Iris (60) felt like a wreck during menopause: “Hormone therapy gave me my life back”

Like many women going through menopause, Iris’s symptoms gradually crept into her life. “My symptoms started subtly,” she says. “My libido decreased, my hair became thinner, and my skin started to sag. Occasionally, I’d feel a dip in my mood, but despite these symptoms, I didn’t immediately connect them to menopause.”

It wasn’t until her menstrual cycle became irregular and she started experiencing occasional hot flushes that she realised: I’m in menopause. At 47, she had her last period. “Compared to my friends, I was relatively early. I didn’t mind that in itself, but as time went on without menstruating, my symptoms became more severe.”

What exactly did Iris experience? “Everything you can imagine,” she says. “I had severe mood swings, felt tearful, depressed, sensitive, tired, and lacked self-confidence. On top of that, I had joint pain and couldn’t build muscle, even though I worked out three times a week. My skin seemed to age even faster, and I completely lost interest in sex.”

The hot flushes also became more intense, especially at night. “I was already sleeping poorly, but the night sweats made it even worse. Especially if I had too much coffee or drank wine. Sometimes I’d wake up drenched and have to change clothes in the middle of the night.”

As a naturopath, Iris quickly turned to supplements and herbal remedies from her own practice. “I tried everything, from multivitamins to maca, lady’s mantle, and other herbs that are said to influence your hormonal system,” Iris explains.

“I did everything I could think of. Sometimes it worked, and I’d have fewer hot flushes, but the effects would soon wear off, and the symptoms would return. Eventually, I went to my GP, but apart from a hormone treatment that gave me severe headaches, he couldn’t help me. His advice was to learn to live with it.”

She has to apply the cream in the evening because of the progesterone, but since it needs to be stored in the fridge, she occasionally forgets for a few days. Iris says: “When that happens, I immediately feel tearful and down, even though nothing is wrong. My libido also disappears instantly. That’s my reminder to start using it again. Hormone therapy has truly been a night-and-day difference for me.”

But Iris also has concerns: “My gynaecologist is retiring soon. I hope more places will open where women can receive personalised care.”

She has now been using the cream for ten years, with the dosage adjusted annually as needed. “Hormone therapy has truly been a lifesaver for me. It has given me so much more quality of life. I’ll keep using it until the day I die, if I can. Even if I have to go abroad for it and pay for it myself. It’s absolutely worth it.”

What advice does she have for other women struggling with menopausal symptoms? “Do something about it and keep searching until you find what works. Until you feel good again, like you did before menopause,” Iris says firmly. “Don’t accept feeling worse or living like an old woman. You don’t have to put up with all those symptoms; there’s something you can do about it.”