Some women have no menopause symptoms at all and some experience not only the well known symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats but experience many other symptoms they associate with menopause. Other pathology they’ve previously suffered with becomes worse, anxiety and depression are often enhanced during this time, and mood swings are common. I have done a study of 20 women who visited me with menopausal symptoms over the last 10 years (to enable me to include someone in the study they have had to have returned at least twice after their initial consultation so that I can monitor their progress).
Results from these 20 women – using symptoms reported: (some of these women may have experienced other symptoms but not mentioned them due to lack of severity)
| Symptom |
No. Of women experiencing this symptom |
Improvement within 1 week | Improvement within 2 months |
% of women who consider improvement 50- 100% after 2 months |
| Hot flushes |
18 |
15 | 1 |
13 |
| Night sweats |
10 |
6 | 2 |
8 |
| Weight gain |
8 |
4 |
|
|
| Memory loss/foggy brain |
6 |
5 |
4 |
|
| Exhaustion |
7 |
5 | 1 |
6 |
| Depression |
4 |
2 | 1 |
3 |
| Loss of libido/ Vaginal dryness |
4 |
2 | 1 |
2 |
| Anxiety |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Insomnia |
3 | 2 |
2 |
|
| Aggravation of previous illness |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
| Heart palpitations |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
| Constipation |
2 |
1 | 1 |
1 |
| Heart palpitations |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
| Sore breasts |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Heavy bleeding |
2 | 2 |
2 |
|
| Stress/irritability |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Painful joints |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Panic attacks |
1 |
1 |
||
| Feeling unwell |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Here are a few of the phrases different women have used to describe their experience before having homeopathic treatment:
“I’m full on sweating every night. It wakes me up and I kick off the covers and then I get cold, over and over.”
“My skin and hair changes, I get lumpy, painful spots in my hairline, and sore boobs, then I bleed so heavily and I’ve never suffered much with my periods before.”
“Menopause is horrendous. I thought I’d sail through it, but I’ve my closest to having a nervous breakdown, my periods were sometimes heavy – but now I’m absolutely flooding. The mental symptoms are the worst though, moods, psychological stuff.”
“The worst thing is my complete lack of desire to do anything, I’d rather lie on the settee all day, I have no will to do anything.”
“One night I soaked through 3 lots of bedding”
“I have no hot flushes but I feel like I’m going nuts, there’s a lot going on you’re losing your looks, losing your sex drive, your fertility, your hormones are changing. I had a little bit of HRT but it hasn’t helped, it’s a difficult time”.
“The worst thing is I can’t be me anymore. I can’t do what I want to do, be who I want to be. It’s hindering me from being able to function properly.”
“The flushes are awful, make me feel so ill. I feel as if I will spontaneously combust. I get ill and panicky, almost a panic attack. I get them every few minutes at night. At night I wake up saturated – I think they’re called night sweats. I’m normally freezing. I’ve only got to think about it and its stressful”.
Some comments I’ve received during the follow up consultation or in a testimonial:
“I haven’t slept so well for ages, all of a sudden I can shut my mind off quite easily and I wake up quite refreshed. I wake straight up, I feel alert – that little pill has taken years off me!”
“Those headaches have gone completely and the hot flushes are hugely improved”
“The nightmares have stopped and I’m sleeping much better. I also have more energy and my memory seems to be a bit better”
“Sue’s remedy has been amazing, my night sweats are not as bad as they were, I used to drip with sweat, now I’m just clammy. My energy is improved and I feel happier.”