Early menopause?

[yellowDahlia]

Cycle is usually 23-25 days but the past two periods have arrived at 17 days - first time it's ever been so short.

I could also list a variety of other, admittedly ambiguous, symptoms - bad skin, headaches (the kind that feel like my head's in a vice), palpatations (I've had these for years but seem a bit worse over recent months), low libido...I've had dry eyes for 2/3 years now and some other stuff which I would associate with my adrenal system.

So is this it do you think - official perimenopause? I'm 39 but have been expecting it for a while as my mum went through menopause in her early 30s. And should I go to the GP at some point? I feel ok generally but I suppose I'd like confirmation if it really is my hormones heading south.

Yes it sounds like perimenopause. Because of your age, it would be classed as early menopause.

I would have a chat with the GP about it. Women having early menopause are often advised to take HRT until the average age of menopause, not just for the symptoms, but to protect bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

Have a look at Menopause Matters for more info.

Thanks aginghippy I will definitely check it out. If it is perimenopause I'm keen to know more about it, especially the HRT aspect - as someone who's been avoiding hormonal contraception for years, I feel initially reluctant to consider this...

You can't compare the Pill and HRT.
The Pill is a large dose of synthetic hormones.
HRT is a much smaller dose of natural hormones the same as you'd normally have yourself. The key word is replacement.

Ok, looks like I really do need to do some reading as I didn't realise that! Thanks for the info PollyPerky. I think I'm going to wait a bit longer before I speak to the GP - it could just be that I've had two slightly shorter cycles and I'm jumping to conclusions. If the next one is short or different in some way I'll make an appt. I figure if it is as short as this one I'll only have to wait another couple of weeks anyway .

I'm feeling strangely relieved to think that this could be perimenopause - maybe because I've been expecting it (because of DM's history) or maybe because I'd be glad to have an explanation for some of my weird symptoms and simmering mid-life crisis