Is this perimenopause?

[Happydaisydoo]

What is happening to me??

I’m 41 (42 in Spring)

Had my first mid cycle spotting on day 14 of cycle which was red but just one day and hardly anything only on wiping.

Was due on Xmas Eve and came on with brown spotting. I was then expecting my red bleed to follow but never did. Instead my period this month was just two days of brown sludge spotting.

Not pregnant…now technically 4 days late and absolutely nothing and no cramps etc.

Is this things all starting? My dr checked my cervix for the mid cycle bleed and all looked good and booked in for bloods next week.

other things I have are low libido and dryness when I am in the mood. Hair thinning also.

Could be the start. My first symptom was extremely low mood and palpitations. I was 43. Then came night sweats, hair thinning, migraines, anxiety, and brain fog.

I certainly get brain fog and have zero energy.

It sounds like it could be. I started with hot flushes and brain fog at 42, then a year or so later period changes, longer between, shorter between, bleeding for ages or hardly at all.

It’s good that you’re getting bloods done though so they can see what is going on. Hopefully they’re looking at your iron levels, thyroid etc as well and those sorts of things can cause similar symptoms.

My periods had gone shorter and only lasting a few days for the last couple years but always 28-30 days I reckon this one is the start of me missing them… but will ensure I get those bloods done.

Yes do get the bloods. A friend of mine had to go a few times before they did any tests which was very frustrating. They told her as she was only 41 it was too early which is rubbish as lots of us start having some changes around that age, and they should have checked for other things too when she was having changes to periods, weight change, hair thinning etc. It sounds like your doctor is on it though which is great.

And was your friends peri menopause or something more sinister? I forgot to add in the old weight gain too :)

Yes, her bloods showed some hormone changes so the doctor said she was in early peri menopause. She did also have low iron. Once her iron levels were up her hair got better. Another friend had hair thinning, brain fog, weight gain and had a thyroid issue which all resolved once on medication. She was only late 30s though so it was less likely to have been peri menopause.

Thank you that is super helpful x

There is no reliable blood test for perimenopause as blood levels of hormones change so rapidly. The GP should check for other things that may cause similar symptoms like low iron levels, thyroid, etc and, once those are ruled out, diagnose by symptoms.
Unfortunately symptoms are wide ranging and variable so there's a lot of wait and see involved

The nature of peri means your oestrogen and FSH can vary wildly from month to month, that's why your periods can be very different are as normal as they always were, or happen on a normal for you timing for a couple of months, then skip then back to normal. So bloods can't be used to definitely diagnose peri but should be run to rule out things like iron, vit b, thyroid etc being the cause of symptoms - lack of other causes would lead to peri being a diagnosis. 35 is the average age for progesterone starting to drop so not unusual for changes to start showing up in early 40s

Just turned 40 and I have had various symptoms piling up for the last year or so which include hair thinning, low mood, lack of motivation, hair on chin, anxiety, very poor sleep, weight gain, lack of libido, hot flushes and night sweats and most recently heart palpitations. I do have the contraceptive implant,and periods aren't normal on that anyway. It was the heart palpitations that prompted a gp visit. I said I think I'm peri menopausal but she said no, I wasn't (!) but did a set of bloods, which looked ok (iron and thyroid normal). So far, I have seen the gp, practice nurse, and mental health nurse. The mental health nurse referred me back to the gp for menopausal symptoms. At the moment, I'm not getting far

Thanks ladies let’s hope there is a reason for mine that is obvious once I get my bloods back. It is all a right pain in the bum. I feel really emotional about it all because having no period (apart from the very very light brown sludge) js just so strange when I have never missed one since being 13.

It does sound very much like peri if it's not anything else. HRT will sort it right out. We no longer have to grin and bear these horrendous symptoms.

As others have said, blood tests very rarely pick up peri as our hormones are all over the place. The GP will usually go off symptoms.

Sadly I’m at a surgery where it’s a locum every single time. The tests are to rule out thyroid etc but if they are ok I just know they won’t give a sh1t as I keep getting told I’m too young.

I think there's a meno group on here. There are quite a few on Facebook. Join them and have a read. That way, you can gain as much knowledge as possible about menopause and the symptoms/treatment. It can be a tough journey for some. It completely depends on what help you're offered. There's also quite a few treatment options with no one size fits all.

If they give you the 'too young' bullshit ask them what age do they think progesterone starts dropping? And aside from anything else have they ever heard of early menopause/premature ovarian failure (I'm not saying that's you, but this too young crap really irritates me, I was post menopausal by 38)