Perimenopause is bloody awful

[ToxicChristmas]

I'm 42 and perimenopausal.
It's miserable -or I'm miserable, one or the other. Anxiety is off the charts, achy joints, weight gain around the stomach (despite no changes to a healthy diet and exercise). Changes to smell and taste, awful periods, migraines, vaginal dryness.
I'm absolutely sick of it already.
Can't get a GP appointment for love nor money, the over the phone one the doctor couldn't have given less of a shit. Just normal women's life apparently.
Even after thinking I knew what was coming, it's much worse than I imagined.
How are others coping? Any tips or changes you made that helped?

Yep I am the same and the NHS is appalling

It's affecting my wellbeing too

Achy, shattered and fat, hot, grumpy

I'm 44 and suffering about 18 months

I am peri too, as this is the first time I have missed a period for 6 weeks.

I've started gingko biloba for brain fog and its helped immensely.

I'm weight training at home but am sporting an extra kg on the midriff.

I've started ancient brave collagen for joints just in case

No mood swings or aches as yet but who knows.

OK, so I'm trying to stop you having the hell I went through. Your thyroid will be out of wack, regardless of whatever tests are done for in future, most so called third world countries have better thyroid tests than we do which very very often don't pick up on serious thyroid problems.
Look up autoimmune diets but if you decide you couldn't do all of it, give up gluten and soya as it has a similar consistency to the thyroid so it starts attacking itself in confusion.
The thyroid can affect your flight or fight part of your brain and can cause massive anxiety, depression, gut problems and a zillion other things including gut health.
You need to be eating lots of dark green leafy veg (spinach etc)
Vitamin deficiencies, food intolerances normally show themselves during peri.
Start using a magnesium spray (some people can't tolerate even the most gentlest form of magnesium tablets on their stomach)
I couldn't recommend thiamine B1 tablets and nicotimide (a form of niacin that works better for anxiety) enough. They changed my miserable life.
They are both water soluble vitamins, which means your body will just pee out what it doesn't need. Very safe.

I can't believe how shit some GP's are. Do you have e-consult op? Fill in the form, requesting a prescription for HRT. They will have to consult once again, wasting more time, you don't need to see them f2f, and prescribe. I don't understand why the original GP refused?

I'm totally in the same boat. I'm on HRT now that has stopped the hot flushes but everything else is still bad. I'm going to try and get another appt with the GP to up my dose, as suggested by Davina McColl in her book!

I feel the same lately. I have had a huge amount of shit going on though but my anxiety and mood is awful. I already take thyroid medication. Have put on weight and just feel so down and teary all the time. My face is scarlet and on fire too. Have gp appointment for May 2nd. My gp is excellent, I actually can’t wait to talk to her. Just so hard to get an appointment and I made that one about a month ago. That was as soon as I could get. I’m 44 and periods still regular so not sure really if it’s peri or not.

I'm going to try going on the combined pill. I've had a few symptoms. The worst is probably emotional imbalance though - proper rage. 🫣

@WeShallHaveFogByTeatime ive not been able to get out of bed for 24 hrs, so tired so just ordered all the ones you’ve recommended (I work brutal shift patterns) hoping it helps, thank you.

Thank you all for the suggestions- while I wouldn't wish this shit on anyone, it's nice to talk to people who get it and are in the same boat.
Unfortunately our doctors surgery are terrible and there aren't many other options locally. Practically scoffed at the mention of HRT! So I'll be in for a fight there.

I’m 43.5 and it took two years for my GP to ascertain that what I was experiencing was peri. I think it had been gradually coming on over several years. I finally started an HRT trial less than two months ago and it’s been a total game changer. My energy is back, I can focus again, I feel attractive again, I’m even having a normal period this months after six months of almost nothing. Do persist with getting help OP, it’s so worth it in the end.

I was taking Magnesium and vitamin D. However I developed kidney stones and doc told me to stop the magnesium. That was two weeks ago and I can't believe how terrible I feel. It was obviously working for me. I can't get a GP apt either so I've booked an initial apt with our local private Menopause Clinic. Fingers crossed.

I appreciate not everyone will be able to do this (and I don’t think you should have to!) but I saw a private menopause specialist who helped me tweak the HRT. I went for someone very experienced, but without the flashy looking website so wasn’t too expensive. She was so helpful and I had time to talk through my issues in detail which the GP just doesn’t have time for. My GP have dutifully prescribed what she recommended.

in my case HRT + ssri + mini pill (to stop painful periods) + no alcohol (sorry!!)

Sorry to jump on this thread, but I wanted to ask peeps in the know. Are there tests that show definitively whether you're peri/need HRT? I have all the same symptoms but had a load of bloods and they're all normal.

I'm in peri at 52. Fortunately I don't have much in the way of physical symptoms yet, but was getting horrible anxiety and mood swings. Somebody suggested an Ashwagandha supplement and it's been like magic tbh. It's as if my anxiety was just switched off like a light, and I feel more positive about everything. I'm now also taking a Well Woman 50+ supplement, which I think is helping too. I feel like a different person compared with a month ago. I tried magnesium before that, but it gives me bad side-effects, unlike the ashwagandha.

Not really as your hormones jump all over the place. NICE guidelines say to diagnose based on symptoms after 45. But worth having bloods done to ensure there isn’t something else going on
I think my symptoms started around 39/40, looking back

I seriously advise you to do your own research, magnesium actually has the opposite effect on kidney stones, it has been shown to both prevent and reduce kidney stones.
I'm not going to put any links as there's plenty of research to find by qualified doctors.
Very alarmed by your doctor's suggestion.

Sorry above post is for you, don't know what happened there.

Has anyone found that being on the combined pill has helped with symptoms?

@Cloud44 it helped me for a while, I would say from about age 42 to 45. But after that I had to move on to HRT and the difference was huge. Vast improvement.

I called my surgery and the receptionist triaged me. I told her I believed I was peri but could not access the support at my place of work until I was seen by a GP. I told her about the anxiety ,brain fog ,lack of labido, the rage. I just laid it all out and got a phone call from my GP that afternoon.

@Cloud44 Yasmin (combined) is helping me a lot at the moment (44). I take it back to back for several months in a row and when I then take a break the ensuing period is much more manageable. It has also stabilised my mood really well.

I’ve been on the combined pill for a while, maybe I should try and stay on it for the time being, it may be helping symptoms without me knowing? What symptoms have you found it’s helped with?

And I know this is a stupid question but is it the level of hormones in it that help?

I can be peri AND have a shit hot career and be a strong woman. What a ridiculous comment