To ask what was the first sign you had that you were entering menopause?

[OldFan]

Just wondered really as I think I might be getting it IDK.

Hope you no longer have shame. It was good that people worried about you. And the flooding can be very extreme.

The flooding for me in my late 20's. I was living in another country and had no idea at all that flooding was a peri-menopause symptom. Thank god it is discussed now. By my mid-30's I was infertile having gone through undiagnosed early menopause.

Age 50 too busy with a 7 year old special needs son to notice anything else!

It is very interesting how many posters are mentioning anxiety. I think it's been mentioned more than any other symptom, and yet it's always further down the list than, say, hot flushes and insomnia. I think mood swings and "the rage" are well documented, but less so anxiety.

I wonder if it's prevalence is a more recent thing? Life is more stressful these days, so perhaps that's why? Something to do with the modern diet? I never realised my anxiety was peri-related until my GP suggested it.

Hot flushes

Forgot my main symptom. Ridiculous excessive under arm sweating. Like it’ll be dripping off my elbow on to the floor on a mild day while I’m standing still and one smelly arm pit. This is the one I hate the most. Makes me so self conscious

My periods started going wonky

Twelve years ago I looked at the calendar and said to myself “wow! It’s been that long since I had a period?” And that was it.

I take Evening Primrose Oil ( from the vitamin and supplement section in the store) for eczema. It’s actually marked “for women’s health”, so I suspect that’s why I never had hot flashes or anything

Periods (were never reliable anyway) went even more wonky for ~6 months, then stopped. Nothing else changed.

Can i ask how anxiety manifested for those if you who are saying anxiety? Sorry to ask on your thread op, am just wondering if my anxiety has got worse or if its the same as others saying anxiety here.

I haven’t had it confirmed I’m peri, but I’m mid 40s and every day feels quite hellish

-It started with anxiety and panic attacks
-developed very dry skin when my skin had always been oily
-itchy skin, especially at night

• hot flushes for 2 years so bad I would go out in current temperatures in a t-shirt

-thinning hair -rage -loss of interest in most things -mood swings -fatigue. -palpitations -headaches -dizziness -brain fog. My forgetfulness is on another level. -heavy periods one month, light non existent ones the next. -I used to like people, but apart from my DC, people just irritate the hell out of me. I feel like I’m not the same person anymore.

I've been waking up wringing wet in the mornings for nigh on a decade. I developed almost intolerable skin itching about 4 years ago, blood test can't explain the cause so it only really leaves peri menopause as the reason. It's bad enough that I have to control it with antihistamines. My cycle has now shortened to around 21 days from about 32. Alas, I am regular as clockwork still.

I really hope they will stop.

Perimenopause - debilitating anxiety around the age of 43 along with periods getting heavier and exhaustion.

I'm 48 and in the last year experienced weight gain, more anxiety (less debilitating but more frequent), a change in frequency and length of periods, general intolerance towards other people. Zero libido.

How can you tell if you are peri menopausal if you are on the mini pill?

Hot flushes, night sweats, time between periods shortened, forgetfulness and general dizziness (but that was the case before anyway 🤣)

Periods became heavier, sometimes flooding, then sometimes missed one altogether, was sure I was pregnant one time.

Dry eyes, could not wear my contact lenses anymore, and had a horrible dryness..sex became painful and almost impossible.

It started at age 37 with hot flushes and night sweats. Had to put a towel under myself most nights as the sheets were soaking.

Periods stopped totally at about 47, suppose that was quite early.
Also I lost my mojo, I just did not feel right, wish I had started the HRT earlier. It has fixed everything for me.

Sad that my husband started shagging the available very young and impressionable very very much younger version of me..our marriage is now over.

I have a gel which you smear on your arms or legs, and a tablet at night time now.
I had nobody to talk to about these things back then, would have dealt with everything much better if I had more knowledge about what was happening to me. Looking for Mr.Right 😁

Great idea for a post x

Lying awake not being able to get up sleep, didn't realise until much later that that was a sign of menopause.
Also had dry eyes, anxiety , perhaps a tad more intolerant although tbf I think that's with just cause! Extremely heavy periods( flooding) body aches and sometimes heart palpations. I have escaped hot flushes though! Just to say they didn't all happen at same time but I went through stages of experiencing one or two symptoms before moving onto another .

Night terrors, clumsiness/dropping things, forgetting what I was talking about mid sentence, the hot flushes came later. Oh and it started when I was 28, not fun 😔

I was clueless that stuff I was experiencing was menopause related until I started chatting with friends. Itchy skin, aching feet, brain fog and painful sex. Just thought it was life … went to GP about something totally unrelated , she asked the questions and I came out ready to start HRT. That was 18 months or so ago and I haven’t looked back - I had ten days recently where I had to stop taking HRT and , my word , I knew about it!

Emotions all over the place

My period didn't happen one month. I've never been late in my life. I did a pregnancy test and it was negative. Felt a bit confused. Shortly after I started getting hot flushes and feeling anxious and generally awful.

Mine was just clockwork regular periods becoming regular and more frequent. Then some hot flushes, then periods becoming less frequent. I haven't had a period for over 2 years now, still have some hot flushes but nothing else, I'm one of the lucky ones.

I didn’t. But the brain fog and insomnia should have given me a clue

My comment above was in response to newforest1

So glad I came across this thread. Very interesting & enlightening.
Suffered a bout of anxiety yesterday which took me by surprise. Along with a fairly recent realisation that I have become extremely intolerant particularly in my work situation (to the point I am just not speaking & keeping the rage inside!!!). Ive not really linked this to menopause (I’m 56), I have a mirena coil which was fitted for awful periods about 7 years ago & this has been a blessing & masked some symptoms I think. Time for some research I think!!

If it is due to peri menopause, does the crippling anxiety, impending doom etc go away once you start taking HRT?

Not wanting to shag my gorgeous husband every day. Once a week is fine now.