Can you be in peri and still have regular periods?

[RhodaCamel]

I’m 47 and over the last few years I haven’t been feeling great. I can tick off so many peri symptoms. However, my last gp said that as I still have regular periods and that I don’t suffer from regular hot flushes then I am not in peri and he offered me antidepressants instead. I have changed my gp but she is basically saying the same.
But I feel like crap.
Will I only be classed as being in perimenopause once my periods start acting up and I am having flushes/night sweats?

Maybe I should have listed my symptoms:
Major (and I mean major anxiety)
Depression
Awful digestive symptoms (all tests came back clear)
Restless nights and keep waking
Fatigue
Very heavy periods (due to uterine polyps)
Aura migraine first few days of period
Hot during the night a week before period
Bad Pms before period (never used to suffer)
Achy all over at times
Vaginal dryness
No sex drive
Dry/itchy skin...................

So ... first of all .... who is to say your periods are regular and you are not having hot flushes ( easy way out)

And, yes, you can be in peri and very much helped by hrt

For me it helped most with my anxiety
My gp was v supportive and told me there are no extra risks if you take it before 50

It helped a lot. My periods were totally regular, but heavier.

Not everyone has symptoms before menopause anyway! Some women have basically no issues whatsoever.

The doctors are being ridiculous. Bodies don’t all conform to particular rules. That’s part of what makes medicine such a challenging occupation.

Yes, you can have regular periods, and I highly suggest you avoid AD's. You don't need those, you need HRT. HRT is a lifesaver and gave me my life back. Like you, I had unbearable anxiety, which I had never had in my life. When I started HRT, it was gone almost instantly.

How do I get HRT is she won’t acknowledge that I’m in peri? She wants me to try the antidepressants but I really don’t want to. I’m going to have to pay to see someone privately 🙄

Have you suddenly started getting night sweats OP?

I went private, op, because most gp's are totally useless when it comes to peri. It's outrageous how ignorant most of them are.

Yes. Im 50 and was getting a period every month. I asked to go in a back to back pill and i stll get a light period once a month 😭

I have regular periods, same age as you and I've definitely been peri menopausal for a few years, my skin has changed, im drier, erm everywhere, I suffer from regular UTI's and never got these previously, I have night sweats but I wouldn't call these hot flushes as such more like soaking wet sweats that wake me up once or twice a month. I am more anxious than I used to be and my sleep isn't as good, I get muscle twitches and palpitations, omg the list is endless.

My periods have changed in that they are heavier, sometimes shorter cycles but I still get one every month.

I think time gp is being ridiculous

Your gp....bloody autocorrect!

I’m just starting on hrt at 42 with regular periods. I don’t get hot flushes but do get night sweats. However there are so many other symptoms.

I had similar issue about 5 yrs ago. Wanted to go back on the pill due to crippling pmt (looking back was probably peri then) and GP wanted to put me on ADs. I convinced her to let me try the pill again first and it worked. Unfortunately I then started to get aura migraines so came off it after 2 years and did start ADs which were brilliant for the PMT.

Hoping I can come off them once hrt works.

If you can afford it (£250) book an appointment at Newson Health clinic - google it. You don’t have to live local to them, you can have a telephone or virtual consultation. They can prescribe items and even send the actual HRT to you. They write to your own GP and hopefully from then on you should be able to get the items on the nhs. I have just done this myself - I am 39 and early peri due to autoimmune conditions. Really rate them. The clinic belongs to Dr Louise Newson - if you look her up on You Tube you’ll find tons of videos.

Me! Same age as you op and many similar symptoms plus regular periods.

My doctor would rather send me for ct scan & endoscopy for digestive issues than consider they could be part of peri
Ct scan all clear btw

I'm 50 and still having periods. I went on HRT a couple of years ago, because my periods were increasing in frequency and getting so so heavy and painful. Other symptoms were uncontrollable rage and crippling insomnia. My Dr wanted to put me on ADs too. I refused so she gave me a months worth of sleeping pills instead. I went again and saw a locum who was marvellous, and immediately recommended a blood test and HRT. I was slightly anaemic from bleeding for 15-20 days a month and the HRT sorted me right out and I am going to take them forever if I can! I feel great, and I never try to kick doors down at work, or scream at people to go fuck themselves any more (well, in my head I do, but that's not a sackable offence).

Yet again this problem.

The guidelines state you should be considered for HRT.

However as many women have found, doctors don't acknowledge or go by these.

Unfortunately, private seems to be the only way for some women. It is outrageous, a total shame on the NHS, but you could grit your teeth & look on it as an investment. I am!

Just tell them you are having hot flushes and irregular periods if that's the box they need to tick in their head for you to be officially in peri.

So much of women's health needs a joined up thinking approach that is completely lacking in the average GP.

Generally we have to diagnose ourselves and then present them with a case...it's so frustrating.

I had to go on hrt for pmt it was horrific also other symptoms I’m 53 and still having problems 10 years worth,

Thanks everyone, at least I know I’m not going crazy!
Bagelsandbrie I follow Dr Newson on Instagram and have thought many a time I should contact her clinic.
Inapirationpending same here. Gastroscope, colonoscopy and ct scan last year, all clear - thankfully! Nothing else suggested though!
Silly question (if anyone knows the answer) but if I were to see someone privately for a consultation and they prescribed HRT would they be available on the NHS or would I have to pay more?

Don't want to hijack your thread OP, but I've been thinking about similar issues over the past, few months: I'm 48; still have periods 28 days on the button but heavier for the 1st 3 days; I'm shattered day 2 and 3; night sweats ( dripping down my chest and legs!) before/ during/ few days after; much grumpier/ quick tempered during/ the week after. I always thought I couldn't be peri because im so regular, but according to this I think I am!

What am I to expect next? My poor OH, we only met 10 years ago (2nd husband), had another baby at 40 with PNAD and now this! He's really had the glory years!

If HRT is prescribed privately your Gp will receive a copy of the specialists letter and their recommendations and you should be able to get it on the NHS - this is what I’m in the middle of doing now and hasn’t been an issue except that the GP wants me to have a blood pressure check first (standard procedure apparently) and then they’ll add the items to my repeat nhs prescription.

After I had my initial appointment with Newson (I saw Dr J Bond as the waiting list to see Dr Newson was epic!) I paid for 3 months of HRT (oestrogel and utrogestan) and had that sent to me as I wanted to just crack on with it and sort the nhs stuff out later. I think that cost me £130 - 3 months of items and £35 prescription charge.

No one should have to do this however. It’s crazy. But just sharing my experience. Hope you get sorted

I started a thread about peri too today I want to make a GP appointment out of interest if it does go bendy and I get fobbed off , should I just get in touch with Newson, when I was researching I come across a British Menopause Society search directory for menopause clinics and my nearest is the New Croft Centre in Newcastle but that is NHS

You can just buy it online, no need for the private prescription (tick box auto prescription)

Why not just say the sweats have started? It's not like anyone cares

Puffalicious my periods are the same, usually every 28 days and awfully heavy on day 2 and 3 (I don’t leave the house on those days!) but I do have uterine polyps which are contributing to the heavy bleeding. I do wonder that, if this is how I feel now and, according to the gp’s I have seen if I’m not even fully in peri yet, how much worse will it get!!!??
Bagelsandbrie is the oestrogel and utrogestan bio identical? Sorry, I know only a little about hrt but from what I have read, atm, I feel I would be happier with bio identical hormones.

Yes they are bio identical as far as I know. Less chance of blood clots and cancer with the oestrogel over the patches too apparently.

@TheLegendOfZelda

You can just buy it online, no need for the private prescription (tick box auto prescription)

Why not just say the sweats have started? It's not like anyone cares

Can you tell me more?