To ask how old you are and what your perimenopausal symptoms?

Oh yes and a migraine for exactly 24 hrs at some point during my period, usually day 1. Never had that before age 38.

My cycles are anywhere between 21 - 38 days and last between 3-8 days.

Chin hair growth is insane (tested negative for PCOS).

Insomnia, occasional night sweats soak the sheets / hot flushes.

Dry except for 1-2 days a month.

Loss of libido.

Breasts often get very heavy and sore as if full of milk.

Mood swings / teary, but it’s hard to know what is hormones and what is life.

Carpal tunnel in wrists at night: wake up with numb hands.

Need loo at least once in night.

Achy bones.

😃

Am on HRT now so symptoms much better for time being.

In order of severity, symptoms were

1. Migraines. (Were every few days and would last 48 hours at a time. Not an exaggeration to say they were literally ruining my life.)
2. Insomnia. Could fall asleep but sleep was very shallow and couldn't stay asleep.
3. Brain fog. (HRT hasn't made much difference here unfortunately.)
4. Hideously painful periods. Taking metaphemic acid to help with these now.
5. Nightsweats
6. anxiety
7. Tiredness and muscle aches
8. IBS and diarrhoea on day 1 and 14 of cycle. You could set your watch by it.
9. Vertigo/ dizziness (made worse by Covid.)

Symptoms 1-6 were bad enough to take me to crisis point. I couldn't function. Symptoms 7,8, 9 and 10 were draining but manageable.

HRT has been a game-changer, especially for sleep and migraines. As has doing resistance training at the gym. Working on balance and building muscle tone is much more important than lots of cardio at this point in life. Protects bone density and helps prevent falls etc.

Thanks, I will look at it 😁

I'm 44, I have racing heart beat, then sweats, periods are heavy then go very light. period pain like I used to have as a teenager. Headaches/migraines, sore boobs, feeling angry and grumpy. Tired and just really fed up of stuff!

@stayflufft thank you! I will try anything. 🥲

52 with last period in May.Hoping that's it.
Cant take the pill or HRT anyway but so far so good. Though two separate occasions which lasted a couple of weeks each time this year,where I had terrible back pain,I couldn't get out of the chair or bed but not sure if its linked.
Apart from a bit of memory loss and aging fast in the face,i feel good! No sweats, emotions feel the same and sleeping ok just like before.

46

Weight gain around my middle which is proving nigh on impossible to shift.

Periods are still regular, but now have definite pattern of light first day, incredibly heavy second day, then a light day.

I've never been one to suffer fools gladly, but my tolerance levels for people being idiots has dropped even further. I'm generally ok with people in person, but I'm finding social interaction via WhatsApp gives me the rage.

Night sweats if I have more than a couple of glasses of wine.

Migraines which I can link to fluctuating hormone levels (I get them around ovulation and sometimes just before my period).

I did have a few months of having hideously itchy nether regions, but that seems to have sorted itself out recently.

49

irregular periods

occasional rage feelings just before period.

much more self confident and feeling relaxed generally

zero alcohol tolerance- drinking even a small amount makes me VERY sluggish for up to 4-5 days. Not worth it & have cut it out almost completely

When not drinking sleep is still fine

weight goes to belly rather than thighs

Need (& so far succeed) a lot of exercise and weight lifting to maintain weight.

Libido is still there but needs someone I fancy to come out.

Been having investigations the last few months for MS as I have some neurological symptoms (constant muscle twitching all over the body, pins and needles in my hands and arms, feeling like ants crawling over my skin, eyelid twitches, zinging electrical pain across my face and ear/throat, muscle cramps in my biceps and thighs/calves), tremor in right thumb.
Neurology gave me the all clear, not MS, and not Parkinson's which runs on both sides of my family. All they found was low Vitamin D which I am on a supplement for, so they suggested could be perimenopause symptoms.
Apparently hormone issues can cause neurological problems.

Aside from that;

• A patch of thinning hair right at the front of my hairline where I can see my scalp
• Weird weight gain just around my waist, like an extra "roll" that was never there before and which has literally happened withing 6 months
• More frequent headaches
• Needing the loo more often
• A bit weepy and easily sensitive about silly things
• Back/hip pain
• Forgetfulness of common things/words

Periods still regular (for me) about every 23 days and normal flow.
No hot flashes or night sweats at all.

@Getmeoutofheere

Yes, not so much the wax build up though. Trust me to get a weird symptom!

42 - perimenopausal

Weight gain
Brain fog
Blind Rage
Severe Anxiety
Heavier periods
Irregular periods
Hot flushes
Low libdio

I've been on HRT for 3 months and it's significantly helped, but still have

Heavy periods
Hot flushes
Acne for the first time in my life 😔
A significantly increased libdio 😉

I can live with the above, I couldn't have coped much longer with the brain fog, anxiety and rage. That was the most debilitating time of my life

50… irregular periods -I’ll have 2or 3 monthly then a 6 month gap, occasional hot flushes, general cant-be-arsed-ness, low mood

Itchy ears comes up a lot in accounts of peri/menopause.

50

Started at 45 with painful sex and terrible memory loss

Now
Shit sleep - wake up all through night and up for the day between 4-5am

Three day headaches
Joint pain everywhere

Become intolerant to a wide range of food (including fish & meat) that started off with lactose intolerance. This is probably the worst symptom for me currently as I can eat hardly anything with my partner especially at dinner as then I'll be up all night

Horrible flooding periods closer together
Hot flushes if I eat hot food or drink hot drinks
Rage
Zero libido as pessaries don't really help with the VA

Menopause amplifies Autism and / or ADHD traits massively. Also, when you're suffering with (often) debilitating physical symptoms, it's harder to mask (even though some women don't even realise they have been masking their whole lives). I started doing some research into it a couple of years ago - peri started age 47, diagnosed ASD / ADHD at 51. I had a long running thread about it on the Neurodiverse Mumsnetters board. It's awful how so many women 'fall off a cliff' in this way once menopause or other health conditions hit us.

I'm 52 and been on HRT for 2.5 years. It stopped my hot flushes. Everything else has just been something I've had to adjust to.

I asked for HRT eventually after a few years of joint pain and terrible brain fog, interrupted sleep.

I lost my job because of a mistake I made, I’d be working and often just end up staring at my screen trying desperately to concentrate like my mind was wading through concrete.

Ive now found the right HRT and know that the mistake would not have happened if I’d sought help earlier.

@Loubelle70 oh, that's why that was? Thanks for that, I never asked the doc at the time because it never occurred to me that this symptom was anything to do with it, and I have to admit I haven't had it for a few years and assumed it was because I eat fewer carbs, but that makes so much more SENSE.

Oh yes I forgot about this one. I also read this. I have awful ASD and ADHD style issues. I think this is why so many adult women are getting diagnosed! I just put it all down to menopause tbh but 2 if my daughters are in the assessment process and one of then us a carbon copy of me at her age tbh. Never considered it before although I always knew I was odd or different. I probably won't pursue diagnosis though.

In reply to the other runners, I was also a runner, running 3-4 times a week including over 10 miles at the weekend. I ran my first marathon at 40 and then it all fell apart due to many many random pains. I had treatment for bursitis and then never really ran again. I miss it so much but every time I try I end up floored for 2 days afterwards with pain and fatigue. Now I'm just so unfit it's even worse. I'm a bit lost without it and don't really know how to exercise tbh. It was an obsession and i can't get my head round doing anything else (see paragraph above about ASD type symptoms!) Any suggestions about getting back into regular exercise gratefully received!

Ooh I was just going to write not swimming and I remembered another issue other women have talked to me about which is increased sensory issues. I hate having wet hair. It makes me really stressed and sweaty. I also have an issue brushing my teeth, it just feels wrong.

I think my symptoms started around 40 with excruciatingly painful periods and weirdly my hormonal acne disappeared (result!)

then by 43 it was
weight gain
brain fog
aches
rage
anxiety
low mood
night sweats
exhaustion despite sleeping well
itchy skin - and can’t wear wool anything esp near my neck

HRT helped the physical symptoms but the anxiety and low mood only improved by adding anxiety meds
Mini pill has resolved the painful periods

I’m 43 and massively struggling with chronic migraine the last few years. I keep telling the doctors I think it’s linked to hormones (my migraines completely stopped in the 2nd/3rd trimester of pregnancy both times) but they’re not interested. I don’t know if it’s the migraines or the medication or perimenopause but I’m constantly exhausted, ache all over and feel permanently close to tears.

@Jigglypufff Have you tried a sea buckthorn supplement? It might help with dryness - has great reviews on the Holland & Barrett website. I’m on it for dry eye but it basically increases lubrication everywhere.

That's the worst " oh you're too young!" I was still being told this at 45!!

It's drives me mad as it's mostly older women. I also get a lot of "oh it didn't affect me" well good for you!!

One women I know in her 60s told me it didn't affect her. She went through a very angry stage in her 40s, fell out with all her friends and lost a lot of mobility. But it didn't affect her.

I know it genuinely doesn't affect some people but some older women I know sort of accepted their sympathy as part of ageing in their 40s!!!

It's really trial and error!

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia before I started hrt. I also have rheumatoid arthritis. I definitely have RA (my poor old twisty fingers!) but the fibromyalgia diagnosis doesn't seem so relevant as I can now actually function with HRT whereas without it I was mostly immobile. My RA is also improved with the HRT but obviously not reversed.

Often other issues are exacerbated by peri menopause. Hormones are funny things, they basically can affect wide areas of your body and mind. (Sorry for my most unscientific information there). There is a severe lack of information about menopause other than basic symptoms lists, women are literally relying on each other's experiences to make the decision about HRT.

My point being that even if you do have another diagnosis, HRT can still benefit those symptoms, therefore you can attribute the worsening of other issues to peri menopause

Can’t comment on periods as I have the coil but I also suffer with insomnia and not sleep with a fan.