I was involved in a friendly online discussion the other day about symptoms of bipolar that are rarely spoken about; and in particular hypersexuality. One of the ladies stated that menopause had knocked her hypersexuality on the head once and for all. I replied mine continues, despite my menopausal state, and is now just powered by HRT. This statement was received with some amusement, but I do seem to have a bit more oomph again generally, now I’m back in the swing of hormone therapy.

It’s been three months since my GP tentatively agreed to me starting on oestrogen. As I think I’d written previously, the early signs were promising. I’d all but stopped having hot flushes, cold shivers and night sweats. My skin was less dry, and my acne seemed improved. I was experiencing less joint pain. My sleep was better. My hair seemed a little less brittle and fuzzy. And probably most noticeable, I was waking up earlier and with more energy.

However as I was coming to the end of the supply of patches I’d been prescribed, I noticed some of those improvements started to reduce again. I reached out to the menopause support group I’m part of. I’d heard of initial benefits wearing off after a time when potentially a dose-increase is needed, and this was confirmed by the ladies I reached out to. I was also reassured that three months was a suitable timescale to increase the HRT dosage. So I made a telephone appointment with my GP.

He seemed genuinely pleased that I’d had an array of benefits without any of the scary effects on my mental health that I’d experienced previously. He was also really happy to increase my dose.

A week on, I’m pleased to report that some of those original benefits seem to be back, especially my sleep quality. I’m waking up on a morning feeling so much more refreshed. It’s hard to fully judge as I’ve been taking on more of a caring role recently since my husband put his back out, but I feel like my mood and my energy are definitely on the up.

Incidentally, hypersexuality is only supposed to be present in bipolar mania/hypomania. However as the discussion went on the forum recently, for many of us it’s perennial. Something else the experts tend not to mention. Maybe like the lady I chatted with, my crazy sex drive will dissipate when I reach 55. Next year. Or not.