Is this Perimenopause? Will it get better or stay like this?

[JustLaura]

Hi

I have added a similar thread in a different board last week but I am having a really bad day with everything today.

Specifically today:
Anxious
Feel panicky to the point I think my breathing is off
Overthinking
1-sided sore throat

Usual stuff!:
I don't feel like myself
Skin growths (Seborrheic Keratosis) and odd little skin bumps/marks/skin tags (Dermatologist says age related...)
Aching shoulders and neck
Aching hip x 1
Sore/Tender SI joint on 1 side
Aching wrist x 1
Aching lower legs
Aching inner thigh x 1
Overthinking
Insomnia
Pins and Needles in thumb and fingers at times
I have 1 hot flush the night before my period each cycle
Irritable
Soles of my feet ache
Anxious
Rampant eyebrow growth!
Occasionally feel as though I'm not breathing properly but this is usually when I'm anxious
Tearful at times thinking of the past
Tired
Mouth sores
Slight weight gain over the last year
12 periods a year but they are spaced 28-36 days
(Periods are OK after 4 years of heavy periods which turned out to be a fibroid)
I'm well into my 40s

Is this how Perimenopause anxiety is?

Will the symptoms lessen once I reach menopause?

I haven't felt 'well' for the last 4 years.

I can't take HRT due to family history.

Can anyone advise?

Is your Perimenopause experience similar?

Thanks

Have you had your iron levels checked recently? I get some of these symptoms when I have low iron.

Thanks @wandering

GP checked some (FBC and CRP and ESR) but I do eat a lot of iron-rich foods? I can ask my GP.

I had blood tests done and white cell count was slightly high and C-Reactive Protein is high (GP has sent me for 4 blood test - 1 a month). Both fluctuate ever so slightly up and down).

Which symptoms do you get with low iron?

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time of things :(

Some of these symptoms could be perimenopause; anxiety, insomnia and body aches / joint pain certainly could be related, it's good you're having tests to work out what's going on

Some of the other problems you've mentioned are quite non specific. I've never heard of a sore throat being a symptom of peri, and certainly if it's only occurred on one day it seems very unlikely to be related.

One hot flush the night before your period is quite common at all ages / stages: hot flushes happen when estrogen levels drop, which happens just before your period and it is often part of a normal menstrual cycle. Perimenopause hot flushes are usually much much more frequent than one a month

Mild weight gain in 40s could just be part of ageing, and like your dermatologist said, skin tags can also be part of general ageing (I have them too, and my GP told me the same thing - part of ageing..

And interestingly, my husband (roughly same age as me) has also had a little weight gain and some skin changes - I don't think those things are always specific to perimenopause, or even to women

So it may be that some of the things you've mentioned are related to general ageing or being a bit run down (sore throat etc). Or, as you say, they could be part of peri.
Its all so difficult to separate isn't it. You're doing exactly the right thing to have tests etc at doctors, and hopefully get some answers.

If it is perimenopause, they can offer alternatives to HRT (eg some antidepressants at low doses are sometimes offered to help with hot flushes if they become a problem)

I hope you get some clarity from your GP xx

I had a lot of the same symptoms, anxiety, whole body ache, joint pain etc and I have done the following!

Gone on the pill
Take daily v high dose of omega 3 6 9
High dose of turmeric
Eat really healthy

Changed my job slightly so but less stress, gone part time in one and do a few hours in a min wage job. My job was cause of some of the anxiety and stress.

I hope this helps give you some ideas? I am 46 btw

Some of your symptoms sound like a virus- sore throat, aching muscles etc. The skin changes are just ageing and men get those too.

Can you explain the family history that means you can't take HRT?
In most cases, you can and there are many myths still around about family history and HRT.

(Some women believe that if their parents had heart attacks or strokes etc they can't use HRT.)

The only reasons that are relevant are if you have a mum and sister with early breast cancer. Then, drs advise testing for the BRACa gene anyway.

And the risks of HRT don't start until you're over 50. Before then you're topping up tour natural levels.

I'd say most of those symptoms sound like perimenopause to me (apart from sore throat and skin tags).
As others have said, it's worth looking into whether your family history does really rule out HRT. If it does, you can talk to your GP about other options that can help with symptoms.
Good luck.

Thanks @Bigpaintinglittlepainting

I just don't feel right. I think if I had the physical symptoms alone I might be a bit more optimistic, but the anxiety is crushing at times. Then I start to panic thinking my GP is missing something?

I'm far worse from say the day before possible ovulation to the start of my period. Did you have similar fluctuations?

Thanks @JinglingSpringbells Both Grandmothers had female cancers so when I mentioned it to the GP he said it's best not to and he was thinking it's more likely an arthritis of some type but tests haven't shown that so I'm left with the high/elevated white blood cell count and high CRP. They've been like this for 4 blood tests over 5 months

I scared the GP is missing something and don't understand why the white blood cell count would be high over months?

I can understand the CRP being high as I'm overweight and the CRP shows inflammation.

'Female cancers'?

Was that ovarian, breast or endometrial?

GPs often are not the best at knowing about risk and those risks aren't considered 'risks' by specialists.

Specialists don't even ask those questions about 2 generations back.

High risk is considered a mum and sister both with breast cancer at an early age (ie not in old age.)

It your grans had ovarian or endo cancer that's not relevant and in any case you could be screened (ultrasound) annually.

I think you should see another GP or refer yourself to a private menopause specialist.

It seems a waste of time looking for a needle in a haystack ( the reason for feeling rubbish) when it's probably estrogen falling and you should be prescribed HRT.

I scared the GP is missing something and don't understand why the white blood cell count would be high over months?

Raised white blood cells are a marker of a virus/infection and it can take ages for that to go away. Presumably they've tested you for things it could be?

Thanks for your reply @JinglingSpringbells

Both had ovarian cancer. I was asked about any cancers in my family.

I've had the raised/out of range white blood count for at least 5 months.

Prior to that I hadn't had a blood test for more than a year. I hadn't felt well for a long time but it did an uptick in January 2024.

GP did a lot of blood tests initially then he did some specific ones as he thought I may have a type of arthritis but tests for that were negative.

Now I have to have a full blood count and CRP blood test every month. Never get to see the GP in between, I just get sent a message asking me to repeat the blood tests as they are out of range for normal.

Can the white blood cell count take that long to decrease?

I did have COVID in January 2024 - I was ill for 6 weeks. Prior to that I had COVID in June 2023 and was really ill for about 8 weeks. That spurred off high blood pressure my GP believed so I take medication to keep that under control.

Thanks for your advice.

I appreciate all the advice I've received in all the replies.

The ovarian cancer is not, to my knowledge , a risk for HRT.
The risk of OC with HRT is minute and there is still some debate over whether HRT increases the risk at all.

This link is very good at explaining it and says that the latest thinking is that HRT doesn't increase risk.

https://eveappeal.org.uk/gynaecological-cancers/ovarian-cancer/ovarian-cancer-risk-factors-qa/

Q: What is HRT and is it a big ovarian cancer risk factor?
A: Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment used to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and mood changes. It involves replacing the hormones oestrogen and progesterone that are at a lower level during the menopause, via a tablet, patch, cream, gel or pessary. It used to be thought that using HRT was found to increase someone’s risk of ovarian cancer by 43%, but further analysis of the research is now suggesting otherwise.

Q: Is ovarian cancer hereditary?
A: Cancer isn’t hereditary, but the risk of developing certain cancers can be passed on through genetic mutations or ‘faulty genes’. Around 15-20% of ovarian cancer cases are due to an inherited gene mutation, most commonly BRCA1/2. Women with faulty BRCA1/2 genes are at an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Q: How do I know if I’m a BRCA alteration carrier?
A: Knowing your family’s medical history plays a crucial part in testing for the BRCA gene mutation. If two or more first-degree relatives (parent, sibling, child) on the same side of your family with a breast and/or ovarian diagnosis then it’s possible that there is a faulty BRCA gene being passed on. Your GP can refer you for genetic testing.

I can't say why your white cells are high but it's quite possible that even 8 months after Covid your body is reacting to the virus.