Starting a thread on Perimenopause- join me 🙃

[rainydaysamonday24]

Hi!
starting a thread on Perimenopause in the aim to share stories, tips, experiences and symptoms.

Me: 47 yrs, periods still v regular - 24/25 day cycles. Feel like my peri symptoms began a year ago however. Have had night feelings of heat, rather than sweating as such! Aches and pains, lower back was bad last year.
With periods still regular I’m wondering if HRT is too soon.
i also don’t want to start HRT - rather to keep going with diet and exercise. Have taken up swimming and that has improved joints and general fitness.
However! Feel like I need to get a blood test to see where I stand!

So new to all this…need help!

Please share your stories….

This thread could be just the lifeline I need. The last few days I've really been wondering what on earth is going on with my brain. Have been working through some childhood issues the last few years and thought I was doing better but lately I've wondered if I'm depressed or have a personality disorder or something because the mood swings are AWFUL. I know I'm hard to live with some days; and I try really hard, but I just wish everyone would sod off, leave me alone, and stop asking me questions.

I'm 43. Symptoms are:

• Irritability and mood swings. Need to be alone a lot. Rage.
• Find it hard to relax. Find it hard to concentrate.
• Had hot flushes last year which seem to have stopped.
• Periods are irregular and lighter. Used to be able to set a clock by them.
• Half my hair has fallen out.
• Bloating.
• Palpitations.
• Zero libido.

Bloods last year all normal. Sleep/exercise/diet/ = I do all the "right" things. I've got a GP appt at the end of the month so will see where to go from there...

Bloods can't be used to rule out peri, unless you happen to be lucky enough to get your FSH tested on day 3 of a month it's very high. You could get it done a few times and have normal levels due to how erratic peri can be

Joining in here for hopefully some motivation to speak to my GP about this. I’m only 36 and have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the last couple of years. I feel like some of my symptoms cant be explained by this - cycle is 23 days and much heavier than it used to be, hair loss, extreme mood swings and rage, brain fog is probably the worst symptom after fatigue (and the thick dark chin hairs 😅). Have also started waking up at 3am sweating a few times a week. I am worrying they will just blame all my symptoms on the CFS and not take me seriously because of my age. But I’m desperate to see if there is something that will relieve them a bit! Anyone else under 40 and had success with their GP?

Checking in to see how everyone is going…

I have to state that this months AF has been awful…but I’ve had heaps of energy during the 5days or so - crashing on the 6th…so, so strange!

I was usually feeling tired BEFORE AF and then just wanted to curl up with a good book and chocolate and not talk to anyone!!

it’s like all the hormones are opposite now.

anyone else experienced this?

also anxiety a little high now like people are judging me or they don’t want to talk to me!

all over the shop!

anyway how you all going? X

Hello all
I’m 47 and started with short cycles and bleeding between periods in September 2020, not to mention terrible insomnia that I have never suffered from before. GPS denied it was perimenopause as “too young” - I was 42. Finally blood tests in March 2024 showed high FSH levels.
was put on 2.5 mg oestrogen gel and 200 mg progesterone 14 days. Fine for a year then May 2025, insomnia, terrible depression, anxiety. Last four cycles 39-49 days which means I have terrible PMS and sleep issues not only mid cycle but also from day 25-26 of cycle until whenever my period makes an appearance. Sleep currently at its worst as is my low mood - such existential crisis dread.
GP put me on 100 mg every day progesterone
but also hot extremely hot in bed most nights even when it’s objectively cold.
have got an appointment in 5 days with GP but scared nothing is going to work as it all seems like guess work to me.

@Frankbutchersfangs , I can very much relate to the horrible pre-period insomnia. It was just 5 days this cycle for me, but by the time I got my period, I also developed a headache from the lack of sleep. The combination really did a number on my mood.

I've started taking omega 3 supplements, as I noticed my skin getting very dry despite careful (and unchanged) moisturizing. It's too early to tell, as it's only been five days, but if it helps even a little I'd be happy.

Hello All,

37 and have been struggling for the last year. 2 Girls 16 and 9, Full time job

• Problems with mood swings and irritability.
• Felling very meh - like I just didn’t care about anything at all.
• Problems with falling asleep and staying asleep- wired feeling.
• Aches in Hands and feet especially in the mornings
• Tiered after work and needing to sleep
• Unable to recall words and awful memory
• Tinitus

Went to GP and asked for help and suggested it was Peri-menopause. They did blood tests no issues. Said that I deffo wasn’t peri-menopausal due to tests. This is not true as blood tests don’t reflect been in peri menopause.

Ended up paying for an appointment with the Newson clinic about a month ago.

Taking 75mg Estradiol (Estradot patch 1 and a half)
2.5 Mg of Testosterone per day
200 mg of Progesterone 2 weeks before my period

Im in a much better place already - I’m sleeping all the way through the night. No aches and pains and I have so much more energy. Though I do feel this has really excelled in the last week. I’m not 100% better but I’m so much better than where I was at.
Best of all for me is that Tinnitus at night is no where near as loud - this is also probably helping with sleep.

This is what is putting me off going to the GP! Would you mind sharing the cost of appointment? No worries if you’d rather not. And do they eventually send the prescription onto your GP or do you have to pay privately for it? Amazing to hear how much better you feel

Just checking in and bumping this thread to see how you all are…😊
(47, regular AF’s still 24/25 days but AF changed to be heavy over 2 days then nothing! Have a pattern of feeling hot before AF and lots of irritation!)

Not too bad, regular periods still but shorter cycle.

Irritable. My adult kids were so shocked how blunt and off I was last night and today I feel so guilty! One asked how long menopause lasts for!!! I said about 15 years!

I'm OK -- started HRT (2 pumps of gel daily, have Mirena already) before Christmas. Since then I've had one night sweat. I had thought it was helping with brain fog but recently I have 1) forgotten to pay Blackwall tunnel charge, 2) booked flights for the wrong dates and 3) forgotten to update the Ocado before the cutoff. Lapses of varying degrees of costliness! So I'm now not sure about that. I had a review of the HRT recently and didn't ask for a dose increase as I don't have major symptoms other than fogginess and occasionally bad sleep.

Hey everyone! Please can I join the chat? I’m 45 and experiencing symptons, the worst being tinnitus and heavy periods. I have an appointment on Thursday to have a Mirena coil fitted and to discuss HRT. I am so scared to get the coil. Does it hurt? Does it help? Thanks 😊

Hi @TCMcK I had a Mirena coil fitted for the first time about 18 months ago. I was really nervous about having it fitted as well, but it was fine. I had a nice doctor who talked me through everything and encouraged me to have the local anaesthetic in my cervix. That bit was mildly painful and I didn't really feel anything after that. I had some spotting afterwards and on and off for several months but always very light. Now I don't have periods at all.

I use oestrogen gel with the coil providing the necessary progesterone. I have noticed improvement with mood swings and night sweats, but I do still have some symptoms as mentioned above. I am glad I got the coil though.

What helped me

thyroid check
omega 369
selenium
vit d
bioidentical hrt

Thanks for the reply, the coil fitting at my GP was a disaster and unsuccessful as my Cervix wouldn’t open. I have now been referred to a clinic where they specifically fit coils. I am intrigued as to what they do different to the GP? In the meantime I am on Progesterone before bed and Oestrogen Gel in the morning

Hi everyone, I’m 46, very different to the positive people I was, I can cry at a second’s notice and get irrational and irritable very easily. Am exhausted but waking at 3 nightly. I get shaky, get pins and needles everywhere and have chest issues that I’m hoping hrt will help. My body literally throbs!!! Also to add down there is a dry mess!

I pray that hrt is the magical magic that people say it is, I spent a long time wondering if I would ever take it but after listening to my mum saying she wished she had access in her time to hrt. Also I didn’t realise how bad this could all get!! Hugs to ye all!

@TCMcK Sorry to hear that - I hope it goes better at the clinic

Urgh one of my bad days today …I’m just 4 days out from AF and I’m feeling really down, depressed even. My arm has been aching all morning and I woke up at 5am!
I did however go for a run - just 2km and I feel a bit better but I’m feeling super anxious and just sad.
sorry to bring a downer.
anyone feel like this before AF but it’s now really bad?

Sorry what does AF mean? 😂

Sorry Aunt Flow 😂 (must be an old Mumsnet abbreviation )

@ rainy days my PMS is horrendous- about a week long. I put on half a stone, can’t sleep, anxiety, rage, cystic acne. It’s worse since I had the coil fitted and very erratic cycle lengths (but they were before). I can’t plan what to wear as I go up a dress size as well. I don’t know what’s going on sometimes.

be kind to yourself - knowing it’s just the hormones and it will pass helps but sometimes it really gets in the way of everyday life.

Ahhhh @rainydaysamonday24 is that what it means! 😂 I am also approaching my AF and feeling anxious. My periods are so heavy that they completely drain me 😢

@Specialagentblond everyone reassures me telling me that the coil will change my life for the better. Maybe not! Can you get the coil removed? It sounds awful

@TCMcK it’s still better than the bleeding I was having before I had it fitted. I’m planning on getting it out at 51 (3years) and hoping I’m done.

Just fyi.often you will need topical oestrogen to relieve issues in that area on top of HRT