Perimenopause advice needed

[CHOCOLATEPEANUT]

I have been feeling like I am loosing my mind but after a bit of reading up realise I am in perimenopause cycle

i am 42 and had my last child 22 months ago.I have always had periods every 28 days that last 4 days bit last month and this they lasted 2 days

my mood has been awful,very stressed,anxious depressed (severe this month) and this month i have felt palpitations and dizzyness.I am over heating too

i am a bit worried as I have felt quite ill and i hate the mood swings as do my family

anyone in same position that can offer any advice?

is it normal for periods to start going wonky? I'm 46 and a couple of months ago my period seemed to come really early, I went to see a dr and she recommended a coil and gave me some ibuprofen for headahes, as I get these around when I'm due. Then things went back to normal, but this month I've had a bit of spotting, very very light, thought it was my period coming early again, but even though I had a tiny bit of browny discharge it hasnt appeared yet....and noticed last night I was totally burning up in bed, not sweating, just burning up with heat...mood swing are as normal (am crabby anyway!!), just wonder if this is it all starting, does it come in fits and starts? So you dont know where you are with the bleeding and need to use a pad all the time just incase?

I'm 45 - my periods are definitely getting closer together, every 3 weeks and I get spotting for about a week before.
This thread is very informative!

Checking in. 47.

Periods have become erratic over the last year - no longer like clockwork like they used to be, and can be anything from three days of light flow to 2 or 3 days of complete flooding and pain, followed by ten days of half-hearted dribbling that doesn't quite no when to stop.

Zero interest in sex.

Awfully sore boobs and PMT/irritability for more of the month than seems fair or acceptable.

Night sweats.

Dull, dry hair and skin and flaky nails

Almost constant bloating and water retention, and very very annoying weight gain that I cannot seem to get control of, despite no obvious change to my eating habits. That is the thing that is getting me down more than anything else.

Not to mention the thinning straggly hair, the lethargy and the inability to focus/concentrate on anything.

I thought rather than trying to remember all the suggestions on here I'd go through the thread and make notes of all the things people have tried/recommended, and compile a list. Obviously not everything is going to be helpful or relevant to everyone, so please do research each item for suitability before you dash off to Holland and Barratt/Amazon/your GP/the pharmacist with the list!

If anyone mentions anything that hasn't already been covered, please c&p the list and add it. Hope it helps.

Useful books and websites:

Life Change/Your Change,

"Your change your choice" - by a gynae Michael Dooley

Is it Hot In Here?

Leslie Kenton (not sure which book?)

Louann Brizendine's website and her book The Female Brain.

See the Daisy network site for advice on premature meno ( now considered under 47) and also www.menopausematters.com

New Natural Alternatives to HRT by Marilyn Glenville.

Drugs, Dietary and Supplements

Evening Primrose Oil

Starflower Oil

Agnus Castus

Black Cohosh

Menopace

magnesium and calcium supplement and vitamins B6, E and C

Omega oils, 3 6 and 9

Sea Buckthorn oil capsules (contains the Omega oils)

eating nuts such as almonds, brazils, walnuts

maca root

St John's Wort

An Australian Bush Flower remedy called 'Woman Essence'

A Bach remedy called 'Mood Essence' which does what it says on the tin.

Soya

Go on the pill! (must be mono-phasic) (this will prb. not be popular with your GP if you are overweight, a smoker or have high BP though)

HRT

Provera (progesterone)

Ladycare Discreet medical device for menopause

Tranexamic Acid (prescription)

Take Ibuprofen regularly for the first three days, for people with very heavy bleeding (check suitability for anti-inflammatories, asthmatics etc)

Ooh nice list, Fell!
Thank you

And just to add to that list- see a dr who specialises in PMT, meno and who is patient friendly!

I appreciate that not everyone can afford to see a dr privately, but you can make an appt privately with any consultant anywhere. Even if you just get advice, it's well worth the £150 it might cost, considering how much some women shell out on treatments etc which don't work.

I am fortunate enough to have a lovely private gynae who specialises in PMT, meno etc etc and it gives huge peace of mind to be able to talk to someone who is well informed and sympathetic.

If you aren't getting anywhere with your GP, then it's worth thinking about.

bella65, thats good to know

can you tell us what your gynae has said to you about all of this? there's no way I could afford private and would really appreciate hearing anything she had to say

the real, I'd add get the merina coil to your list, the locum I saw said to me all the gynae's have it, she had one herself, said it was great at stopping bleeding, I'd consider it but am far too much of a woose

Anything in particular ssd?

He's a he - not a she BTW!

In a nutshell- look after yourself and do everything you can to optimise your own health: you can no longer get away with living like you did at 20.

• eat healthily with masses of fruit, veg, oily fish, pulses, etc
• cut out/ down seriously on alcohol, caffeine, and all junk foods and refined sugar etc.
• take regular moderate exercise 5 x a week
• lose weight if you need to
• get your work-life balance in order and make changes if you need to.

try yoga, meditation, any kind of relaxation.

try positive thinking and a positive attitude to meno and ageing

try herbal supplements if you want, but remember they can have side effects just like conventional treatments

• there is no good scientific research which shows any herbal supplements ( red clover, black cohosh, isoflavines etc) actually work.

Sage may help hot flushes.

For heavy periods try the Mirena

Blood tests are usually a waste of time and inaccurate unless you are TTC or are having a very early meno ( before age 45).

Don't be afraid of HRT- taken before age 50 the total years don't count, and now HRT should be prescribed on a personal need / risk basis without absolute limits on length of treatment.

oh- and one last point- your metabolism does change so you either have to exercise a lot more or cut back on what you could eat before. eg if you normally ate 2000 cals a day now you might only need 1500, or fewer.

Lucky mum. Were you not offered hrt or were you not able to take it?
It makes such a difference.But I gt the impression that so many women are anti these days.

thanks bella!

I was thinking more of one off spotting, around the middle of the month, I had that this month, very very light, dont know if I should see the dr or gauge how it goes for a few months.

... at least I think its the middle of the month, my period came early a few months ago and I was trying to keep a diary of my cycle, but when it then returned to normal I forgot to keep the record going . I should really keep a diary for 3 months but I keep forgetting...

The 'golden rule' is that any unusual bleeding should be reported to your dr. But if you are up to date with smears and peri meno then it's highly likely it's a hormonal blip. It's often due to low progesterone in the 2nd ha;f of your cycle which doesn't kick in enough when it should- the treatment is sometimes the mini pill to control the bleeding, if it occurs a lot.

Fab thread so reassuring.have had so many of these scary symptoms in last few weeks and just didn't make the link.

I know I'm up to date with smears. It was a very very tiny bleed, just seen it when I wiped myself after a pee, used a pad but hardly needed it.

Thanks for your advice, bella65 x

I've sorted out the sweating and upgraded my anti-perspirant. That's one thing I can tick off my list.

Now to sort out the mood swings and general knackered feeling.

Joining thread , am 51 next week , my main symptoms are;

Extreme pmt with tearfulness and very low mood , it goes as soon as my period comes which is irregular now.

Complete lack of libido..which is seriously pissing dh off

Bloating is major now as well...wtf is that all about and how do I get rid of it.

Carb craving

I'm thinking of going on the hormone diet which I came across on amazon in desperation one day, think it's low GI but not sure .

try the menopause matters website for useful info too.

gnushoes I was looking at the menopause matters website but I decided the symptom checker was shite badly designed and got in a huge strop with the whole site . I don't have the patience for anything these days.

What does bug me is that not only don't I have periods due to my hysterectomy, I'm a single parent so I have no idea whether I'm, ahem, drying up or have a low libido . All these normal markers for menopause aren't available for me.

Hi meglet
You would almost certainly know if you were going through menopause. You would know if you were drying up and uncomfortable down there - it is unmistakeable.
You might experience sudden mood changes, tearfulness, crying etc, and most likely you would start to experience hot flushes and night sweats.
Possibly anxiety too.
I would notice a lack of libido whether or not I had a partner - I mean whether you ever get those feelings any more at all!
If you don't think you have any of these nor any other symptoms (than lack of periods as you say) - then you may well not yet be peri-menopausal and make the most of it!!

I have wondered today if I'm perimenopausal. I'm nearly 45.

The only symptom I can offer is that lately my cycle is off, it's gone from 28/29 days to 22/23 days. I have red face flushes but that's roseacea. I get occasional night sweats, again this can be related to warm nights and that I've always been warm at night. I've noticed comments about dryness during sex, and that's made me think too, as again last few months I've been unexpectedly dry a few times.

Since I had a copper coil put in last summer, periods have dropped from 8 days (last 3/4 being what I'd call brown sludge) to 6 days (brown sludge last 3).

I've never had any PMT, and I've no mood swings now. I also can't look at Mum's experience, she had a hysterectomy aged 35 and suffered for 20+ years after that (she's 69 now and I don't think she had much help from the doctor).

Someone told me there's a blood test that can help determine if you're heading for the menopause? If so, I have been invited to a health check at the surgery as I'm not being treated for things like heart probs, high blood pressure, kidney probs, etc and it's some pilot to catch people early. I can ask during the check.

bellacio I think my libido has been killed stone dead with sleep deprivation, maybe all will become clear when DD starts school and she hopefully starts sleeping. I get the mood changes, palpitations and have had my first hot flush, I never sweated until recently.

meglet - well it sounds as though you heading that way ie towards menopause. For me the flushes started when I was well on the way ie when my periods would stop for quite a while, rather than during the build-up to menopause when they were still regular - although I had the mood swings and tearfulness then.

I would keep an eye on it and head for the HRT if they become problematic, and you certainly don't want to have more sleep deprivation than you can help!

The advantage for you is that you can take oestrogen only HRT. Those of us who still have our womb have to take progestogen as well and this is what often causes the problems with finding the right HRT type.

Hi all, I'm back after a visit to the doc to discuss my RAGE. He seemed unconvinced that it was anything to do with meno as my periods are still regular. His suggestion was a blood test - not so much for homone levels as, according to them, they're useless and tell you nothing, but more for general health, vit B & D, er other stuff.

His main advice though was to go on the Mirena Coil - therefore no periods and zero pmt symptoms. Anyone on this?

Oh his other advice was to see what your sisters/aunts/mothers/grandmothers experience of menopause is. You're apparently very likely to follow a similar pattern to them . . . Will ask my mum later.