Feeling disgusting days 5-12 of cycle

[BatsInSpring]

Or thereabouts.
Starting a thread to see if anyone can share similar experience and/or solutions.
I'm 45. I think this all started a couple of years ago at least. I would have episodes where I just suddenly feel awful;
Rumbling, grumbling guts
Tight feeling round belly and head
Fatigued - unrefreshing sleep
Dry mouth
Headache
etc. etc. etc.
Worked out it was happening at the same point of the cycle but not every single month. Sometimes 1 or 2 days, sometimes up to 8 days.
Tested, scanned and poked and prodded.
Diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia and treated. Definite improvement in overall health and the episodes were less frequent, less severe, shorter. But still same point of the month.
Many other peri symptoms so started HRT. No episodes for three months hurrah! But, then they started again. I'm on day 2 of yet another episode and it's awful. I lose and have lost so much time to it - the crushing fatigue, the lack of motivation, the feeling of wanting to crawl out of my own skin!
My feeling is that maybe it's estrogen surges (but then why is it better now I'm adding estrogen not worse?), or lack of, or lack of progesterone - or the iron again (recently checked, ferritin levels 28 so lower end)....
Just hoping to connect to people who have experienced or are experiencing the same.

On the week leading up to ovulation (usually between day 7-14) I feel horrible. My stomach gets progressively more tender, I feel bloated and sore, I’m nauseous and lose my appetite, I get tired and headachey. Then the symptoms disappear and I feel ok again, I’m assuming this is when I ovulate as my period starts 14 days later.

Im 48 and this started about two years ago on the very first cycle after I came off the mini pill. Every month when it happens, my anxiety sky rockets and I’m convinced I’ve got some awful disease…then the symptoms disappear until the next month 🤷🏻‍♀️

@ScarlettDarling sounds like the same thing. I forgot to mention that at one point I knew when I would get my period as it was always exactly 11 days after the fog lifted. My luteal phase has always been shorter.
So I know this is linked to ovulation. It might be a mixture of things. I try and remember to increase my iron intake when I'm on my period.
I've been reading about post menstrual syndrome.
What I find really difficult is not knowing whether it's estrogen failing to take flight when it should be, or a surge of too much estrogen because I'm peri and it's all out of whack, or neither. It feels like early pregnancy does, so I think maybe it's too much of something. I've also been reading it might be occurring in anovulatory cycles.

I’m not sure about oestrogen surges or anything like that but I’m sure that it’s connected to ovulation. I get a real pain for a day or two amongst the other symptoms right where I assume my right ovary is…but only ever on the right side. Your symptoms sound very similar, you have my sympathy (although I do feel somewhat reassured that I’m not the only one suffering strange symptoms!!)

@ScarlettDarling another of my meandering thoughts is that it might be the progesterone withdrawal.
Yes, it's good to not be alone in it isn't it? But I sympathise with you also.
I've thought about having a private consultation with Newson Health to see if they can shed some light on what it's likely to be.
I do seem to feel better if I increase my iron at this point of the cycle.

I’m not on any kind of hrt because I don’t think I’m having any menopausal symptoms despite being 48. But what you said about lack of progesterone is interesting because my symptoms started the same cycle I came off the progesterone only pill.
Ive never taken iron supplements as I don’t bleed particularly heavily so it’s never occurred to me that I’m iron deficient. I can’t shake the tiredness at the moment though and my legs feel like lead…am half tempted to give the iron a try!

I really identify with this but I'm younger and Dr won't give me HRT yet.

I've been playing around with supplements and so far the last 3 months have been much better:

Lots of sleep
Lots of water
Low carb diet (bit extreme but I think trying to reduce sugar generally is a good plan)
Magnesium
Starflower
Vitamin D
Multivitamin

I have a similar thing in that the 5-7 days around ovulation are the worst of my cycle. My lower abdomen becomes incredibly sore and tender, I get acute pain for about 2 days on the side ( I assume) I am ovulating from, I feel slightly nauseous and my anxiety peaks over this period. This has only been a thing in my 40s. In my 30s would have had no clue when I was ovulating and zero symptoms. I worry sometimes about ovarian cancer but I've had checks before and once I have ovulated all the symptoms disappear, until the following month. Do you think this is peri menopause related?