Can I join? I started having peri symptoms at 34. On Evorel Sequi at 40. Now 41. The HRT has been great! The Conti fortnight knocks me for six sleep wise, but I feel much less emotionally compromised in general.
If it helps, here's a bit of a timeline of what I experienced in case anyone else is wondering if what they're experiencing is peri:
Age 33: Increased anxiety and exhaustion in the afternoons. Periods slightly less regular by one or two days each time.
Age 34: Periods suddenly two days in length and super heavy, way heavier than before. Anxiety increases to the point where I started taking Fluoxetine, which helped for a bit.
Age 35: Am diagnosed with PMDD as I am starting to feel suicidal during my pre-period week. Increased medication and signed off work for two weeks to let it kick in.
Age 36: PMDD is stabilised by medication and LOADS of exercise, as well as cutting out sugar. It's still very, very bad but manageable and I can plan my life around "hell week".
Age 37: I start missing one or two periods but am still able to manage the PMDD with the exercise. Still on the tablets
Age 38: I notice that not even Increased medication and crazy exercise is helping the monthly depression and anxiety attacks now, and I am in loads of pain when the period comes. It starts impacting my life to the point where I can't leave the house during the heaviest days (still two days long)
Age 39: In desperation, I wean myself off the medication because I want to find out what's really going on. I've never felt so raw and depressed in my life. I am also forgetting things right, left and centre. One day, I momentarily forget how to tie my shoelaces and become convinced I have dementia.
Age 40: The depression gets really bad and I start feeling like I don't know myself any more. I cry A LOT and the monthly pain is unbearable. After a period of depression where I spend a whole week crying, I finally get through to my GP who diagnoses perimenopause and suggests it's been happening for some years. By this point, I'm having hot flashes and not sleeping. I still manage to pass my driving test and jump out of a plane, so things were achieved.
Age 41: Still hotter than usual but I am getting on with it. I love the patches. Would recommend HRT to anyone. I'm not the emotional roller coaster I was. No depression. I am on only one tablet per day now. I
I hope this helps.