Perimenopause symptoms? I'm very confused

[aquamarine17]

Hello ladies! I've been trying to learn about perimenopause symptoms rapidly because I feel something strange happening and I am impatiently waiting for my doctors appointment. I'd love to hear from women who have been through various stages and possibly pregnancies.

My period is 12 days late for the first time in my life. My cycles are around 28 days - sometimes a little shorter, sometimes a little longer. Always, my whole life, like a clock, every cycle, I observe the same things with the discharge, cervix position etc. throughout the cycle. Oh, I just turned 43!! Just a 2 years ago I froze 38 eggs - all my hormones were kind of at the level of an average 35 year old.

I am so confused now. Home pregnancy test is negative. It's been 2 months since last intercourse and I had (what looked like) a period last month. There is a lot of clear egg-white discharge almost like during ovulation (that never happens before period). My cervix is higher and soft - so my conclusion is period is nowhere near. But I am having very mild cramps.

I have no idea what is going on especially because this is so sudden. I don't know how long I'll have to wait until the appointment. How do the perimenopause symptoms start - how does the body feel when period is late (discharge, cervix etc.?)

My experience of late periods during perimenopause is that within three weeks of the last period I start having night sweats, eventually I appear to ovulate and the night sweats stop for a month or so.
A couple of times it has seemed as though the signs of ovulation finished then started again a few days later. Once the period was a week later than I expected based on the initial signs of ovulation.
What makes you think it isn’t ovulation?

Thank you so much WhatWouldJeevesDo for sharing your experience! I talked to some friends but didn't learn much besides the fact that periods become irregular. I also suppose everybody is a little different.

"What makes you think it isn’t ovulation?" - good question! Hm, I didn't think of it... that would be very strange. It's been 40 days since the beginning of my last period. Everything seemed normal this month, until I realized that my period is late. Nothing like this happened before. And for a while now it feels similar to ovulation (clear discharge, but more than usual, high cervix, increased sex drive) but at the same time I'm bloated and constipated like before getting a period. Plus mild cramps, which I never have during ovulation, and they a little different than period cramps (milder and more constant).

Everything else feels normal. Can't wait to see the doctor.

If it is ovulation then your period will be about a month late, which is perhaps no more odd than a couple of weeks. I hope you get to see a doctor soon, although they may not come up with anything very definite or be very concerned.

What I have learned about perimenopause is that things look different, feel different, smell different, let nothing suprise you. It's a process rather than an event, be prepared for a blank look or a head tilt from your GP, although I hope you get what you're looking for from the visit.

Thank you for the comments! 🙏 I scheduled an appointment with obgyn in 3 weeks. I am quite nerdy about these things so having a conversation about what exactly happens with all the hormones will help me reduce the stress. All I know is that estrogen levels start dropping, but I don’t understand how erratic they get. My current symptoms definitely indicate high estrogen… but now the breasts are getting sore. So it feels like ovulation and pms at the same time. Very weird.