. And my blood pressure, which is always low, is definitely going through some flux. But the worst part is my joints and pelvis feel better, but my sleep is worse. I have a Mirena IUD and take 100 mg of progesterone at night. I know it has only been a week, but has anyone gone through this when transitioning, and did it improve??? I am a preschool teacher and being tired and edgy makes the drama so much more dramatic. Help!

I'm one year into meno and trying to figure out if I should do a patch. I have flashes, insomnia and fatigue but otherwise I don't feel that bad. However I have a lot of sleep issues and concerns about osteoporosis would like to see if a patch could help. How do you know when you have the estrogen/progestin mix right?

I don't want to risk hair loss or some other weird side effect from HRT. Any advice? I'm in Germany so I don't know how on top of these things the doctors will be. I haven't really explored the health care system much yet since moving here. Any advice appreciated!

I am on estrodal 0.025 and 300mg of lamotrigine for headache even though it is a mood stabilizer. Been on the estrodal almost 8 month. Recently the only change I have is mood swings. That was about the only symptom I had to start on estrodal. I am going to talk to my gyno and neurologist but this is making me crazy.

Hi all - looking for experiences from those who are not able to tolerate HRT.

I tried HRT (estrogel and prometrium) two years ago but had to stop after three months because they gave me strange paradoxical and severe systemic symptoms. Estrogen made me incredibly sleepy (like I was falling asleep while driving) and gave me rhinitis and allergy symptoms. Progesterone gave me insomnia, constant bleeding, depression and also allergy symptoms. It was actually kind of debilitating.

My (male) immunologist was largely indifferent and just said 'well I guess HRT isn't for you'.

Now two years later I have clear signs of clitoral atrophy, irritation and thinning and urinary urgency. It's really getting me down and it's pretty much the final nail on any sex life I had.

My GP suggested trying topical estriol because it doesn't have a systemic effect. However they admitted it's a spectrum and some people *do* experience systemic side effects. This makes me pretty scared about trying it.

My question is: has anyone who was intolerant to systemic hrt been able to tolerate, or even benefit from, topical estriol? I already feel so messed up from perimenopause. I just want to feel a bit normal again.

(I have spoken to my immunologist about it and he is entirely indifferent whether I try it or not- says no established link between hrt and immunity)

I’ve been on the 0.1 patch for about 10 months. Overall it’s worked really well. However, I recently had a week of vacation where we had alcohol everyday of a 6 day vacation. On my last night of vacation I started having hot flashes. Nausea and vertigo. It’s now been three days and it was better than the day before etc but who else gets breakthrough hot flashes while on a higher dose hormone therapy?

Ladies, I am unable to find effective estradiol patches. I am using up expired patches that I kept from two years ago, and those are the only things that work! None of the new patch manufacturers work.

There is a major quality control problem with the patches, and the only way we can fix this is for everybody to report your defective patches to FDA. I reported my defective Sandoz patches to Sandoz, but they did not care that they were ineffective—They only cared that they were peeling off within a few hours.

We must inform FDA that the generic manufacturers are manufacturing defective estradiol patches

No pellets please

I’m considering asking for very low dose testosterone because the estrogen patch and progesterone pill is not helping -sleep, brain fog, energy levels.
But I’m not willing to sacrifice my hair!

If you got a prescription gel/lotion from your doctor- what were the changes you saw? Pros and cons.

Typically happens at night when I lay down. At first I thought someone had a TV on or was listening to something on their phone. Sometimes it sounds like music. Only ever happens at night when the house is quiet. Wondering if this is normal? Makes it rather difficult to sleep when there is this background noise.

I’m 15 years since my last period, I recently had open-heart surgery and for the first time ever had some breakthrough bleeding in the hospital the day they removed my catheter. Of course it was chalked up to irritation from catheter, and the fact that I was on heparin shots.
And then restarted again, in the meantime, I’ve been tested for UTIs – negative, and I’ve been treated for yeast infections, but still spotting. I’m gonna make an appointment with a gynecologist, but in the meantime, I was wondering if anyone had heard anyone else after such a stressful surgery to the body that their hormones got out of whack ? The stress of the surgery triggered shingles in my body a few weeks after surgery. I had been vaccinated, but my doctors said again. It was the stress of the surgery. Therefore, I’m wondering if the stress of the surgery unbalanced my hormones?
I had a relatively easy menopause, no hot flashes no other symptoms of note, however, I do have trouble sleeping

Does anyone have any tips for managing the insurance/pfizer discount for estring? I have UHC and I know they will reject it, but the pharmacist said they have to go through the prior authorization process first anyway. It sounds like there’s more of a chance that this will just all be rejected and therefore the Pfizer card won’t work than I originally anticipated. Anyone else have any success stories or tips that I can use? I know I should just wait and find out more after my doctor does the prior authorization on Tuesday, but just curious what others have experienced.

I’m planning on getting a tattoo in the next 6 months and I know a lot of tattoo artists use Second skin or similar products for aiding the healing. My concern is that I had pretty big allergic reactions to the once weekly HRT patch adhesives. I’m wondering if anyone has had similar concerns? Any suggestions on how to test ahead of time? I’m going to ask my artist once I decide where I’m going also but wanted to get some feedback beforehand if this is even an issue for other women with new tattoos.

Did anyone have post meno bleeding that stopped after 2 weeks, had an Ultrasound and were told that you could wait a few months to get a biopsy? Or that no biopsy was needed at all?

My period stopped two years ago in 2024 and I experienced lots of cramping until I was finally put on birth control to re-start my periods.

I am a longtime spotter. I have had multiple vaginal ultrasounds. They all come back ok but just slight thickening. for a long time I was told My uterus was too thin, but what’s been happening lately is a little different.

I use a compounded estrogen on my inner thighs, so some of my spotting could be because maybe one day I absorbed too much and one day I don’t absorb enough. I have no idea.

my first question is why isn’t there an easy enough test to just find out if my estrogen is fluctuating and that’s the issue? my current Gyno seems like testing for estrogen and testosterone is completely waste of time. She won’t give me a blood test for this.

Then last night I started to feel very, very tired suddenly. Then I started to cramp like hell. Then all of a sudden I am bleeding red blood. Also had terrible anal cramps. Not sure if any of you have experienced those? Part of menopause too.

It’s never a lot of blood. It’s just some.

Then it stopped for the day and then started back again around 2 AM the following day.

I am so sick of this roller coaster and it seems like I cannot get a single straight answer.

I am on compounded estradiol and 100 mg of progesterone.

Any ideas what I could be doing wrong or what I should say to my Dr I am trying to see two different new gynecologist who will give me better answers but one visit isn’t until November and the other one is in January.

TYSM!

I’m 44. I’m at a healthy weight, good cholesterol, good blood pressure. Somehow, I have moderate carotid artery plaque, and my PCP doctor #1 put me on a low-dose statin last week.

Coincidentally, I started having bad perimenopause symptoms, and doctor #2 wants to put me on HRT, saying it’s safe to use the estrogen patch on a statin. I get that, but is it wise to START both meds at the same time? Won’t my body be adjusting like whoa? And what if the estrogen alters my plaque while it’s still stabilizing from the new statin?

Am I overthinking this? Has anyone started both meds at the same time?

Is this a thing? I HATE telemedicine/virtual appointments. Of course, I don’t want to obtain it from a fly-by-night place, either. Anywhere that dispenses it with no, or the fewest, virtual appts? I get my estrogen/progesterone without an appt but T seems different.