Is this Peri?

[ColinVsCuthbert]

I'm 40 and suspect that i'm in perimenopause but could use some experience checks to see? It seems online that everything is a symptom. Similar experiences/ways to help alleviate this are very welcome!

• I suddenly can't sleep at night at all Sunday-Thursday. I only drink wine at weekends, and a glass or two. I don't like drinking during the week as I feel sluggish. The nights that I'm sober, I go to bed tired, wake up at some point and then lie awake the whole frigging night with anxious thoughts, bad thoughts, just thoughts! I have a friend in peri who noted the opposite. If she drinks she is awake the whole night, so I'm curious if anyone else has had the reverse? I don't want to drink mid week, but I'm considering it at this point for a night of sleep.
• Itchy ears. I feel like they are constantly waxy. I clean them at least daily, but they are so annoying.
• The usual weight gain no matter how much exercise I have and limited food intake.
• I got my coil (Mirena) in at 38 after my baby and had to take it out a few months ago as I was constantly bleeding and cramping. I thought I had endo it was so bad, it would last at least 2-3 weeks of each month, going back on the pill seems to have resolved this thankfully, but I haven't had a period since going on the pill and was bleeding several times a month with the coil. It felt like I was having mini cycles in a cycle if that makes sense.

I found that the nights I drank gave me agitated sleep and I felt so very tired next day. Then i developed an allergy when I drank, my face went red and itchy, so I stopped drinking. The anxious/bad thoughts are something I’ve developed in peri, I take magnesium glycinate to help me sleep. But unwanted anxiety is something I have to tolerate now. It’s ridiculous the things I worry about, I hope it’s something that passes eventually.
Itchy ears, yes. I clean mine twice a day and it does help.
Weight gain, yes. And when I exercise I become ravenous.
I have a Mirena coil, which I needed because I became anaemic with heavy frequent periods, but it’s not been without its problems. I’m bleeding again now and the consultant says it’s an ablation next, but I’d prefer a hysterectomy as I know ablations can fail. Well why didn’t we just cut out all this messing about and just do the ablation/hysterectomy in the first place. Honestly, if menopause had simply been periods stopping I’d have been happy!

You should try tranexamic acid, that can massively help with heavy bleeding, take it a few days before your period and during it. Ask your GP to prescribe it. Also you can start some low dose estrogen to help or anti-anxiety meds - if it's interfering with every day and consistent, it won't hurt to try one and see if it helps. I hope the ablation helps you or a hysterectomy, whatever route you decide to go.

Thank you! So much of what you said resonates. I knew after our second child that I was done with being pregnant, we had two high risk births and neither made it full term, theres no way I would go for a third. I wish that you could request a hysterectomy c section if you absolutely know this is your final child. Even to help reduce uterine cancer risk etc. I'll look into the magnesium supplements, at this point I'd love nothing more than a full night of sleep.

I think I’m peri and the weight gain is starting to worry me a little - how do women go through this and not gain weight?!

I think it sounds like peri but don't ask my gp. I'm 46 and have all of those symptoms and more and my gp has told me I'm a bit young but I can have some anti depressants for the sleep if I'd like.

I’ve been put on HRT patches I am 38 years old my symptoms were severe mood swings, sweats, low to non existing sex drive, heavy periods, I’ve only been on the patches since end of July so still early days to say if they are helping.