what symptom of the menopause have you found the worst?

[ohreallyIsee]

For me the itchy skin, so intense it almost felt like my skin was crawling/burning, it was reducing me to tears, thankfully I've found magnesium has helped

Anxiety, brain fog, insomnia, itchy skin (worst on shins). The rage has subsided now I’m on HRT. No libido but I’m single so not fussed. Just had coil fitted which I hope will do for the awful heavy periods.

Brain fog, the rage. I don't have insomnia, I'm just so tired all the time. I need a half hour nana nap late afternoon to get me through the rest of the day.
It's my oxters, they smell weird sometimes. Like onion. I KNOW!!
I'm just glad I haven't developed the wine aversion I've read about because that's the only thing keeping me sane.

By ruling out other possible causes first. My GP tested me for loads of things before concluding that it was perimenopause and prescribing HRT.

The terrifying anxiety and deadening depression that just inexplicably descended during the October half term back in 2013. I loved my life, so there was absolutely no reason to feel so dreadful. I'd previously suffered severe PND but this was so much worse. On my very darkest days, all I could think about was how to end it all.

We kept it all from our DDs, who were thankfully totally absorbed by their teenage lives, but DH was so scared, and every day he made me promise to stay.

Thank God I managed to get the help I needed, although it took over 2 years, and cost thousands of pounds. The NHS were utterly, utterly useless verging on dangerously incompetent. I hope there is a special place in Hell reserved for the female NHS psychiatrist who refused to even discuss HRT or the Menopause with me. And instead, wanted to drug me into oblivion on anti-psychotics FFS!

The most common time for women to commit suicide is between the ages of 48 - 52. The Menopause is 100% to blame.

I know because I have all the classic symptoms (can’t be bothered to list mine and thankfully many have subsided due to HRT, without which my life would be horrendous) Still got the brain fog tho.

I hear ya!

It's been unbearable at times. Like an attack of tiny invisible skin nipping insects.

Why on earth does menopause cause this I wonder?

Interested as to why you've popped those quotation marks there?

Other people constantly talking about it?

Rage and anxiety for me.

Sudden panic attacks/adrenaline rushes that appear from nowhere. Severe insomnia, at its worst 4 nights with no sleep at all.

I could (and have on here already!) write an essay on how perimenopause is the literal bane of my life...

Every symptom is delightful... NOT.

Dry hair, worse pompolyx eczema on my hands, horrible and incredibly painful gingivitis and bleeding gums that hurt loads and make me cry cleaning my teeth - i never had any gum problems for 39 years, then I've suffered 5 years ao far 💔

Oh, burning mouth syndrome, dry eyes, brain fog, panic attacks, hot flushes, tinnitus... I can't remember any more but it definitely started straight after my youngest daughter was born in 2020. I then had terrible postnatal depression, which started about 3 months postnatally then practically everything morphed into perimenopause at the same time.

Just horrendous, all of it. I absolutely despair of being a woman sometimes 😞😢💔

In my next life, I'm coming back as a man.

That's not a usual symptom though - don't scare people.

I'm 51 most of my friends (and me) have had disturbed sleep and a majority been less able to concentrate at times. My worst has been the joint pain which was eliminated with HRT - but it took time to get right.

I personally have found having less periods liberating and have noriestertone ready for when I do.

Brain fog and weight gain

Anxiety although this seems to be a bit better at moment. It’s been replaced by lethargy and no motivation to do anything. I literally feel like I don’t care about anything.

Overall: the huge increase in my (already pretty grim) anxiety and depression, brain fog, struggling to find words, dry itchy skin.
Currently: my nipples feeling as if I've slammed the car door on them 😭 They just randomly hurt for a week or so every few months. This time's worse than when I had a cluster-feeding newborn.

I’m going through surgical menopause at the moment. Finally decided to try HRT. My list of symptoms. Prob more severe as it’s surgical menopause. Insomnia, hip and groin pain, muscle and joint pain, hot and cold flushes. Leaking urine. Depression, mood swings.

Where do I start?! My worst was dizziness and a weird off balance feeling, it was awful but thankfully has eased now. Oh and hair and eyelashes getting thinner overnight it seemed!

Masto cytosis induced anaphylaxis due to low estrogen

Constantly sore and itchy down below, eyelashes and eyebrows , in fact body hair in general just disappeared, very sore eyes - like someone had put shampoo in them - the down below thing improved after 2 years - rest of it still the same 10 years later ( now 63) -

Hot flushes and night sweats, I was barely sleeping and the daytime hot flushes were very frequent and had become so severe they were making me feel faint and panicky. I'd been back and forth to the GP's a handful of times, different doc each time and none of them willing to prescribe HRT til I finally hit breaking point.

I got up one morning and just couldn't face work so stayed home and rang for an emergency appointment. I'm afraid I cried down the phone to the receptionist whilst explaining why I needed an urgent appointment and she took pity on me and (somehow!) managed to get me in with the menopause specialist doctor (I didn't know we had one!) the same morning. The doctor was incredible and I left with my prescription, I'm 2 weeks in now (Oestrogel and Utrogestan) and down to a handful of very mild hot flushes and pretty much no night sweats, I'm like a new woman!

Loss of confidence.

Reading through, I guess the same as people saying anxiety and brain fog.

Hot flashes. I hate them

Oh my god the itching. Thank you all so much for making me feel normal! I feel like I’m being bitten by hot fleas. I also thought it might be scabies. I googled cellulitis as well wondering if it might be that. It’s really affecting my sleep, it’s embarrassing at work or out anywhere cos I can’t stop writhing at my skin especially my shins too! I’ve also scratched til I bleed and I had no idea this could be a symptom. I’ve bought countless creams and I’m about to splash out on that new sanex shower gel for itchy skin in the hope it helps. I’m taking far too many antihistamines. Please can someone tell me more about Magnesium, I think I might need some.

I think the itchiness really is a more common symptom than you might think and the poster is right to alert people to it. It’s by far my worst. I’m almost 60.

I had that onion thing - it was horrendous. I’m not a particularly sweaty person (still) and couldn’t get over it. I now use anti bacterial soap instead of shower gel and it’s cured.

Other things for me, terrible anxiety, feeling like I don’t know who I am any more, big fat tummy, loss of confidence, low libido, and sore, dry vulva/vagina. I have a Mirena coil, oestrogen gel and vaginal pessaries - no idea if they help (certainly not in the magical way they do for other people, I feel completely shit) but I am too scared to stop in case I feel even worse!