To ask for your experiences of perimenopause?

[Youknowitmakessense]

The penny has dropped..
For a few month now I've been experiencing :

• night sweats

• painful cystic acne on my chin ( usually just the odd PMT zit)
• brain "fog"
• teariness and worse than usual PMT
• a shortened cycle ( 24 days instead of my usual 28)

I've just realised it all adds up to the perimenopause. My mum started hers at 30.

I feel pretty low. I'm 39 with one DS (4). Stressy life ( full time job with commute, no family to help nearby, sole earner whilst DH retrains). I'm also awaiting the results of a recent BRCA1 genetic test ( NHS).

I take sertraline already for anxiety, normal BMI, good diet and general other health. But this is making me feel awful.

Anyone have any experience of this? Advice? Suggestions?

Thanks

Go to the GP & ask for HRT.

I've just had a twelve day cycle...

Twelve days from the start of one period to the start of the next, that is, not twelve days in between.

I'm a bit at my body...

I'll be watching this thread with interest.

I'm 46 and for the last few months I've been getting night sweats and my periods have been either very light, or very heavy. Last one was like a friggin tsunami

I've been coping ok except for having really sore nipples for the last 2 weeks since my last period.

I'm wondering if there are any particular vitimins/minerals I should be taking?

I decided to forgo HRT, that was the best decision for me, based on a lot of factors.

It's worth having a chat to see what your GP suggests. After the symptoms you describe I had anxiety through the night and took the suggestion to take Antidepressents, they helped.

I did a lifestyle overhaul, I cut out dairy and caffeine, this does help and the research is there.

There is a 'Menopause' section on here, I haven't used it, I went through various sites on the Internet.

This best thing, most frank article I have ever read on the Perimenopause, it made me feel like I wasn't alone: standardissuemagazine.com/health/fleece-despair/

Thanks for the suggestions and input.

I already take sertraline ( an anti depressant) and GP says any hormonal therapy not possible for me at the moment because if needing to find out if I carry the BRCA1 mutation first ( it is contraindicated in any oestrogen therapy)

There was an interesting item on women's hour with prof John stud, menopause specialis and a psychiatrist debating whether perimenopausal women are over prescribed ads.
Some of the symptoms of menopause inClude anxiety. Mind alleviated with hrt. If you are in London I recommend mr panays clinic at Chelsea and Westminster

Be mindful even if you are peri menopausal you can still get pregnant

I'm 36 and having similar issues. Periods range from 16 to 24 days start day to start day. Sometimes feels like very little time not bleeding or pre menstrual ! Lots of mood swings .
My gp tested my hormones which showed nothing remarkable but she did say the results vary so much it didn't mean much. Her suggestion was the mirena coil but I'm not doing that as have had a bad time with a coil before .
Anyway -lots of sympathy , sounds like you have lots going on too. I'm going to get back to the gp myself as have had some other symptoms I'm not sure are related .

My mother had her menopause at 40 and I am 46 now.

I have been quite lucky so far. I have gone from 30 years of regular every 26 days to one light period every 2 or 3 months for the last two years. No hot flushes, but I seem to feel the cold more than I used to.

The plus side is no more monthly zit, or monthly migraine.

I have never had children so a part of me is mourning the fact that I now wont have any sadly.

I'm 44 & my cycles have gone a bit haywire; initially shortening from 28 ish days to 22ish. Now varying from 14 (yes, 14) days apart to 42 days. I had a flooding-type incident last month too thank god I wasn't wearing light clothes. And the dryness "Down there" is pretty yuk.

I use the period tracker thingy on my iphone and have done for about 6 years and that has really helped me to keep an eye on things. Dunno if thats any help to anyone approaching this, but its certainly been something I found useful.

I'm 40 and am wondering the same. My cycle for the last 2 has been 23 days and my boobs are fucking agony for 2 weeks of that. I was bang on 28 days before and would get slightly tender boobs for 2 or 3 days. I cry at not very upsetting things and just realised from reading this that i have been waking in the night very hot. My sleep pattern has also gone a bit weird.

the only real down side that I have noticed has been the dryness.. but I can totally recommend durex cherry lube

I've got night sweats and can barely string a sentence together - and my memory has become like a sieve, to the point it's embarrassing. Really don't want to take HRT - any supplements for night sweats worth taking?

Visit www.menopausematters.co.uk
My GP recommended the site to me. Very informative and friendly.

Does anyone have experience of peri menopause and being on the pill?

Do you realise it is happening or not?

heavenly I wondered about that too.

Also, does memory improve once you get through the menopause?

I'm on the pill and have menopause symptoms - heavy bleeding, aching/restless legs, night sweats. GP says you can still get symptoms on the pill.

Yes that is very much the perimenopause you are experiencing. You have my total sympathy OP and all others. I had mine early, last period at 43 and didn't really see it coming tbh as my gynae and gp kept telling me I was too young and I was still having a mostly regular cycle. It just all stopped one day.

After 3 years of brain fog, poor sleep, awful anxiety I am finally giving hrt a whirl. Like literally this week. I am hoping for a mood improvement but dreading weight gain.

Sigh. And whoever asked (see i can't remember!) no, your memory does NOT improve once you are menopausal. It gets worse. Sorry.

It is awful however after about three years of peri I sailed through the menopause. HRT is not suitable for everyone please people don't advise it.
Talk to your GP, try and get out for a walk each day and make sure you eat plenty fruit and veg.
Oh and the odd bit of chocolate.

I wonder if anyone can recommend a supplement from personal experience?

Google just throws up a ton of them.

such a weird thing isn't it? My last period was when I was 39 no warnings tailing off etc. I would have really loved at least one more child but everything came to an abrupt end.
Upside is I have been fine on the whole no mood swings flushes etc
I just feel old and lucky I had my children when I did

Worra I tried many supplements. None of them eased symptoms for me. You may have more luck.

ihateminecraft that's interesting I read somewhere it can mask symptoms. I'm meant to be on my 'period' this week but nothing Yet last month was 'heavier' for me. Do have a lot going on in my life at the moment so can't be certain if symptoms are psychological or not