Peri menopause/menopause..do most women have terrible symptoms

[Grinchpyjamasalready]

And what age did your symptoms start?
Reading about all the horrible symptoms, i’m starting to feel a bit freaked out.
Suffered with endo and hormone imbalances & bad pmt all my life, will this mean a horrific menopause
I’m 44 and seeing possible signs…long, horrible periods with clots and the moment and constantly emotional or angry 😫

I had a heavy period when I was 46 and that was the last one. Worst symptom for me is the hilt flushes which are intense and make my heart race and my memory. I sometimes can’t think of the most simple words and have to stop and think before I speak. I’m assuming that’s a menopause symptom. Apart from that nothing else really. Aches and pains here and there but I’m 50 and unfit so assume that’s par for the course. I don’t take HRT.

Oh good yes, brain fog. How could I forget that (blame brake fog!!!)

I'm 53 and haven't had any symptoms yet apart from the length of time between periods. I do read these threads to see if I can identify with others around my age (which I do) and it seems that there's a broad spectrum so "normal" can be literally anything.

I'm 44. For the last four years I've suffered with chronic pain, severe PMDD and fatigue. Was being investigated for fibromyalgia. I've been on Hrt for 2 months. No more chronic pain. No PMDD and less fatigue. Still not 100% so some dosage tweaking to be done but my point is I think a lot if things people think are something else can be attributed to hormonal changes.

I hope for most people it isn't this bad.

If it wasn't for the media focus I wouldn't have had a clue!

Absolutely no symptoms and my last period was 2 years ago.
I really wish menopause was not being labelled as something which will affect my performance in negative ways. I believe this has unfortunate consequences on career options for women aged over 45.

Mine's been horrible and a shock as most things in my life have been mild and middling. I started with symptoms in my early 40s,my periods became very heavy and clotty and my cycles became 3 weekly. I ended up anaemic,.felt crap and couldn't hold a thought in my head. Then I started getting UTIs and discomfort sitting down, then joint pain and thinning hair. My cycles started getting irregular. I went to the Drs right before lockdown asking for a blood test as I thought it could be a thyroid problem. It wasn't. The hot flushes started with avengence..and now here I am 49 and a year without a period. I take vaginal oestrogen to help with the atrophy, whish is what it was all along..but I am still uncomfortable....and have zero sex drive..I'm also boiling at night and having 10+ hot flushes a day. I haven't had any mood swings but I feel a physical wreck, mostly in my nether regions. None of my friends have the same issues as me. I know loads of people who have sailed thought without even noticing

Most women I've known seem to have had a few weeks of feeling rough (just rough not horrendous can't function) & then they get better, all done. Some worse, some better.

@KangarooKenny interesting you should say this as I’m now getting a couple of periods a month and emotionally all over the place. How long did you have that for before yours stopped? Hope you don’t mind me asking?

I don't have endo but always had heavy periods. Mine now at 42 are wafty little things. I barely need a panty liner most days, the flow is that light, and there is no debilitating cramping any more.The downside is they last weeks not days. I've had two that were an exception that were the clotty, flooding ones that were awful. I was worried that was becoming my norm but I've only had two in as many years. I wouldn't assume that peri will magnify what you've experienced so far, it may end up being something totally different.
I have night sweats, some insomnia and extraordinary chin hairs but so far none of the huge mood changes some people experience thank goodness.
The upside for me of the hormone changes has been that my skin, which has been spotty to various degrees since puberty is finally clear.
Oh and my symptoms started in my late 30s.

53 and not had a period for six months. I get the rage. I have zero sex drive and in the past couple of months have had a couple of hot flushes.

Having had period dyphoria all my adult life (pmt for 2 weeks each month post ovualtion) the meno was a blessed relief. Periods just stopped apart from one random one. Done.

I had horrible symptoms for years that I didn't associate with menopause. Migraines, feeling ill, exhausted etc. I didn't get help till I was 50 when I started HRT. On top of Peri symptoms I began suffering from terrible anxiety, agonising joint pains and just a feeling I was going crazy. I'm 56 now and tried a few different HRT preparations until I got it right. I'm not 100% but I'm almost x

No. Don't be fooled by some of the self-promoting "celebrities" who have boosted their careers by making a drama about menopause. It's actually very anti-feminist to make out that all women are feeble creatures who fall apart as soon as they reach middle age.
Some women may indeed have a rough time, but by no means all of them, and feeling sorry for oneself is not going to help.
(I am in my late 50s, by the way).

No ... I am 60 now and had no symptoms or problems at all. None of my friends have even mentioned it. I am a bit bored with the subject ... shopping in Sainsbury's today and a loud speaker announcement about 'coping with the menopause' .....

All I can say OP is that I was starting to get ovulation mood swings, fatigue, some awful periods with unpredictable arrival times, some were fine too, and the baddest ones were less regular than the good ones, but the fear of what the hell I'd get each month was starting to really affect my life. And before that my periods had never been bad at all!

I went on the combined pill and OMG. So far all I can say it's like day 4 of my cycle, all the time (i.e. I feel fine, balanced, happy, no mood swings) with the lightest periods ever with no symptoms so far apart from a normal withdrawal bleed.

Might not work for everyone but I think it's a possible amazing solution for lots of women!

I’m 51. I period for 10 months. Have had a few hot moments (down my back) and sweats at night occasionally. That’s it so far.

*No period

Oh and I don’t take hrt.

I’ve had night sweats, brain fog, no libido, itchy skin all over and terrible mood swings. Started about 47ish, I am now 54.

HRT sorted me out pretty quick - testosterone for low libido/brain fog, and Femoston for everything else. I had to be referred to a menopause clinic for the testosterone.

My friends are similar and absolutely swear by HRT.

It's such an individual thing. Some women will get hardly any symptoms and bothers will suffer will a wide range and many will be somewhere in between.

I am on hrt and it's made a big difference as the rage was just awful. And looking back to 2019 I was starting to have peri symptoms but I always put it down to something else. Brain fog, insomnia, itchy skin to name a few. Think I need my hrt tweeked as insomnia is awful just now but doctor wants to try anti depressants first.

My mum claims she sailed through the menopause, I would beg to differ 😀

I have felt like I was dying at times. I am perimenopausal and I’ve been undiagnosed for 5 years or so but the last 6 months have been so bad I’ve had to stop working. I’ve seen GPs, a neurologist and an ENT surgeon in that time and was diagnosed with migraines. All were male and completely disinterested. Just over a week ago the Newson clinic prescribed HRT and I’m starting to feel better already. A friend, on the other hand has sailed through full menopause with no symptoms.

I think it’s as periods are different for all. Some are heavy, some barely there, some painful, some not, some every 28 days , some every 40. Averages are misleading.

Actually it can’t begin in your thirties. Everyone is different. I’m 43 and defo have many symptoms. Easy to manage for now but if I experience anything bad I won’t hesitate to use HRT. My sister has been much improved on it.

It CAN begin in your thirties