So don't be shy list your meno symptoms.....

[VivLevi]

Not just the well documented meno symptoms but the little things happening to you that you can only attribute to the peri/menopause years
So starting with the obvious....
Chronic early morning wakening up
The hot flushes
Bleeding gums
Hair thinning
What feel like period pains but no period ever appears
Aching back
Aching shoulders
Headaches that would rival any hangover
Constipation then loose stools the back to constipation
Dry mouth
Weird burning crawling sensations on skin
Really dry skin plus the odd crop of spots
Anxiety around stuff that would never normally bother you
Weight gain despite eating healthier than previously
Low tolerance to alcohol
Chin hair
Forgetting names and words mid sentence or using the wrong word
Despite being blonde sprouting some really thick black hair around my hairline.
Anything else?

Homicidal rage over trivial items
Itching, especially at night
Appetite fluctuations - from none to ravenous

I was going to write about random itching and then saw iklboo had already written it!

I have all of the above except no rage and currently having periods every 3 weeks..

My worst one at the moment is health anxiety. I ricochet from one terminal disease to the next, often with no break in the middle. Every ache or twinge I get “must be serious”, even though there are lots, they are completely random and all fit in exactly with peri menopause!

Hair went wavy overnight
Constipation and terrible terrible bloating
Spots went until HRT.
Zero libido (better with HRT)
Seriously hating my actually very nice DP. Just him though

That's around a two year gap before HRT. I thought I was going mad.

Jelly belly
Night sweats
Sore nipples (never has these before)
Weight gain
Heavy but very short periods
Headaches

Oh you poor things! My peri menopause didn't cause any of those symptoms except flushes and they weren't too bad. If I'd had those problems I think I would have tried to run away from it :-).

ALL OF THE ABOVE! All new to me, currently lying here unable to sleep, too hot under duvet, too cold out of it, so then itching and twitching all over. Also have become more outspoken, I don't seem to care about saying the wrong thing and upsetting people (I actually secretly quite like this new trait!)

Not Meaning to be smug but giving hope to others.

Nothing.

My periods went from monthly to 3 monthly, light, nopain then stopped.

I am a little impressed and a little surprised that you recognise these symptoms. How long did you experience these things to associate them with menopause. I tend to assume that random weirdness is just that and don’t put a label on it. Do these symptoms last to the extent that it becomes obvious that it is attributable to the menopause?

Not dismissing your experience , I am genuinely interested as I tend to just dismiss any symptoms as “one of those things” so it could be really helpful. Thank you

Dreadful joint pain, especially in shoulders, elbows, and ankles.
Cystic acne.
Insomnia - every morning I'm up between 3 and 4 without fail.
Hair has gone wavy when previously poker straight.
Libido vanished.
Weight gain.
Varicose veins.
Endo has worsened.
Dry eyes.
Hot flushes.

Yay!

@munchbunch

I hope my hair stays wavy now I've gone on HRT but maybe the oestrogen will straighten it again.

Im so glad you said the wavy hair. I absolutely think I'm mad for having such a 'symptom'.

Ooooh the itching!! Ffs !! When will it stop ?

Yes to curly hair - always been wavy but now mega curls.
Rages - come from nowhere driving is quite sweary these days

Doc confirmed I'm peri-menopausal through blood tests. I'd had most of the symptoms & thought I might be (experience with older female relatives). I was having tests for something else, mentioned symptoms so he stuck a hormone request on the form.

Homicidal rage. Yep.

Getting curly hair would definitely be a positive side to all this! Far better than dead straight fine hair 😁

The inability to stay asleep which gives ample time to ruminate and catastrophise and notice that backache (which is probably something sinister) while you forget what you were thinking just thirty seconds ago

Itching hair loss peeing every hour!! Plus the dreaded insomnia and feeling very low in confidence anxiety that stopped me driving after 30 plus years.Heightened sense of smell.Greasy hair.

That dry mouth, swallowing food, really seemed like a strange one until I read up on it. Then realized my tears and sweat felt sticky which was weird.

I was on mini pill til early this year to control flooding but ended up with one week on and one off periods. After I went off the pill I found I felt calmer and did not get so het up about things.

Where to start!

Weight gain - no amount of diet or exercise helped although now, almost two years in, am finally making progress and lost 6 kilos
Hot flushes and night sweats. (Sometimes even walking across a room makes me sweat.)
Change of body odour
Always being hot which came as a huge shock having been too cold my entire life
Inability to sleep more than 90 minutes a night
Memory fog and forgetting words, names and all sorts of things
Itchy skin (like there are hot ants crawling all over me)
Depression
Anxiety
Dry eyes
Everything aching, my joints in particular (some days I would crawl up the stairs)
Chronic headaches
No libido
Vagina drier than the Sahara
Digestion issues
Periods - went from a regular 26 day cycle to periods arriving either fortnightly or skipping a month
Dry mouth. I've also started to struggle swallowing supplements. I wonder if this is connected?
Complete loss of sense of self

Oh, and wetting myself which came as a huge shock given I've not had children

There's no way men would deal with any of this shit

Hot flushes for 5 days before going to the GP for HRT . In retrospect I’d been waking up @3am for a few months before - wasn’t hot on waking but after the HRT stopped waking at night so maybe I was flushing .

The moment I allow myself to sleep, hot flushes - this can be sat on the settee, or happily lying down reading in bed and switching the light off.

Change of body odour

Yes! I smell like grapefruit now when I sweat.

@StellaRockafella

That swallowing/dry mouth thing. It is all about the change in saliva viscosity apparently. I reckon that my sweat and tears have changed as well. Really sticky sweat.

Weird ankles when I first get out of bed in the morning. They just don't work and I have to hobble 10 steps or so before normality kicks in.