Been up and down for the past few years, starting with anxiety which i realised ive had most of my life im on medication the side effects were awful but i stuck with it. My life has changed for the better im able to go to work, socialize etc still have a blip now and then but i can cope. About a year ago i started feeling achy all the time in my neck, shoulder and back and i was so tired i was falling asleep as soon as i got home from work. I ended up back at the Drs having all the routine blood test they increased my anxiety medication from 50mg to 100mg and iron tablets for low ferritin i was convinced i had a autoimmune problem. Ive had my hormone test done 3 times now and its still normal my periods were normal every 28 days and heavy, up until about 4 months ago one was really heavy flooding and clots next one was was the same and my last one was hardly anything. Im very forgetful, ive put a stone on in weight and my stomach is bloated all the time is this the early menopause im 46 ??? Sorry for the essay i hope somebody has some advice xx
Hi! It does sound like perimenopause to me. I have heard that women (like me) with depression or anxiety have early menopause, and I don't think 46 is too early anyway. So yeah! Weight gain, bloating, stomach problems, very common in perimenopause, and I've been through it.
I use progesterone cream to help balance myself. You can order it online. I also use a herbal supplement, a lot of ladies here use menopace.
Since your periods have been heavy, it's really important to check your blood iron levels. When my iron is down, I get depressed right away. I am SOOOO forgetful. Have to write everything down. And again, when my iron is down, I can't remember my last thought. I can't tell you how important it is for me (and probably for you).
Everybody here is going through a lot of these symptoms, so welcome to the family. We have a dream about perimenopause holiday resort, with massages, herbal face rubs, saunas . . . and nothing to do!
Hi tt, how are you, hope you're doing alright. Seems to be many horrible symptoms with peri, anxiety & the heavy periods etc...been there done that plus other symptoms😖 I'm 55, nearly 12 mths since my last period...some days I feel so 'off' on edge n anxious, it's scary & that makes me more anxious but I take each day as it comes. Am so glad I've joined this forum, lots of reassurance, all the ladies here are wonderful & it's comforting to know we're all going through the same stuff. I agree with Jennifer, a perimenopause resort for much needed pampering 💆sounds good! LoL
Take Care, don't be too hard on yourself.
Hi tt
what age are you tt..
i had a ten year peri from age of 39/40 .. I am 21 months post meno now and 51 next week. ( natural route) cant take HRT and didnt want to.
HRT postpones menopause as boosts naturally declining hormones and when stopped hormones then decline all over again and peri / menopause begins again.
not until your periods decline to approx 3-4 per year ( no hormones like hrt or birth control taken as this gives false true readings) will your FSH blood tests say menopausal range.
12-14 months no periods = post menopause.
jay x
Dohhh
sorry just seen your age 46
jay xx
Hi there thankyou for your reply yes my iron was low im taking 60mg per day been on this for about 6 months, i telephoned my doctor yesterday for my blood results for ferritin, fsh & lh all came back normal could it make a difference when i had my bloods taken that i was on the 5th day of my cycle ?? Have a great day x
Thankyou Bobbins for your reply, have a great day x
Hi Jayneejay firstly thankyou for your reply if and when i get a result as you know yourself when you dont feel right but you cannot put your finger on it, im 46 and my body feels like im a lot older aches & Pains i cannot wait to hit my bed a night and the weight gain and constanly feeling bloated is getting me down. I wont be able to take hrt when that time comes due to me having a DVT when i was 18 due to taking the contraceptive pill. Have a great day x
I don't know about fsh, I've heard it can be different levels at different hours of the same day. If your iron is good on the fifth day of your period, I reckon you are doing ok with it.
Thanks for the good wishes!
Sounds a great deal like it is to me. Even though your tests are normal you still get the symptoms of menopause long before you stop seeing your periods.
You do sound like you are in peri menopause. I am 46 and in post menopause had some anxieties and panic attacks with this too, I am on Ativan for my anxieties and i am taking not a 1/2 OF Trazodone, first i cut it in 1/2 than 1/2 again so I take a quater of it. 50.mgs was way to much and 1/2.mg had my heart racing last Sunday morning so my doctor said to cut it in 1/2 than 1/2 again and take a quater of the trazodone. This has helped me i do seem calmer but i still get little palpitations here and there when feeling a little anxious.
Have you had you thyroid checked out i would get your thyroid checked out for the tiredness.
I know anxieties can be rough so hang in there and do your coping skills to help the anxieties.
lol Xx take care
Hi ,definitely sounds like others have said that you are in perimenopause ,seem to remember when I was around your age (now 50) that I had horrendous PMS ,mood swings ,didn't think too much about peri / menopause then but prob what it was and still is I'm afraid ! I like you have suffered anxiety /depression for many ,many years and am on medication , Seroxat was on 10 mg but just gone up to 20 mg due to a very bad patch that hit out the blue !! Just wondering what you take that was some jump you had from 50mg to 100mg ! And yes the aches and pains are def due to perimenopause ,whole body aches sometimes , painful to turn over in bed ,not always thankfully ,apparently it passes ( can't wait ) x
Hi jay it's so good to know I'm not the only one starting st a young age. I started having anxiety a few years back. I am 39 and I my period got heavier and longer since the beginning of the year. I got a endometrial biopsy and I am negative for endometriosis and no precancerous cells. Thank for. They told me to take provera for 10 days then I will follow up with gyn.
Hi Sarah im on sertraline i went through a really bad patch my tiredness was so bad, ached everywhere and still do, Dr increased my tablets due to me stressing about how i felt as i was worrying i was convinced i had fibromyalgia, im not worried about going through the menopause i know its something us ladies have to go through i just need to know why i feel like i do my Drs been good ive had thyroid test and all the rest you can think of, just really fed up of feeling rubbish, i work 40 hrs a week i finish work and just want to sleep. Thanks for your reply Sarah x
Hi Cris
i had endometriosis when i was 30 had hours of laser surgery as i didnt want a hyster at that age..
it was successful and all fine after .
i had awful bleeding at beginning of peri, and large follicular ( simple cysts)
i bles, spotted, heavy, med, light for 21 months ..but a few months before i had had a depo provera injection and it sent my body crazy, they were suppose to be 3 monthly i had two in total and then the 21 months of crazyness started and peri followed ..
i took rainforest food Maca capsules 2500mg daily then to help and it did, infact i still take now..
good luck hun
jay x
Hi there i understand that but why are my test's coming back normal i dont feel normal lol thanks for your reply x
Hi tt
peri is a unpredicable time and hormones too erractic to say your menopusal, it doesnt mean your not.. Takes time for hormones to steady and decline to the point where they come back in meno range
other good tests to check are blood sugars, Thyroid, B12 and Vit D.
etc
jay x
I agree with you ,it is a lot easier to deal with symptoms if you know what is causing it , I think that we all probably think that we have fibromyalgia at some point with the tiredness , aches and pains etc ! Am actually not surprised though that you feel tired if you work 40 hrs a week ,hope you find time for yourself !!! I am lucky I only work 22 hrs a week but still get tired , although I do suffer from chronic insomnia ! And run around ( literally) after my very active ,gorgeous 2 yr old grand daughter when her mum is at work ! Take care x
Thankyou for your reply sarah take care x😊
Hi there - I am 45 and have experienced a change in my periods from regular 28 days and not very heavy to short cycles and now one that is late. Last year I had skin issues, I was feeling periods of being really cold, my hair was shedding more and I was convinced something was 'wrong'. In January, before my periods changed I had one that was spotting for a week after my period stopped and the Dr's took blood tests for thyroid and FSH/LH. I was told the Thyroid was normal, but it was close to not being normal and my FSH/LH was post menopausal. I was told I would maybe have a few periods in the next year, but basically I was done.
No explanation as to what my other issues were, I was told they were not to do with hormones (?) and I should retest in a few weeks and take HRT as I was young. I was very confused. I skipped a period and had 3 regular periods followed by a shorter one and now a longer one. I retested in the normal range for FSH/LH at the second test.
I am explaining all this to say that even very high FSH/LH levels are possible in perimenopause, perhaps if they are taken during a cycle where ovulation didn't happen - the levels of all hormones swing about for a period of time before declining. It is possible that blood tests show normal but at other times in a cycle they may be high. FSH increases to trigger ovulation, if there is no follicle ready it will rise to help nudge the body to do it's thing. In perimenopause ovulation is hit and miss, things are slowing down. Unless the blood tests are done regularly or 2 that show the same along with symptoms, then I would ignore them.
It's confusing isn't it I also think that thyroid issues, anxiety issues are all part of the mix and it's hard to know what is going on. I increased my B vitamins and D when I realised I was somewhere in my menopausal journey, as well as magnesium for aching muscles. I do feel better, not sure if maybe that is hormones settling or the supplements. Wishing you well x