Is it possible to be 43 and NOT be perimenopausal

I was having extremely heavy and frequent periods at your age. I then had the Mirena coil put in and that eliminated my periods
Altogether. I had absolutely no other problems with the perimenopause or menopause. I'm now mid/late 50s and would say I sailed through the menopause. In fact, I didn't even really realise it had happened until
A doctor told me I was post menopausal.
We're all different.

Racing heart/palpitations is one of the symptoms I’ve had too. Never had them before - my blood pressure etc all fine.

I think the thing with peri is that it’s insidious- by the time you realise it’s here, it’s probably been dragging you down for a while, bit by bit.

I’m 47 and I’m not perimenopausal I don’t think. Periods are like clockwork still. But I do occasionally get heart racing/anxiety for apparently no reason which is a new thing. That could be possibly?

I know what you mean though. Loads of my friends (same age) are on hrt already.

Fair enough, but that’s not how your OP came across.

Perfectly possible

I think you’re all being unreasonable, your friends for wanting to insist you must be peri, and you for for being dismissive of how they feel about their own health. Two sides of the same coin.

I feel like perimenopause has become a little bit of an internet buzz word at the minute, so it’s getting thrown around a lot when it might not actually be the case. Not saying it definitely isn’t, but I’ve been seeing it a lot online lately.

I turn 49 next month.

I have a whole list of symptoms, including the fact that my periods are very irregular. However, I’ve spent almost all of my adult life not having periods due to contraception. It’s only the latest Mirena coil that went in last year that seems to have restarted them. I remember when I was a teen/early 29s that my periods were never regular. However, I’m now having one every 3 weeks before suddenly going for 7 weeks.

I’m exhausted to the bone. Lifelong anxiety getting really bad at points in my cycle. Sleep disturbances. Peeing more. Physical body aches. The list goes on.

But….

I’m autistic with ADHD. Lots of neurodivergent women tend to have a burnout at my age. And I have been juggling a lot for a very long time. Two DC, both autistic, aged 14yrs, one with very high care needs. Probably both at home for life. Both home educated. Mum with cerebral palsy, she lives in the annexe. Stepdad with heart attack and cancer. Also in the annexe. Both need lots of help/support. DP has been off sick for three years after sudden collapse and has been diagnosed with a neurological condition that means he probably won’t be able to work in any capacity ever again. I cared for my dad until he died 10 yrs ago. He had Huntingtons Disease. Also forgot to say, I was single - ex disappeared when I was 6 weeks pregnant with twins. DC were born prematurely and very unwell in Intensive Care for weeks. When they were born I had to quit my job and set up a business to pay the mortgage which I’ve been working in full time for the past 14 years, alongside doing everything else.

And because I’m a giant idiot I also embarked on a renovation project two years ago when we bought this house for us and DM.

So, with all of that…..am I just bloody shattered? Or am I peri?

My GP has prescribed me low dose HRT oestrogen gel - I’ve had it sat here for the last 4 weeks as I don’t know whether to start it or not.

I also had a B12 deficiency (that I get regularly) so my GP was 50/50 on whether to give me HRT now or wait.

Honestly, I have no idea any more if I’m peri or just burnt out….and no idea whether I should start HRT now or wait…. I don’t want to blame peri if it’s not…

Of course it is!

I had my last period at 46, no hint of perimenopause before that. Periods were normal and regular and then one day I didn’t have another one. After that the symptoms started and 7 years later I’ve finally started hrt 😂

yes after GPs allegedly ignoring peri/menopause for years it's now their favourite scapegoat; I carefully put together a list of how my diagnosed diastasis recti was affecting me, and where/when the pain was, then the female GP started trying to pin it on the menopause "what about menopause symptoms? you're getting a lot of pains?" yes because my core isn't working properly 🫠

43 is relatively young to be in peri, so I'd say it's entirely possible

I’m 46 this year and for the last few years have I’ve been backwards and forwards to my GP who insists I am not perimenopausal and yet my hair keeps shedding, my joints ache, have awful brain fog, exhaustion, and for the fist time in my life have terrible anxiety. My GP had the cheek to test my bloods for alcohol levels instead and I only discovered it when I checked my NHS app - I don’t drink!

I get what OP means

Like I say to a friend
"Couldn't sleep last night with a night sweat"
Friend "oh it's peri!"
No, it's the medication I've been on for years that I've said before gives me bad night sweats

Heavy bleeding?
Peri
Nope. Endometriosis

That was perimenopause! Menopause is defined as the point at which your periods actually stop and don't return, everything leading up to that moment is peri-menopause and everything from that point onwards is post-menopause.

Edited to say cross posted with @cleowasmycat!

Little bit of info. Menopause is actually just one day - the day when you haven't had a natural period for a year. The upto 10 years prior is peri-menopausal and after is post-menopausal.

I had my last period at 60 so doubt I was anywhere near peri at 43.

My worst symptoms were around age 42/43, although I didn't realise it at the time. The rage. Constant anger with everything and everyone. Probably for about 6 months. Periods were still like clockwork. Going on 10 months now without a period - they just stopped with no "irregularity" - and there are some other physical things, e.g. thinning hair, but the general irritability has gone. I take evening primrose every day, which helps with irritability and hot flushes (I get them when I don't take EP). Anyway, to sum up, it could well be perimenopause rage, yet you still could have the best part of a decade of periods ahead of you. Try evening primrose!

yes of course
mine started at 48 and three years later I still have regular periods and i can feel when i ovulate (my periods are heavier)