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.

For me flushes and re-emergence of migraines but in a new form, came first. Flushes gradually increased in intensity and frequency over a five year period until they were seriously impeding me and I also developed brain fog, deep pain in my hips and knees particularly in bed at night and bladder problems over that time and started HRT at 45. Looking back I can remember I was always covered in bruises around that time - I got clumsy and would bump into/bounce off of things.

Few years on and my periods are still fairly regular - lots of build up as someone else said though with just dark spotting/old blood for days before proper bleeding starts. Occasionally I have 2 periods with only about ten days in between.

About a year ago my sleep became really poor and anxiety hit hard. For the last 6 or 7 months my heart has been crazy, palpitations, waking in the night with my heart doing 120bpm, breathlessness and pounding head when I walk upstairs or get flustered and a general increase in my resting heart rate.

My oestrogen has had to be put up twice. HRT helps with flushes and aches and pains but has done nothing for my sleep or palpitations and anxiety and the exhaustion I feel. Have tried sleeping tablets, off label use of antidepressants etc but nothing stops the sleep problems.

Seriously hoping that having such an early, long, drawn out peri means once periods stop and I'm menopausal I will be fine.

My flushes were just from my head - my face and scalp - mortifying and I was at the end of my 30s when it started so peri did not occur to me. I can remember thinking I had that thing where you sweat too much and buying expensive and horrible chemical sweat block wipe things and using them on my face.

I've never had a night sweat (yet)

I never noticed it other than periods stopping abruptly.

@JudgeJ I think you're very lucky there TBH, most women have some unpleasant symptoms.

The menopause seems to have become the favourite topic, even advertising for shampoo uses it, it's not as though it's a new thing!

Perimenopause is the new thing to go on about more (no offense to any who are enduring it.) Even women in their early/mid 30s claiming to have it, to justify obesity. I think the only way to truly diagnose peri would be a hormone test maybe, if that works, or egg reserves or something. Otherwise we have thousands of people claiming to have it who probably don't.

The symptoms/individual conditions the woman is experiencing could be treated in themselves.

Blood tests can’t diagnose peri or menopause, as PPs have said. That’s because hormone levels fluctuate so much during a cycle. The only reason blood tests might be performed in the context of perimeno would be to rule out other causes of the symptoms.

Ah ok, that makes it even more like one of those conditions with no physical evidence that it's happening.

My mum had actual menopause around my age.

Well yes, apart from the physical evidence being described by the woman! That’s why I would want every woman who is suffering in this stage to get a decent GP or Practice Nurse who recognises that a set of symptoms in a female patient of er 45 justifies prescribing HRT. Same symptoms for a woman under 45 might also warrant HRT, but a blood test might be performed to rule out thyroid issues/deficiencies etc.

Does hrt not always stop symptoms then? That’s worrying 😫

Perimenopause is the new thing to go on about

For many it's the shitest part.

It also didn't exist on the nhs website till Davina aired her programmes. I spent a while really not sure if it 'was a recognised thing' - which matters as from my understanding it was menopause that caused the issues, and the common age for that is 51. I was 42.

When it was finally explained to me (I think on the Newson website) I realised that was probably what I was struggling with, as it can last 4-10 years before the last period. And the last period can be 45-54 as a normal range; 51 the average. But you only know with hindsight

It may have been there before but noticed that my medical notes now have the label "perimenopause disorder" next to the notes for when I had a review.

So I do think there's a big wave of awareness and everyone is discussing it. The capitalising of it is crap. But awareness is good.

@waterlego Obviously if it was something like hot flushes or whatever that's different. HRT is upto the individual woman and her doctor I guess, as there are risks involved.

Some younger women are claiming to have peri when they just have lifestyle related illnesses, or depression for instance. These illnesses could be treated in their own right.

Awful anxiety, which I had never suffered from before. Insomnia. Painful ankles, especially in the mornings. Periods also got much heavier and closer together, although a mirena coil has sorted that.

@OldFan you seem to accept hot flushes are caused by peri and HRT is OK, but that 'related illnesses' (not sure what you mean) and depression should be treated using other medication.

The posts on here should make it clear that mood changes are a primary early symptom of peri. Hot flushes actually come much later for most.

I went to the GP with anxiety as my main symptom, but also to a lesser extent new PMT, insomnia, shorter periods, dry skin, no libido, migraines before my period etc etc. I'd had these symptoms from 39 or possibly earlier. Went to GP at 40. I was told it was just anxiety as I was too young to be perimenopausal and prescribed sertraline which was a shit show.

2 years later I was given HRT which alleviated the anxiety and every single one of my 'related illnesses'.

Separate treatment (anti depressants, migraine meds, moisturiser, sleeping tablets etc) work, if they work at all, on the symptoms not the cause and, for me and many perimenopausal women, are not a rational solution when HRT alone can be so effective.

Migraines almost on a weekly basis. Have never suffered from migraines in my life until I hit peri.

I promise I'm not some weirdo, but does anyone else get itchy pubes? I'm single and haven't had sex in what feels like forever, so it can't be anything like that.

A good Gp should screen for thyroid issues and might check a couple of other things.

Hrt acted like an anti depressant - I even had similar crazy dreams for the first few weeks before really good sleep.
I did then go backwards as I seemed to go rapidly down hill after a few months and also a bad covid infection- unsure if they're related. I've slowly had to increase over many months to begin to get to a good level symptom and blood wise.

There are a couple of anti depressants that do help with Hot flushes and sleep which women who can't take hrt can use. Do they do work - but hrt is protective for many other late life illnesses

Gps are given incentives to hand out anti depressants which has been another factor there.

My periods stopped dead when I was 50. No erratic patterns. I was regular as clockwork then it was just over. I got off lightly as the only thing I remember that year was exhaution. Using every opportunity to nap. Apart from that I didn't have sweats, insomia or a lot of symptoms described by many other women. I know I'm very lucky.

@JMSA yes

Anger
Palpitations
Sore gums

But it took me a while to join the dots!

How can we join dots when the symptom range is huge!

I had a flash head to toe of intense heat, so inch so I was throwing off clothes.
Is that peri? Or an infection. Who is knows.

I think I'm entering peri menopause too. I'm 40, over the last year my cycle has gone bonkers. Sometimes I get two periods a month and then other times I can go a few months without one. I'm getting serious blind rage, just pure white hot anger and irritability couples with intrusive thoughts and genuinely feeling really depressed (I'm on fluoxetine and have been since my daughter was born in 2020). I get headaches and feel dizzy and sometimes exhausted even if I've slept well. I've had bloods done and a scan and all they've found is a tiny tiny fibroid. Just had my contraceptive implant removed to see if that helps.

Can anyone with itchy skin describe how these symptoms manifest in you?

Mine started 4-5 years ago. The underlying causes of this can be serious, so I went through a few batteries of blood tests to rule out impaired kidney/liver function. These are okay, and there's nothing anyone can tell me as to the cause of the itching. Perimenopause is the only (unexplained) reason left.

It's worse on my hands - which started coming out in hives at first - and on the soles of my feet: again that can be an ominous sign but I've had this checked.

I was checked numerous times in pregnancy for cholestasis of the liver, as the soles of my feet itched horribly too (I also developed urticaria of pregnancy). But it wasn't that, so has to be hormonal.

Sometimes my shins itch. It's usually my hands and feet. To @JMSA - yes, I've had itching in the groin area but to a lesser extent than above (and I shave!)

It's worse around my menstrual cycle and I have to control it with Loratadine.

I'd be interested to know if others have experienced something similar, as despite the negative tests I'm still quite concerned about this.