Tips for 48y mum with perimenopause

[yummyeclair]

Hi all, Thanks in advance for any tips to keep me sane/get energy as I think I am in perimenopause but funding I get tired so quickly plus all the usual symptoms. I am losing my sense of humour whilst juggling DS 1 7y,ears , DS2 6 years DM 82 & work part-time with DH in family business and he is noticing my mood swings and I seem to have much less patience with DC. Just Can't to manage to do essential daily stuff and feeling overwhelmed. Any pratical help yourself tips in how to get through this phase will be aporeciated.

Bump

Hrt! Best tip ever

Fucky, any tips on convincing doctor I am in perimenopause as test came back negative last year?

Hello everyone, the OP has asked that we move this over to the Menopause topic, so we'll be doing that shortly. Thanks!

Bump

Blood tests are unreliable unless you are having a premature menopause (under 45) or are already post meno (usually over 555) which is why NICE has advised GPs not to do them (see NICE menopause guidelines 2125) but to go by the woman's symptoms. Yet another example of a GP not having a clue :(

So, go and list your symptoms as you have here and if necessary print off the relevant part (Diagnosis) from the NICE report - all online, easily found.

If your Gp remains useless, see another one.

555! LOL
55!

Hi OP. I am 45 and although I am not there yet, my dear, dear friend had an early menopause at 42 and my sister in law is currently slam bang in the midst of it. She is 45.

At 45, I have 3 kids, my youngest are 7 and 3 and it's so wonderful but it is tough because our bodies are changing in our mid-late 40s, our careers can change/stagnate at this age, and this can also be the case for our partners.Combined with this, we have the responsibility and the worry of our elderly parents. So not only are our bodies out of balance, life in general can be off-kilter. Lots of change! And then we're managing our own family's daily needs.

Both my friend and sister in law have said that anti-depressants and HRT helped them loads. You can talk to your GP about taking one or the other, or possibly both depending on the severity of your symptoms.

I think anything to help us get through this patch in our lives is worth it! Why suffer?

Good luck!

There is actually a bit of a drive to get women off ADs when what they need is HRT. In the past far too many women going through peri meno were medicated with ADs which NICE says now are NOT the right treatment for menopausal issues. It's a real shame that so many women were misprescribed. If someone is clinically depressed and it's def not hormonal, fair enough, but if it starts with peri it is recommended to treat with estrogen; this is the current medical advice.
ADs just blunt emotions - they don't deal with issues and they don't restore estrogen.

Pollyperky and Thevanguardsix that's very helpful information. Just wondered if anyone has used just oestrogen patches or is it better to try HER straight away ?

The tiredness is a nightmare

I’m 45 & started having symptoms- fuzzy head, word finding difficulties, occasional light bleeds out of synch with periods, mood swings.

I have found swimming helps & I have started taking viridian 40+ supplement.

I agree its all happening at once just when the children were becoming more straightforward

Interested to hear other suggestions 😊

Lie down in the dark with a bottle of Gin?

Word finding difficulties? That’s a menopause ‘thing’? That’s quite a relief, I was worried it was an losing my marbles!

I’m getting waves of heat, tired all the time, don’t sleep too well and worrying that my libido is on the wane.

Will HRT sort all of that out? Are there any downsides to hrt?