If you had an easy adolescence in terms of hormones etc, are you also having an ok time in perimenopause?

[Runoverbyabus]

I was spared acne and some of the emotional hormonal turmoil I saw others go through, but have been run over by a bus in peri. A school friend is the opposite and has skipped through peri. So, on my grand sample size of two, I wondered if people who had a hard time in adolescence were spared now and vice versa. Lighthearted thread!

Had horrendous time with my periods. Started young ( 11) and had flooding from the start. Every month was agony and periods lasted two weeks. Suffered with awful bowel issues too. It was only going on the pill that helped.

I was dreading peri, assuming this would be another onslaught. It’s been a doddle! A few hot flushes at night but thats it.5 years period free now and loving it

I hope this is true! I had a rough time as a teen so fingers crossed for an easy peri.

Good question! Been thinking about this recently - I don't really have a clear memory of how I felt in adolescence. I had very irregular and very painful periods, and often felt very angry but that's as much detail as I can remember

Started peri last year and it absolutely kicked my arse until I started HRT. Feeling a million times better now

Never had acne and although periods were stupidly heavy from the start no real pain.

peri-menopause wasn’t a thing when I was the age for it and re the menopause, I had hot flushes but it wasn’t too debilitating.

I was fine more or less except that I've had hormonal depression and anxiety for my entire adult life. Now in my forties I'm feeling the best I've felt emotionally since I was about 8 (in a good way, I was a chill 8 year old). While things could all go tits up I am not convinced everyone gets a bad menopause. I will get into hrt for osteoporosis prevention reasons in due course.

I had an easy adolescence, 52 now and must be in late peri (still regular, light periods) but zero symptoms.

I had horrendous periods. Some months were better than others, pain and flooding. Had spots and was probably a normal moody teenager. Had an hysterectomy at 48 and had hot flushes immediately. Other than that I've been fine. I'm 60 now and still get them but not as often.

Interesting. I started my periods quite late (15 1/2) and they were pretty easy. Got a few spots. Hard to tell about moods because I was living in a home I was unhappy in.

Perimenopause felt like I'd been hit by a twelve-ton truck. Completely burnt me out. The year of actual menopause (that year where you've stopped, but you don't know it till the end of the year iyswim) felt like a calm sea, and I started to get myself back.

No issues with either

I had reasonably easy teenage years - some spots and mood swings - but none of the anxiety, period pain etc which my peers seemed to get.

Im at the start of perimenopause now and it seems like I’m going to have a trickier time. I’m already on hrt to feel normal and have quite a lot of symptoms.

same, shitty period start, full of acne, off school with horrendous cramps, then almost no peri (or actual menopause) symptoms except hot flushes which I now know only happen when I have sugar or drink booze

I'm 66. No problems when I went through puberty, thank goodness. (I was amazed at how awful it appeared to be for some girls in my school.)

Later, as a PP said, they hadn't invented perimenopause when I (presumably) went through it. I certainly didn't notice. My menopause was fine. My periods slowed down and then stopped, as presumably they should.

Happy to add to the OP's sample size.

I can't add much yet as I'm only 41, but I've often wondered the same.

I had an easy time with hormones as a teen - no acne, no mood swings. I was the most even tempered teenage girl going.

I've never had pmt or pms as an adult and pretty much sail through my (light, regular) periods every month.

I've not had kids and never felt broody.

I feel like I'm just not a very hormonal person?

I'm on hrt because of a bout of insomnia, which I wondered if it would help, but I now think that was actually caused by something else which has now been resolved.

I'm going to stick with it as I want the benefits to bone density, skin and hair.

I've had a massive upsurge in sex drive in the last year, which is the most hormonal-feeling thing that I've ever experienced, but I wonder if that's more a stage of life thing and not so much about hormones actually - feeling confident in who I am and what I want, loving my body, and generally thinking I'm a 10/10 queen! 😅

I was fine as a teenager, I got period pains but no spots/acne and (imo) wasn't very grumpy at all. I have been fine in menopause too, sweaty sometimes but manageable with non HRT. I am out the other end now, still occasional night sweats but nothing that keeps me awake

I am a very glass half full person, so maybe that helped? Or just lucky

A bit of a mix! I intend to go through and count (but may not follow through).

For those who went through peri before symptoms became more widely acknowledged, wouldn’t it have still been a thing for those struggling, whether they could name it/seek help or not?

I think its hard to tell. I didn't flood, need days off school, have much in the way of PMS, massively sore boobs though. Peri and meno were...difficult. massive bleeds, dizzy spells were epic, so bad my Gp thought it might be neurological and serious. BUT I didn't use HRT because different times and options and I got through it ok. If modern HRT had been available I might have breezed it....
TLDR: dunno

I had super easy periods right up until I had my child at 36. I went into [undiagnosed] perimenopause at around 38 and my hormones and periods were absolutely terrible until around a year ago when I finally got my HRT dosage correct at age 37.

I was fine as a teenager, no problems at all. Peri was absolutely awful, terrible sweats, mood swings, aching joints, itchy skin to name a few. Went on HRT 5 years ago and it’s been brilliant, every symptom went within months.
I really wish I’d gone on HRT sooner but at the time Drs were very against it. In the end my GP offered me Anti depressants, I pointed out changes in NICE guidelines, he looked them up on his computer and gave me HRT!

As a teenager I had acne, low mood, stomach cramps and digestive issues for PMS, and migraines. The symptoms gradually eased off in my late teens into my early twenties. Peri feels worse and my PMS symptoms vary wildly each month.

I was always intrigued that I’d had migraines as a teenager but not as an adult. Then 35 years later they came back! It took a couple of occurrences in my 40s before the penny dropped that it’s linked to hormonal change.

Had awful heavy periods since they started when I was 12 only got worse as I’ve hit peri menopause . However the horrendous mood swings I think I had pmnd have disappeared my mood hasn’t been this stable since primary school !

Easy time during teenage years, was sure I didn’t have hormones! Had children, hormones made themselves known! I’m having a horrible time during peri, the patches help a bit but my 40s have been the hardest period of my life. Everything seems to be going to ratshit.

I never had any issues with hormones, periods, pregnancy or birth.
Never seen a doctor about periods etc...

Omg, nothing could have prepared me for menopause. Absolute living hell. 8 yesrd postmenopausal and still struggling.

I didn't have spots or stuff like that but I had heavy periods and bad pms. Menopause has been really bad for me too and friends who've had bad period experiences also seem to have trouble with the menopause. My sister had "easy" periods and hasn't had anywhere near the hassle I've had menopause wise.

Yes now that you mention it… had clear skin in adolescence and nothing an ibuprofen couldn’t fix in terms of period cramps. Menopause came and went without symptoms. Never thought about it before

I always wonder why people struggle so much with peri when we’ve been suffering so much since the start of puberty with fluctuating hormones. Many women have a hard time with periods, mood swings, aching etc all through their lives. Isn’t peri just a continuation?
Oh the joys of womanhood!