Depressed, anxious and want to withdraw from everything - is this peri?

[Labtastic]

I'm 42. Periods are completely normal - pretty much clockwork 28 day cycle (oddly, more regular in the last 18 months than they've ever been) but very heavy. I take Tranexamic acid for the flooding which works miracles.

Symptoms:

• I feel really sad a lot of the time, quite anxious about very basic things (not normal for me). The sadness varies from just a bit low to full on misery.

• I have recently been getting pains in my legs (but they feel like the muscular pain you sometimes get when ill, rather than joint pain).

• Definitely getting quite forgetful.

• Sleeping fine but waking up feeling as though I haven't slept at all

• occasionally waking up covered in sweat but usually as a result of a bad dream

• excessively tired all the time - I could easily go to bed at 8pm every night

• finding both husband and children so bloody annoying, nearly all the time. Husband can be pretty annoying anyway but kids are lovely 😬

I think I'm confused by fact my periods are so darn regular that it's not peri yet? Or is it? Will a GP take it seriously or do I just need to soldier on for a bit?

(On a side note, while considering these symptoms it occurs to me that woman basically suffer one long series of shit and painful bodily events - first periods, then every month for approx 40 years, pregnancy, childbirth, peri, menopause. Men have none of this. No wonder we don't understand each other a lot of the time!)

Any advice appreciated, although in the course of writing this I'm fairly sure the answer is - you're peri....

It could be, those were a lot of my peri symptoms.
Equally a lot of those symptoms you are suffering are things I suffered with undiagnosed hypothyroidism in my 20’s. Have a chat to the Dr and ask for some blood tests.

Ah thanks - hypothyroidism did occur to me a long time ago so thanks for reminding me of that

Have the periods always been that heavy or is it new? You should get a full set of blood tests done just to check that everything else is ok. If it is then yes sounds like peri.

Yes mother nature is far nicer to men despite killing them off earlier on average. Your list doesn't even include all the UTIs, migraines, thrush, autoimmune conditions etc.

Periods have been very heavy for about the same time they've become regular - 18 months or so. Had blood tests done and ferritin is low so got iron tablets and Tranexamic acid for the flooding. Doc wasn't concerned by anything else in there, but I think was looking specifically for iron levels. I think maybe another GP visit...

Get copies of your blood tests and check that they've checked your thyroid properly, not just TSH. How is your ferritin now? Iron deficiency can cause a lot of symptoms too, including ones that mimic hypothyroid.

My thoughts are that, at the age you are, things begin to slightly change. I think I noticed changes in 2015 - because I started to suddenly take note of my cycle length. I'm 48 now and that was 8 years ago, so early 40s like you. Just slight changes but regular enough for me to think, hang on a second...

My best bits of advice for you / what worked for me looking back -

Get Menopace supplements, they helped hugely with my anxiety. It just went away.

Get reading about it if you can - I don't mean the physical symptoms, I mean what it all means. The change. Stopping having eggs / fucks to give, and that being natural as caretaking years slip away. I decided I needed to change my dress, makeup, self care routine - I cut down massively on calories, I opted out of other people's problems, I rested more and I spent time just sitting and staring. I read that on here - sit and stare.

I started getting very sore below and was few years before I eventually rang the Dr. I tried different trousers, bought so many pairs of different knickers - all it was was a lack of oestrogen that I now get in the form of a cream. Sorted.

That's it. I am not having a hard time at all. I write like it in some ways. I don't miss the wet string hanging down! (Sorry!) I am making the most of these late 40s years though, and you're years behind me, so do that too, make the most of the summers.

Good luck with it x

Thanks - yes I'll do that. Fairly sure the iron tablets are doing bugger all so iron deficiency likely at least a sideline cause if not the only one

Good tips! I crave time alone just to do the sit and stare thing but life is so busy it's hard to do that. Walking my dog used to be my therapy time - time alone with my wonderful dog but he sadly died recently. I really miss him for a lot of reasons but that's one of the biggest - a walk with him could right the day even if it had started off awfully!

I'll check out Menopace - thanks for the recommendation

With the iron you need to take it alone first thing in the morning, with 1g vitamin C. Leave it an hour before eating or drinking anything else. All kinds of things interfere with the absorption of iron. Don't take it late in the day, you won't absorb anything like as much. You can take a second dose around 12 or so, again well separated from all other food and drink, and with a vitamin C supplement. Orange juice or similar won't cut it. You also probably need to take a higher dose than you're on, and you could try heme iron for better absorption. Try the Iron Protocol group on FB to get help with it, because your doctor won't be any use.

Lysine also really helps with getting ferritin levels up. I did an iron, vit C and lysine combo and my ferritin shot up (it normally takes ages to increase ferritin).

Quite similar to me - I'm 45 and have always had very regular periods. Spent last couple of years with anxiety, moods and insomnia. A friend encouraged me to get my bloods done and voila, my oestrogen levels were at the floor and prescribed HRT. I did get fobbed off by a male doctor first who told me if I had my periods they can't prescribe HRT but I knew that was rubbish (he must have forgotten about the Internet..,) so I asked to see a middle aged female GP knowing she'd be more sympathetic and she was.

Yes that helps too. I did that for a while but then got a kidney infection. While there were lots of contributors to that, I do wonder if taking l lysine throws off the balance with l arginine, which I think helps in fighting bacterial infections.

This is useful to read - all in all I think I probably need to get bloods done. And get an appt with the female GP!