To ask about your perimenopause symptoms

[Midlifelights]

I am 47 and likely in perimenopause - I feel pretty shit for about 3/4 of the month these days to be honest.

My latest symptom seems to be feeling extra shit on the last day of my period- headache, feeling sick, very emotional, anxious, heart palps, only wanting beige food. It used to be that by now I was starting to feel better but no. Is it linked to rising hormones again? Anyone else get this?

Then I feel super shit around ovulation- same sort of thing. Then have a sunny week, then it’s pms & back to feeling shit again.

Aibu to ask if anyone else gets this joyful combination of hormone horror? It’s driving me nuts- I have had the pointless ‘there’s nothing wrong with you’ blood tests several times at the GP and been dismissed as anxious several times too 🙄

Periods every 3 weeks, sometimes less.
Extremely heavy clotting periods
Horrendous night sweats
Skin awful hair dry
Awful PMT up to two weeks before
Raging anxiety

I’ve just be prescribed the mini pill which I’ve been taking for about 25 days. It seems to have dulled a lot of symptoms but has made my boobs massive, and I can’t stop eating! No period yet though touches wood

Oh and also my periods were lasting 7-10 days too. I was either bleeding or had PMS

@Tootsey11
Thanks Tootsey. Yes, you’re right, I need to see GP and get it sorted. But only a couple of months ago I had some post menopausal bleeding and had to have that dealt with (non-malignant polypoid lesion on cervix 🙄), so I need to myself get into the right frame of mind. The joys of being a woman.

@WinWinnieTheWay oh yes, the husband hating! It's horrible, I adore the man and we've been together 20 years, but I regularly want to scream in his face for no reason other than that he is breathing.

I keep reassuring myself that it's just hormones and the feelings are not real.

I've been nodding away at pp's saying they can't find the word they want...I find I can't finish a sentence properly or can't articulate myself at all. I've had some big interviews lately where it's a struggle to remember the beginning of a question they've asked me, let alone formulate a response. I messed up and lost out on one job (I gave a fantastic technical talk even if I say so myself, but when asked a competency question I gave a really poor example with a shit outcome and could not come up with another one), but I have another 2nd interview tomorrow.

Let's hope I can speak properly, think straight and not sound drunk.

Is it possible to be peri-menopausal at 36??
I have the following symptoms

• Exhausted all the time

-horrendous PMT that makes me feel like I'm actually going mad.

• flu like symptoms in the run up to my period
• periods lasting 9- 10 days and heavier than before
• Everything aches! I feel like an old woman.
• Libido is non-existant except for a couple of days a month when I can't think of anything else to the point it's actually debilitating!
• My hair is horribly greasy which has never been an issue before
• I feel sick more days than not bit also ravenously hungry
• My skin is dry and itchy and is suddenly really sensitive to any new products.

@washimal yep. Im 36 and in full menopause. I have all your symptoms plus crushing anxiety and bloating.
Im on hrt and apart from weight gain and bad skin, it's been helpful to a degree. Still have issues with swears, greasy gaur, exhaustion, aches etc. But the brain fog and anxiety have lifted.
May be worth a trip to your gp

Im 47. My periods are all over the place. I had a good few years of 3 weekly cycles but now it is anything from 20 days to 61 days.
I have had a lot of trouble with my urinary tract. Increased UTIs and just general discomfort. I take d-mannose religiously now but am rarely just right.
My libido is off.
I am getting fat around my middle.
My ankles, hips,.wrists, shoulders and knees all hurt at various time.
My hair is thinning.
I can't think straight.
I occasionally get night sweats. I've had hot flushes in the daytime only a handful of times.
I went to the doctors before lock.down about it as I wasn't sure if it was menopause or thyroid problems.
I've been put on iron tablets and I can walk up hills now but I still don't know what's what. Guess if it wasn't for the covid I'd be back asking questions.

Most of the above. It is shocking. Having been skinny and flat chested all my life I now have D cup sore boobs all the time and a spare tyre. Thinning hair and a bristly chin. It is awful.

Dr Lara Briden's website and her Period Repair Manual have been quite helpful recently. It explains why all these things are happening and what the treatment options are. I looked at it originally as a friend recommended it to help dd with period pain, but it covers all ages.

Some of these things are just ageing, not specifically menopause.

Currently suffering sore hips and feel like I have OA, cannot move in the morning

Also period symptoms and still where is my period?

Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D3. I’ve had two 40/50 year old friends with aches in their legs/knees find out they’re deficient and the pain went when they were prescribed high doses of Vit D3.

benjispruce I take vit D3 every day at the recommended dose by NHS is that sufficient?

I’m not a doctor but I think the recommended dose is just to prevent rickets. I think you can take more but look into it. Also depends if you’re actually deficient. I take 2 1000iu at the monent but would usually take 1 a day Oct to April.

Thanks, will investigate further. I am seeing a physiotherapist tomorrow as I am not getting very far with the GP.

Headaches, headaches and more bloody headaches

Has anyone tried Ashwagandha? One of my main symptoms is a shaking anxiety, especially when I’m working. Also I get headaches and insomnia.

I’ve bought 500mg capsules to try. I started taking them along with a vit B12 supplement but one of them is leaving an awful taste in my mouth.
Only been taking them 2 days so not seen any real improvement with anything yet.

@iloverock

Oh I have started with symptoms lately. I've ordered some well woman vitamins and hope may help some what. I get the rage. I get weepy. Horrible period pains when never suffered before, absolutely wiped out at this time. Night sweats. Not sleeping properly. And the rage. OMG

I'm 38 ☹️ family history though grandmother was 36 godmother was 30 ! Mom suffered awfully but died too young so I don't know when she would have been finished her peri was insane. I've completely lost my sparkle feel like I've aged noticeably in the last few months . Rage , periods extremely heavy and coming earlier every month . Skin is like join the dots with cystic acne, pessimism, anger no libido , exhaustion and insane anxiety. Zero tolerance to alcohol all of a sudden it makes me very ill . Flushing and sweats and tearing itchy . I started menopace it has really helped ease the anxiety but made my skin worse I've lost a bit of weight as I had gotten really chubby around the belly but that could be from giving up beer 😝. It's exhausting I'm miserable ☹️

@Washimal

Is it possible to be peri-menopausal at 36?? I have the following symptoms

• Exhausted all the time

-horrendous PMT that makes me feel like I'm actually going mad.

• flu like symptoms in the run up to my period
• periods lasting 9- 10 days and heavier than before
• Everything aches! I feel like an old woman.
• Libido is non-existant except for a couple of days a month when I can't think of anything else to the point it's actually debilitating!
• My hair is horribly greasy which has never been an issue before
• I feel sick more days than not bit also ravenously hungry
• My skin is dry and itchy and is suddenly really sensitive to any new products.

Yup all of them

Internal vibration went to the docs with it, thought it was some sort of numerological thing I had. I was told that It was a symptom of the peri and menopause.

Crippling anxiety more so when I wake in the morning.

Very low mood.
Painful periods
Forgetfulness. The list goes on.

Periods left right and centre, bleed for 6 weeks then nothing for 6 months, totally uncontrollable, no pad, tampon or mooncup big enough to cope with the tsunami of blood and I wake looking like I've slept with Freddy Kruger. Irrational mood swings, my temper is horrendous, I've always been a yes ma'am no ma'am how high? person, now I'm a fuck off you jump person, night sweats, anxiety, panic attacks, manic depression and my hairs gone curly, it was dead straight for 50 years now I keep getting asked if I've had a perm.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with all my symptoms as my doctor refuses to prescribe HRT. I can see me stabbing someone for asking something perfectly civil "Dimples would you like a cup of tea?" -- Do I look like I want a cup of tea?. Am I not capable of making my own cup of tea? Goes into a rage .. Or throwing myself off the M1 motorway bridge (that's never going to happen, my hips hurt I'd never get my leg over the railings) today I can laugh about it, tomorrow I could spend all day crying into my pillow ... I absolutely hate being me right now :-(

Oh god this is me

The crippling headaches for the first two days of period

The immense wipes out feeling

Horrendous ovulation pain mid cycle and then again during period.

The hip pain

My low mood means I know exactly when I'm ovulating and again when I'm about to come on it's shocking

Tinnitus I've noticed aswel

I've gained two stone in a couple of years but this last 6 months it's jumped. I've never weighed this much in my life

I have no tolerance at all right now. Works been bloody hard going and my empathy for people has all but disappeared

I get the husband rage Aswell!bless him he's an awesome guy but I get the rage with him at hormonal times something chronic.

He knows now when I take myself off to the sofa when I get home from work because I've come on and am like death he picks up the slack and makes me good coffee

I take a well woman menopace tablet another multi vitamin a vitamin d and calcium and a vitamin b complex for hair aswel as a magnesium spray daily in the hope it keeps my levels well. Mind you I'm not feeling the benefit as yet

Can't take hrt due to having no thyroid so am already on hormones which is another wanker issue in itself so have no idea how it will pan out

relieved lady it's awful
Isn't it?

Today I felt like I was going insane, crying at the silliest thing. Want it to be done

Feel fat
Feel crud for about 2 weeks around ovulation until end of period and then have two weeks feeling like me

Weird aches and pains especially in the tummy and never experienced this before!

Now I feel sorry for teenagers during puberty.

my hairs gone curly, it was dead straight for 50 years now I keep getting asked if I've had a perm.

This has happened to me as well

So the restless legs are another thing

On and off for a couple
Of years yet now I seem to get them for a few nights in a row just after ovulation (make a note on my phone when I started noticing a pattern )

I literally am now starting to feel heavy and tired etc and a bit flat so give it a week or so and I know il come on god I can read it and time it al just by how my body feels.

I literally reckon I get a round ten days out of a whole month where I feel normal nowadays.

I’m in a different country with a different healthcare system but has anyone considered having a consultation with a private gynaecologist? I would really recommend. It was worth every penny to have someone listen to you, order the appropriate blood tests and reassure you that this was all normal and then come up with some solutions. I realise this isn’t possible for everyone but if you can, it’s money well spent.