What were you’re first peri menopause symptoms?

[Fancycrab]

Sorry, not AIBU but I was unsure where to put it and wanted replies! I’m 43 and I think peri menopause has begun 😱 my period has started being 4-5 days early and occasionally late and last month it was a whole 10 days late! It’s been pretty regular all my life. For the past year I’ve also been getting night sweats starting about a week before my period every night till the end of my period, but now I’m getting them inbetween too and in the last few days I think I’m getting hot flashes. I feel boiling hot and start sweating but it can last for 1 or 2 hrs, not the few minutes I thought it was supposed to? I kind of just feel hot all the time. I didn’t think all these symptoms would start so early, my mum didn’t go through the menopause til her early 50s so if this is peri is it going to be like this (and get progressively worse) till the actual menopause starts, potentially when I’m 50?!

I was 42 when my peri started, though I'd never heard of the term at the time! I also didn't equate my symptom with the menopause or peri at the time. My one and only symptom at the time was I'd get severe sweats whenever I exerted myself. I would be soaking and my hair wet. At the time it was summer and I put it down to that.
If you are starting early, can I be so rude as to ask if you started your periods early? I was asked that by a lady in the NHS doing reasearch. She seemed to think there might be a link. I was 11 when my periods began.

These are all very young i thought it only started in your 50s?? I'm getting bad sleep in my late 40s though i thought it was the kids

I'm late 40's now and for the past 6yrs, my periods have gone from a very regular 32 day cycle to now a regular 26day cycle. Period seems a day shorter to what it was previously too. That was my 1st sign.

In the last 3yrs I haven't always slept well and feel stiff and achy most mornings.

The last year, my hair feels much thinner than before, but not patchy and doesn't seem to be coming out any more than before. I'm obese, and I'd read that menopause can start later due to the excess fat and hormones. I'm on mounjaro and so far lost 10kg, so expect symptoms to ramp up at some point.

Clumsiness. Itchy ears. Gum disease. Then all encompassing rage. I should have gone in HRT, I was stupid. My symptoms were debilitating.

Perimenopause starts in mid 40's for many, even earlier for some. Menopause just means you've had a year with no periods.

Exhaustion and total brain fog. I thought I was getting early onset dementia. Also digestive issues. The exhaustion was like I had at times during pregnancy. You can’t push through. It floors you.

This! I’ve just turned 50 and my periods have recently gone from 23 day to 30 day cycles but the itchiness, especially inner ears, has been a year or two now. Drives me mad!

Feeling anxiety at approx 2pm every day. Pouring with sweat every morning when putting my makeup on. Fatigue. Suddenly finding it hard to spell words and remember nouns, saying the wrong words. Constant congestion in my nose. Periods a few days closer together, then suddenly 10 days late. Fatigue. Stopping caring about things that used to be important. Evil RSI in my right wrist and elbow. Dry, weeping eyes. Balance problems and walking into doorways. Waking every night at 2am. Fatigue.

HRT resloved the night waking and sudden anxiety cycle, sweating and dry eyes. The fatigue and brain fog doesn't completely stop tho, but i can cope with it.

Do you ever feel light headed or faint with the hot flushes ?

Night panic attacks similar to to pregnancy

Waking up at 3am full of existential dread and irrational fear. Periods went squiffy; I have 1 day and 1 night of heavy bleeding then it tapers quickly. Head rush when getting out of the car. Blood pressure and cholesterol going up. Aching joints.

And that was just the beginning...😁

I got stinky pits, I was sleeping poorly, craving carbs, hayfever was way worse and my periods (previously you could have set your watch by them, every 28 days to the hour) went to anything between a 19-23 day cycle and were ridiculously heavy, to the point I was reluctant to leave the house.

HRT has helped loads, it’s not been a cure all though and it took a long while to hit the right dose/combo.

Rage. Unexplainable rage.

and itching….oh the itching! Was horrendous before HRT.

It’s taken a few years for hot flushes to be a symptom for me.

I had terrible dry eyes during the summers when I was 45-48. Had no idea it was a peri symptom until I was 50 when I started researching the menopause.
I saw my optician when I was 46 and she didn’t mention any connection to hormones. I was so worried my vision was deteriorating.
It’s pretty shocking how little is known about the suite of symptoms.

I'm 42 and about 1 year into insomnia (helped a bit by magnesium) and 6 months into absolutely bonkers periods. My cycle used to be almost 6 weeks and I can have 3 periods in 7 weeks now. My mum never had any of this shit and just sailed though in her 50s.

Not feeling like myself and severe rage.

Frozen shoulder, other aching joints, lack of sleep and struggling to speak/forgetting words.

I think my first symptoms were a loss of confidence and a feeling that I just didn't know who I was & what i wanted. This also coincided with being an empty nester so it wasn't obvious. Also it was about 10 years ago when peri menopause was just being talked about so we were all a bit clueless 🙈

Edit: I should have said i was late 40's when my symptoms started but wasn't post menopause until 57. In that time I'm pretty sure I had 90% of the symptoms listed. I'm on HRT & back to normal!

Started around age 41 with very dry eyes and itchy skin around ears, jaw and rib cage. Probably bad sleep too but I had a 1year old terrible sleeper at the same time so…

Then came joint pain in hips and ankles, weight gain, and at 46 also frozen shoulder. And thinning hair.

Started HRT in January this year (a few months before 48) and while it’s not a silver bullet it has improved the dry eyes, joint and shoulder pain and itchy skin (though they’re not gone completely)

HRT protects against osteoporosis and dementia, there are lots of reasons to look into starting it sooner rather than later.

Vaginal dryness for me and itchy nipples

Rage and brain fog

Erratic and beey heavy periods, rage, brain fog, awful sleep, intolerance to alcohol, feeling just "off", aching joints, itchy skin, palpitations, fear of driving. Most of these were sorted out by HRT. I am now feeling like myself again after mirena coil to sort out periods (havent had one for 9 months now), 3 pumps of oestrogel a day and 100mg utrogestan per day at night. I am almost 44 and feel better than I have in years, although the first GP I saw dismissed me and said I needed antidepressants. I persisted until I was listened to.

If you go on HRT, does it still get finished in the same time, or only delay things. Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I'm not there yet, but want to know.
Because if people have symptoms, might as well try HRT, but if it's only kicking it down the road (not everyone stays on it for ever), then is it worth it just to have to cope with going through it at an older age?

Periods have been all over the place for the past six years (I'm 49). I will quite often skip a month and then get two within three weeks.

Headaches before my period starts. Never had these before my forties.

Nobody's mentioned urinary incontinence yet? As soon as I feel the urge I need to run to the toilet, and even then I don't always get there in time. Occasional leakage when I sneeze. I thought I might avoid this by never giving birth, but nope.

Empowering rage.