Question on menopause(GG's and transmen answers only please)

[mistunderstood]

I think I have started early menopause. Everything I have looked at matches what I am going through. Intense anger,anxiety attacks,brain freeze,trouble with keeping up with people in a conversation,distracted and depression. I thought that this stuff was just a bi-polar episode but now that I have done some reading I think it is early menopause. Some days I feel like I am totally losing it.
I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share what your experiences where like for you. If you would like you can answer here or in a PM. I have been looking forward to this time in my life but it scares me to. If you have any tried and true things that helped you through this time I would be grateful to learn them.
Thank you in advance to any people who answer this post.

[Sandra]

Oh yes.... scared the living daylights out of me when I had the first hot flush, I thought I was on fire lol and just dripped with sweat yeah I know not very nice but it's true.

Apart from the angry and depression you have described me.... and of course the hot flushes, up to now I have been lucky and don't get them very often at night. I haven't had a period for 18 months but do get the symptoms. I went to the Dr to see about HRT but she wasn't to keen because I would have been not it for a long time as I started in the menopause when I was 40 and I'm now 49, so I asked if she could suggest anything else, and she told me to try soy. I went and bought some soy tablets and took one a day and the hot flushes eased, they didn't stop but they weren't so often, I did think is this was mind over matter until I ran out of the tablets and :OMG: I soon realised that they were doing some good.

I go through times of feeling really great this can last for months, then all of a sudden I get...only way to describe it is edgy and I have to just let it pass and this is usually when I get the symptoms of a period, this lasts about 2 weeks then I'm ok.

Now I'm never out of soy tablets, did have to increase it to 2 a day but..*touches wood* it still is doing the trick.

[Andy66]

Aaron, for me it's a time of mixed feelings. Thank goodness the messy years are finally almost over; and aw crap, a whole new set of symptoms to deal with. :doh:

I'll be 45 years old in another month or so, but I started noticing the change slowly happening 3 or 4 years ago. Now I only have a ...um... messy time every 2 or 3 months. :w00t: It seems like I'm always hotter or colder than everyone else in the room. I've started being more careful about eating healthy, and get more exercise, but I still have a harder time maintaining my weight than I used to. I feel more ditzy and forgetful, so I write things down a lot. Yes I have brain freezes too, but not really anger or depression. On the other hand I feel more confident and assertive than before. Go figure. I have less sex drive, less tolerance for B.S., and I make old people noises when I get up from sitting. Eeek! I'm also pretty gassy lately. :o :lol:

It's hard to tell which symptoms are menopause, and which are just plain getting old.

I read that hormones can help some people, but others don't really need them. I figure hormone replacement might only drag out the menopause and make it take longer, so I dont think I'll be taking them. You might want to though, because it sounds like you're having a pretty rough time. I hope this helps some. :hugs:

[mistunderstood]

I have been having trouble with my bi-polar but after I read things on menopause I think it is more the menopause. My Mom went a little nuts to around her early 40's but she calmed way down by mid 40's. I am hoping that might happen for me. My Mom is gone and both of my Grandmothers aare gone so I do not have any older women in my life to ask about these things. I know this question was not a normal question in transmen section but I needed answers from GG's and you guy's to. I am happy I am going through this but at same time I thought I was really losing it. I am really lad back person and the last few month my anger has increased to the point I was screaming at my cats for being cats. It was making my really hard because that is not me. I see my shrink next week and I am going to talk to her about what we can do with med's to get me over the hump of this.

[ReineD]

I've experienced everything you mention except the anxiety attacks. And I also experience insomnia. My hot flashes weren't too bad. I quite enjoyed them, actually. They weren't heavy and they felt as if I was flushed with excitement. lol. I still have a few every now and then. The depression and anger I did experience were specifically over the events surrounding a bad divorce and loss of custody and not menopause.

What to do? Talk to a doctor. But one of the first things he or she will probably tell you is maintain a proper diet and exercise, along with regular sleep habits. Try to keep a balanced life. Don't smoke or drink to excess. Take vitamins. All the regular stuff. I've not felt the need to take hormones. :p

My mother suffered horrible, horrible menopausal symptoms with very strong hot flashes. She had to take hormones. It's different for everyone.

I'm hoping that once the current strain that I'm under is over with, my brain cells will wake up again. :p

[Andy66]

Sorry to hear about your mom, Aaron. :hugs:

My mother went through a phase in her late 40s to mid 50s. I didn't understand why she was acting so odd, but now I think it must have been menopause. She was just not right for a while. She got ditzy, kind of nervous and paranoid, and had hot flashes. It took a few years, but she eventually started acting more normal again. Back in those days (30 years ago) women and doctors probably didn't understand menopause so well, and they didn't have the medicines we have now. Hopefully understanding where your weird feelings come from will help a lot. I have heard good things about soy. And you might call a good Wiccan or Chinese herbal store if you can, to hear what they say.

[Momarie]

Look on the bright side, pretty soon you'll have the mustache and goatee you always dreamed of.

[mistunderstood]

I hope so but my facial hair only grows in small circles and they do not connect with each other.

[Andy66]

Hah! Facial hair comb-over! :lol:
(It's okay, I'm in the same boat.)

[mistunderstood]

As I get older the hair is spreading but I still can not do anything with it. I even found my first grey hair today.

[Andy66]

You're doing pretty good then. I noticed my firsr gray hair when I was about 23.

Strange though, I don't feel old. I mean my body kind of does, but in my mind I'm not that old. Guess I'm just immature. ;)