To think I’m peri-menopausal?

[OldSkoolLikeHappyShopper]

Apologies, I know this isn’t the most exciting thread.

I am nearly 42, and my periods have been all over the shop since I had a MMC early last year. Screenshot shows cycle length.

It’s kinda annoying as it’s difficult to plan things around when periods will be (holidays/dirty weekends etc 😂).

Don’t have masses of other symptoms other than being more tired than usual, feeling pretty low and flat, I also feel like I have PMT pretty much all the time, my fuse is short. Also without fail for the last few months I’ve had to get up at least once in the night to pee, and that’s never been a thing in my life before. Sexually, it feels a bit like my body isn’t quite connected to my brain in the same way, orgasms are less frequent and it’s a lot harder to ‘get there’.

Am I firmly in peri territory here? I feel a bit lost at sea, no one really gives you much info on this stage of life. Should I be going to a GP or just cracking on? Would any supplements or drugs be helpful?

Oh and my skin is awful, as in spotty.

Have a look at the 'Balance' app. You can track and journal if you want, or just read articles. It's free (there might be paid elements but enough is free) and you can use it to work out what's going on peri / menopause wise. 42 is in the normal age range for peri (anywhere from 37 to 57 can be normal) but from what you write it's impossible to know - it could also be a normal psychological reaction to a miscarriage without necessarily being Perimenopause.

I'm sorry for your loss either way.

@MrsMullerBecameABaby thanks, I’ll download that now. You got me thinking and I just went further back pre-pregnancy and actually my periods were already a bit haywire before then (my memory is shit - another symptom? 😂), so it’s unlikely to be related to the MC.

I've got no advice sorry but just place marking as I've recently wondered if I'm starting menopause too as I'm nearly 46 and from googling think the signs are there

More than seven days discrepancy in cycle length warrants a visit to the GP for perimenopause blood tests and HRT depending upon symptoms.

I'm only 40 and mine are still 26-28 days but have informed myself of the next stage so I can preempt things.

Good luck OP

@Leemoe thanks, I’ll try and get an appointment with the gp <hollow laugh>

What can the GP do? I. 44 and periods becoming less reliable. I also suffer with tiredness and short fuse plus inability to sleep!

Magnesium tablets help with sleep and I'm meant to get some vitamin D supplements.

I thought blood tests can't show peri? Isn't the whole point that your hormones fluctuate widely so a blood test can't pick it up and it's based on symptoms?

I'm not in the UK any more so I've no idea what a GP would do (though tbh I imagine nothing at all if you just went in saying that you didn't know whether you were in peri). I would hope that if you went in specifically asking for HRT and ready to politely but firmly state your case they'd ask some questions and ideally prescribe based on reported history. That's been my experience where I live - here we are expected to go to a gynecologist for everything gyne including smear tests, so all women have a gynecologist. Mine did as I described - I explained my symptoms and why I wanted HRT and she confirmed that no blood tests were necessary or particularly useful within the normal age range and with typical reported symptoms. She prescribed because I knew what I wanted, fit the profile for HRT to be useful and am not high risk for breast cancer.

Your periods don't have to have stopped completely for HRT to be useful.

This was me, GP put me on HRT (40 yo) even though my periods weren't as erratic, only a couple of days out here & there. My other symptoms were enough to give it a go. I'm on the oestrogen gel & utro capsules.

I'm 39 and got put on HRT patches and progesterone tablets last year. My periods were and still are all over the place so I'm being put on a combi patch from now on.
It helps to know when your Mum started the menopause as the doctor will likely want to know.
I got terrible headaches, pmt, clammy hands and feet. I now take collagen, macca root, starflower oil capsules and vitamin d