I think I'm having early menopause... Or worse.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m lying flat on my back with nothing to do for yet another bout of nausea, so I thought I’d bitch about it. I’m sure there’s someone who can relate.

I’m 34 years old with a long history of uterine related mayhem. I’m assumed to have endometriosis but I’ve never had the laproscopic surgery required for diagnosis. My mom had it, my grandmother had it, my great-grandmother probably had it… All three had hysterectomies at my age. I have many, many symptoms of endometriosis. Chronic IBS, pain with any kind of vaginal penetration (gyn said it’s not vaginismus), and prior to being put on BC at the age of 13, I had painful periods that required prescription strength meds just to get to tolerable levels. I’m also bugfuck insane when I’m not on the pill. I’ve been on continuous BC for several years and not having a period has helped a lot.

Until now.

For the last 4 to 6 weeks I’ve been in some kind of hormonal hell on a daily basis. Constant hot flashes intense enough to disrupt my sleep, night sweats, nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, dizziness, and general physical weakness. It’s not the usual depression fatigue… I’m not even all that sleepy, or even depressed. It’s like I have 50% of my usual strength. I get winded just walking around the neighborhood. I’ve been working with a personal trainer for a few months and in July and early August I was exercising at full intensity. So it’s not a matter of being out of shape. It’s a sudden change in stamina.

There is zero chance I’m pregnant, but it’s a similar kind of deal. I went through the same thing back in December, but it mysteriously resolved itself after about a month. Fortunately I have a really easygoing boss and can work from home whenever I want.

I’m not in a tremendous amount of pain, but I find the nausea intolerable. These symptoms have ruined many of my plans. I went on a weekend vacation and spent a great portion of it indoors. There are times I can’t even play video games, which is about as low intensity as it gets. Today was a good day, I did a half workout, cleaned the fridge and picked up a few groceries, having to rest 1-2 hours between each action. Then the nausea kicked in.

I have seen a GP, he gave me nausea and diarrhea meds and checked my blood work… It’s normal. I’m going to see a gynecologist in 2 weeks.

The hot flashes and nausea are new, and the other symptoms have always been cyclical, not daily. That’s why I’m thinking maybe menopause. I have never given birth. I have no family history to indicate when women in my family typically go through menopause, because we’ve given up by that point. I got pregnant when I was 32 and lost the baby at ten weeks. After the miscarriage, I was off BC for close to a year… A terrible mistake… But the odd thing is, I never had a period for that year I was off BC. Is that normal for continuous BC? Or after a D&C?

I want, and have always wanted, a hysterectomy, but this is a new doc, my medical records documenting my reproductive health are spread all over the east coast (I moved 7 times), and it’s probably going to be a bitch proving I need it to the insurance companies. I see a laproscopy in my future in the very least.

That’s all. I’m bitching. I’m tired of this shit. I hate my fucking uterus. Feel free to give me advice or feel sorry for me. I was thinking of writing a one page letter to the new gyn briefly summarizing my medical history. I always get too nervous to advocate for myself during the actual appointment. I’ve never been brave enough to ask for a hysterectomy. Do you think a letter would annoy her, or be helpful? I just don’t want her to treat it like we’re starting at square one. I’ve been through so much other shit trying to fix this in the past.

Thanks. I’ll shut up now.

2

You owe it to yourself to get a proper diagnostic procedure. THEN you’ll be able to move forward better equipped to consider therapeutic options. It’ll be worth it.

Beyond that, since it’s been 15 years since I did any significant gyn (I still get called on to manage the drug regimens of pregnant addicts), I’ll refrain from speculating.

3

You’ve already got the appointment, so you’re doing what needs to be done. I’d be inclined to make either a bullet list or a chronological list, rather than a letter. That way it feels more like gathering information together, so that sharing it is more efficient. I don’t know if the names and contact information of previous doctors would be useful or not.

Here’s hoping that you get a timely resolution to your symptoms. I felt a great deal of relief after my hysterectomy and I didn’t have anything near the problem list you have.

4

You poor thing…i do feel bad for you…i have 2 sister …both had similar issues…i never did…but I saw them both suffer til the hysterectomy was performed…keep pushing for it…if you’re sure you don’t want to have a baby…my sisters both had children…which put off the surgeries for awhile…but…as soon ad they were recovered from the surgeries they felt so much better…it was a godsend for both!!

5

I would make the list and push for a full diagnosis before deciding what to do. It could be any number of things, possibly treatable, and it’s always best to know before you decide something final like a hysterectomy.

I really sympathize. I had ovarian cysts, and fibroids, and excessive bleeding and all kinds of goodness. {{{hugs}}}

6

I mean, I’m never giving birth again. I’m waiting to adopt a child. I have no emotional attachment whatsoever to my uterus. I would drive to the hospital right now, like not even finish this post, if they would take it out. I felt that way a decade ago. I never really wanted to be pregnant, I just agreed to it because my husband wasn’t ready for adoption and I wanted kids sooner rather than later.

But it’s not like an insurance company would ever cover it without a full diagnosis in the first place. I’ve never seen evidence that women get to ‘‘decide’’ anything about their treatment for reproductive health problems. My first memory at age 13 when these symptoms started was being instructed to take a Midol. By that point I was popping my mother’s Tylenol III with codeine pills, just to get through the pain. They only let my Mom have a hysterectomy because she threatened to kill herself otherwise. They didn’t take her concerns seriously at all until they cut her open and found her riddled with endometriosis, fibroids and tumors. Many women I know with the condition had several surgeries and suffered for years before a hysterectomy was approved, and many were denied what they most needed because they ‘‘might change their mind about having children.’’

I’m furious about this, to be honest. I have seen some evidence the attitude is changing, though, so I have some hope, too.

The only sure way to diagnose endometriosis is with laproscopic surgery. But they’ll probably want to do an ultrasound first. I recognize with the newer, weirder, symptoms it could be anything from menopause to a cyst. I’m really just… not looking forward to this. The last two gynecology appointments I scheduled, I was a no-show because I had a panic attack. This is super unfun for me. I’m going to stick it out this time, but I reserve the right to bitch along the way. :stuck_out_tongue:

7

Bitch away! I’m sorry you’re going through this.

8

[self-hijack]

Actually, it’s false I intentionally skipped two appointments. I skipped one appointment due to a panic attack, on the day of the reschedule I left my purse in my husband’s car (he went to work) and they wouldn’t see me without photo ID. I now have a ‘‘So You’re Missing Your Purse’’ back-up kit to prevent anything like that from happening again. Car and house key, copies of insurance cards, photo ID, cash, credit card, checks, all together in a safe location. Highly recommended.

/self-hijack

9

It could be hellish peri-menopause, which I had, starting around age 35. Thirty-fucking-five, so no one thought, hey, look at the lady’s hormones. And I didn’t think that my hot flashes were due to hormones, I was thirty-five. The docs said it was my weight, it was my asthma meds, it was being out of shape. The pimples – which I never had before – were “adult acne” and they didn’t know why they weren’t responding to topical medications. My hair was thinning. Just, ugh.

I was properly diagnosed via blood test at 38 after I realized that it was 55F inside my house and I was not cold. I was found to be in peri-menopause and was given transdermal female hormones and oral androgen-blockers. My skin cleared up, my thinning hair, has thickened up again. I don’t want to kill people. I don’t have hot flashes or night sweats. I love hormones. They’re going to have to pry them out of my hands.

I agree that it’s best to bullet out your symptoms (and how long they’ve been going on), as you could have more than one thing happening.

Good luck!

10

To be fair, tho, your mom is … crazy? Not saying that doctors are right to dismiss the reports of people who aren’t in their right minds, everyone deserves to be taken seriously by their doctors. But I’m saying don’t base your perceptions on what kind of help you can get on how your mom was treated 20+ years ago. You’re a different patient, in a different situation, in a different state, seeing a different doctor. Assuming the worst isn’t working for you thus far!

11

Yeah she’s certifiable. That’s a valid point.

True story. I recently found the old medical record from that first doctor visit when I was 13. Written in the doctor’s notes were the words “mother is difficult.”

LOL. Validation! But in that case she was pissed on my behalf. She wanted to prevent it from happening to me. And in a sense, she did. She kept pushing to get me help, and being on BC helped me for a long time.

I could have had it a lot worse.

I keep bouncing from self pity to an odd sort of gratitude. I’m trying to make peace with the fact this won’t be resolved overnight. Glad I have an understanding work scenario, good health care, and for the first time in my life, continuity of care since I’m living in one place and have no plans to move.

But man am I tired. I hope this gets resolved before the baby comes. Going by average waits, we have about two years, but it could theoretically be any minute.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

12

I’m sorry you’re in such pain. Can you call the gyn’s office and ask to be called in the event of a cancellation? You said you want to be a good advocate for yourself – I’d say putting up with ANOTHER two weeks of horrible symptoms is worth pushing back against.

I also wonder if a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) might be worth consulting. They’re often more familiar with POF.

13

This. An acquaintance of mine had similar issues, and says that her RE was able to completely resolve her symptoms. I hope you are able to find something that works for you.

14

I’ll keep that in mind! The new gyn is highly rated, so I’m hoping she’ll have the wisdom to refer when necessary.

15

Your earlier symptoms sound exactly like what my wife went through. Dreadful stuff, it was endometriosis and didn’t let up until she underwent several bouts of laser treatment.
So the good news is that if you can get that diagnosis there is a potential treatment. The laser treatment followed by two pregnancies in quick succession made a massive difference to her.
The symptoms you have now I can’t comment on but whether it is a result of endometriosis or early-onset menopause you are best served by getting that expert advice.

I wish you well, I spent many a long night comforting my wife and looking after her because she was in crippling pain and exhausted from the stress of it.

16

You poor girl, I’m so sorry and I hope you find the cause and a treatment to help you feel better soon. My 15 year old suffered horribly with her periods. I think it could be endometriosis but like you, she hasn’t undergone the surgery to find out and at her age they won’t do it anyway. She’s on birth control pills and a heavy dose of naproxen to try and keep the pain under control. The bc helps somewhat because she’s on a 3 month pack so it eliminates her period a few months. She recently had a few days of bleeding though and she was in a lot of pain. Of course she’s low on naproxen and getting the ob/gyn to call in the refill is like asking them to move the earth and the stars, but that’s for another thread someday. Feel better, Spice Weasel!

17

My ex wife started having hellish menopause symptoms in her mid 40’s. It turned out to be Hasimoto’s disease which is a severely under functioning thyroid. Might be worth a peek.

mc

18

Poor thing :(.

I know relatively little about endometriosis, but if it IS that, some thoughts:

If you get a hysterectomy, would you want them to take the ovaries? Yanking them would reduce the pain associated with wandering (ectopic?) endometrial tissue but it would mean full-on menopause with all the misery that brings. Leaving them in would avoid menopause, but if you’ve got endometrial tissue far away from the uterus, that would still misbehave.

Might hormone treatment (i.e. “the pill” or whatever) control the misery? That might even be partial diagnostic, i.e. “if it helps, that’s what’s going on”.

I like the idea of a bulleted list. If the doctor is any good, she’ll appreciate the summary because it’s too easy to forget stuff. I always bring a printed list of all my meds, all my primary care / specialist doctors, and chronic medical issues, and the other day when I saw the opthalmologist, she was delighted.

19

Spice Weasel, I hope you can get all of this sorted out with the new doc!

Oh, that sucks. I thought for years that girls with “cramps” were making it up to get out of gym class, until all at once when I was in college, I was hit with AWFUL cramps, for the whole cycle.
I hope you don’t mind me sharing couple of thoughts, Patx2, since we haven’t interacted before (hello!).

First, if it hasn’t been discussed already, you might ask her doctor if your daughter should take gastric protection (like Prilosec or Prevacid) with the naproxen. Some doctors now believe that gastric protection isn’t necessary for people without previous gastric problems (such as reflux). The number of people who develop major problems with the esophagus or stomach is low, but it’s still worth asking about as she’s taking a prescription strength dose. And of course, if your daughter mentions heartburn, talk to the doc right away.

My other thought is to ask if she can adjust her birth control pills so she only has one period a year. Current medical knowledge says that for most women, a period is not physically necessary. If it would help reduce her pain, it might be worth it. (I did this because I had god-awful menstrual migraines and cramps.)

Last thought: OTC naproxen is the same drug as prescription, just at a lower dose. Just compare the mg strength and cut the OTC pills if needed to equal the mgs in the prescription dose (so 1.5 OTC pills might = the mg of one of her RX pills). Helpful if you are out of the rx and she needs them. I’ve done it several times!

These are all great questions. And I’d add that early menopause has its own issues, of which I’ve heard at great lengths, since my GYN believes that I started peri- around 35! I also always have a current medication list in my wallet, because I always forget something when asked. It feels like my medicine cabinet rivals CVS’s stock.

Hormones are available in all kinds of non-pill options as well. I use a trans-dermal patch and a vaginal insert for the menopausal symptoms. (Sorry if that’s TMI. I assume the men have already run screaming from this thread.) There are also creams. So a lot of options that bypass the GI tract.

20

I think it is a good idea to try to summarize all the symptoms you’re dealing with to help the doctor figure out what’s going on, but personally, I would hold off on asking for a hysterectomy until you have a better idea of what’s causing this. A hysterectomy may not be the right answer if this is not endometriosis. If it turns out that these symptoms are in fact from “Premature Ovarian Failure” (the term for abnormally early menopause), then a hysterectomy isn’t going to help. For premature ovarian failure, you would need hormone replacement, not just for hot flashes but also because women who go into menopause abnormally early have increased risks for problems like osteoporosis compared to other women if they don’t have hormone therapy.
Good luck. Hopefully the doctor will have some answers for you.