Perimenopausal ?? Please help I'm going mad

[ChocolateChangesEverything]

Am I perimenopausal ?

I am going through a divorce, not has sex in a couple of years so can't have any kind of infection etc.

I have (what I have concluded this week) are ovulation pains, really bad. Last a couple of days, burning pain - twice I thought I had appendicitis! Now I have twigged always mid-cycle and same pain. My boobs hurt too (like when first pregnant), discharge at this time is inoffensive but heavy. Bad back, aches and pains.

My periods are becoming more and more irregular - I was always 28 days. Sometimes one every 2 months now. Then 2 weeks. When they do come they are HEAVY! 8 tampons in one day was the record.

I haven't been on the pill for years but I am wondering if I should? If it would help even this out? Does anyone know the age limit or if it is even a good idea?

I haven't even described the emotional roller coaster I feel I am on. I feel utterly hormone dependent at the mo - it seems to control me.

I have tried to see/speak to my GP ... No appointments for over 2 weeks and they are not booking after that!

Thank so so much. Sorry if TMI!

What age are you?

Hi. I can sympathise with you. I am 44 and going through perimenopouse. As I had breast cancer and subsequently chemotherapy 5 years ago I knew that my menopause would come early. I , like you, have been having irregular periods with a lot of discomfort , breast tenderness, pain in what feels like my left ovary and constant pms. To top it off , my last periods lasted 5 weeks !!! And was havier than normal. My doctor prescribed me some tablets and that stopped the bleading. I was also told that the scan ( had that done last year) showed that I have 2 fibroids and tilted womb and that is what could be causing the back pain ( have that as well). Fibroids also can cause heavy and irregular bleeding. Because of my cancer I was told that I can not take hormones, an only option is would be a coil and I am not going there. I think you ought to ask you GP for a scan and take it from there.

I'm 44. 2 DC's. Haven't been on the pill for at least 10 years. I never had any problems when I was on it for years and years. Microgynon though so old school style pill I think?

I did have a scan a few months ago when the (mid cycle) pain was bad. They thought it could be a cyst - but it was clear.

Ovulation pain is just something that dawned on me! Always mid cycle, always same side (I only have one fallopian tube after surgery years ago. The pain always goes after couple of days. But this could go in for years if perimenopausal couldn't it?! Wouldn't going on the pill help?

yvonne that sounds horrible. And crap you can't take anything. Can you try high dose evening primrose or something else herbal?

I would definitely consider going on the pill.

I am going to soldier on and see what happens, my youngest son is only 7 and I refuse to let it control me. It is a damn nuisance though.

Yvonne. I think I am just in a tough patch, soldiering on is probably good advice for me too.

Evening primrose oil will do nothing. The Royal College of Gynaecologists has produced a fact sheet on which herbal products help- looking at all research- and EPO isn't one of them.

You'd be better off on the Pill to stop ovulation if that's the real issue.

Also, if you're not already, making some changes to lifestyle are really important at this time - so healthy eating, dump the junk food, cut back on booze, and take exercise. Boring but it works!

Hi, not sure if this is a way of cheering you up (!) but 8 tampons a day (thru the menopause) isn't that much (I know!) on a heavy day. I had to switch to night time sanitary towels during the day and my periods swung from 2 1/2 wks to 6 wks and back - totes normal. In the end I went back on the pill Microgynon!!! It basically keeps your periods more-or-less to "the norm" altho you do have heavier periods whilst taking the pill, its not "flooding" - sorry to be specific! As long as you haven't got high blood pressure your GP will probs agree for you to have it.

That's really interesting polly. Was there anything herbal that did work?

Thanks gerty can I ask how old you were taking the pill? Is there an age limit do you think?

There was very little herbal stuff that worked - you can read the report by googling the search terms.

Thank you polly

polly If I have read that report right it seems to be just hot flushes that EPO is no help with.

I thought EPO was only used for breast pain and even then it's not certain it works. I'm not sure what your post meant- did you mean all the other herbs work for peri except EPO - or that EPO oil worked for other peri symptoms but not hot flushes?

This is the report.

The statement means that EPO is not effective for hot flushes but also not effective for any meno symptoms- if it was, it would be listed in this paper as 'effective' under one of the other headings.

This

Thanks. Yes - that's the one I read, I just saw the Heading of 'Treatments that do not work' and saw it said EPO was no good for hot flushes, I assumed it meant that it helped other symptoms. I will re-read!!

Chocolate, could you have an ovarian or uterine cyst?

Have you had a scan?

I'd push for a referral to a gynae for a pelvic sonogram at your gps appointment.

Yes, I had a scan a few months ago, by the time the appt came the pain had gone, they said the egg had been released and I came on the next day! They said no cysts. And now I think about it the pain was mid-cycle, as always, I'm sure now (from what I've googled) ovulation pain.

Sorry delay replying, working late every night! Dear ChocolateChangesEverything - I was on Micrgynon til 52. AS LONG AS you have totes normal blood pressure (or even better, slightly lower than the norm) and no issues like random breast lumps etc etc it makes your life so much easier! Just to say I was the one read about staying on the Pill thru the menopause and approached my GP because I had awful periods throughout my life and she agreed! It doesn't mean you avoid heavy periods, or those weird random 2 wk gaps then another period (yeah, I know it sounds odd but nature sometimes insists and overrides the Pill!) however generally I had the best menopause of all my friends!

Sorry CholocateChangesEverything I forgot to reply to your other comment! Yes through the menopause me and my friends did get MORE ovulation "pains" - its as though nature is saying Can I Have One Last Go Please?!!!! I was the only one of my pals took the Pill thru the menopause but all of us got these mid-cycle "pains"! And thinking about it, I think it IS nature - you often read of women in the menopause stage falling pregnant, often for the first time!

Oops I forgot to emphasise EVEN THO I was on the Pill throughout the menopause yes I did get ovulation pains!!! We all know how the Pill works but I got them just a little bit milder than my pals. Like I said before, nature is defo a FORCE to contend with! Also, I don't want to appear to insult anyone here at all (promise you) but "eating healthier" is rollox - it does nil to help thru the menopause - menopause is hormonal and nothing else - hence the Pill helped me so much. Also at the very beginning I tried Evening Primrose Oil but my breasts went a bit solid as tho they were preparing to breast-feed! I immediately stopped the supplement and they went back to normal. Hoping this all helps!