So.... The change? Bit early or what? (Hormonal Migraines)

[JoKalsbeek]

In about 15 minutes I'm going to call (which is a big deal because I hate phoning anyone) for an appointment with my GP. It's looking more and more like I'm in perimenopause, at a mere 40 years old, and I want her to figure out what's going on with me and puzzle out what to do about it... From what I understood, with PCOS, it should happen an average of 2 years later rather than almost a decade early. (?) But I've been feeling like a fraud since my weight went back up, even if it's nowhere near what it used to be... My blood sugars are perfection on Keto and IF, and from various keto places online I found women "of a certain age" gain weight back... Because of estrogen levels dropping. Now, mine aren't up to par as it is because of that cyst and whatnot, so yeah. Frequent UTI's that I've managed to treat with d-mannose are another symptom, and I didn't realise the hot flashes were hot flashes until recently... I know, the Change is perfectly natural and whatnot, but I'm a migraineur: my hormonal migraines are the worst ones, and they're becoming more frequent. And I mean, a LOT more frequent. And I can't take triptans all the time, they're just too addictive. (Rebound migraines: kicking the habit for 3 months is NOT fun.). On keto the other migraine triggers aren't anywhere near as bad, but keto hasn't influenced the hormonal ones at all, alas.

I don't know.... I might be wrong, it might not be the change at all. I don't know what to hope for. I'm really scared if this is going to take the better part of a decade, because if I can't control the migraines anymore... Then quality of life is down the toilet. And a decade feels like an insurmountable amount of time. What have other people's experiences been?

Thanks!
Jo
Edited to add: Appointment for Thursday afternoon... Here goes nothing.

 

[Brunneria]

Good luck with the appt.

As a PCOSer I did quite a bit of reading about how the menopause goes for us. From what I can remember (without looking at my notes), it is usually longer and more drawn out, but also less intense. Insulin resistance hikes, as does the tendency to gain weight.

Having said that, I am now 52 with nary a hot flush so far, and still menstruating.
I used to have hot flushes all the time when I was experiencing RH and knock on carb binges. Those stopped when I went keto, and haven't come back.

Unfortunately, I have no one to ask what a 'normal' B family menopause is like, since my sister is almost the same age as me, and my mother had a hysterectomy in her 40s. Is there anyone in your family that you can compare notes with?

From what you say, I would agree that getting a doc to assess the situation is by far the best thing to do.
But then if they start throwing medication at you, including hormone replacement, do your homework carefully.

I have had some nasty run-ins with hormone medication in the past, and I have kind of promised not to do that to myself again, unless the consequences of not taking it end up being life threatening. But that is me. You, and your body, may thrive with a bit of pharmaceutical hormonal assistance.

 

[lovinglife]

I don't know about the migraines as I never suffered them but I have PCOS and I had hot flashes, dizziness, mood swings (I deny that one venomously but hubby begs to differ! Lol) from my very early 40s until my menopause at age 55 - I'm nearly 57 and still have the hot flashes but not quite as bad as they used to be

Sorry that may not be what you want to hear but hopefully it will be different for you, hope your GP can help with the migraines whatever the cause as I know they can be very painful x

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Good luck with the appt.

As a PCOSer I did quite a bit of reading about how the menopause goes for us. From what I can remember (without looking at my notes), it is usually longer and more drawn out, but also less intense. Insulin resistance hikes, as does the tendency to gain weight.

Having said that, I am now 52 with nary a hot flush so far, and still menstruating.
I used to have hot flushes all the time when I was experiencing RH and knock on carb binges. Those stopped when I went keto, and haven't come back.

Unfortunately, I have no one to ask what a 'normal' B family menopause is like, since my sister is almost the same age as me, and my mother had a hysterectomy in her 40s. Is there anyone in your family that you can compare notes with?

From what you say, I would agree that getting a doc to assess the situation is by far the best thing to do.
But then if they start throwing medication at you, including hormone replacement, do your homework carefully.

I have had some nasty run-ins with hormone medication in the past, and I have kind of promised not to do that to myself again, unless the consequences of not taking it end up being life threatening. But that is me. You, and your body, may thrive with a bit of pharmaceutical hormonal assistance.

Hi Brunneria,

The part of the family that I inherited the hormone/migraine issues from is no longer part of my life, so I don't really have anyone to ask. My mom might have an idea, but I have little hope there. All I know if that my gran had horrible migraines during perimenopause and they vanished once it was done, but it took about a decade and a half/forever.

I think I'll have to consider all my options... The thing is, if this pain is something I'll have to live with for well over a decade, I don't see it happening. Twice a month for 4 days at a time is doable, which is what it's been for the last decade. But if it's two or three days without pain and them 4 days with, I don't think that'd work. I'd even consider just having everything removed and dive straight into menopause that way. But if I can make do with a pill or shot, that'd be my preference.

Thanks for your input... Especially since the whole metformin fiasco I take medication research very seriously, and I will put some extra effort in now that you've warned me. I appreciate it.
Jo

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I don't know about the migraines as I never suffered them but I have PCOS and I had hot flashes, dizziness, mood swings (I deny that one venomously but hubby begs to differ! Lol) from my very early 40s until my menopause at age 55 - I'm nearly 57 and still have the hot flashes but not quite as bad as they used to be

Sorry that may not be what you want to hear but hopefully it will be different for you, hope your GP can help with the migraines whatever the cause as I know they can be very painful x

Thanks LovingLife,

It may not be what I want to hear, but it is something I need to consider when I go over my options with the doc. I really hope there's a solution to this. I'm really **** off, you know? Even something as absolutely natural as the change, my body has to turn into a torturous freak show. Well, assuming that's what this is... And by now I'm pretty sure it is. Ah well... Thursday I'll hopefully know more, or at least will be on my way.

Thanks again,
Jo

 

[Bluetit1802]

I don't have PCOS nor migraines, but in my 20's I did have one ovary and fallopian tube removed due to a large cyst. I hit the menopause when I was 40. Hot flushes were awful, but my GP put me on HRT straight away and I never looked back. I took them for about 8 years then stopped. Never had a return to the flushes or periods. Party time!! The GP did say it is common for women that start menstruating late (I was 14) they tend to finish early, and that it can be genetic. My mum hit the menopause quite early but I never tied her down to exactly when. My daughter started the change when she was 48.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I don't have PCOS nor migraines, but in my 20's I did have one ovary and fallopian tube removed due to a large cyst. I hit the menopause when I was 40. Hot flushes were awful, but my GP put me on HRT straight away and I never looked back. I took them for about 8 years then stopped. Never had a return to the flushes or periods. Party time!! The GP did say it is common for women that start menstruating late (I was 14) they tend to finish early, and that it can be genetic. My mum hit the menopause quite early but I never tied her down to exactly when. My daughter started the change when she was 48.

Ah, thank you. I was early, 10 or so... Put straight on the pill because I was irregular and bleeding out. I must have had PCOS already, considering those symptoms, but the doc never looked beyond just putting a child contraception. Ah well. I'm quietly hoping the HRT will be an answer for me too, because the alternatives are severely unappealing. Thanks for your input!

 

[enzina]

Oh @JoKalsbeek, i don't envy you if it's the perimenopause. I found that period far worse than the actual menopause. I believe i stated having perimenopause symptoms from 42 years on. I started feeling low, very heavy periods, night sweats and terrible insomniac. For 10 years i got up every single night between 3am and 4am. With 51 the periods stopped but i was also diagnosed as LADA diabetic instead of being T2. So i don't know for sure which symptoms i had for different conditions. Once i started taking Pregabalin for pain from spinal stenosis and nerve damage, the sweats stopped immediately.

I never took HRT because i was smoking.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi there @JoKalsbeek - I had a sub-total hysterectomy in my late productive years, so whilst I lost my uterus, I retained all the other associated "bits", meaning I still had hormonal cycles.

Of course, I seem to be totally atypical in everything, but aside from one instance I thought might be a hot flush, I had no signs or symptoms of perimenopause or menopause for that matter.

There are various blood tests the Docs can do to assess where your hormones are. One of the most popular, and simple ones is for Oestradial. I've had this done a few times. Last time, I was declared post-menopausal.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Oh @JoKalsbeek, i don't envy you if it's the perimenopause. I found that period far worse than the actual menopause. I believe i stated having perimenopause symptoms from 42 years on. I started feeling low, very heavy periods, night sweats and terrible insomniac. For 10 years i got up every single night between 3am and 4am. With 51 the periods stopped but i was also diagnosed as LADA diabetic instead of being T2. So i don't know for sure which symptoms i had for different conditions. Once i started taking Pregabalin for pain from spinal stenosis and nerve damage, the sweats stopped immediately.

I never took HRT because i was smoking.

Thank you. It's been staring me in the face for a bit now, the more I think about it. The weight gain, the feeling-weepy-for-no-reason, panic attacks I can't explain (I get them often, but I usually have a reason), and since everyone's mentioning it, I haven't been sleeping like I should for a while now, so I'm back on CBD oil to get as much sleep as I can. But the thing that really got me was two stints of hormonal migraines when I should've just had the one set of 4 days, not 8 migraine days in 2 weeks... I can cope with just about anything, but that kind of pain... Nope. The triptans could subdue it, but if it's that frequent and for such a duration, they aren't an option either. Honestly... I'm more afraid now than I was when I found out I was diabetic. Considering I was pretty scared then and the specialist was convinced I had end-stage liver cancer at that time as well... (Well-disguised fatty liver disease, no cancerous mass in sight). I fear living with that particular kind of pain more than I feared dying of cancer, which is insane, because I've seen that kind of death up close too often in my family.

If I'm indeed perimenopausal, I just really hope the medication won't do what it usually does.... I'm so ridiculously susceptible to side effects... Ah well... Will have to check where I'm at and exactly what my options are first. At least I quit smoking in August of 2004, so I guess that's a good thing then... (I'm REALLY looking for bright sides here).

Anyway, thanks again. It's good to know what I should prepare for. Like I just told my husband, even if this isn't peri, it'll be coming for me soon... I'll have to deal with it sooner or later!

 

[Goonergal]

@JoKalsbeek my heart goes out to you. Have been there with triptan overuse, rebound headaches, cold turkey and all that goes along with it. It really is a horrid place to be and I hope you’re able to find a way through it.

I started peri-menopause early too and that also was a difficult time.

Big hugs from me.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi there @JoKalsbeek - I had a sub-total hysterectomy in my late productive years, so whilst I lost my uterus, I retained all the other associated "bits", meaning I still had hormonal cycles.

Of course, I seem to be totally atypical in everything, but aside from one instance I thought might be a hot flush, I had no signs or symptoms of perimenopause or menopause for that matter.

There are various blood tests the Docs can do to assess where your hormones are. One of the most popular, and simple ones is for Oestradial. I've had this done a few times. Last time, I was declared post-menopausal.

Thank you for sharing that. When I was told I had PCOS, I was also informed that hormonally, I more resemble a man. (And have a small malformed uterus). Being on the depo provera jab to regulate those hormonal migraines obviously didn't help either, but I've always been out of whack... Seems like it's just getting worse now. I remember asking my doc to just remove the whole thing when I was 16 because the migraines were so bad, but he laughed it off , as if that's something I'd just throw out there off the cuff, and said I might want to have children later. I didn't, and all that thing ever brought me was pain and a lot of confidence issues. And insulin resistance/T2. Because of the shape it never brought me any of the conventional joy others experienced, and right now I'm just SO angry about being a woman... TMI, sorry. Aaaanyway... I'm seeing the doc on Thursday, and I'll either walk to the local hospital afterwards for bloodtests, or drive with my husband to the one that's open till seven the next city over. (He wants to come. He's a good guy.).

I wish it was Thursday already, I want to get this over with. Like with the T2, once I know what to do I can go ahead and just DO it. Who knows.... After a rather traumatic surgery experience I never thought I'd get work done again, but I'm seriously considering it. We'll see what the doc says though.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

@JoKalsbeek my heart goes out to you. Have been there with triptan overuse, rebound headaches, cold turkey and all that goes along with it. It really is a horrid place to be and I hope you’re able to find a way through it.

I started peri-menopause early too and that also was a difficult time.

Big hugs from me.

Thank you. I know you know exactly what I'm facing here, pain-wise, so it means a lot... And hugs back.

 

[DCUKMod]

@JoKalsbeek - I'm certainly not trying to influence your decisions or choices in any of this, but, at one point, having already had my S-T Hysterectomy, it looked like I needed to lose an ovary. It had been causing me pain, and had persistent cysts, which are more worrisome as we age.

Anyway, to the point; I was concerned about more open surgery, adhesions, additional scarring (vain I know!) and so on, but the surgeon I was seeing reassured me it could be done by keyhole surgery.

Just take it steady and if it looks like you might meet with a surgeon, ask about the minimalist options to you.

Fingers crossed for you for Thursday.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

@JoKalsbeek - I'm certainly not trying to influence your decisions or choices in any of this, but, at one point, having already had my S-T Hysterectomy, it looked like I needed to lose an ovary. It had been causing me pain, and had persistent cysts, which are more worrisome as we age.

Anyway, to the point; I was concerned about more open surgery, adhesions, additional scarring (vain I know!) and so on, but the surgeon I was seeing reassured me it could be done by keyhole surgery.

Just take it steady and if it looks like you might meet with a surgeon, ask about the minimalist options to you.

Fingers crossed for you for Thursday.

Thank you. It helps to know this stuff... I didn't know keyhole surgery was an option. But, first, to get the ball rolling!

 

[DCUKMod]

Thank you. It helps to know this stuff... I didn't know keyhole surgery was an option. But, first, to get the ball rolling!

Jo, it wasn't an option for me, due to my specific issues, but some total hysterectomies (cervix, uterus and ovaries) can be done; liberated by keyhole surgery, then actually removed via the vagina. Dashed clever I say, and quick recovery times!

Don't panic about your options. Take it one step at a time.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

That doesn't sound half-bad... And Kornelis (OH) keeps telling me the same, to take it one day at a time. But it's one of those "borderliner" things... To me, it's everything all at once, feeling it all at once, 15, 20 years worth of dread. That's why I tend to get crushed under this sort of thing. I'm going to try and take a moment to breathe though... I promise.

Jo, it wasn't an option for me, due to my specific issues, but some total hysterectomies (cervix, uterus and ovaries) can be done; liberated by keyhole surgery, then actually removed via the vagina. Dashed clever I say, and quick recovery times!

Don't panic about your options. Take it one step at a time.

 

[HSSS]

As another peri menopausal migraine sufferer (increasingly getting worse as peri menopausal symptoms increase) I’m also looking at b12 levels as a potential trigger. They fall at more than double the rate they should and keep hitting the woefully low nhs level but can’t get anyone to take it seriously. The heavy bleeding also leaves ferretin at low levels. The migraines get worse as these levels do. Just another possibility to investigate maybe.

 

[mouseee]

I'm mid 40s and put down loads of my T2 symptoms to being perimenopausal!

Increasing migraine type headaches and weight increase round tummy as well as mood swings... how little I knew!

I was surprised a couple of years ago that the family planning nurse talked to me about the menopause! She did tell me that the pill I take will be helpful in managing it but that I'll have to take it until 55. That's a long time to be on a technically unnecessary tablet.

It's still scary that we don't talk about menopause really it's not as if it should be a surprise. There are a few lovely ladies at work a few years older than me so I am starting to use their experience! But I now have no idea if I'm heading into it now or not!

 

[ickihun]

In about 15 minutes I'm going to call (which is a big deal because I hate phoning anyone) for an appointment with my GP. It's looking more and more like I'm in perimenopause, at a mere 40 years old, and I want her to figure out what's going on with me and puzzle out what to do about it... From what I understood, with PCOS, it should happen an average of 2 years later rather than almost a decade early. (?) But I've been feeling like a fraud since my weight went back up, even if it's nowhere near what it used to be... My blood sugars are perfection on Keto and IF, and from various keto places online I found women "of a certain age" gain weight back... Because of estrogen levels dropping. Now, mine aren't up to par as it is because of that cyst and whatnot, so yeah. Frequent UTI's that I've managed to treat with d-mannose are another symptom, and I didn't realise the hot flashes were hot flashes until recently... I know, the Change is perfectly natural and whatnot, but I'm a migraineur: my hormonal migraines are the worst ones, and they're becoming more frequent. And I mean, a LOT more frequent. And I can't take triptans all the time, they're just too addictive. (Rebound migraines: kicking the habit for 3 months is NOT fun.). On keto the other migraine triggers aren't anywhere near as bad, but keto hasn't influenced the hormonal ones at all, alas.

I don't know.... I might be wrong, it might not be the change at all. I don't know what to hope for. I'm really scared if this is going to take the better part of a decade, because if I can't control the migraines anymore... Then quality of life is down the toilet. And a decade feels like an insurmountable amount of time. What have other people's experiences been?

Thanks!
Jo
Edited to add: Appointment for Thursday afternoon... Here goes nothing.

I thought the same and it turned out I had high prolactin and reoccurring PCOS symptoms.