If you had severe PMT symptoms how was your peri/meno?

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have really bad PMT symptoms, mainly anxiety and panic attacks, extremely low mood and dark thoughts. I also had PND.

If you had PMT symptoms did you find these were worse during perimenopause? Physical symptoms I can cope with but emotionally it's such an extreme im actually really worried that my experience will be awful and so want to be prepared and have strategies to cope.

What have your experiences been?

I don’t think there is any correlation. I had really mild PND all my life but am having a really terrible peri. It feels like it’s pay back time or something!

Did you ever find anything to help with the emotional side of things? I had pmt but my daughter is having severe pmdd and I'm desperate to find something that will help.

I'm in peri now but not having any severe symptoms... yet.

@Whatabanana in all honesty the thing that's helped most is an antidepressant that I increase the dose for the second half of my cycle. It does eliminate the symptoms but makes them bearable (most cycles, I do still get some that are terrible). I also have endometriosis so that doesn't help either!

Excercise definately helps reduce PMT symptoms, and I feel it more if I'm anaemic or my folate is running down so keeping on top of that also helps. But I've tried everything going to be honest and I'm 40, it's taken alot of trial and error to find what helps bring me up to what I would consider 'normal' pmt. I feel for her as it's awful

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) was the only thing I ever found to help with the emotional and mental aspects of my PMS. I was told to start taking the dosage on the bottle around mid-cycle, and to increase by one tablet every day until my urine started smelling of the tablets. That would tell me my body was excreting the excess, so the previous day's dosage was the right amount for me to take. From then on to start taking that dosage 7-10 days before my period was due.

It made a massive difference. I still got bloating and sore breasts, but emotionally and mentally I could function.

What made an even bigger difference was having children. Although I had PND after dc1, I barely suffered PMS again until I reached peri-menopause. Then, I am very sorry to say, it all came back with a vengeance. I ended up with depression, too.

On the other side of menopause, with HRT (ongoing) and having taken antidepressants and CBT (finished now), life is so much rosier.

I'm only 44 so it's maybe too soon to judge but peri has been much worse physically than emotionally so far. I have the occasional down day now but it's absolutely nothing in comparison to the hormone-related depression, mood swings and anxiety I had throughout my 20s and 30s. I hope it's not as bad as you fear.

Thanks very much, we visited the GP recently and she did recommend vitamin b and also trying the fortnightly anti depressants. My daughter has now gone off the idea though as she has tried anti depressants before and didn't think they helped. The only other thing they recommended trying was contraceptive pills, but if they worked that well surely it would be easier to cure than it actually is?! I'm scared of the amount of experimentation required, side effects and then the disappointment of it not working. I do agree that exercise can help a bit, albeit temporarily. So hard.

I never had PMT. Perimenopause however was horrendous for me with anxiety, panic attacks, rage etc etc. I had hardly any physical symptoms, just itchy ears and gum disease.

I have had more physical symptoms after menopause HRT has sorted both physical and emotional symptoms luckily.

I don't think there is any correlation between tge symptoms of PMT and perimenopause .

I suffered from PND, PMS/PMDD and perimenopause has been more of the same. I think it's well documented that women who have PMS and PMD are likely to have a tough time in menopause.
Having said that, don't stress about it in advance. I'm actually feeling better now than ever before. A Mirena coil stopped my periods which were super heavy, long and painful. Estrogen patches have really sorted out the anxiety, rage, insomnia etc. I'm eating better, exercising more, and generally feeling good.
So it can be tough emotionally but HRT and lifestyle changes really do help.

@Whatabanana Here's a link to the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders website. https://iapmd.org/

It's very thorough and factual - hope it helps!

I’ve had bad PMT for the last few years, to the point of suicidal thoughts the day before my period starts. Also very bad pain. I’m about four months into peri and my symptoms are so much better. Periods are v heavy but much less painful and emotionally I don’t get the usual clues that AF is looming.

Such a mixed bag isn't it!!

@WhereAreWeNow that's really helpful to know that you've found things that genuinely help thankyou.

@LabradorMama just this.....it's so severe that it's hard to convince yourself if hormonal at times, you just sink into an abyss but I'm so glad for you that things seem to be ok and that gives me hope.

B vitamins I've tried before but I have to say I haven't titrated up as you did so I might also try this thankyou for that advice.

@Whatabanana the trial and error is soul destroying at times. The pill just made my low mood worse to be honest or I bled really heavily for long periods so it just wasn't for me but for alot of people it does work. I have to double dose AD and that made a big difference rather than standard dose pre period. I feel for her bless her.

So once you are post menopausal do things ease off again?

I had PMT so severe that my gynaecologist offered me a hysterectomy, this was before they could be done laparoscopically, I declined, even though I didn’t want more children I also didn’t want a major operation at the time.

She suggested taking Agnus Castus, and I’ve got to say it’s been a life saver. I didn’t suffer any peri menopause symptoms at all, perhaps because I was taking Agnus right up until my periods stopped.

My daughter had a mare a few years ago and when it came into season it was a nightmare. We put her on industrial sized portions of Agnus and it was miraculous, she stopped being a tart with the geldings and no longer tried to kill us, honestly she was dangerous.

Give it a try, the best thing I’ve ever taken. Strange how I was only saying to my husband on Friday that I hadn’t suffered with peri menopause and this must be why.

@Snippit you've made my evening hahaha. 'she stopped being a tart'

I'm pretty tickled at the idea of the nightmare mare!! Do you think that's the origin of nightmare, a hormonal horse? 😆

I have suffered horribly from PMT for most of my life- I think nowadays it would probably be diagnosed as PMDD. Happy to say that since I have entered perimenopause it has mostly improved. I still get the odd bad month (the months I still ovulate perhaps?), but they're getting less and less. Of course, it has been replaced by fatigue and a generalised grumpiness, even on HRT.

@Whatabanana I take a mini pill everyday to stop my periods, it was the best thing ever! I suffer from PMDD and there is not enough said about it

Having babies cured me of being an emotional wreck on days 1-2 before my period was due. Menopause has been a non-event so far.

What made an even bigger difference was having children. Although I had PND after dc1, I barely suffered PMS again until I reached peri-menopause. Then, I am very sorry to say, it all came back with a vengeance. I ended up with depression, too.
This is exactly my experience too.

Unbelievably awful. HRT saved me. I started with patches, now use gel+Mirena (as am somewhat progesterone intolerant, but can manage the coil).

I really suffered with PMS and perimenpausal depression, I had to use a combination of hrt and antidepressants, post menopause depression is better. But hrt can make things worse in that some women are intolerant to the progesterone part of it.

I had awful pmt, and my moods in peri were ok. Brain fog, hot sweats, the jitters, palpitations to name but a few led me to go on HRT which has been fab.

I sailed through most of my life period wise. Rarely bothered me. Then peri menopause hit and its been the worst years of my life.
Horrendous brain fog, terrible anger, actual rage in fact. The most God awful periods ever. The pain, the headaches when due on, the spots, an inability to sleep for more than an hour a night. Exhaustion from no sleep. I could go on.
So to me, there is no correlation.

She was awful, she’d back up to the geldings in the adjoining field and squirt in their faces 🤢, none of the other mares on the yard acted like her, 😝

When we sold her we gave them the tub of Agnus Castus and advised them to keep up with the dosage. We had some feedback that she was acting up and showing off to the boys, they’d stopped giving her the Agnus to see what happened 🤣

@Snippit if this isn't an advert for Agnus cactus I don't know what is!!!!!

Thanks everyone, I think it's interesting to know people's symptoms and what helped and to know there are options. I do worry the hormonal element of her might make mood symptoms worse?

Has anyone had just unrelenting lack ofotivation and knackeredness?

No more Angus Castus promotion, promise 🤪

I’m menopausal and part of my regime as well as HRT is testosterone. I was so, so knackered it was unbelievable, I couldn’t even carry a grocery bag from the supermarket, I was so weak. My testosterone was very much depleted, I now have one pump of Tostran twice a week, wonderful stuff. It’s worked wonders for my libido as well.

I also take a supplement called neuromind, it’s really helped me. It has B vitamins as well as some others and cognitively I feel a lot more motivated. I mopped all the floors on Sunday, I have to be motivated big time to do that, I usually get my husband to do it.

I hope you get something sorted, it’s a pretty shitty time in a woman’s life.