What Were Your Menopause Symptoms and Related Issues?
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I had my first bone scan last year at age 66 and I have some osteopenia in my hips- spine is in great shape. Part of it might be my weight- my BMI is a little over 19 but I REALLY feel good at this weight and work to maintain it. I'm taking calcium and magnesium supplements. We'll see in 2 years if that helps.
My mother ended up with high BP after menopause- she was skinny and ran every day (more like jogging as she slowed down and eventually walking 4 miles a day) and always apologized about how terrible her cooking tasted because she didn't add any salt (it was always just fine). So- she did all the right stuff to keep her BP down and it was still high. Mine is at the low end of normal. So far, so good.
I had my first bone scan at age 58. I am considered slightly underweight for my height and weight. But, I also have had mild scoliosis since birth - and osteoporosis is more common in people with scoliosis - so I may have had it much earlier than age 58 and not know it.
Doctors convinced me to start taking osteoporosis drugs - which included some bad side affects that got worse the longer I took them. After 4 1/2 years and zero improvement I said enough was enough. I opted to start strength training and balance and stability training to reduce my risk of a fall and thereby reducing my risk of breaking a bone. It was only 4 years ago that I started working with a trainer who actually taught me how to identify exercises to avoid as well as exercises to do. (Most trainers/ group instructors have no clue the exercises to avoid if you have osteoporosis). There are three things to consider. 1. You need to maintain a neutral spine when doing the exercise. No bending forward exercises such as sit ups. 2. No severe twisting at the waist that some yoga exercises include. 3. No explosive loading which means avoid sudden excessive loading of the joints. (i.e jumping rope not good; walking is better than running etc.)
I will be doing battle with my new doctor in a few months regarding my most recent bone scan. Expect he will recommend I start taking Prolia. It has the same side affects listed that I experienced taking Boniva. Prolia is much stronger and I would sooner risk a broken bone than feel that lousy all the time for the rest of my life.
I know some women who have had no side affects taking Prolia and are having good results. However, my body does not react well to these drugs and strength training and balance and stability training is a better option for me.
I know several people 65+ who have fallen and broken a bone. A few had osteoporosis, but, most did not. The common denominator was they all had issues with balance and strength. There were signs such as having trouble getting out of a chair or difficulty getting down on the floor and back up again which they ignored. I am living proof you can make dramatic improvements in balance and strength with the help of an experienced trainer if you are proactive about your health.
First symptoms I got during perimenopause were several periods in one month then going several months without a period. I had headaches, tender breasts, and extreme tiredness but trouble sleeping. I had hot flashes maybe a couple of times a week with most of them being pretty mild.
I was moodier than normal but kept it to myself outside of once or twice. Once when I was trying to sleep and my husband and daughter were being noisy downstairs and I shouted down the stairs about people being too damned loud. They were shocked because I never yell/raise my voice and never lose my cool. The second time when I got angry over a mess in the house, lol. Just stupid stuff that I normally don't even react over. I would catch myself tearing up over movies which is something I never did and now that I'm back to 'normal' I don't do. I alternated between feeling down about myself and feeling okay about myself.
The worst parts of it have been 40 lbs of weight gain over the span of 1 year. I have always weighed around 105 lbs and now struggle to stay under 145. It's absolutely miserable on a 5'3" small frame. I feel clumsy and nothing fits correctly anymore. Diet and exercise do nothing other than keep my weight at 140-145. Another really bad part of post-menopause is zero sex drive and vaginal atrophy. The words vaginal + atrophy are two words that really should never be in one sentence. I also learned that some hair thinning happens post-menopause though I was fortunate since I had a giant thick mane to begin with so it's only noticeable really to me.
I have not used HRT but might consider it. I'm mostly scared of more weight gain.
For the past two months, I’ve been getting fairly regular headaches and am far more tired than usual. While it’s not a given that this is due to menopause, it has coincided with the end of my periods.
What issues did everyone else have when they hit menopause?
I'm going to guess that you need to get your thyroid and vitamin D levels checked!
First symptoms I got during perimenopause were several periods in one month then going several months without a period. I had headaches, tender breasts, and extreme tiredness but trouble sleeping. I had hot flashes maybe a couple of times a week with most of them being pretty mild.
I was moodier than normal but kept it to myself outside of once or twice. Once when I was trying to sleep and my husband and daughter were being noisy downstairs and I shouted down the stairs about people being too damned loud. They were shocked because I never yell/raise my voice and never lose my cool. The second time when I got angry over a mess in the house, lol. Just stupid stuff that I normally don't even react over. I would catch myself tearing up over movies which is something I never did and now that I'm back to 'normal' I don't do. I alternated between feeling down about myself and feeling okay about myself.
The worst parts of it have been 40 lbs of weight gain over the span of 1 year. I have always weighed around 105 lbs and now struggle to stay under 145. It's absolutely miserable on a 5'3" small frame. I feel clumsy and nothing fits correctly anymore. Diet and exercise do nothing other than keep my weight at 140-145. Another really bad part of post-menopause is zero sex drive and vaginal atrophy. The words vaginal + atrophy are two words that really should never be in one sentence. I also learned that some hair thinning happens post-menopause though I was fortunate since I had a giant thick mane to begin with so it's only noticeable really to me.
I have not used HRT but might consider it. I'm mostly scared of more weight gain.
I was thinking the same thing, lol. Dryness, yes, but atrophy?
I'm going to guess that you need to get your thyroid and vitamin D levels checked!
My husband said the same thing. He has thyroid issues, so I was initially thinking he was projecting his own problems, but then figured it was worth checking out.
I'm currently in perimenopause - started when I was 38 and I'm 42 now.
My symptoms are cyclical. I'll have them for six (or so months) and then I'll feel "normal" for six months.
My symptoms include anxiety, hot flashes, night sweats, not quite insomnia but I'll wake up and be wide awake multiple times throughout the night, brain fog, and I'm a little more quick to react/be snappy out of annoyance. The anxiety is the worst.
GF just started this a month or so ago. I could see that she would have hot flashes because her face would turn red for no reason. She wasnt before but she is a B now. Moody also
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