Could it be peri menopause?!

[Fjmb]

After another night of no sleep I was trawling Mumsnet and came across an old thread were people were discussing perimenopause. It was like a lightbulb moment!

I’ve been have strange ‘symptoms’ for a few months now could this be it?
Very heavy periods a few years ago but these seem to have settled down now.
Joint pain.
Exhaustion - but insomnia
Forget people’s name (DH or dcs sometimes!) and have to really think of a word I want before I say it.
Anxiety - this has progressed into almost constant heart palpitations the past few weeks (and the reason I was scrolling through the health board)
Very short tempered when I’m usually quite happy go lucky.
Extremely dry skin all over my body which can become very itchy.
Nausea but this could be because I feel very stressed.
Migraines

I feel quite calm and for the first time in ages no palpitations since reading the thread.

I’ve been to my dr numerous times with all of the above and I get the feeling he thinks I’m just making things up because each thing seems quite small alone but when put together it’s horrendous.

I know I should ask for blood tests or things now but with Covid I’m not sure whether this can be done.

Yep to all of the above. I am 54 and in the middle of it. Haven’t seen a doctor as I don’t feel it’s too bad yet though insomnia is the worst.

Blood tests are not used to diagnose peri-menopause. It's treated due to symptoms, which you clearly have.

I’m only 41 so naively I hadn’t even thought of it, just stumbled across a thread about an hour ago. In a way I hope it is because then I at least know that I’m not going mad! I can probably live with it without seeing the dr, the palpitations are quite scary though. Do you do anything in particular to manage the symptoms?

So do I just tell the dr my symptoms altogether? (they know my symptoms because I’ve been about them but never all at once, they’ve gradually crept up)

I find excercise helps.

Wow I'm 40 and have all these symptoms too!

I have the mirena coil (6m now) so bleeding has settled to be a lot lighter finally.

I definitely feel better for exercising.
Diagnosed sero negative arthritis and ADHD in the last 2 years which could be part of the reason.

Headaches, dry itchy skin (legs mainly),
Much shorter temper than usual, waking randomly at 2am for 2 hours regularly, nausea all within last 4 months

Never considered peri/menopause.
Makes sense though tbf.

Yep sounds familiar. Particularly anxiety,sleepless nights ,memory issues and awful periods. Exhausting ! I used Menopace which really worked for a while .

I had all of those, similar age and thought it was peri. No periods due to the Mirena. Started magnesium spray to help with sleep and now feel tonnes better. Exercise has also helped.

I had two blood tests, a few months apart, to measure hormone levels. The consistent drop in hormones confirmed I was peri-menopausal.

I was relieved to know the probable cause of my insomnia, night sweats etc. My doctor advised me to look at www.menopausematters.co.uk to help me make an informed decision about potential therapies/treatments.

Yes, I was identical, also early 40's. Menopausal by 45. Periods just stopped at 43, never to retuen!

Get on HRT asap. Wish I had known more about then.

OP I had/ have all those symptoms from early 40s ...it took me ages to join the dots though ... it’s still ongoing but I have had the blood tests so know there are no other issues. I personally found seeing the older lady doctor at our surgery the most use - it shouldn’t be the case but she was much more useful

I second HRT. It's a lifesaver.

To piggyback on this - I'm 43 and get occasional night sweats (2-3 nights in a row, once a month, sometimes twice), sometimes really intense, but brief, and sometimes followed by a day of feeling a bit, but not terribly overheated. Not fever temperature, but a bit hotter than usual temp all day. Just taken my third COVID test in the last 9 months after a particularly bad night and day because the ZOE app asks me to take one when I report these symptoms, and I am wondering if they are just perimenopausal?