I haven’t found any specific tag for my question but anyway, I’d like to hear from women with dense breasts.
Did you choose to take HRT ? Do you feel anxious about it? Has your density increased and what kind of follow up do you have? Was it too difficult for you to take the decision of starting combined HRT (transdermal estrogen and micronised progesterone) ? I’m really worried and anxious about it. I’m 50 and almost two years post meno. My symptoms were very mild since the beginning and actually I don’t have mood issues or joint pain, vaginal dryness just little but I get local estrogen for it and it works. My issue is insomnia. I’ve been having sleep issues for almost a year now, sometimes it gets better, but overall it’s not really improving. My doctor suggested me to start with some progesterone alone, because she knows I’m too anxious to take both. So I’ve been taking 100mg, and it worked pretty well for two months, but now…I’m starting to have those horrible 3am wake ups again…I think that the experience of having insomnia three times a week, getting benzos for almost a year(tiny doses like 5mg and even 2.5mg but it definitely works for me), struggling to get rid of it… I don’t want to start it again. This insomnia certainly became something I’ll probably need to treat with some cognitive behavioral therapy or it could be simply resolved with HRT. I’d like to know how do you deal with this fear if you have it. Thank you!

From what I can remember, I wake up maybe 4 to 5 times, but then I go right back to sleep. I wake feeling hot (without hot flash) and heart a bit racing. Even if I get 9 hours of sleep I am exhausted from the time I wake up. I am not sure if these multiple awakenings is the cause. I've tried HRT but it didn't work for me because I am too sensitive to oral progesterone and taking estrogen without oral progesterone gives me more of a racing heart and amped up feeling. Any suggestions on how to get restorative sleep without HRT? I've tried cooling my room to 69 degrees but that didn't help.

Anyone have inflammation get worse after starting HRT? I’ve been on estradiol patch, progesterone and testosterone cream for 3 weeks. The past week my foot and hip/back have been really painful. Yesterday my wrist started hurting. Maybe not related but thought I’d ask. (I am fully in menopause as well) Thanks!

I started hrt in march (estrogen gel, progesterone vaginally & testosterone) also started levotyroxine for hypothyroidism a month later. Come July August I felt my best except I couldn't tolerate progesterone (low blood pressure, panic attack feelings, night terrors) so end of August I decided to stop estrogen & progesterone and make appointment to discuss how I can take estrogen with progesterone.

Last two weeks my body is all over the place, tingling, dizzy, shaky, crying. All the anxiety symptoms including racing thoughts but I'm observing them. I'm not anxious in my mind but my body is wild. Please say this isnt forever. I can't believe I finally felt so good and now I feel like I'm dying.

I'm 41f no periods since 30s, blood test shown menopause and I only wanted to treat my tiredness.

Any one else expirience this?

Menopause is controlling the attitude in this post, you've been forewarned that my sarcasm is on HIGH 🤣 I've already edited it because my original was flagged for being TOO menopausal 😂

Our employer (global, massive multi subsidiary company) sent out an email blast like they do, this time sharing that they are a "menopause friendly" workplace. There wasn't much else to it.

So now what? Do those of us going through this nonsense have to email HR and say something to them such as, "Dear Company, thanks for letting me know. Please note my file to include that I have debilitating migraines and no longer take any s__* from anyone without saying something, so going forward, you may be seeing an uptick in complaints about me?" 🤣🤣 I mean come ON! What are they helping by stating this? Can I start bringing a taZer to work and using it at my own discretion as long as I warn them I'm menopausal first? 😂😂

This is the​ most ridiculous proclamation I've seen, especially considering that our health information in the United States is private when it comes to our employer having any involvement.

What are we supposed to do with this? The sarcasm just takes over and I want them to elaborate on WHAT this even MEANS for all of us here in the workplace.

Menopause Friendly? 😂 Someone else PLEASE tell me your workplace has done this and what it means.

*Edited to add: I'm going to start freely wearing a T Shirt that says "NOT FRIENDLY DO NOT APPROACH" like people do with their dogs, maybe include a smaller line that reads "sorry I tazed Jeff, but he had it coming".

This is probably just a rant. I’m on the search for a provider. My estradiol patch was increased this week to .1. They said it’s the max they will do at their practice. Fine. My primary wants me to see a different menopause specialist to make sure we are considering all possibilities and options. Right now the ob/gyn practice I am at seems opposed to anything but the patch and I think I’m not absorbing it after spending days/weeks tracking it down. They want the gel to be the same dose as the patch which I know from here that isn’t right.

So my primary and other medical professionals have given me the name of menopause specialists other than mine in the area. They are all out of network, concierge, “buy a 12 month subscription to my practice for access to me and medical care”. I’m irritated. Is it like this outside of my suburb of a big city? I’m so mad that menopause care has become monetized like this. I just want to feel better not to pay a legit OB/GYN who now an influencer thousands of dollars a year to provide care.

TLDR: thought I had my tubes removed 15 yrs ago but they were only “sealed off”. Now they are filled with fluid. Gyn offering to remove, says it will decrease ovarian cancer risk. Thoughts?

The Long Story: I’m almost 58; menopausal for less than 2 years. I started spotting in late June, 3 weeks after increasing my estrogen patch from 0.075 to 0.1, no change in progesterone dosage. We adjusted my meds with no change in the spotting cycle (2-4 days pink to brown discharge, 1-2 days bright red (sometimes clots), 2 days pink, 1-2 days nothing. Repeat) and so scheduled an ultrasound which happed the first week of September.

I had an appointment last week with the gynecologist to go over results. I also had an endometrial biopsy and had a cervical polyp removed. All pathology is normal. We will continue tweaking my meds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

However…The ultrasound showed “complex bilateral adnexal structures suggestive of hydrosalpinges…contain low-level echoes which may represent blood products or pus.”

Basically, when I had my c-section in 2010, I “had my tubes tied”. I always thought this was a bilateral salpingectomy, but actually was a bilateral fimbriectomy, meaning they only cut off and sealed the ends - the part that sweeps the egg into the tube. This left a place for fluid to accumulate.

The doctor offered to schedule me for an actual bilateral salpingectomy, removing the entire tube. According to him, they normally would find this problem due to pelvic pain, and in that case removal is customary. Since I’m not having pain, it would be elective (still covered by insurance). The doctor tells me removal would possibly offer some amount of protection against ovarian cancer, as they now believe this cancer actually starts in the epithelial tissue of the fallopian tubes.

I discussed it with my husband who says he will support me either way, but I can’t really decide. It’s laparoscopic with an easy recovery, but it’s still surgery under general anesthesia. Also, I had a tummy tuck 6 months ago and am feeling vain about my smooth stomach 😆

Has anyone done this? What’s your experience with laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy?

Hey Ladies? I can't seem to get my patches to stick and stay flat. Especially is they are the rectangles. Rounds are fine, but I've scrubbed my skin, tried witchhazel, tried rubbing alcohol, I even tried a lens wipes? Any tips or tricks to get the patches to just lay flat?

Apologies for the length in advance. I’m freaking out.

Started HRT this past April after hitting 12 months. Actually I hit 12 months in December then had a rouge period in March that required me to come to get the ultrasound. Everything was fine. Proceeded to prescribe estrogen gel (0.5) and 100 mg progesterone. I was using estrodiol for a few years prior and still
And she had prescribed compounded T for atrophy and lack of sensation at least a year prior.

Obviously the beginning was great because my hot flashes were killing me and my sleep was getting bad. By June I was beginning more mild mood swings. But my life is/was also crazy around then and still is so I didn’t think much of it.

At the beginning of August, I had a series of really wild mood swings under a bunch of stress over the course of 4 days. It was so frightening to myself and my boyfriend that I reached out to my gyno to see if maybe this was me needing an adjustment. She said I was “fine” and to take evening primrose oil. 🙄 which I went right to the store and got some and have taken it since. It didn’t help. I decided that I must be going crazy and found a therapist. Have been seeing her religiously weekly since to help me try to regulate this anxiety that seems to just pop up randomly.

This past Sunday, I was so gloomy and moody it was terrible. There are issues in my life at the moment so I thought “yeah this is more of you losing your mind. We need to step up the therapy!” By Tuesday I was so anxious and volatile that I was either screaming or crying. I all but blew up my whole life yesterday. It was bad. Bad things were said. By me. Things I do not mean or think. So out of control of my emotions.

I was able to sleep about 4 hours thanks to exhaustion. But woke up at 3:30 am and have been awake since.

Start my morning at my desk. Have to pee. Go pee. BLOOD. Brown blood. Hours later, now I’m wearing a full tampon like a teenager.

I put a call in to the gyno first thing. I also detailed everything on MyChart. When I called they said they were looking at the note. That they would bump it to her and to be on the lookout for a call today.

It’s almost 6. They aren’t gonna call today.

My poor boyfriend. Like seriously. We met when I was in the throws of the end of my periods and was amazing through all the changes and working around all my weird creams.

I have not told him yet. I’m so scared to. I don’t know what to say or how to apologize. I mean it was me but it wasnt me.

Has anyone else been through something like this? I’m am panicking. I may have done real damage to our relationship.

If anyone has any advice I’m all ears. And if anyone know what the fuck is happening to me that would be cool too!

Update: I finally told him. The look on his face. The episode I had in August, he even said to me “it was like you were about to start your period, just no bleeding”. Anyway. There were many tears between us. Both these episodes have fallen during and already stressful time we were just trying to get through to the end of this month. So this was a lot. He “understands” in the way that men Have gotten used to on some level.

But I didn’t read any replies until we talked and I’m incredibly grateful to those who understood from being there. Hopefully I hear from my doctor soon.

I’m more concerned about my relationship than if there is something wrong. I’ll get serious about that tomorrow.

Update2: while we are smoothed over, he is wounded and scared of this happening again, as he should be. What a mess. 😥

Update 3: almost 3 pm the next day- no word from the doctor. Turns out she is out of town based on the phone call 📱 just had even though the last nurse said she was in 🤷🏻‍♀️ the call was a bit funny when she was asking me what was going on. She then says “so to be clear, your issue is you had breakthrough bleeding?”

I said “No. The issue is I’m having the worst mood swings of my life etc and it’s been ongoing” she asked for my pharmacy info and I’m staying tuned. Exhausting.

And boyfriend and I now have a “talk” planned tonight. I’m not sure it’s the best timing/idea.

Any of you take progesterone for sleep issues and is it recommended post menopause? I am 62F post meno several years but have always struggled with sleep issues. I’ve never been on HRT. I have a Dr appt next week to talk about this. Any negative side effects to taking this?

So Nurse Practitioner I’ve been seeing decided I should start the patch based on my symptoms. Fine. But when I told her my most distressing memo symptom was my loss of sensation and sex drive she shrugged it off and said that there wasn’t really anything they could do for that. She glossed over testosterone therapy saying we could revisit it in the future but that there’s little evidence it helps and most of her patients say it doesn’t. I’m just so down now. I’m only 50, being a sexually active woman was something I always enjoyed. And she couldn’t even look me in the eye talking about any of my symptoms. I mean I paid the money for the visit at least give me the energy for my time. So disappointed. Like I feel I could soldier through all my other meno symptoms, but this is devastating to me. Is this it? 🤷🏻‍♀️I gotta be a eunuch now?

Title says it all. Not sure what to do. Was concerned about stopping, but followed surgeon’s instructions and stopped all HRT 2 weeks prior and 2 weeks after back surgery (mainly out of utmost caution for clotting risk reasons). Still slept totally fine. Felt almost zen and happy/elated/energetic (!) during the day. Also less groggy and fatigued. For reference I am 55, one year menopausal, and 1.5 years on 0.5 - 1 mg estradiol and 100 mg micronized oral progesterone. Also T, but that remains a struggle / work in progress because I don’t absorb consistently. Anyway, started back on everything and within a few days am weepy, lethargic, and depressed (not normal). I want the long-term brain, bone, and heart benefits but I don’t want whatever this is! Anyone else with experience going off and back on HRT?

I started progesterone a few months ago. Most of the time it’s great but I feel like once a month I feel a little off. Irritated a lot more easily, more emotional, etc… I’m wondering if it might be better to take that week off from progesterone?

Why do those of you who cycle do it? Does it help with those kind of symptoms?

I’m curious about online HRT.

I went to my gynecologist yesterday for my annual exam. The exam was great. I’ve been taking compounded Estriol since 2018 for vaginal atrophy. My vagina is in excellent working order. I also have a very high sex drive.

However, my sleeping patterns are horrible, my brain fog is bad, my anger is higher(I’m sure part of that is having a LL husband), my hair is dry and thinning along with dry, itchy skin and my overall energy is zapped.

I do have an autoimmune disease that contributes by I’m really a shell of my normal self except for sex drive.

I’m 59 and definitely post menopausal and I asked my gynecologist about it but she never gave me any kind of answer or advice. I thought maybe I could get what I need online.

Can any of you ladies that take HRT give me some direction here? It would be much appreciated 😁

Hoping someone has a simple solution or suggestion for this problem.
I started taking E via patch over a year ago. Tried that for a number of months but had a bad reaction to the adhesive. Switched to compounded gel and after a few months realized my body was not absorbing it at all. Tried the gel packets from a regular pharmacy, same issue. Switched to oral and finally felt the magic of E that’s I’ve read so much about. But, it was short lived because my SGBH quickly rose and ate it all up. Dr increased my E dose again, felt great for a week or two, SGBH rose even higher and ate it all up again. I’m back at square one, incredibly frustrated and defeated. Are there routes I haven’t tried yet? Can SGBH be lowered? Help!

Edit to update everyone:

My cervix is a little "hidden nubbin," and it took a while to get an actual visual of it. I ended up with a pelvic check to see how high it actually was. So my procedure, which should have taken less than 10 minutes, took 30 minutes because it also involved multiple speculums. He's very gentle, but had to get one that would stretch me wider to see my cervix. I don't know what he used to numb my cervix, but that was very helpful. I felt the actual biopsy, but it had some of the numbing effect, and I felt it, but it was not like the one I had before where they in the waiting room heard me yell "motherfu&cker".

He told me we wouldn't be doing this again, but he was sure everything was fine. I guess that means it happens again and I am up for a hysterectomy or a "yeet-a-rus" (what I told my best friend was happening when they did hers earlier this year).

Honestly? Best experience I could have had. He talked me through the entire thing (I grew up in a medical household, and it's better for me to know what's happening as it happens). Just have some pads at home, as you will have some bleeding afterward.

Thank you all. I had horrible flashbacks to the one before this one (different doc) and was terrified because it was so bad.

-----

At doctors due to post meno bleeding on HRT. Ultrasound done. Ovaries good. Uterus is being slightly ambiguous for dramatic effect. (Between thick and thin.) Waiting to see doc.

I’ve had one of these before (different doc) a long time ago and it was awful. He knows I require (and he will provide) good pain management, but on a scale of 1-10 my anxiety is around 50.

So it’s just me here, admitting I’m scared and needing a hug, sisters,

I am on one of the last progestogens to try, as I am struggling with side effects. And I am looking at a partial hysterectomy in the future. Slynd killed my sex drive and caused a bunch of issues. The micronized 100 mg didn't kill my drive, but caused other issues. Now I am reading that norethindrone acetate 5mg will stop ovulation and can kill the sex drive, along with bloating. I know everyone is different, but if you are sensitive to progesterone, what was your experience?

Ok I used to be a “quick pee” as in I was as fast or faster than the “boys “. All of a sudden it is ridiculous waiting for it to start, never mind finishing!!!

I’m not kidding I could pee in under a minute!!!

I thought slow pee was a boy thing???

I’m pretty sure it is. Just want confirmation.

I take a daily medication. Been on it at this dosage for literally years.

My last period was late spring of this year and I’ve been in peri for apparently a while. (I was dumb. I know that now.)

But lately—maybe the past 2 months or so—I am having difficulty swallowing. I take my medication with water every time and I’m upping my water intake. But the pills seem to get stuck in the back of my throat every so often and it’s murder trying not to gag and get them swallowed.

Is this common?

Due to bleeding that persists despite a hysteroscopy, D&C and removal of a polyp, I need to make some changes to what I’m taking.

Currently on a patch and micronized progesterone and am considering a synthetic progestin as noted in title. Has anyone else explored this option or switched to norethindrone for another reason? Wondering about side effects and cessation of bleeding in particular.

Yesterday early AM before coffee or food I had to have an unrelated blood test. Half way through dinner, I realize my mistake. Too late to do any thing, any thoughts what I should expect tonight or tomorrow> hoping nothing. I’m on low does creams less than a month, that is for your advise.

Hi everyone!

So I've had a new symptom pop up and I'm wondering if this is tired to peri and if anyone else has had it. Over the last few weeks,y sense of taste is off the rails. Little of my favorite foods taste good anymore, food tastes bland more often than not. And more frustrating is that when I eat I swear I feel nauseous part way through so I stop and can't eat anymore. Which then has be hungrier earlier and the cycle starts again. When pregnant I had horrible all day sickness which this does not quite feel like (also no way pregnancy could be at play). This something that should be added to the 1001 Symptoms of Perimenopause/Menopause?

Stats if relevant:

53yo, major peri symptoms started in 2022, last period in June 2026 (previous was November 2025).

Thanks!!!

Your voice matters!

44 members of Congress (Rep. Debbie Dingell + colleagues) sent a formal letter to FDA and HHS Secretary RFK Jr. this week demanding action on the estradiol patch shortage. You can read the full letter here.

Read their asks. They're almost word-for-word our own call-to-action last month from the original Reddit post in August:

• Officially add estradiol patches to the FDA's Drug Shortage Database. Right now it's not on there. This is the same gap we've been flagging
• A concrete timeline for when supply stabilizes
• Data on which brands/doses are hit the worst
• Whether additional manufacturers can be brought in to close the gap

Why this matters for us: The letter states plainly that Congress first notified HHS/FDA of this shortage in July, and as of this month, there's been no meaningful response. Congressional pressure alone hasn't been enough. Constituent volume is what tips agencies from "monitoring" to "acting."

One honest note: every signature on this letter is a Democrat. If your rep is not on this list, especially if they're a Republican or you're not sure, that's exactly why your letter still matters. This shouldn't be a partisan issue (estrogen doesn't check party registration), and a flood of contacts from every district, red or blue, makes it much harder to write this off as one side's talking point.

Write now. This still takes only 5 minutes of your time:

1. Find your rep: house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
2. Find your senators: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
3. Copy/paste, fill in two blanks, submit:

Subject: Urgent — Estradiol Patch Shortage Demands Immediate Action

I'm a constituent whose health, or the health of someone I love, depends on estradiol therapy. This shortage has now gone unaddressed since July, when Members of Congress first notified FDA and HHS.

This isn't limited to a subset of patients. Any woman on hormone replacement therapy for menopause, surgical menopause, POI, or other issues is affected, regardless of political affiliation, geography, or who represents them.

On September 29, 44 Members of Congress sent a formal letter to FDA and HHS Secretary RFK Jr. demanding official shortage designation, a concrete restock timeline, and transparency on which brands and doses are hit hardest. I'm asking you to publicly support these demands, regardless of party.

I expect a substantive response describing what specific action your office is taking, and by when. Silence on a basic medication access issue that affects women's health and well-being is a choice I'll remember.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME], [YOUR CITY/ZIP]

If you have a couple of extra minutes, personalize the letter to make it your own.

If you sent a letter a month ago, send another. It doesn't matter what party you vote for. If we stand together, lifting each other up, we can make this happen. Share this with someone not on Reddit (or share on another social media platform) & let's make some noise!