Let's add to the 66 perimeno symptoms list..

My skin is so dry because I take endless scorching showers, hot baths and hot tubs! It's the only thing that give my achiness some relief. And I refuse to give it up! I don't know about crisco, but I kind of remember putting that on my kids heads when they had cradle cap. Or was that vaseline? My luck I'd break my neck slipping on my tile floors after slathering on some crisco. lol!!

I gave up everything for awhile (dairy, gluten, alcohol, chocolate, sugar, fried), which caused me to lose alot of weight, and I just kept feeling worse! I say, do and eat what makes you happy. It's bad enough going through all this crapola!

I'm trying to figure out what everyone means by "shrinking eyes"? I have droopy eyelids now..."hooded" eyelids where the skin is starting to droop over my lashes. Is that what you mean?

Probably a better word is sinking. It's not the hoodies, but they are kind of there too. My eyes just seem to be smaller than they used to be.

No, under my eyes. Hollows bad! Also, my eyes are smaller with thinner eyelashes. I have to wear twice as much makeup to get them to "pop" out. I don't know if it's old age or my adrenals. The freaking doctors just say, "you look fine to me." It happened maybe 8 months ago, like overnight, and has been freaking me out. I hate doctors! All they say is "drink more water!"

I definitely have the forgetfulness & jaw/ear pain. I also have joint issues. I also have to pee every 5 minutes! Haha! It was like that when I was pregnant, but that was 27 years ago! It's like perimenopause is shrinking my bladder! I don't have bad cramping though, thank goodness. I do get frequent headaches and pain behind my eyes. Like the kind of pain that comes with being dehydrated. I've been drinking water like crazy trying to feel less dry everywhere but it's not helping. I know that contributes to frequent urination, but when I was younger I could drink this much water and pee like a normal person...haha!

Yes! Just like me!!! Everyone is sick of me running to the bathroom! It probably does shrink your bladder like the ovaries. I wouldn't be surprised. I am drinking water too because of everything.......my eyes are sunk and hurt and I have headaches so been drinking water for those! But yes, it makes you go more for sure! Thinking I need diapers or something next. And God forbid if I'm not sitting down if I laugh or sneeze. Look out! I feel like a fool with the doctors/dentist/opthalmologist for all these years complaining of all these symptoms. They look at me like I have three heads and/or laugh when I leave. Keep saying "check my ears" every visit. UGH! Did you ever try progesterone cream on your own? Keep thinking of it but I am afraid of course! Thanks for relating to me!

oh I get it! And don't try jumping on a trampoline either! haha! I was on a trampoline with my son & pee went everywhere! I had to jump off and run in to shower & change! Luckily my son likes science & understands what my body is going through, so he was sympathetic. We actually laughed about it. No, I'm too afraid to try hormone medications. I figure I'll just deal with it and hope when I hit full blown menopause that a lot of the symptoms will subside. And you're welcome 😊 It's awesome to be able to have others to talk to about this stuff. It helps us all know we aren't completely nuts & that we're not alone. My husband is incredibly supportive. He has researched the crap out of perimenopause & even cooks me food that's full of vitamins that I need. I talk to him about it, but it really helps to talk to other ladies who are going through this craziness too. So thank you too 😊

I won't use the synthetic stuff either...like hormone replacement stuff. I feel like it's best to let the body do what it naturally does. Of course I try to alleviate symptoms with my diet, but no HRT for me. I've also read horrible things about it. Like people being more apt to get breast cancer. Dunno if that's true or not, but I don't wanna find out!

LOL! I definitely suffer from that!

I understand, my doctor also offered me BCP first and I refused them. Also synthetic progesterone, nope. I tried bioidentical hormones for about three months, but I was so sick, and I thought that it might've just been delaying what my body was trying to get through. And the doctor I was seeing kept saying that he wanted me to feel like I was 20 again. I didn't want to feel 20, I just wanted to be able to function! But being on the hormones also elevated my anxiety because I was constantly worried about DVT's and things like that! And I was getting new symptoms daily, wasn't sure what was from peri and what the hormones might've been causing.

This past summer I had constant spotting and a vag u/s showed a thickened uterus. Of course right away they wanted to do a biopsy. I was like, no, let me try natural progesterone cream for awhile and see what happens. I used the lowest dose recommended and it helped with both. I've since stopped using it. But if I would start spotting again I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

I also believe I was estrogen dominant and probably was since my early 40s. I always had bad fibrocystic breasts, ovarian cysts, etc..

One thing about HRT, the friends I know who are on it, their skin looks pretty good. One woman said when she stopped taking it she noticed the skin on her arms got crepe-y right away. And another friend stopped and I swear it's like she aged over night, she looks so old. Even my mother, who was put on estrogen patches after having a hysto in her 40's, said when she stopped taking it at 60 she aged overnight. It's so confusing because you read positive and negative things about HRT and it's hard to know what to believe.

Well I also have Hashimotos for 25 years and this has really added to the confusion! Keep thinking I'm sensitive to my thyroid medicine. Hearing I shouldn't have any other hormones, soy, herbs, vitamins etc or it will upset my thyroid, blah, blah, blah. I just want to throw caution to the wind and say "&$^ it all!" Here's another one: (lets get to 100 symptoms) ---resentment of men!

Hashimotos here too. I've had it since 16. I also have alopecia. Such a joy.

I have Idiot Doctor Aversion/Rage, so let's add that one too.

I hate to say it, but I feel so good having people to post to that can relate! This forum is a Godsend! Yes, Doctors! Ugh! Five endocrinologists here that only test TSH and tell me to see the Gynecologist who then tells me I need an endocrinologist----I want to scream! I'm finally giving up on the anxiety of it all, money, and travel time. Thank God I have a wonderful PCP who is a WOMAN after switching four times because the men just kept trying to give me antidepressants, which I REFUSE! I hate Hashimotos, nobody, I mean NOBODY gets this disease! Had alopecia before, I can relate. I keep looking for that to happen. I know we MUST, absolutely MUST, not get stressed. Makes it all so much worse for us. Let's add: Employment difficulties. I know I haven't worked and feel better in that regard. Should be able to get disability for all these symptoms. If we were men we probably could. There's the resentment.......LOL!

Exactly! I'm too scared to try that stuff! I've heard more cons than pros. I can say I never had acne even when I was a teenager but my skin gets bumps now. Nothing horrible, but definitely noticeable. I don't wear makeup...unless it's special fx makeup for films, but that's not often, so I suspect my hormones are responsible. I can deal with little pimples. Better than dealing with probable bigger issues from synthetic medicines. I don't wanna age 20 years over night from stopping taking it...haha! Nope!

Some of my doctors responses to me:

Cardiologist - "you must practice mindfulness" (before even listening to my heart)

Hematologist - "I don't know what you mean about low ferritin causing symptoms"

Concierge - "Great news, I got your latest blood labs and you're perfectly healthy"

Concierge - "oh, you have mono" (after I was declared perfectly healthy, and he had no idea what reactivated EBV was"

Orthopedic - "well you have AC, aka Frozen Shoulder, I've never heard of hormones causing it. Too bad you can't take advil because of your gastritis, you're screwed. It would be a good time to consider marijuana IF it were legal here"

Radiologist - "I read your mammogram results, your cysts are enormous, something is really wrong with you, maybe you should see a doctor" (oh now why didn't I think of that)

Endocrinologist - "Got your labs back, you are not in perimenopause, and nowhere near it"

Endocrinologist 6 months later "Got your labs back, you are post meno" (got my period the next week)

There's more of the bad, but I'll stop there.

The good doctors:

New GYN: "When I was going through meno I seriously thought I was going mentally ill" (guess it helped knowing that my doctor was crazy, but didn't help when her answer was birth control)

Gastro: "You sound like my hormonal teenage patients"

Psychiatrist: "You aren't suffering from depression or anxiety, you are going through menopause and it's probably caused a virus like EBV to surface" (BINGO!)

And re stress. YES!! When all this crap hit the fan big time, I was in NYC for the summer, had a bed bug scare which threw me in to a total anxiety mess, wasn't sleeping for months. Maybe I wasn't thinking rationally because of the hormones, but I was a total mess. I know this made everything accelerate.

Wow, you have been through the ringer, like me. We should write a book.......I've heard so much bs from the doctors too! Calling radiology and labs because of screw ups on reports. I should be a supervisor for the hospitals. The mistakes they make! Scary to think if I was terminal how negligent they are! Then these things make me upset and stressed. So......I think I'm spent and done with them! I'm going to self treat myself, I don't know with what or how but it will be more than they do. I get more advice off this forum then any doctors! I don't need them stressing me and upsetting me more. New Years Resolution! I know I pray for Karma to get everyone of them some day! Hang in there dear! I know it's hard to stay calm but we really have too!

I hear both...........but I lean on the side of caution like you seem to. I've heard it just masks the problems till later and like Suzanne described with aging. But them I just talked to an older woman who said she was fine gradually coming down from it (the patch) and she looks great, she's 67. I dunno either. I know I'm really observing older women more these days to see what's in store! I may not mind the progesterone cream, that's crossing my mind. But yes, I'm afraid of going down a "rabbit hole"