Does it get harder to recover from minor illness in perimenopause?

[Seenbean]

Does it take longer and is it harder to shake off colds and other minor illness in perimenopause? Would HRT help?

I had a cold (not covid) do the rounds in my family and I got it the worst. It floored me and no one else.

A close female friend caught a similar cold last year and is now suffering with Chronic fatigue syndrome. Both of us, up to this point, have been fortunate enough to be healthy and robust. Both of us are late forties and not taking HRT.

I've taken good health for granted (I appreciate how lucky I've been) now I wonder what might be in store and should I consider HRT?

It may just be bad luck but if you need HRT you would probably have other symptoms that would indicate perimenopause. If you went to your GP and asked them the question you wrote on here, I doubt they'd suggest HRT. Do you have any other symptoms?

Sorry, yes I think I have. Some night sweats, early waking, changes to cycle.

Book an appointment with your GP and take a list of symptoms with you that you're concerned about - there are lots of different symptoms that you may not have realised are perimenopausal so might be worth looking up common symptoms beforehand. If you want to try HRT say so, sometimes if you don't ask for something they won't offer it - some GP's suggest antidepressants instead so be aware of that. Good luck x

Does it take longer and is it harder to shake off colds and other minor illness in perimenopause?

Not in my experience.

Peri can, however, make you feel generally lacklustre. You may barely notice some of the symptoms because they have crept up on you so subtly that they seem your normal. Poor sleep, for example. So it's definitely worth investigating with the GP.

I actually didn't get sick at that time at all. It felt like the hot flushes burnt out any viruses or bacteria going.

Thank you. I will see my GP about HRT. Scared at the thought of it (and maybe at admitting I've reached that age too).

This board and Davina's documentary have been amazing in raising my awareness of peri and the menopause.

I think a combination of disturbed sleep, heavy periods, forgetfulness and not taking care of myself have led to trouble with shaking off colds.

I make sure the DC get their vitamins and fresh air but some days I can go a whole day and realise not a piece of fruit or veg has passed my lips. Same with exercise. Got to think how to factor that in to my day now I'm experiencing the effects of Peri. Thanks again!

Good luck - try not to worry too much about HRT, it's meant to help ease the suffering and give protection against many things that the loss of estrogen causes in later years - well it's already started. You can have tablets, patches, gels, coil, pessaries - there's a whole host of options to choose from x