I'm am 34 and a couple of years ago, after having my only child, I noticed that I changed and never went back to normal.
Initially my periods became unmanageably heavy, and now they are lighter than usual, irregular and sometimes only last a couple of days. I have always had very severe period pain but I no longer get any at all.
My sex drive has completely disappeared. DH is great and I really don't think it's a psychological or relationship issue. I've always had a very high sex drive. Now there's just nothing there ever. The whole idea of sex feels utterly bizarre and silly.
My moods are awful and I feel angry all the time. I have little tolerance for people and am struggling to make friends. I find people just annoy me. I've tried to pursue hobbies I always wanted to try but simply I just end up not really enjoying them. I just want to hang out at home. I've considered depression but I've had depression in the past and it doesn't feel like that. I don't necessarily feel sad at all. It's more irritable and can't be bothered. I do, however feel very anxious all the time. In some ways though, I actually feel better and more content, like there's less bullshit weighing me down.
I'm really struggling with focusing. I feel like my thoughts are moving through oil to get to the surface of my mind. I'm often struggling with thinking of which word I want (which is annoying because I've always loved to write and felt I had a good vocabulary). I'm not to the point I am concerned about a memory issue and I can still function at my job but it's all just much harder. I feel like my thoughts aren't sharp and I struggle with reading pages of a book.
I am not really getting any hot flushes or sweats at night time, but I do really feel like this change is hormonal rather than a mental health thing personally, as it's unlike other mental health issues I've had before.
I've been putting off going to the GP because I am obese (currently taking mounjaro) and my understanding is this means I would not be able to get HRT. I kinda thought I'd just have to live with it, at least until I've lost enough weight. However, someone at work mentioned that early menopause can cause issues with bones etc. and it's made me worry.
Is this the kind of thing I should go to the GP with? Will they do blood tests to check or just go off my symptoms? I'm also concerned about being labelled with this and then potentially everything I go for in future being blamed on it. Should I be asking for tests to rule other things out? I find my GP very dismissive and so I kind of just want to be prepared.