I need some advise on menopause symptoms.
I have not had a period for four months now. For the past 6 weeks I have had a aching lower stomach with nausea and diarrhea. My breasts are also very sore. I have had a CT scan which showed a cyst on the uterine lining so I have to go and have a pelvic scan. Doc also wants me to have a colonscopy. I feel like I am about to ovulate all the time.
Has anyone had symptoms like this as I am very confused as to what the problem is. Thank you all.
By the way I am 51 years old.

I have no idea what that is.
Make sure you keep your doctor's appointments.

It is always possible to have more than one thing going on at a time so it is actually really great that you already had one scan done that has given some info and is now leading you to have a colonoscopy done. It is very conscientious and responsible of your doctor to have ordered one for you. As the woman said, "Be sure to keep your doctor's appointments."

People make a big deal out of having a colonoscopy done but it is not the awful thing that it's made out to be. It is a wonderful tool for ruling out specific kinds of problems and allowing you and your doctor to go on to find out the real problem. The most annoying part of the whole process is simply emptying your bowels prior to the test. You have to drink the laxative mixture and you have to empty your bowels. No big deal.

When you go to have the test, they give you "twilight sleep", you feel very comfortable, and you don't feel pain. Sigmoidoscopies are much more uncomfortable. I know, I've had both. Give me a colonoscopy any day! The other bothersome aspect is just the idea of having someone introducing a fiber optics scope up your backside. However, the medical technicians who do that work are, generally-speaking, very kind, considerate, and aware of one's embarrassment and they try to make the experience an uneventful one.

Once the colonoscopy is done you will have a clear idea of whether or not your pain and the runs are due to a colon problem or something else. The test is like a new lease on life because if you have nothing wrong, you don't go back for 10 years! If you have polyps, they take them off at the time of the colonoscopy, run a pathology, and you know fairly quickly whether or not you need further attention to the colon. If the polyps are benign, you don't go back for 3 years.

With respect to having lower stomach problems and the runs, the doctor is right to have you do the colonoscopy. With respect to the breast tenderness, that may be entirely unrelated to the stomach and it may just a coincidence that both things are happening at the same time.

If you want to know more about menopause, read Dr. John Lee's "What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Menopause" and "The Wisdom of Menopause" by Christiane Northrup. Then read everything that they use for their bibliography in the back of the book. That's one of the easiest ways to find out about the latest research and information on menopause. Many of the books are available at the public library, although some of them you might like to purchase for your own reference library.

I am 54. I am menopausal. I was on the Pill, LoEstrin FE 1/20, everyday for 12 years. I went off the Pill cold turkey and do NOT recommend that for anyone. One should "wean" one's self off the Pill gradually and then, depending upon one's symptoms, one should talk to one's OB/Gyn or GP about hormone replacement therapy. Each woman is different and will need to "balance" her hormones on an individual basis. One size does not fit all.

Historically, there wasn't much choice if you needed to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy), they gave you PREMPRO because, no doubt, it has the strongest pharmaceutical sales force behind it. The drugs we are prescribed do not just get to the market by magic. PREMPRO is a combo of synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone. However, there is a growing demand among women for bioidentical hormones.

In my case, I chose ESTRACE and a natural progesterone cream because I was convinced by the available literature and the writings of Dr. John Lee, Dr. Christiane Northrup, and Dr. C.W. Randolph, and a PBS documentary, "Forgotten Genius" about Dr. Percy Julian who discovered how to synthesize hormones, including natural progesterone. There is an enormous amount of information available in books and online to help you help your doctor help you.

As you work out the mystery of your symptoms and discomfort, be sure to get a little journal and start keeping a diary of your symptoms, your diet--track everything you are eating and drinking--your consumption of medicines--prescription, Over The Counter, and nutritional supplements--alcohol, and any recreational drugs that you may, or may not, be taking. Take the diary with you when you visit the doctor in order to help you recall things that you might forget to tell her/him otherwise.

Stay calm and take it one day at a time until you find out what is happening, get a treatment plan, and start to feel better. Educate yourself and talk to others so you won't feel like the only one who feels crappy.

Good luck as you work your way through the process of gaining back good health.