To beg other women to stop putting everything down to perimenopause

[CurdinHenry]

It's so undermining for female interests at every level

Everything is not menopause, ok?

A lot is perimenopause BUT not everything is perimenopause.

I'm glad to be in an era when it's spoken about more openly and I'm more aware of what's to come but I do get frustrated if I comment on something and a woman makes an assumption "that's perimenopause for you" No Susan, it's not, I just had too much coffee and a spicy lunch so my guts are off and I'm sweating my tits off for the same reason my teenage son is and that's because it's bloody boiling.

A friend of mine (same age) a few years ago on a weekend away rolled her eyes and was like "this perimenopause girls hey, we're all going through it" and I was just thinking "maybe for you but looking around this room, two of us are pregnant and I'm not there yet.

We’ve spent years fighting to have perimenopause and menopause recognised, understood and taken seriously, especially in the workplace. We’ve worked hard to break the stigma, challenge the taboo and make it easier for women to speak openly about their experiences without fear or embarrassment.

Are you now asking us to shut up again and go back to suffering in silence?

Disclaimer - Doctors should obviously not accredit every symptoms to peri

Are you a bloke?

A lot of health problems will be caused by or exacerbated by stress, cortisol, adrenal gland malfunction, lack of sleep, not eating a good diet, too much alcohol, not enough exercise, being overweight, not prioritising yourself enough. It can be hard to say whether hormones started it, but they sure as hell don't help at times.

It's quite hard to achieve Cinderella oestrogen, in particular. Too much is a problem. Too little is a problem.

Sounds like she needs different friends then rather than projecting it on the rest of us. This is not a wide issue.

I don't disagree tbf womens health is often put down to hormones or whatever but i don't think that is what the Op is concerned about.

Where's your evidence for this? If you think this is a troll report it and get on with it.🙄
The advance search suggests a married middle aged woman. She was asking the other day about if HRT protects womens brains, which is not the same question as this thread although someone up thread disagrees.

All of this exactly, the idea women can act badly and just say people have to put up with it because of menopause is terrible

But everything was menopause in my case. And taking HRT resolved everything.

Lucky you not having to deal with so many issues, but kindly stop minimising other women's experiences.

You’re not peri or menopausal then?

I'm almost certianly peri - so far it's usual gut issues round periods had since 20s - and shorter cycles.

I think too much in women health is dismissed or put under big labels - it could be peri or menpause or it could very well be something else. I knew several women who had pnd diagsoses after DC when actullay it was a thyroid condition which delayed tretament cuasing complications.

I think constant bagging on in work places in unhelpful - affected women should come under health protection and get indidual help - not assume all women in middle age will suffer all problems which does seem to be an increasing issue in media at least.

So while I think it's good it's not a hidden issues I personally don't think current situation is great either.

nice to know you're not affected by perimenopause. I've developed crippling anxiety and rage in my early 40s, as well as unexplained weight gain and insomnia. what would you put that down to?

As someone who is finding peri/menopause a real struggle after usually being so independent and capable as a hard worker and single parent, taking on new challenges and jobs with ease to suddenly not retaining any information and leaving my job, I picked up a leaflet by the Menopause Charity. They list these symptoms out of 34 possible symptoms-
Heart beating quickly or strongly
Feeling tense or nervous
Difficulty in sleeping
Muscle and joint pains
Loss of interest in most things
Attacks of anxiety or panic
Brain fog
Feeling tired or lacking in energy
Sweating
Feeling unhappy or depressed
Urinary symptoms
Vaginal dryness
Crying spells
Feeling dizzy or faint
Pressure or tightness in head
Parts of the body feel numb
Headaches
Excitable or irritable
Loss of feeling in hands or feet
Breathing difficulties
Hot flushes
Loss of interest in sex

I want to be the person I was but I feel nothing like that now. Youre a lucky person to get through it without any problems.

Agree.
But….. even with results that pointed to me having Hyperparathyroidism, (including the nuclear scan which only shows up for 60% of actual ‘growths’) the GP was happy to have an extended convo about how my symptoms would manifest with getting older!!!
I had to get stroppy & tell her ‘not all at once, & not progress so rapidly’ & had to refuse the meds (debatably effective) she wanted me to take to suppress PTH.
Before she gave in saying defensively “well I’m going to refer you (for removal op.) anyway!??” as if she shouldn’t have?

You're correct but it needs to be one part of the discussion.

@Catwalking - Ah - medical doctors and application of science / logic - this is another of my bugbears! Good for you for standing your ground!

I'll amend my opinion to better diagnostic tests AND diagnostic education for GPs and other specialists! You are quite right.

And how exactly are you supposed to know what is and what isn't? There is an incredibly long list of possible effects of perimenopause.

But really useful of you to explain to us all that 'not everything is' - not a man by any chance are you?

This.

Turns out some women are higher risk for having problems due to other health related things which are completely identifiable. So like other health conditions it's be really helpful for this information to be widely known.

The two together would make it much easier to identify those women who are likely to be most at risk and in need.

But this is far too logical and requires research. And no one gives enough of a shit about women to do this.

Not wanting to derail the thread, but how did you get a diagnosis CoffeeBooksRats?
I am in a similar position, but just told bloods are okay and maybe perimenopause or fybromyalgia

Yet HRT solved everything 😎

Beg all you like. We can attribute symptoms we didn’t previously have to peri if we like or if we know that’s what it is.

But a lot of things are down to it!

And it’s right that these are recognised.

We need to build a world where the female body and the changes it goes through both monthly and throughout its life are recognised and built into the fabric of life. Especially the workplace.

It’s not at all contrary to female interests to talk about this.

It’s only because you’re deeply rooted in a male way of thinking (“if women can’t cope with an entirely male focussed working life, then they’re too weak to be in the workplace”) that you think this.

So if you do beg for what you’ve suggested you’ll just look very silly.

Your thread title is as silly as the peak MN ridiculousness that was the woman (apparently) who wanted to “scream ‘close the schooools!’” when our children had already missed out on far too much education in the pandemic.

It will always stick in my mind for being a ludicrous thread title but luckily her arse was handed to her.

It's a bit overdone yeah. Peri is bad but I don't think it's the cause of absolutely every health problem in women over 40. I think many women get really burnt out around this age as well which doesn't help.

oh gosh yes, it has gone too far the other way now. The attention seeking "I am hitting the dreaded perimenopause now" No Brenda, you just turned 42. You are just not 20 anymore and you look like a 40 year old.

I see the goady twat has left us all to it