Don't 苦しむ in silence: From painful periods to brain 霧, women often を煩う menstrual or menopause 問題／発行するs, but help is at 手渡す...

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As her train pulled into the 駅／配置する, Elizabeth McLoughlin was puzzled to find herself in Surrey when she should have been in London. What had gone wrong?

Then she realised: not only had she got on the wrong train, it had taken her 井戸／弁護士席 over half an hour to notice.

And it wasn't the first time that she'd made such a mistake.

'For about a year I'd had brain 霧 and some bad mood swings,' says Elizabeth of that day in 2021. 'I'd also started to いつかs feel really hot and be unable to sleep.

Copywriter Elizabeth McLoughlin, 46, 苦しむd perimenopause symptoms without realising it

'I thought it was because we were in the middle of the pandemic ? we were living in uncertain times, and that was 影響する／感情ing me.'

But that w asn't the 推論する／理由. Copywriter Elizabeth, now 46, was experiencing some very ありふれた symptoms of the perimenopause without realising it.

'I 最初 推論する／理由d that my brain 霧 might be because I was getting older, and I'd had insomnia in the past so it was nothing new,' she says.

But the 出来事/事件 on the train made her realise something was wrong and that she needed help.

'The brain 霧 was 脅すing me,' she 収容する／認めるs. 'I didn't feel in 支配（する）／統制する of my life. I'd also have fits of crying. I put it all together and realised it must be hormonal, 特に when my periods started to become 不規律な.

'I'd thought I was too young for the menopause, but when I did some 研究, I 設立する out about the perimenopause. Until then, I hadn't really been aware of it.'

Finding help

Elizabeth is far from alone. Many women are not aware of the 調印するs and symptoms of a host of menstrual and gynaecological 条件s, 含むing painful and 激しい periods, endometriosis and the menopause, that can be 扱う／治療するd. And these can have a 破滅的な 影響 on their lives.

'There are many symptoms 関係のある to the menstrual cycle or changes to it that women 受託する as 'normal' and 'natural',' says GP Dr Ewa Craven. 'That's にもかかわらず 定期的に 苦しむing 厳しい 苦痛, bleeding and mental health 問題／発行するs.

Women who are 苦しむing should 捜し出す help, and the earlier the better (とじ込み／提出する image)

'But women shouldn't 苦しむ in silence. 取引，協定ing with symptoms 早期に can stop the progression of problems and minimise their 影響s, so you feel 権力を与えるd to live life as you choose. Speak to your GP, who will support you.'

That's what Elizabeth, from south-east London, decided to do.

'After about a year of my symptoms 徐々に getting worse, I 調書をとる／予約するd an 任命 with a GP. She was really knowledgeable. She discussed HRT [hormone 交替／補充 therapy] as an 選択 and talked me through the different types, the 利益s and 危険s.

'She ordered 血 実験（する）s to 支配する out other problems such as an underactive 甲状腺, looked into my 医療の history to 査定する／（税金などを）課す my breast 癌 危険 and covered any other health 問題／発行するs that could be 原因（となる）ing those symptoms.

'I left feeling much better. Before, I'd had the feeling that my life was spinning out of 支配（する）／統制する, but she was telling me something could be done, which gave me a sense of 救済.'

For the next few months, Elizabeth and her GP worked together to find the 権利 mix of HRT.

'I tried different types of oestrogen,' says Elizabeth. 'But because I was still experiencing some problems, 含むing brain 霧 and mood swings, my GP 示唆するd trying a different combination of HRT.

'This was the final 行方不明の piece of the puzzle. It helped me feel much better, more on the ball and 支援する to my norma l self. I feel better than I have done in years.'

CONTACT YOUR GP PRACTICE

Shazia Ginai is 平等に 感謝する for her GP's help. 老年の 40, she's 苦しむd with endometriosis ? where tissue 類似の to the lining of the womb grows in the wrong place ? since she was 14.

'I'd had very painful, very 激しい periods for a number of years, and when I was about 20 my GP said, 'Let's get you checked out'.'

A pelvic ざっと目を通す showed no problems but Shazia, a 長，指導者 marketing officer from Hertfordshire, returned to her doctor because 'something wasn't 権利'. Her periods were 継続している for nearly a fortnight and were incredibly painful.

Shazia Ginai, a 長，指導者 marketing officer, was 診断するd with endometriosis and is 存在 扱う／治療するd

'I'd have my TENS machine [a 装置 that 刺激するs the 神経s to help 緩和する 苦痛], heat patches, hot-water 瓶／封じ込めるs and painkillers. But にもかかわらず that, the 疲労，（軍の）雑役 and 存在 in 苦痛 mean that your entire 決まりきった仕事 can 崩壊（する）.'

結局 Shazia was 診断するd with endometriosis, and has since had three 操作／手術s to 戦闘 the chronic problem.

'I ended up with a 広大な／多数の／重要な GP who was 井戸／弁護士席 詩（を作る）d in understanding endometriosis,' she says. 'One of the things I loved about her was that whenever I'd see her, she was really good at going: 'You know your 団体／死体 better than anyone else, so if you're 関心d, why don't we 調査／捜査する?'

She 示唆するs asking your GP for an 調査 if you 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑う anything is wrong.

'Always think, 'I know my 団体／死体 井戸／弁護士席; these are the things that I'm experiencing ? I 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑う it is endometriosis,' says Shazia.

■ This article is part of a paid-for 共同 with HM 政府