To think i might have started peri at 35 but doctors dont care/wont help?

[Peripop]

I think I might have started perimenopause years ago at 35, GP did a blood test of some description but it was normal so not pursued but the symptoms are getting me down so wondering whether to restart the conversation? No history of early menopause in family although maternal mother and grandmother had early hysterectomies. I take the POP back-to-back so no periods.

If this is peri....now what? Any cheering stories for me? 🥲

Yabu - you're just old/weird/knackered/other hormonal issues
Yanbu - go back to doctor

Symptoms:

High sex drive died overnight
Vaginal dryness
Crazy fatigue
Insomnia
Terrible anxiety
Waking up drenched in sweat to the point of having to change clothes
Intermittent aching joints
Stubborn weight gain despite decent diet, can work out every day for months and not lose a SINGLE lb! But if I slack on the diet, I can put on 3kgs in the blink of an eye.
Fat is concentrated on gut

The insomnia, anxiety and night sweats have lessened 3yrs on but i'm still fat and no libido or energy :(

I'm currently 37 and my peri symptoms started around 35. Women in my family have a long history of early menopause, which also increases my suspicions and strengthened my case with the doctor.

Thankfully, I had a GP who listened. I also got the blood tests but they showed nothing - because there is no blood test to detect perimenopause. All they can check is if you are in full menopause, which in clearly pointless in these instances.

My GP was willing to let me try HRT and gave me the oestrogen/progesterone patches (Evorel Sequi). Sadly, I am very susceptible to the effects of progesterone and I couldn't continue with the patches as the depression it caused for me was quite dark. (I really am very susceptible to it, I don't think that's the norm by any means). Because I have a uterus, I cannot take HRT that doesn't offer both hormones due to the risk of endometrial cancer with oestrogen only. So, HRT isn't a viable option for me.

I was offered oestrogen pessaries in the hope it would improve my libido if things were a bit more well lubricated. They're fine but they haven't improved my libido.

I was offered venlafaxine to combat my low mood and anxiety (this was decided to be the best option for this kind of medication, due to my concern that many of the more common meds (sertraline etc) causing weight gain. However, the side effects outweigh the benefits for me and I didn't feel I was so bad currently that I wanted to go down this path. For the moment any way.

So, not for lack of effort on the part of my GP, I am just plodding on with my peri symptoms, which are almost identical to your own.

My suggestion is to point out to the GP that there is no test for peri and that you want to try HRT/anti anxiety meds (assuming you do). Ask to be referred to the menopause clinic if they won't help you directly. In my experience you need to go in with a clear direction of what your goal is, as 'womens troubles' are a common issue that's often ignored by HCPs.

You may well have started. I had, and had my least period at 39. I'm not quite sure what a doctor taking it seriously would look like. They can't change it. Treat the symptoms I guess, as above. Keep a watch on you re osteopetrosis. But I think you will have to drive that. But if it helps I'm still very well now aged 63. No different in any respect to my peers and tbh much fitter than most of them.

@PersephonesPomegranate there are other progestogens, have you tried anything else except the combined patch? There is body identical progesterone, which a lot of women love (I'm not one of them), and the Mirena coil delivers a lower dose straight to your womb. I couldn't cope with progesterone at all at a low dose of oestrogen (I started on a 25 patch), better on a 50 patchbut still very difficult, and no problem on 100 patch. Until my progesterone was increased in line with new guidance for higher progesterone doses where there is a higher oestrogen dose. It's like progesterone and progestogens generally soak up too much of my oestrogen. Possibly I don't absorb oestrogen particularly well.

You can also use body identical progesterone vaginally, so it does its womb protection job without affecting the rest of your body. Unfortunately it made me need to wee constantly so not a viable option for me. I'm now on Duphaston, which is dydrogesterone, and I tolerate that better. I don't know if that's the same as what's in the combined patch. I think I could probably do 200mg body identical progesterone continuously but I can't do the 300mg cyclically required for perimenopause.

Anecdotally, I've seen women saying they take progesterone every 3 months and not every month, under strict medical supervision and with regular checks of their womb, as they can't tolerate any more than that but life was impossible with no hrt.

Apologies if you've explored all these options already.

@Peripop sounds exactly like peri to me.

A couple of my friends are in peri, one was 36 when her symptoms started, one was 39. Shouldn't a blood test show hormone levels? My friend went private for hers. Both of them say HRT has made a big difference.

Thanks for your honest replies, sounds like there may not be much hope for my libido...itd be nice to come off the pill and have no PMS or pregnancy worries though :)

I was the same with the doctor going “your very young” and me thinking, I bet im not. We just don’t talk about ALL the symptoms, so we wait for the hot flushes.

I’ve given up with the doctor and just suffer. I’m a good few years on so probably should revisit it.

@Peripop my libido came backon hrt, not like before but definitely back. Doctors love erratic periods and hot flushes as symptoms. Maybe come off the POP and see what your periods are doing.

I'm just a bit scared to come off the POP as I used to have horrendous PMS that held my career back, taking this back to back has just evened out my mood, and one of my fears about menopause was it making me so erratic I wouldnt be able to hold down my job 🙈

And thats leaving aside struggling to find contraceptive alternatives that work🤦‍♀️