Perimenopause?

[Smailand]

I’m 45. Ive had about two years of stiffness, twitching, burning sensations, dry eyes, dry hair, heavy periods, waking up at night. Blood tests are clear. The GP keeps saying it has nothing to do with menopause because my periods are still regular and I’m not really having hot flushes. They blamed anxiety (I wasn’t anxious before the symptoms started) I became terrified wondering what was causing it and started having panic attacks and anxiety.

Eventually I was referred to a neurologist. In fact I saw three of them. They examined me fully and did an EMG. All clear. They said definitely not MS or MND or any of the other sinister diseases I was worried about. They prescribed magnesium supplements which I believe reduced the twitching, and discharged me saying they couldn’t diagnose anything. I got the panic attacks under control.

The last couple of weeks my hands and feet have started burning and feeling weird. Cream doesn’t help. I’m terrified it’s internal not external, something to do with the nerves, and I’ve started having panic attacks again.
Any ideas? I’m so scared.

As you've seen a neurologist and all tests clear then yes I'd guess it is hormone/age related general issues. Bloods won't show anything as hormones fluctuate on a daily if not hourly basis.

Firstly I'd look at lifestyle, preoptimise your health with physical activity to promote good sleep and mood, omit caffeine and alcohol to reduce anxiety. Good diet helps energy levels and makes us feel better about ourselves generally.

We really need to focus on self care once over 40 as our bodies seem to start complaining about the years of poor lifestyle choices!

If nothing helps then print out the hrt NICE guidelines. Read up on it and go to your gp and say you want to try body identical HRT. Don't let them fob you off about 'normal blood tests' tell them clearly at 45 you will be in peri and your quality of life is poor so you want to try HRT with a 3 or 6 mth review.

Agree with previous poster. You are clearly in perimenopause. I’m mid-40s, been in peri for 4-5 years and on HRT for 3 years. I didn’t have any fight in me to battle my two male GPs, so I went private (I’m not well off, but peri did a number on my confidence and ability to advocate for myself). If I had my time again I probably would’ve changed GP surgery. That’s always an option if yours won’t prescribe.

Oh, and my periods are still like clockwork, and it seems like I’m still ovulating. They’re allowed to prescribe HRT based on symptoms - periods being irregular is irrelevant. I bet if you go through the symptom list on the NHS website, you’ll have other symptoms you didn’t even know we’re perimenopausal.

@BlueberryFlapjack do you mind if I ask what symptoms of peri you have, if your periods are still regular? I’m being told the other stuff is irrelevant, it isn’t peri unless you have irregular cycles and hot flushes.

I had anxiety, brain fog, exhaustion and 3am wake ups. All else normal. Booked to see Newson (private menopause) but NHS GP was happy to prescribe HRT based on this at 41. Did end up going to Newson for testosterone eventually but GP was happy to say perimenopause based on those symptoms.

Thanks. I have loads more symptoms! My GP tried to tell me that you need to avoid HRT for as long as possible because of the side effects!

You are finding as many of us have found that your average gp is totally useless with menopause. Go back, and just keep repeating “I’d like to try hrt please” as many times as it needs to sink in. Or private clinic if you can afford it.

It's shocking that GPs are still spouting this nonsense.

It's been years since evidence was published by the most eminent menopause specialists across the world where they say that for most women, the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks at least to age 60, and often for longer. This is in all the reports from the British Menopause Society and the IMS (International Menopause Society.)

HRT provides protection from bone loss, heart disease, bowel cancer and possibly dementia.

There may be a very small cancer risk but with the type of progesterone used now, after 5years, but there is no absolute evidence it does because none of the data on HRT includes micronised progesterone.

Your GP should know this. I'd encourage you to read about HRT and challenge them on the 'side effects' if they say that again.

Either change your GP if possible, or if possible and you've got £250 see a private consultant.

You don't need to have irregular periods or flushes.

Of course! A lot of my symptoms are under control now, but I had a huge list - here’s what I can remember:

night sweats and poor sleep
joint pain
loss of confidence/anxiety
brain fog
forgetful, especially names
inability to make simple decisions, like which seats to book in a cinema!
crawling skin (formication)
dry eyes
vaginal dryness
loss of libido
suicidal, tearful, irrational for at least a week before my period
palpitations
irritable and quick to anger

Most of my symptoms are gone now, on HRT, but I’m still a bit more anxious and forgetful than I used to be. Never missed a period and never had a hot flush, although the night sweats were grim - proper “change all the bedding” levels of sweat.

Definitely fight to get HRT @Smailand. It took time to get all the symptoms under control, but I felt A LOT better within two days of starting oestrogel.

I'm peri and on HRT, I still have regular periods and no hot flushes. I did however have joint pain, anxiety, dry skin to name a few. I was prescribed HRT with no problem. It was life changing for me.

Here’s an idea from another thread OP. You could just lie and say you’ve started having hot flushes and missed a period. Might speed up the whole process, and save you switching GP.

Women already have to fib to get testosterone (libido issues is the only symptom you can get it prescribed for, despite the cognitive benefits), and have to lie about wanting to have children to get PCOS symptoms investigated (current Guardian article), so it wouldn’t hurt to tell a small fib to get the (patriarchal) system moving for you.

It never even occurred to me to lie in order to get medication. Isn’t it sad that I might have to?

I'm 46 and have just started on a low dose(1 pump) of HRT gel. It took me about six months to finally start it, as I was scared to take it. I went from being a strong, confident person to constantly feeling low, anxious and worried, not wanting to leave the house. My hair was falling out, my eyes were dry, my whole body ached, and I was struggling with awful brain fog and very heavy periods. I haven't had any hot flushes. My GP was quite dismissive for over a year about menopause and instead after seeing a consultant I was diagnosed with CFS/ME,and fitted with the marina coil for my heavy periods. I'm now a week into using HRT but haven't noticed any changes yet.

Oh yes, fatigue, heavy periods and thinning hair were in my list of symptoms too. Shocking that you were dismissed like that @Pinepeak2434.

@Smailand yes it’s sad that you might have to lie. Sad and ridiculous. I also find it baffling that so many GPs somehow missed the memo about something that 51% of their patients will go through (unless they die young).

I’m worried the doctors are missing something that’s going to kill me. Aching, twitching, burning, anxiety, periods stopping and starting. But apparently it’s not menopause related and there’s no explanation. I’ve threatened to kill myself to make it stop. I can’t live with feeling like I’m sunburned all the time.