What were you’re first peri menopause symptoms?

Thanks for this thread OP, I am learning a lot from the responses.

Can I ask, for those who have gone through this while on the pill, does the pill have any kind of masking effect on any of these symptoms or are they likely to end up showing themselves regardless?

Yes with light headed, but not every time. You suffering?

At the beginning it was my periods were all over the place and they were really heavy one time then next to nothing another. Then the hot flushes. It wasn't a general hotness, it was a heat that seemed to just creep up, into my face and the most unsettling of feelings. I would be in a supermarket queue and just be pouring sweat from my face. Those hot flushes became really regular, about 20 a day.

Then the brain fog, the tiredness, insomnia, boobs being sore. HRT!

My moods haven't been right for the past 6 years around the time I turned 40. I put that down to 2020+ but my emotional range just hasn't been quite the same since, and there are moods and energy patterns that I can set my calendar to. The emotional triggers that would have explained it in 2020-22 have now long passed, but the patterns persist. My periods have become more variable and pain levels are increasing.

Decreasing energy and fighting harder to stay still despite doing all the "right" stuff.

Increased injuries of tendons and trapped nerves despite consistent exercise patterns that shouldn't be triggering them. I'll also count the broken toe that was the result of a very specific hormonal moment...

Gaining weight without a significant change in lifestyle and finding it hard to lose as there's always some glitch like the luteal phase and its carb cravings making it difficult to have enough time being consistent.

Extreme fatigue, similar to 1st trimester exhaustion, I was around 42, Then I lost my focus. Continued having periods until 52 but for a year or so before I was having two a month.

Anxiety. I got myself into a right state, worrying over ‘something that might never happen’. My best friend made me see my GP. She prescribed a low dose of Citalopram (10mg - and antidepressant).

Alcohol use increased

Periods got heavier and closer together - 25 days/ 21 days/ 26 days/ 23 days - that sort of thing

Rubbish sleep. Waking at 3:00am and being wide awake until just before the alarm went off

Feeling ‘flat’. Not excited about anything. Not looking forward to anything.

A series of UTIs

Aches and pains - shuffling out of bed in the morning, all stiff, like a 90 year old

Hot flushes and night sweats

Went on HRT (Oestrogel and Mirena, plus Vagifem) and have never looked back

Started getting heavy periods at 50
got frozen shoulder .
Then night sweats .
I’m and periods haven’t stopped yet although they are now every 3 months or so but much lighter.
Have had some psychological issues also.
Sex drive gone through the roof .

Really stiff feet first thing in the morning! After a few steps they were fine.

Empowering rage.

Periods have been all over the place for the past six years (I'm 49). I will quite often skip a month and then get two within three weeks.

Headaches before my period starts. Never had these before my forties.

Nobody's mentioned urinary incontinence yet? As soon as I feel the urge I need to run to the toilet, and even then I don't always get there in time. Occasional leakage when I sneeze. I thought I might avoid this by never giving birth, but nope.

If you go on HRT, does it still get finished in the same time, or only delay things. Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I'm not there yet, but want to know.
Because if people have symptoms, might as well try HRT, but if it's only kicking it down the road (not everyone stays on it for ever), then is it worth it just to have to cope with going through it at an older age?

Erratic and beey heavy periods, rage, brain fog, awful sleep, intolerance to alcohol, feeling just "off", aching joints, itchy skin, palpitations, fear of driving. Most of these were sorted out by HRT. I am now feeling like myself again after mirena coil to sort out periods (havent had one for 9 months now), 3 pumps of oestrogel a day and 100mg utrogestan per day at night. I am almost 44 and feel better than I have in years, although the first GP I saw dismissed me and said I needed antidepressants. I persisted until I was listened to.

Rage and brain fog

Vaginal dryness for me and itchy nipples

Started around age 41 with very dry eyes and itchy skin around ears, jaw and rib cage. Probably bad sleep too but I had a 1year old terrible sleeper at the same time so…

Then came joint pain in hips and ankles, weight gain, and at 46 also frozen shoulder. And thinning hair.

Started HRT in January this year (a few months before 48) and while it’s not a silver bullet it has improved the dry eyes, joint and shoulder pain and itchy skin (though they’re not gone completely)

HRT protects against osteoporosis and dementia, there are lots of reasons to look into starting it sooner rather than later.

I think my first symptoms were a loss of confidence and a feeling that I just didn't know who I was & what i wanted. This also coincided with being an empty nester so it wasn't obvious. Also it was about 10 years ago when peri menopause was just being talked about so we were all a bit clueless 🙈

Edit: I should have said i was late 40's when my symptoms started but wasn't post menopause until 57. In that time I'm pretty sure I had 90% of the symptoms listed. I'm on HRT & back to normal!

Frozen shoulder, other aching joints, lack of sleep and struggling to speak/forgetting words.

Not feeling like myself and severe rage.

I'm 42 and about 1 year into insomnia (helped a bit by magnesium) and 6 months into absolutely bonkers periods. My cycle used to be almost 6 weeks and I can have 3 periods in 7 weeks now. My mum never had any of this shit and just sailed though in her 50s.

I had terrible dry eyes during the summers when I was 45-48. Had no idea it was a peri symptom until I was 50 when I started researching the menopause.
I saw my optician when I was 46 and she didn’t mention any connection to hormones. I was so worried my vision was deteriorating.
It’s pretty shocking how little is known about the suite of symptoms.

Rage. Unexplainable rage.

and itching….oh the itching! Was horrendous before HRT.

It’s taken a few years for hot flushes to be a symptom for me.

I got stinky pits, I was sleeping poorly, craving carbs, hayfever was way worse and my periods (previously you could have set your watch by them, every 28 days to the hour) went to anything between a 19-23 day cycle and were ridiculously heavy, to the point I was reluctant to leave the house.

HRT has helped loads, it’s not been a cure all though and it took a long while to hit the right dose/combo.

Waking up at 3am full of existential dread and irrational fear. Periods went squiffy; I have 1 day and 1 night of heavy bleeding then it tapers quickly. Head rush when getting out of the car. Blood pressure and cholesterol going up. Aching joints.

And that was just the beginning...😁

Night panic attacks similar to to pregnancy

Do you ever feel light headed or faint with the hot flushes ?