Is it a thing to mistake perimenopause for cancer?

[AreolaGrande]

Am 43. Periods have gone utterly batshit over the last 6 months. I bleed for much longer (bled from 17th September to 4th October and yesterday it started again), much more painful 😖 and horrendous bloating from under my boobs right down to my bits (where previously I only had typical lower abdo bloating on my period).

The only thing stopping me thinking I have cancer is me still being a bit fat (I know).

Spoke to GP yesterday who has arranged full gamut of tests (pelvic exam, US, full bloods inc menopause bloods and ovarian cancer bloods) so I'm happy that it's being investigated properly.

Just wondering if I'm the first eejit to mistake what could be totally normal peri stuff for something more serious? Am navigating this on my own (with google and MN) as I don't have friends who have been through this and my relationship with my mum is not the type where we chat menopause.

I cannot comment on the period stuff but in terms of bloating I am in peri and seem to have developed intolerances to dairy and gluten.

I had bad stomach and bloating for about 12 months - had tests for bowel cancer etc all clear. Had cut out dairy and that improved it some then went low carb to try and lose weight and it resolved immediately.

I don’t understand the question, sorry. Are you worried that you have cancer but have been dismissing the symptoms as perimenopause, or worried you’re making an unnecessary fuss about perimenopause symptoms?

In any case, I wouldn’t worry too much. It sounds like your GP is being really good and checking everything out just in case. I’ve been in perimenopause for about 3 years and have had all the symptoms you mention, and HRT (Mirena coil and oestrogel as well as vaginal oestrogen) are has been a big help with lots of it, including getting the bleeding under control. I’ve also had lots and lots of general tests and investigations to rule out more sinister things as I have been feeling so horribly debilitated and as it turns out perimenopause has all sorts of nasty symptoms you wouldn’t necessarily think of (eg for me: UTIs, debilitating fatigue). I think it’s normal to worry when your health and whole experience of your body changes so drastically and am glad your GP is taking it seriously. Chances are it’s ‘just’ perimenopause though.

Oh absolutely not the first. The bloating especially had me convinced I had ovarian cancer. I don’t. Peri does all sorts of weird things unfortunately.

Just as a point of information not all cancers result in weight loss (never made me skinny 😁) but what you describe are normal peri symptoms so try not to stress.

Oh yes I’ve had the bloating and stomach pain too and have had to do poo tests twice. Which were clear. Completely normal. In my case I was extra concerned because I had blood in my poo. This turned out to be caused by constipation from taking iron tablets because I was anaemic due to the heavy peri bleeding (before the lovely Mirena sorted that one out). Who’d be a woman?

I had horrendous periods, bloating, pain etc. I knew I had fibroids, and that was affecting my periods, but I was convinced that when I went for my hysterectomy that they would be coming in post op and telling me I was riddled with cancer.
I wasn’t, thankfully.
I did then sort my diet out and all the bloating and fat went so it was just fat and fibroids in my case.

Thanks for the replies.

@BrownTableMat I guess I'm looking for reassurance that others have been through similar and it's turned out to "just" be peri.

I'm a worrier and this is all new to me. I'm feeling very run down and sore and not myself and then the additional worry of it being something more than peri is making me quite upset. Add to that working a stressful job and managing kids etc and I'm just feeling very wiped out and flat.

@UsernameNotAvailableNow that is really reassuring and I'm sorry you went though similar.

I suppose the thing I struggled with most and continue to do so, is that since perimenopause my body doesn’t feel like “me” any more. It’s hard to define but my whole experience of being in my body is different. I’ve always done lots of
meditation and yoga and consciously being in my body, concentrating on bodily sensations, has always been my go to
for calming down my often over active
mind. But since peri my body doesn’t feel
like such a pleasant and calming place to be. I’m getting used to it and HRT has helped a
lot, but in general it’s still like I’ve moved into a new house that is much inferior to the old one, if that doesn’t sound too mad?

Hope you get some reassurance from the doctors soon and some help to navigate what I think can be a very tricky time. Even with all the increased discussion of menopause around at the moment I was totally unprepared for just how completely it would affect me and how different my body would feel.

I had the period from hell when I was 47. Lasted from early November to January. I went to the Dr who was pretty certain it was peri but sent me off for an US anyway.

To cut a long story short, in May of that year I did get diagnosed with endometrial cancer. This is rare in under 50s and after some genetic tests, it was discovered that I have a condition called Lynch Syndrome which elevates your risk of womb, ovarian and bowel cancers among others.

It sounds like your GP is doing the right thing. Most stuff like this isn't cancer, indeed my gynaecologist was very surprised when mine was. I hope you get some answers soon OP. BTW, I'm 51 now and am considered cured after having the whole lot taken out.

No - you're not.

I had the same and bled for 82 days.

I was terrified I had cancer (but in my case my mum had peritoneal cancer which raises CA125).

Turns out I had adenomyosis and I had a hysterectomy last year.

But I'm glad cancer was ruled out.

It could well just be peri. It’s right to get it checked out though. Hope you are reassured soon.

Similar symptoms that started age 40. Periods from hell that would last weeks, 1 week off them start again. Had bloods, scan and paid to see a private gynaecologist. Was diagnosed with peri and told likely to have an earlier than average full menopause. Was offered mirena but didn’t want it so went on mini pill instead, bleeding was lighter but constant so gave up after a year. At age 43 started going longer and longer between periods. Then the night sweats started. Went on HRT at age 44. Now age 52. I have a bleed each month with the hrt so no idea if I have gone through menopause but I would expect that I have. Hope that helps.

I have got a form of ovarian cancer, and whilst I didn’t blame the changes it causes on peri menopause/ menopause I know others who definitely did.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer/ primary peritoneal cancer are vague and often seem GI related - but don’t respond to usual GI treatment.

Cancer doesn’t just present as a lump or obvious unusual symptom/ sign.

FWIW, I didn’t immediately think cancer when I went to GP with my more swollen abdomen, and he thought I was just being an anxious woman, but he did the relevant blood test to allay my anxiety. He knows the amount of stress I’m under from other causes, he wasn’t being patronising.
The blood test was off the charts - Ca125, if anyone wants to ask for it.

So now I’m not a ‘healthy’ menopausal woman on HRT, I have stage 4 cancer which is incurable.

I think it's best to get this checked out. I had weird symptoms around this age, bleeding from everywhere, but all cancer checks re that were negative, fibroids found. But then with no family history stage 3 breast cancer found which had no lump until overnight. It felt like the one cancer not checked so glad I didn't go on hrt.

You generally don't lose weight with most cancers initially.

You can actually gain weight with ovarian/ endometrial cancers.

Didn’t mean or expect to kill the thread

Hi
i realise this is an old post but having exactly what you experienced and just wondered how things went for you? Hope you’re ok xx