Perimenopause understanding

Posted , 11 users are following.

Hi, I am new to this discussion.

I have just been told by my doctor, i am perimeopausal!  i am 45. and was having a bad time, i did not know what was going on with me......I was so happy when she told me this, as i thought i was going crazy! my doctor asked me if i wanted to try HRT, i am still not sure yet, i might try the herbal side first. I have also  just had my mirena coil removed to see where i am at with my periods, as i have always had heavy bleeding. I also have an underactive thyroid too. I have been suffering with terrible Insomnia, joints aches, headaches, night sweats, terrible Anxiety, dry skin, irregular bleeding and spotting the list goes onnnnnn. I have been reading about some of the symptoms on here. I have delveloped a white tongue, had swabs done all came back negative has any body else had this? 

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  • Posted

    I have very similar symptoms joint pain particularly in my shoulders, hot flushes, I spend most of the night flinging the duvet off and then pulling it back on.

    And terrible periods of anxiety for what appears to be no reason.

    I have been to GP today who basically told me to go away and read up on the

    Various treatments and then go back and tell her, don't really know what to do

    • Posted

      I've had a lot of the usual symptoms but the worst was the mood swings from anger to irritable with anxiety and a lot of crying. After thinking for a long time about what I wanted to do I started bio identical hormone replacement 10 weeks ago and feel heaps better. Wasn't an instant fix and iv had them adjusted once already but my moods are a lot more stable and I can cope with life again. All my other symptoms seem to have gone but I can get a little warm in bed still (nothing like the hot flashes I was having). I take one day at a time and hope I stay stable and hope the worst is behind me.

    • Posted

      Hi azzumi

      Please can you share your history. I would be very interested to hear more about your experiences.

      I am trying to gather as much information as possible to help me make a decision about my next steps.

      I have all the medical gorgon but I think women's experience counts.

    • Posted

      I was basically told the same thing, educate yourself and then let me know! so this is what i am doing, if i can find a way of doing this without HRT i will. Have a look on Holland and Barrett and see if anything on their website can help you.  Exercise is good too, walking, riding and swimming as it not so hard on your body. Wish i had a manual on how to handle the menopause. Good luck :-)
    • Posted

      Sorry I'm so late replying. Not sure how far you want me to go back. Never had very heavy periods and would only last 2 maybe 3 days but I always suffered terrible mood swings with depression, anger and irritability. Think my peri meno lasted maybe 18 months when my period started coming every few days and could last up to 8 days which just isn't me. Also the moods got worse to the point where I questioned my sanity and I had a new boyfriend who asked me one day if maybe I had more wrong than just peri menopause. He studied female hormones and has taught me a lot so when he questioned me about my mental state I got quite concerned. My period stopped suddenly after about 10 months and I then had 8 months of no bleeding but all the other stuff like hot flushes, exhaustion, nausea, cramping, continued. The moods got worse and I would wake up feeling angry and completely confused then the crying would start and cry on and off all day. I couldn't function and had no desire to do anything or see anyone but the strange thing was my sex drive was crazy the whole time through peri and iv never had a high sex drive. I went to see a doctor my boyfriend recommended to me who only does hormones and he could tell just from looking at me which hormone drives me which is progesterone and I have a little more testosterone than most women too. He also described what kind of person I am. He said our hormones shape who we are and when he described me he was so right it spooked me. I'm very lean and muscular and he said im very stubborn and determined and an obsessive thinker and some other things that blew my mind. He told me when my estrogen rises even a tiny bit my moods go completely off the chart. Which is what has happened my whole life. He started me on my first troche for 6 weeks with estrogen progesterone & testosterone. Had bloods done at 6 weeks and he said I'm now post menopausal and he lowered my estrogen and my testosterone a bit. I still have little ups and downs but the worst seems to be over. I have bloods done again after 12 weeks on this troche and probably have another small adjustment.

      Sorry to go on so much..hope this is what you were after..anything else I can help with let me know..😃

  • Posted

    Hi Samantha

    I was told I am menopausal in Dec. 3monthly periods and increased anxiety. Put other symptoms like aches, pains, sweating nausea, weight loss down to the anxiety but now know it's hormonal.

    I was started on citalopram and had a rough time at first but side effects are gone now.

    I am considering HRT but don't want to make myself feel worse. It's a mind field. Treat the hormone imbalances or treat the symptoms of the hormone imbalances?

    What are your thoughts on HRT? Do you live in the UK?

    • Posted

      Hi Zoe,

      Just reading your message and see you have weight loss, me to. I to thought it was my anxiety causing this. Did your doctor say it's hormonal?

      My insomina and anxiety is terrible, i fell asleep at 10.00pm and woke back up at 2.00am after having a night sweat and stayed awake till 7.00am...i have good and bad days! Just glad i have a very understanding boss.

      My friend is also using the same medication as you and thinks it is really good. Her symptoms have calmed her down.

      Regarding hrt, i have been reading up on it and still not convinced its the best thing for me....i need to re search this some more.

      Good Luck :-)

       

    • Posted

      Thanks Samantha for the reply

      My GP has taken various hormone levels and said that I am menopausal so from that every symptom I have has been blamed on menopause.

      I think the citalopram has certainly helped with the anxiety side of things.

      However because the other symptoms are still there I am considering HRT.

  • Posted

    Yup everything you said except the insomnia. That is the only symptom I haven't encountered yet!

  • Posted

    Hi Samantha,

    you have listed many of the menopause symptoms and I would say to you try hrt. You need quality of life and you are young to be suffering these symptoms.Hrt can give you life back. You could ask for hrt patches to start with and you will be in control. It can take several months for the hormones to kick in, but most of the symptoms you have listed tend to be from low estrogen and you said you had the mirena coil which gives you progesterone which would lower your progesterone even further with heavy periods. Try and see how you get on......and good luck x

    • Posted

      Hi supemack

      You sound like your a fan of HRT 😀

      Please can you share your experience.

      I don't know many women who are taking it and the once I do say they only had aching joints but it helped.

    • Posted

      Hi Zoe, I started taking hrt for disturbed sleep and anxiety around ten years ago. I had no issues whatsoever over a seven year period, until my GP decided I had been on it for long enough, and he stopped it, with no withdrawal period. Within two weeks, the anxiety, depression and disturbed sleep was back. I read up on it and discovered I should have been withdrawn gradually. Another GP in the practice, when he heard what was happening, put me right back on to the same hrt. I did receive a letter of apology from the first GP, saying he wasn't aware of the gradual withdrawal recommended. Roll on approx. three years, when, because of my age, I was put onto hrt patches. Within three months, the aching muscles and anxiety were back. The doctors treated me with physio and CBT, and would not agree that my symptoms were menopausal. Over the next few months, they eventually tried me on various hrts. During this time I could not sleep at all, as every time I tried,it felt like I had a punch in the chest. I could not relax as the panic attacks, anxiety, pain, depression total disinterest in everyone and everything around me cut me off from my life. I was suicidal.I could see no point in carrying on as I was so low. Every day things, like eating became a reason to panic, as I would need to go to the toilet if I ate. I paced out in my garden, for hour after hour, over the winter nights. I had huge pressure in my chest with andrenaline running so high. The hot flushes, dry mouth etc. were total panic triggers.I didn't ever sweat, just my face was ready to explode! I had burning mouth, dry nasal passages etc.which caused further panic.

      The head doctor in my practice then took on my case, as he realised just how bad I had become. He put me back on the hrt I had taken for approx. ten years. This started to improve things, but I asked if I could go on to a higher dose of estrogen, as the symptoms, while improved, we're still not gone. I,ve now been on this dose of the hrt for two months, and many of my symptoms have gone. I didn't take the sleeping tablets, the anti depressants or the beta blockers prescibed, as I knew the symptoms were menopausal.I did take the beta blockers a few times, but found they gave me reflux, and had antacids prescibed, but with the dry mouth and burning, I read up on the counterindications, and decided I wanted to go down the no meds route. I take vit supplements and cell salts, and use magnesium spray at bedtime. I now sleep for five or six hours, and can get back to sleep after waking, sometimes for an extra two hours. It's still a work in progress, but when I think of how low I was, it's all so much better. So, yes, I would suggest to anyone having any of these problems,to try hrt. It literally, has given me back my life!......and the aching muscles are improving on a daily basis. Result!

    • Posted

      Hi Supemack,

      I am going to the doctors next week, i will have a chat with her about the patches....

      Good luck and thank you for kind words :-)

  • Posted

    I had a very bad white tongue last week, got some cream from chemist and now I'm ok. But all the symptoms you have, I've also had or got, reduced abit as I'm on hrt patches but only until June, said I would try them for a year xx

    • Posted

      Hi I've been on them about 10 months and yes they do help, still get the odd flush but I'm sleeping better and the other symptoms have settled down x

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