WTF is going on with me? Is this peri menopause or IBS or both or neither?

[AnonymousPeriPooPoster]

Really hoping someone out there has experienced similar and can tell me WTF is going on.

I'm 43, and recently had a blood test to see if I’m peri menopausal but it came back saying I wasn’t. I’ve also had blood tests and scans to check everything is generally okay and it all came back fine.

But over the past year or so I’ve been having the following symptoms and they’ve been getting worse and more frequent. Just wondered if anyone else has any ideas about what might be going on?

1. Increased anxiety, worse at night and first thing in the morning. I’ll wake up throughout the night with a racing heartbeat and trembly arms and legs like jelly.
2. Waking up in the middle of the night as above but also needing to run to the loo and have diarrhoea (TMI, soz). Also random bouts of diarrhoea out of nowhere and totally unpredictable or related to anything I’m eating or drinking. This happens maybe once a week.
3. Generally feeling knackered and bleugh, even though I take loads of vitamin supplements and high dose iron already.
4. Much heavier periods that make me feel faint.
5. If I have a busy day one day, the next day I’ll be wiped and good for nothing.
6. Randomly bursting into a big, ugly crying mess for tiny reasons like my youngest DC helping to set the table for example (I cry in private so as not to scare the kids!)

Am I losing my mind/peri menopausal/suffering from IBS/something more sinister? Help! I hate living like this and feel like I’ve tried lots of things but nothing’s really working. I need some new ideas.

I am feeling similar. Recently went on the HRT patches and have been suffering from bouts of diarrhoea at night and bad stomach cramps and wind. This has completely knocked my confidence and I feel really low. I am also anxious at night and first thing in the morning. Hope you are feeling better.

Could be any number of things. IBS can make you feel incredibly fatigued or could be something like M.E of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Following as similar! What should I be looking for though in terms of peri blood results?

I'm 43, and recently had a blood test to see if I’m peri menopausal but it came back saying I wasn’t.

Op, blood tests are not used to diagnose Peri. The very nature of Peri is that your levels are constantly fluctuating, so blood tests are not accurate. Peri is diagnosed based on symptoms, and you have many very common ones. I was on HRT at 41, with every symptom you have plus some. If you can, I highly recommend you go to a private clinic. GP's are notoriously, and woefully, ignorant about peri-menopause and menopause.

It sounds like perimenopause.

I've been taking high dose Starflower oil. (Borage oil)
Supposed to help balance hormones.
I "think" it helps??

Worth a try anyway.

I had similar problems with my bowels when menopause symptoms started and started taking Ashwagandha as prescribed by a nutritionist who looked at my diet, exercise and general lifestyle. It has settled my bowels and ‘knots’ in my stomach I used to get. Hope that helps.

It’s possible you could be having peri symptoms way before there is anything to be shown up by blood tests . I certainly was at about the same age as you .. night sweats and very heavy periods .. I’ve definitely noticed my digestion has been impacted as times gone on ..

I think it can be dangerous to blame everything on peri though and you should go back to the gP

Did you ever get to the bottom of this OP? I am experiencing the same things (not the night loo visits though .. yet 😆)