Tell me your early peri symptoms

[mothertrucking]

I'm 45 and for the last few months my cycles have gone from being 28 days to 25. I've also noticed my flow is heavier.
My AF started last Thursday and I bled til Sunday. Today I have had cramps all afternoon and the tiniest bit of bleeding when I wipe. I thought my period had finished Is this all part of peri?
I've had an increase in anxiety since Sunday for no apparent reason also.

Tell me your early peri symptoms.

Mine were:
extreme tiredness
extreme brain fog
mild depression
mild anxiety
thinning hair (grew back after meno)

Jaw line acne
Thinning hair
Migraines
Weight gain
Shorter cycles
More painful periods
Flooding
Anxiety like clockwork before a period
The rage

It's such a beautiful time! 😬

Oh and brain fog too

😂it's such a beautiful time!

I also have hair coming out in handfuls daily 😩

What do people do to try and help with the anxiety and rage?

I can't answer that one as I have anxiety quite often anyway but this feels different to me.

Weight gain around middle
Fatigue
Emotional
Lack spatial awareness (walk into doors, tables, daily and getting huge bruises)
Periods longer spaced, cycles 30 to 90 days long
Heavy heavy bleeding/flooding
Hot flushes
Palpitations
Brain fog/difficulty focusing at times
Memory loss

Oh and vaginal dryness and pain

I initially took fluoxetine for my peri symptoms, standard script from a GP who doesn't understand, and although they never treated most of the symptoms, they definitely helped with the rage as it was like I had PMT permanently. Now I just take HRT but am seriously considering going back on them for the control of the rage. For the anxiety I'm taking Ashwaghanda and its been amazing for that reason, pretty cheap at £16 for 3 months supply. Being 52 I was hoping I'd be coming through it but I'm still in peri as im still having bloody (excuse the pun) periods. Not great being in peri whilst dealing with a hormonal teen girl! Arghhhh.

Dizzyness
flooding
RAGE
palpitations

severe muscle aches
exhaustion
confusion
anxiety
depression
rage
anger
loss of libido
hair loss
spots
skin rashes
absent periods for months on end
heavy and painful periods when they came
dizziness
blurred vision
sore eyes

virtually every symptom in the book. Who are these women that say it's a wonderful transition? The one good thing is that I don't take BS anymore, in fact I can be a bit of a Karen 🤣

Thanks @DWMoosmum, I hate having to go to the GP but definitely have all those symptoms so going to have to make myself. Going to look up Ashwaghanda too. I can barely remember to take vitamins at the moment. The only plus side for me like you is not putting up with BS or CF's. Zero tolerance for that now!

I've other symptoms to add to my list come to think of it

Lethargy
Hip pan
Awful wind
Definitely got the weight gain around the middle - never going to be a size 8 again!
Sleep disturbance- I always wake up middle of the night.

@mothertrucking sorry I missed your reply. Is this anxiety much more intense/ crippling but only at certain times?

Looking back I had symptoms for a long time before I associated them with peri menopause!
EARLY SIGNS:
Upper back muscle pain
Ankle joint pain? Especially in the morning or when walking.
Very heavy, painful periods …. Bleeding through constantly.
loss of libido

LATER SIGNS
Irregular periods
Very bad anxiety
Low mood: boarding on depression
Itchy/ dry vulva
No Libido
Constantly irritable
insomnia

On HRT 5 months now, needed tweaking as the first 3 months saw my mood worsen …. However, now mood has hugely improved. Libido not returned yet and Vulval itch is driving me crazy ….. muscle and joint aches have disappeared…, so overall, it’s a positive but still a way to go…. Must go back to gp and get advise re itch and libido!

best of luck in your journey … it’s not easy but at least there’s more awareness now. Find and understanding gp with knowledge of menopause!

Oh yes, hair loss and brain fog !

Earliest sign was repeated styes on my eyes. Then hip pain and exhaustion. And then pretty much everything listed by all PPs. I only went to doctors when my very regular periods went a bit wonky. Doctor said my hormone profile is still normal but I started on HRT and few so much more human after only a month or so. Even chin hairs are lessening!

I'm 51 and no signs yet. Wonder when this will all start!

@AlwaysLatte you
may be one of the lucky ones. I have a friend who sailed through peri menopause and my ds swears she sailed through it ( now, her DH and kids give a different version 😉😉) … so here’s hoping you escape most of the symptoms.. some people do !

Hair loss
Hip pain
Increased anxiety
Pain during sex (sometimes)
Forgetfulness

Normally when I get anxiety I can pinpoint what's causing it and there is usually some underlying issue. Lately it seems as though nothing triggers it and I wake up with anxiety or it hits me out of nowhere for no reason.

I want to know if this weight gain around the middle ever subsides. I look 6 months pregnant most of the time and don't feel comfortable in anything I wear. I can't seem to lose the weight gain either!

Is this another peri thing?

Usually the day AF starts I have brain fog, ache all over and feel really out of sorts. I feel the same today but AF isn't due for another two weeks.

I'm starting HRT next week due to:
brain fog
anxiety
weight gain
constant tiredness
regular rages
itchy skin
hot flushes.

There will be more but I keep forgetting things...

Mine were:
Going from a very average flow regular cycle to an erratic one - I would miss a period, get extremely heavy ones followed by a very light one etc
Anxiety
Being unable to regulate my body temperature especially at night. I never got hot sweats as such but I was chucking the duvet off as I felt baking hot, then within a minute I'd be too cold.

Oh and brain fog