Is this Perimenopause

[Deadsouls]

Hello all, I wondered if anyone had experienced the same, or if I'm just depressed or what the hell is going on. I've been reading up on hormone imbalance and I'm suspecting that I may be off kilter, but anyway...

I'm almost 43. I think my mum started the menopause proper when she was 49. I have really bad night sweats, that wake me up, and to the extent that my nightclothes are wet. I end up taking them off.
My pmt is just awful. I feel tearful, emotional, angry all over the place. I don't sleep properly it feels like ever. Can't remember a good nights sleep.
I feel grumpy and angry a lot of the time. Just pissed off.
There are times when I've been feeling deeply fatigued, exhausted to my bones. I don't know what I want. Maybe just to rest and sleep for a week.
For about 2 weeks out of 4 in my cycle, I get really dry red skin around my mouth and chin. It's quite embarrassing, as it's flaky and nothing alleviates it. Nowhere else just my chin.

The question is, is this just me? Or are these signs of perimenopause.
My period is pretty regular still. Or am I imbalanced hormonally or what?!

[PollyPerky]

In a word, yes. It sounds like peri meno.

See your GP but be prepared for them to be hopeless on things like this unless you are lucky, so ask for a referral to a gynae who specialises in early meno- you are too young at 43 for this.

[MrsJayy]

Yes sounds like it i had regular periods till a few months ago im 45 but all the other symptoms i had since i was 40, not the flaky skin though,

[Deadsouls]

Thank you Polly, I have mentioned it to GP but because I had regular periods he said it probably wasn't menopause. But I've been reading a book by a Dr.Sara Gottfried.
She says that perimenopause, hormonal imbalances can start from 35.

[PollyPerky]

I think your GP should do blood tests to rule other things out. Once this is done if nothing else is left then it's likely to be meno.

[MrsJayy]

I had a blood test at 41 and the result was hormone depletion so perimenpause i had to go to another Gp in the surgery though the gp i usually went to didnt take me seriously.

[Joto369]

Don't listen to the 'your periods are regular it cant be ' hogwash. So are mine but minus the sweats and dry skin (I have chin hair instead!) that's how I feel.

[Deadsouls]

Hi joto thanks. I think if I pushed my GP he would be helpful!
I have loads of chin hair too and forever plucking..

[sam2702]

Hi deadsouls, I have been feeling EXACTLY the same as you, I was 44 on Monday! I went to my GP about something else and decided to ask him about all my symptoms at the same time - lucky him! He said that all my symptoms described the peri-menopause, he offered to send me for blood tests but did state that it probably wouldn't show anything because I am still having periods my hormone balance wouldn't be out of kilter enough! He suggested St John's Wort or vitamin B6 which I have been researching but need to decided which one is best for me. I have been horrible both at work and at home but I'm trying to control it - my husband just tells me to wind my neck in! I find that when I feeling angry it's better for everyone if I take the dog for a walk - his legs are shrinking! We'll all be fine because we have to be!

[Deadsouls]

I'm reading, 'The Hormone Cure' by Sara Gottfried. It's a book about women's hormone imbalances by a medical doctor. She advocates a holistic approach. I've just started reading but am going to try out some of her methods.

[CashelGirl]

Very similar symptoms here (43) except not having night sweats. Had loads of blood tests done - bit Vitamins D deficient, so have started taking those. Have been referred to the Sleep Clinic we suspect it might be sleep apnea as I snore a lot. Feel like I am constantly wading through treacle. You are not alone!

[cosytoaster]

I'm 51 and definitely peri menopausal - don't have all your symptoms but can very much relate to the hormonal mood swings - mine are random and pretty extreme; I do sometimes think I'm depressed, but then hey presto I'm back to normal.I also suffer from ongoing sleeplessness.

[sam2702]

I am suffering with sleeplessness too which is very unusual for me, however we are in the process of moving house so not sure whether the lack of sleep is associated to the stresses and strains of this - who knows?!

[Snugglepalace]

I'm 44 in a couple of weeks and I have been wondering if I'm peri-menopausal too as I have similar symptoms. Occasional night sweats and hot and cold during day, very very heavy periods (waiting to have thermal ablation) which seem to be getting longer (was every 28 days now often 31-35 days), bad sleep, knackered all the time especially near to period, anxiety is really bad, I feel pissed off a lot too and I get cracks in the corner of my mouth just before my period. My gp is useless and just rolls her eyes if I mention peri menopause. I'm dreading the actual menopause!

[sam2702]

Hi Snugglepalace, your symptoms seem similar, my periods have become erratic, they used to be every 21 days exactly and now it can be anything from 17 days to 28 days so I seem to be hormonal pretty much all of the time! I definitely needs to start taking something and vitamin B6 is supposed to rebalance your hormones so I might give that a try.

[Deadsouls]

I'm really suffering with sleeplessness. It's really making me feel low. I'm tired and then ping! At night I'm awake.
I'm cutting out coffee, and going to keep tea to the morning. Started taking vitamin B complex.

[PollyPerky]

Disappointing snuggle the your Gp does an eye roll; not exactly good professional behaviour, is it?

peri can start at any time in the 40s because menopause is from 45-55 with 52 being the average age. (Menopause being final period.)

Many women have peri symptoms for 5-10 years before their periods stop.

A good place to look for advice is the Women's Health Concern online site which is the website of the British Menopause Society (for women to read.) There are lots of factsheets and advice on lifestyle and diet. (And HRT.)

[PollyPerky]

There is no evidence that vitamins can balance hormones. In peri, your eggs are running out and you don't ovulate. No vitamin is going to change that. Symptoms are due to loss of oestrogen.

A good diet can help but it doesn't change your hormone levels.

NHS Vitamin B6

[Snugglepalace]

But would a good multivitamin not help as a bit of a bolster whilst we are experiencing these symptoms? I am willing to try anything that isn't a prescription medication. I exercise and eat well and seem to have a healthier lifestyle than a lot of friends yet feel like crap some days, especially towards period. I've had a look at that website polly, it looks good. Deadsouls, Ive also had a quick look on Youtube at the Sara Gottfried clips, interesting too.
But why do some women sail through without any symptoms and some suffer greatly? I dread the thought of having terrible symptoms right through till mid fifties or so :(

[PollyPerky]

If you have a good diet- lots of Omega 3, good fats, lean protein, 8-10 portions of fruit and veg a day- , no one ought to need to supplement except with Vit D perhaps. Vitamins won't help hormones. Your body excretes excess vitamins. Vits A&D are stored in the liver, so a supply is built up, but too much is toxic. Other vits like B & C are excreted if they are more than we need in a day.

Minerals like magnesium can relax muscles and help sleep.

I don't want to be a doom monger, but don't bank on symptoms going in your 50s. Many women's do but many don't either. For some women (me) the worst symptoms were after 50 when periods stopped. I had no peri symptoms other than a short temper with teenagers! I eat really healthily but have chosen to stay on HRT as long as I can because I believe oestrogen supports many essential organs and bodily functions and is more of a benefit to overall health.

[BettyBaggins]

Similar age to you I've had bad night sweats for at least fifteen years. I've recently been reading up on vitamin deficiency and a lack of both vit b12 and vit d it seems can both cause it.

I'm sure my hormones are starting to wobble but I'm also pretty damn sure that I'm vitamin deficient too. There are some very informative threads on here about vit d specifically.

[sam2702]

Hi All, this makes interesting reading

health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/vitamin-supplements/vitamin-b62.htm

My GP did state that Vitamin B6 will help to regulate hormones and I would much rather go down the natural remedy route than take anything prescriptive at the moment. I realise that I may change my mind as I actually get older but for now we'll see how it goes.

[PollyPerky]

Be aware that the article you have linked to is not a scientific article- ie it does not contain facts, rather an opinion of the writer. The title How Stuff Works tell you that it's not a scientific paper or medical journal but a website.

There is , it says, some evidence that B6 may help PMS. They refer to bloating, sore breasts and acne. Saying it may help PMS is not the same as proving it 'regulates hormones'. It may ease PMS by increasing excretion of fluid for example that is causing sore breasts and bloating- that's not 'balancing hormones'. It may help with the side effects of changing levels of hormones, but it doesn't change the levels as such.

Also, modern HRT is as natural as a vitamin! It may be on prescription, for reasons of safety, but it's a product that is just as natural as what we have ourselves.

[MsStricty]

The reason why I'd advocate a good, balanced diet is not so much because it treats perimenopause as much as it's part of a "whole-person" approach to health. Every part of us is connected and interdependent, and research is proving this as more studies are made. To neglect diet is to neglect an important aspect of how we treat our body. It may not get rid of symptoms, but it cannot do anything but help.

[PollyPerky]

There is evidence that B6 helps PMS especially when used with magnesium. However , it works on mood by changing the way the neurons interact in the brain. So it's not regulating estrogen and progesterone, but working on chemicals and functions of the brain.

It's obviously worth trying if moods are the major part of PMS.

The whole vitamin industry though is just that. No one in the western world who has a balanced diet needs added vitamins unless they are excluding major food groups, imo. There is a lot of mis-information peddled by the vitamin industry who want punters to believe that vits are the source of energy and health and you should take more (and part with your cash.) If you have a deficiency that is proven or are dairy -free or whatever, it may help to supplement. Fish oils and Vit D are worth taking imo. Beyond that, the bog standard multi vits are a waste of money . You are literally pouring money down the drain as our bodies excrete the excess.

[Snugglepalace]

Problem is though, how many can honestly hold their hand up and say they have a genuine wholesome fully balanced diet? I know many people who eat on the hoof and quite poorly. I myself have Ibs and as a result of finding a cure, have read endless conflicting articles stating cut this or that from your diet and you will feel better etc, now as a result I do feel that I could be deficient. We live in a world where the likes of Deliciously Ella, the Helmsley sisters etc have millions of online followers and they advocate we should cut this and that from diet yet as far as I am aware these people are not registered dieticians yet many many people follows their advice (sorry have gone off on a tangent there )