I'm 34 and I strongly suspect I've started the perimenopause. I have a GP phone appointment this week to discuss it. I'd like to ask for one of those hormone tests to see if it does seem likely that's what's happening (I read that they're useless once you get to 40ish as hormones will be changing/reducing etc. by then anyway so now seems like the ideal time) and then I'd like to discuss the possibility of HRT if it's appropriate.
However, having spoken to other women (in the area who will have gone to the same GP practice), I suspect the GP will try to brush me off by saying I'm too young to be going through it etc. so I want to be armed with as much information as possible. Except, many of the 'official' pages seem to miss a tonne of symptoms I've seen discussed on MN.
The main thing I'm getting is hot flushes/night sweats (I even remarked on how hot it was in a dream about Buffy the Vampire Slayer I had last night as I was obviously in the middle of a hot flush!). I also feel like I'm emotionally very dysregulated and I'm getting upset very easily (feels like being pregnant again - I suspect I could watch someone read out their shopping list and if some sad music was played over the top I'd be bloody sobbing). I've had a few headaches recently, which I didn't realise was a symptom until I looked it up. I also had a UTI a little while back out of the blue and have since found out that can be a sign!
I'm on the mini pill so don't get regular periods anyway (tend to get nothing for a while and then some spotting now and again with a heavier bleed every few months) and between hormonal contraception, pregnancy and breastfeeding I haven't had a 'proper' period/let my cycle do its thing for well over a decade so I have no idea what's happening there.
So, what else should I be looking out for? What else can I mention? And what sort of excuses should I expect from the GP (I tend to find if they can't just prescribe antibiotics or antidepressants they don't want to know - I'm also autistic so have problems being taken seriously as I don't always display the emotions/pain responses etc. others expect)?
I just feel a lot of the pages online miss a load of information and think MN is a good place to get some real experiences and maybe some advice from women who have been successful being taken seriously.