Issues ‘down there’ - perimenopause or something else?

[TheYouYouAre]

Originally posted this in women’s health but not much traction and I’m getting desperate with these symptoms!

I’m age 40, and all these symptoms appeared roughly around the same time, about 6 months ago:

Piles or rectocele (I think?) Fresh blood when wiping after poo. Feels grazed just inside entrance. GP couldn’t see anything. Poo samples came back normal.

Thrush-like itchiness and sometimes discharge a day or two after sex. Happens almost every time. Lube makes no difference. Same partner for 20 years. Never had any issues like this before. Vaginal dryness?

Increased spotting in days before period. Period a bit more watery than it used to be.

Absolutely zero sez drive. Until 6 months ago was a healthy medium drive.

Estrogen levels are the same as they were 3 years ago.

So far GPs approach has been ‘tests are fine. Come back if it persists’. Should I ask for a referral, and who to? Feels like there’s several issues going on and I’m not sure which route is best to pursue.

Around 39 I had similar issues with soreness during sex, low libido, thrush etc. along with other peri symptoms like hot flushes, itchy skin, eye floaters and my periods stopped for several months. My GP diagnosed vaginal atrophy and gave me oestrogen pessaries which have helped however it’s still very painful. It sounds like the peri menopause. Did they mention anything they could give you? I’m not on HRT (yet!) but I doubt that will help with vaginal atrophy

I went to the GP with some of these symptoms and got sign posted to sexual health clinic. I was initially rather annoyed at this as I had said it is definitely not an STI. I went along anyway and they were actually great with me and did a few tests. No STI but I did have BV, thrush and lichen sclerosis, they treated all and told me to come back if any symptoms come back.

The first GP I saw dismissed menopause connection because of my age so no mention of HRT or pessaries. I’m going to go back to rule out STI, but then will ask about hormonal treatments.

They did a blood test and said my hormone levels were fine but the atrophy coupled with my other symptoms (the list of which seems to be growing as the days go on🤦🏽‍♀️) couldn’t really be anything else. Keep pestering them and tell them how much it’s affecting your life

I was told by my GP that blood tests for hormone levels in perimenopause are useless, because your hormones fluctuate so much. They just look at symptoms.

I've had a bunch of weird symptoms including some similar to you OP, since my late 30s. Am now mid 40s and finally started on HRT after having many random things investigated over those years, with never any cause found.

Try a different, female doctor. The hormone tests are useless they told me as everyone’s fluctuate so much they don’t tell a story.
she said to me the only way to see if HRT work help was to try it, if after 3 months it made no difference then come off it.
i didn’t have the same symptoms as you but the sentiment remains the same.
id also push for some more tests, a scan of your womb and ovaries just to put your mind at rest.
sounds like you may have piles going on too? Get a proper examination, essentially the works! You don’t deserve to just put up with these symptoms x