To go to the GP with perimenopause symptoms?

[Notapartyanimal]

42 years old and let's face it a bit overweight, although I've really piled on the pounds recently.

Have over the last few months just been feeling progressively shit. Exhausted, fat, bloated, hot flushes, dry skin, headaches, no libido. Anxious and depressed.

So as not to drip feed I have hypothyroidism (treated with thyroxine) and have had a really rubbish few months having lost both my parents in quick succession. With everything going on I've abandoned what exercise routine I had and although I intend to take it up again I'm so knackered and fat that it feels impossible at the moment.

Anyway I just thought it was a combination of all of these things making me feel rubbish but it's the hot flushes that have tipped me over the edge. They're driving me nuts. I'm still getting my period so not menopausal (yet) but the more I read about perimenopause the more it sounds like me. WIBU to go to the GP? Is there anything they can do at this point?

Tl;DR: can a GP do anything for a fat sweaty not-quite-menopausal woman?

Watching with interest. I am 39, been having quite q lot of symptoms that kitchen perimenopausr and just now I have my period only two weeks after the last one

yup I think go. I wnet for peri and they were very sympathetic.

There could be something else there, it might he peri, also they might have some ideas e.g about referring you to your local Wellbieng service if you have one who are trained to support you to make small lifestyle changes.

Getting your period doesn't mean you're not menopausal. There's a menopause board which is probably better than AIBU. You're not btw.

Sorry for your loss OP.

I'm not sure whether to go myself. I'm having hideous mood swings and can't lose weight and have gained it on tummy and upper arms where I never used to carry it. Have permanent ache down there too and always need loo, have trouble sleeping. I've been breastfeeding for years though, which is meant to delay menopause. So I'm not sure what it is. I'm not having hot flushes, periods are heavier more than anything too and fairly regular.

Given your situation it could just be emotional and physical exhaustion, but it is worth ruling out peri. Hope you feel better soon.

Go!

I was having really bad peri-menopause symptoms and, although my GP wasn't especially sympathetic, after a lot of nagging from me, he finally agreed to prescribe HRT and it's been a complete game-changer!

My mood swings have vanished, as has the anxiety. I'm no longer scratching my arms raw because my skin was so itchy, and I feel like myself again.

If you can find Davina's Channel 4 programmes on the menopause, you'll get some really helpful info - the more knowledge you have yourself, the better armed you'll be!

Go see them!

I went with perimenopause symptoms, I'm also 42 and still having periods.

My main symptoms were crippling anxiety, hot flushes, changes to my periods where they were either 3-4 days early or 3-4 days late and lasted 6-7 days instead of 4-5 days, hair loss, tiredness, aches and pains, and just a general drained, grey sort of feeling.

GP did bloods to rule out any other causes such as thyroid, diabetes, etc. They all came back fine so they prescribed me HRT patches to try.

They've been a game changer. Been on them two months now and they don't take away 100% of how I was feeling but they do make a noticeable difference. The biggest improvement is in my energy levels, I'm not tired all the time. My anxiety has improved. My hair is growing back too which is the biggest thing for me, even the hair on my legs is growing again, I've never been so happy to be hairy.

Ultimately, what do you have to lose? Go in there with a list of your symptoms, tell the GP they correspond to symptoms of perimenopause, tell them you'd like to try some HRT to see if it helps.

Definitely go to the GP. I have been experiencing similar symptoms, age 41. GP sympathetic (phone appt). Blood tests showed very low B12 and folates, so we're sorting that first and seeing what's left. Starting to feel slightly more human again after a year and a half of feeling like a tired slug.

I'm 42 too. Been having terrible peri symptoms last 3 years (not so much hot flushes but very irregular periods, bloating, exhaustion, bad PMT, sore boobs, joint aches and pains etc).

Kept putting off going to the docs and when I did finally make an appointment I started by saying "so I'm your classic peri menopausal middle-aged woman and you probably can't do anything"...set of blood tests later and confirmed I'm fairly advanced in peri (really high FSH level), one HRT prescription and I'm feeling significantly better 4 months in

This 100%
Hrt literally saved me.