Perimenopause at 37?

[msflibble]

I'm 37. Two kids, aged 3 and 5.

Since having kids my periods are only 2-3 days long, which is great, but since March 2019 - also coincidentally when I came off one antidepressant (sertraline) and switched to another (bupropion) they have been quite irregular. I also started around then to experience a range of symptoms:

• anxiety, constant surges of adrenaline, unpleasant "wired" feeling
• Dry mouth/burnt tongue feeling - not constant, but frequent, even when I'm well hydrated
• Dry eyes, greatly helped by a nightly application of Corneregel eye gel
• Poor sleep
• Irregular periods (ranging from 23 to 30 day cycle, rarely the same from month to month)
• Digestive disturbances every few weeks or so (cramps, diarrhoea, occasionally vomiting - could be linked to a kidney issue though. I'm undergoing tests for this)
• rubbish libido - I only really feel like having sex once a month when I ovulate.

I'm missing several symptoms too though.

• no hot flushes
• no weight gain
• no breast tenderness
• periods still light and not painful

The anxiety and poor sleep are linked and seem to be mitigated when I take magnolia bark but return when I stop.

I had hormone tests about a year ago that confirmed my hormonal levels were in the normal range for my age but I'm not sure what that really means... Hormonal baselines are different from person to person so maybe they've dropped but testing can't pick that up with nothing to compare it to?

My dad and DH think I'm mad and just a hypochondriac, which is probably fair. I am definitely neurotic. However I can't shake the feeling something is changing in my body, and it's worrying. 37 seems too early to go through menopause :(

Does this sound like perimenopause, hypochondria, or just stress? If you have time, share your thoughts and experiences please! Thanks in advance

Do you know when your mum started hers? That is a pretty reliable indicator.

I can't remember exactly, but it was at least 10 years later. I was a teen when she was getting hot flushes whilst ironing. She was 48 when I was 13.

Poor you, that sounds rubbish.

The first and most important connection is one you’ve already made - switching antidepressants. Have you stopped taking them? What kind of dose are you on/can it be reduced? Bupropion has numerous side effects, including:

headache, weight loss, dry mouth, trouble sleeping, nausea, dizziness, constipation, fast heartbeat, and sore throat.

More info here: www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Mental-Health-Medications/Types-of-Medication/Bupropion-(Wellbutrin)

It’s definitely worth getting your hormones tested again, along with a full blood panel including thyroid levels.

As you mention you’re having kidney issues it could be that this is connected?

Hope you feel better soon!

@msflibble

I can't remember exactly, but it was at least 10 years later. I was a teen when she was getting hot flushes whilst ironing. She was 48 when I was 13.

Yes, but she could have been having them when you were younger, but you didn't understand what it was then. I've been getting hot flushes for 18 years now, and there no sign yet of them diminishing. I started peri in my late 30's - its unusual, but not unheard of.

that does sound crap.

Get your GP to do a complete blood screen - a lot of those sound like my symptoms when I had an over-active thyroid (in fact, I too thought I might be having a premature menopause). If it is, it's readily treatable with "block and replace" (carbimazole to switch your thyroid off to give it a rest, plus thyroxine at the correct dose while your own thyroid is having that rest). Roughly 50% of the time it clears up by itself after 12 months of block and replace; the other 50% of the time they nuke part of your thyroid with radioactive iodine (or if you don't fancy that, they can go down the old-fashioned route of a partial thyroidectomy).

There are other endocrine things it could be - but randoms off the internet can't diagnose you, you'll need blood tests.

You might be picking up on early peri symptoms- most people miss them or confuse them with other illnesses, it's only until later that they realise it's menopause unfortunately. It sucks but perimenopause symptoms can start in your 30's and last well over 10 years before you actually stop having periods. Also the hormone tests at the GP are really inaccurate for diagnosing early perimenopause, as your hormones fluctuate all the time when you're still getting periods. I found this website really helpful: healthandher.com/symptom-tool/ they've got an online symptom checker you can use to check and track your symptoms and there's loads of advice on how to tackle them, there's products too but I didn't bother with that. Also I saw on a Facebook advert that if you use the symptom tool you can take this survey (southwales.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/evaluating-health-related-outcomes-and-user-perceptions-of-3) and get an Amazon voceher (I did and got a tenner which was nice for 10 minutes work).

Thank you so so much for all the replies. I'll check out all the advice given.

I guess it could be my thyroid, or maybe I'm just beginning the menopause journey and hopefully have a good 10 or so years before my ovaries give up the ghost!

And yes @Inthemane I stopped taking bupropion as it sent my anxiety through the roof! I've always been anxious tbh. Some of my earliest memories are of hypochondria anxiety attacks in reception class at infant school. But I feel it's reached a crazy level these days. I don't know whether years of antidepressant use made it worse once I came off them! It's one reason why I've sworn off them for good now.

Hi, I really sympathise with what you’re going through.
I’m the same.. I’ve always suffered with PMS and I guess I never really realised it until that past few years when it felt more like PMDD. I’ve been back and Forward to doctors and hospitals, given the pill and Merina coil (made me suicidal) but nothing worked. They started me on zoladex with a view to giving me a hysterectomy because my moods were so bad. Anger, rage, sadness, irritable, etc... but I only did one month of that before lockdown kicked in. For the past few months tho, my periods have become irregular, they use to last 5-7 days and now I spot for around 8-10 days and have 1 to 2 days bleeding. I’ve also started getting very lumpy and extremely painful breasts every month which go away once I bleed. My moods are awful and I have constant anxiety. Started getting bad cramps again like I had when I was a teenager. Bloods all came back normal so I don’t know what it is. I feel like I’m going insane. I Defo get hot, not drenched in sweat but hot from my chest up my face and have to remove a layer of clothes, then minutes later I’m cold so shoving the top back on. I get sore joints in my hands and knees and I’ve started getting headaches too. They checked me for the spotting and nothing sinister there.., I feel like I’m insane, honestly. People are sick of me saying I’m due on because that’s how it always feels. And the tiredness.. my issue is I want to be asleep all the time. I’m only 36 will be 37 next March, so Doc’s dont thibk it’s peri. Oh! And I forget things!! Like the pin to my bank card and why I walked into a room, the words I need to finish a sentence 🙈🙈 and I’ve a lovely little black hair growing out of my chin. The joys 😭😭

@JenniwrenMc I'm so sorry you're going through this. The worst part is everyone saying there's nothing wrong with you
I really hope you find a treatment that helps your periods. My gynae recommended Agnus Castus and I have been on magnolia bark which helps with the sleep problems. I hope you get some relief soon