What symptom of meno really surprised you?

[menopausalfart]

I've had most symptoms associated with perimenopause, including some really nasty ones.
The symptom that surprised me the most was the memory loss. If I don't do something the moment it enters my brain, it's gone.
I've been taking HRT, vitamins, collagen, and I exercise regularly. This symptom, along with anxiety, has stubbornly persisted.

I can be telling a story about something that happened somewhere and I'll literally feel my brain physically let go of the next bit. It slowly falls backwards into the void in my head in slow motion. I try to grab it and carry on but it's gone and I have absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Its the weirdest sensation

My absolute intolerance of people’s rudeness. People listening to phones on loudspeaker in public & making video calls in loudspeaker in public so we all have to listen to them droning on about absolute shite sends me into an absolute rage.

I'm 73, and I'd hoped that my brain might reappear at some point after the menopause. No. Still have words disappearing just as I'm about to open my mouth. Feel such an idiot. And insomnia! That's a real pig. Thank goodness for Radio 4 Catch up or I'd go mad with boredom. Too tired to get up. Too wired to sleep. However, on the plus dide, the awful PMT anger has gone and I never get rages now. That's good news for my husband. Vaginally atrophy, however, isn't much fun....

I started getting restless legs after I recently fell and broke my hip which was treated with a total hip replacement. Apparently it's common after the op. I took the advice to take iron supplements, and magnesium in the evening, and it's almost gone now.

The zingers. Electric shocks usually in my torso that are both painful and surprising to cause me to loudly proclaim 'fuck' or other suitable expletive. I'm perimenopausal.

Oh yes, the dreadful feet pain too - the soles of my feet are so painful that sometimes I literally am hobbling along.

Me too, it's ewful fear of driving

Restless legs
weird trembling when lying down
complete loss of libido
hair loss
Unable to lose weight
driving anxiety - the absolute worst
general anxiety and intrusive thoughts
flooding periods, short cycles, long cycles
mid month pmt when I ovulate then again when I’m due on
aching body

hrt has stopped/lessened most of these. However I think I’ve now developed a breast cyst due to my HRT. The last 2 months I’ve had a huge swelling abc pain in my one breast from day 26 of my cycle.

Mind, I still get memory loss now, the other day I was trying to think what the islands further north of the Orkneys is called, and I couldn't for the life of me think of it. Ugh.

@mummyhat What do you think a private doctor would do that your GP wouldn't?

It's the same hormones in the same quantities. I reckon if you put your symptoms into the meno board, everyone could help you decide what needed changing.

The thing that surprised me was vaginal atrophy and specifically prolapse. All the prolapses. And surgery which didn't work.

Also the impact on my tendons. The loss of oestrogen has impacted how I exercise and I am constantly doing hip and knee strengthening exercises now! The should thing had happened to me too but not frozen thank god, just sore. Side planks finish me off.

I haven't heard of tree-like swollen legs being a perimenopause symptom. Doesn't mean it can't be, of course.

Mine appeared last year and are caused by lymphoedema, which AFAIK is unrelated to menopause. My GP was fairly sure lymphoedema wasn't the cause, but referred me to the lymphoedema clinic anyway. Turns out I have a classic presentation, so I guess the GP just didn't know anything about the condition.

There's no cure, but there are treatments. The main one is compression stockings, which have made a huge difference to me.

Oh my word, I get so many of these!
Today the soles of my feet are burning.
Brain fog, straw-like hair, imposter syndrome, javelin arse, constant farting, the morning runs, dry eyes.
Menopause Bingo.
My prior knowledge was ‘hot flushes’. I’ve not had any hot flushes!

I still don’t understand how I get such terrible randomly timed ‘period’ cramps but no bleeding. The cramps became much worse after starting hrt. I was then told I could have endometriosis which is being retriggered by the hrt!

Metallic taste in mouth - didn't realise until reading this thread it was a peri symptom, nor itchy ears. Joint pain has also been an unpleasant surprise, as has the lack of energy and motivation. I'm much more likely to wake up in a cold puddle, after the night sweat/hot flush has passed. It's the inability to find the right word that I find really unpleasant, most often nouns, including the names of people I have known for years.

Oh god, me too. I’m actually terrified it’s dementia and don’t really want to know if it is. Or generalised and permanent cognitive decline. It’s a little bit of relief to think it might be peri to be honest.

What is javellin arse x

I think I’ve had every symptom going, but the ones that surprised me are the vaginal atrophy and the appearance of facial hair (especially those wiry buggers in my chin!).

The atrophy was utterly awful, I’d regularly get thrush so bad I could barely walk. I’ve improved things massively via getting on the right HRT for me, plus vagifem and Naydaya Victory Oil. Was horrendous for more years than it should have been 😥

I think I probably should also include being surprised by the memory issues, that seems to still cause me problems and when I didn’t know I was in perimenopause I really did think I was actually going mad or had early onset dementia…

I didn't realise this. I'm scared of the futures. Really proper scared.

I took a shortcut on Friday. It didn't go where I thought it would and I ended up in a 70s housing estate. They were all the same size of house and they all looked the same. In the end I had to pull over and set my sat nav to get out because all the roads I tried were little cul de sacs and I had no idea where the road was I'd come in on. Really unsettled me.

Checking in to join the anxiety crew 😞 my self-confidence has taken such a battering over the last few years.

To be honest all the symptoms I’ve experienced have surprised me. I went into perimenopause knowing shamefully little about it and thought it was mainly about hot flushes (which I haven’t experienced - so far). I knew nothing about the anxiety, brain fog, the desire to run away from everyone, the rage and irritation, feeling painfully raw and vulnerable at times … thank god for HRT but even with that, I’m struggling.

OMG I thought I was the only one,there's been nights that's been so bad I've struggled with my sleep.

I never had that much at perimenopaue really. Hot flushes, mainly evening/night. There was a lot going on in life at that time which was very worrying so being perimenopausal was just an extra :-). I did go on HRT, had regular migraines with that (as I had on pill). After a while I stopped taking it and was better for that. Flushes came back, then tailed off. All was OK, I had kept myself fit and healthy.

For me weirdly, it was suddenly starting to sleep beautifully after a lifetime of severe, debilitating insomnia.

It has been absolutely and completely life changing. I get into bed, close my eyes, am asleep if less than half an hour and wake up 6 hours later feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Has made any other symptoms absolutely worthwhile and means i won't even contemplate HRT so long as it lasts.

It's the impact on cognition and the brain that lower oestrogen has that really terrifies me the most.

Having a movement disorder already, I know how oestrogen can affect dopamine receptors/functions, and absolutely how it might exacerbate any tremors or involuntary movement that I get already. I need to go on HRT probably at some point, but am terrified of any medication making my movement disorder symptoms worse. It's a catch-22 situation but I know I'll need to protect my brain with HRT at some point - i can't afford to lose any more brain cells or functions lol 😅

Should have added no HRT just battled through but sometimes wish I'd started it. I'm post menopausal now but still get hormonal symptoms like occasional breast pain but nothing as bad as it was for two weeks every month.