Advice for early peri-menopause, no major physical symtpoms...yet...

Women's health
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I've just found this wonderful forum and would love to hear from others who have already been through the stage I am at, and (hopefully!!!) come out the other side with their sanity (and marriage?!) in tact!! I am 44, some slight changes in my periods over last couple of years, currently much lighter (long may THAT last), but the main symptoms I am having are: extreme tiredness (on and off), lethargy, horrible mood swings - irritable, angry, crying, and depression. I'm not having the hot flashes, skin problems or anything like that (Though now I think of it, general nasal and eye dryness, which I have had to use saline/hyrpmellose for). I do have painful ovulation, which has worsened over the past year, and have had a hysteroscopy to rule out anything sinister related to that! :-) I have some small fibroids, which my gynae sugegsted the Mirena coil or pill for, but I haven't gone down that road yet - only one was ever visible from an ulytrasound and that has actually SHRUNK over the past two years.

What I am interested in is hearing what has worked for others? Currently I'm starting a supplement that contains black cohosh, agnus castus, ipriflavone and vitamin D3, along with a high dose vitamin B complex. I've also just signed up for an app as whilst awake in bed last night it occurred to me that SURELY there must be an app for this ;-) I thought it would be useful to track the symptoms alongside my cycle, and if nothing else maybe identify patterns that would help me to be prepared!!

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hi notjustme, welcome to the forum. 

im really not qualified to answer as i still havent come out the other end.

i wish i was as confident, well-prepared  and 'done your home-work' kinda as you sound now

keep reading and sharing your presence

i like to be informed so do please share the links in pm

thanks

 

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I think you are on the right track. Maybe try some magnesium (trial and error to which one will be best ) for anxiety and sleep and rescue remedies for the day. 

I'm the same as you but 39. I wonder if it's a hormone inbalnce but mum went through the meno at my age so it makes sence.

Ivexbeen told over by many naturopaths vitex on its own works wonders and did for me however I'm terrible with pills and keep forgetting to take it

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Hi notjustme

my perimenopause symptoms hit the hardest when i was around 46/47, i was on a 6 weeks period cycle, and think that, because i was on the menoapuse for 10 years, and im 57 this year, this is why it took my body so long for my periods to stop, I am now considered post after not having a period for over a year now, my sisters on the otherhand, were on 4 weeks cycles, and there menopause lasted 6 years, another friend, though on a 4 weeks cycle was on it for 10 years like me, so no real pattern,  Since being post i have noticed a decline in my symptoms, still get them, but sometimes just dont notice them due to them being so mild, so symptoms do settle once your post, but what does increase and is a sign that you are in post, is a return of the high temperatures, and possible hot flushing again, this can continue in  some for up to 5 years after post, but all this differs from person to person, you will hit a peak with your peri, and you do think omg am i going to burst or have a breakdown which, thats normally a sign your close to finishing your periods, but doesnt again always follow, some women get no slowing of periods, they carry on as n ormal and one month just get no more, so, all this is a guide for you only.

Symptoms of peri, for the majority of woman, come on, like your pms symptoms did, so before you rperiod you get a rise in these symptoms, when your on your period, it tends to ease, then when you come off your period, you take a dip again, then it settles, until next month, and this is generally the pattern works for most, but there are exceptions to that rule.

when you have had no period for one year, you are then considered post.

Hope this helps.

  

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I tried a few sleep apps including white noise they didn't help.

You could try adding magnesium into your mix. I also took a good quality multi vitamin.

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That's me too!!! I have always been terrible at remembering to take tablets and have never in my life stuck to taking any kind of supplement on a regular basis! But I am determined to do this, because I have to give anything that may work a good go ...so I've put the two bottles on top of the loo as I spend a LOT of time in there (did I mention that one - lol!) Is Vitex the Agnus Castus on its own? That's what I was looking for but couldn't find it on its own (I don't live in the UK) so this was the best I could get, but when I looked into it the other bits in it sounded like it wasn't a bad thing to take the whole lot - lol! I've long had some level of anxiety and swear by rescue remedy (also for night time - calming the mind!) - thanks for the tip on magnesium ...I think I may have also read that that is good for reducing sugar cravings, so that would definitely be a good thing (until this recent decision to take charge I had mostly been medicating with chocolate and alcohol...)

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Thanks so much Elaine <3

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Oh I hear that. Wine cures all right... Yeh me and th toilet are fast becoming best friends too...

i need to pull my head out of my butt and get back onto the vitex yeh. I believe it's the same thing yes but there's super isolated formulas which I'm NOT allowed to mention on here... Go figure....

ps I'm not in the uk either

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Thanks Zigangie :-) Someone else also mentioned Magnesium - and I think I even have some in the house actually so will add that! :-) The part about the app got lost in the editing to remove the link, but what I was looking for was a symptom tracker app - trying to establish a pattern and be prepared for the worst and possibly take pre-emptive measures when I know its coming!! There is a pdf version in the resources link in the pinned post here, but I was looking for something more interactive :-)

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So the link I posted included advertising, so it's been removed, but if anyone is wondering it was for an on line menopause symptom tracker - I am sure you could find something simialr by googling that phrase or looking it up in one of the app market places (my phone sadly is not up to such things, so I found one I can use from my laptop instead - phone app would be much handier!)