peri, pmdd or breakdown please help!!

Women's health
1

hi everyone, im in despearte need of advice

to cut a long story short ive been having lots of weird things going on with my body but latley im convinced its to do with hormones

im 40 and have always had clock work 28 days cycle, and had bad pmt.....but over the last few months my cycle has been eratic. 

from 3 weeks cycle to 30 days......i have done loads of home urine menoupase tests which come up positive, particularly dark on day 3 of period.....i told my gp who done blood tests this was done 4 days before period started on a 21 day cycle (unusal for me) anyway the results were normal.....LH 4.9    FSH 4.3  and oestradol 330

over the past few months my symtoms include

constant cramping (all month)

dry eyes very painfull

severe depression and anxiety leading up to and during period

night sweats leading up to

severe nausia and painful swollen leaking breast (like early preganacy)

always have headacues, joint pain, severe fatigue ext

over past couple of years ive been tested for just about everything gp can think of, but because all bloods come back normal most of the time i cant get referred to anyone. im waiting on results of dexa and pelvic scans.

im going on holiday in 4 weeks so im gonna have my period then and im terrified cause i cant cope at this time in general let alone on holiday with the kids.

i dont know whether to try progesterone pill which gp prescribed incase it makes things worse? i dunno what to try my quailty of life is horrendous and with 2 teenagers and a 3 n 4 year old to look after i just cant manage, i need help and dont know how!!

if anyone has any ideas that would be great

thank you

lisa xxxx

2

Lisa, I am sorry you are in such a terrible place. I feel for you with the pms. I have always had it really bad. I use progesterone cream for it, you can buy in online, and for me it works well, and quickly. I am also on anti depressants, and maybe you should think about going on them as well, at least through to menopause. 

The blood tests are unreliable, because the hormones swing up and down constantly during perimenopause. 

I am on the Pill to control my periods. I think you could try the progesterone only pill, there is a possibilty of it getting worse it's true, but also it might get better. I think the mirena coil is often recommended, although I have never used it.

Of course, the lifestyle recommendations are always don't drink alcohol, don't drink anything with caffeine, don't eat sugar, exercise etc., but I know how little that really affects anything when you have bad pms. It's hormonal. 

Ask your doctor about hrt too. And best of luck to you and your family, my good thoughts go with you.

3

Lisa,

if you have leaking breasts it may be high prolactin levels.

Were you tested for this?

Were you tested for Vit. D3?

Were you tested for Ferritin?

On the other hand many of what you describe can be:

- Thyroid issues (have you tested thyroid anti-bodies * reverse T3?);

- Parathyroid (not thyroid) problems. Have you tested the PTH (parathyroid hormone)?

- Sjögren's syndrome

-  Adrenal Exhaustion (extremely high/low cortisol, etc).

Progesterone, natural progesterone won't probably do you any harm since most women approaching menopause are estrogen dominant anyway. But  other things should be ruled out.

However since your hormone levels indicate that, I believe, you are still ovulating,

So meanwile I would suggest you to take Vitex-agnus castus (herbal) to regulate your periiods. It also has a beneficial effect on excessive prolactin levels and it is a progesterone booster. It's available on health shops and over the counter. Dosage of 800/1000 mg /day for a minimum of a 1 year period.

Take care. Teresa.

 

4

PS - in any case you need to be taking a good quality/high strenght multivitamin and mineral supplement daily.

5

Hiya

Poor Kid - and Ian that.  Not fair at 40 - bad enough to have this at my age 54 (and banking on ot getting my P this month.....please!)

Sounds like you have our Perimenopausal symptoms.  These can last for years (like I say, I'm 54. My 3 older sisters were all proper Menopausal at my age. They also used to call me the spoilt baby - is this what I have to put up , the price I'm now paying for being the spoilt brat tee hee?  Cheeky Cows. 

Think I've probably been Peri for best-part 10yrs. Just think, looking back, some of my now obvious symptoms were shrouded by daily stress of running our busy Business, and losing lovely parents, grieving (found it very hard to be technically an orphan aged 41), and trying to hold myself (ourselves: me and the ol' man found it a terrible time, but clung together like a couple of orphans at 44).  If that's the case, then Thank Gawd for that!

I read your post and felt for you.  But felt a bit of relief when you mentioned the prescribed Progesterone Pills.  Maybe consider starting them, if not just for getting you through your Hols, but to help you generally?

I'm not using traditional HRT at the mo, but don't rule it out in the long term. But I have had to give in to my hatred of taking meds of any sorts, and take a daily Menopace Original multi vit/min supplement.  I use this alongside some bioidential (natural) Progesterone Cream.  This combo for me works well.  I think the B vits stop me going off on one (mind you, how would I know?  all the women in my family are naturally fiesty, hot-eads:  we balme our red-headed, 4'10" firecracker of a mother:  she feared no-one, love her heartxx)

Someone suggested getting yourself some good vit supplements.  If you do nothing else, do this. 

I second what TeresaJS suggests:  maybe get back to the GP to rule out that thyroid:  little s*d causes so many problems for us when its off whack!

Enjoy that holiday.  But maybe prepare yourself in advance by giving those Prog Pills a go.

(Remembering our house with 5 kids,,,,,,,,emm, 2 teenagers/2 little 'uns - How have you not taken to drink??  My mum was a bloody Heroine, and she was a right laugh. My sister only reminded me yesterday because she was eating cherries "Do you remember when mum used to walk around with 2 cherries hanging over her ears?" Yep, a nutty, but very happy house)

Sx

6

Opps!  Should Read: 

"Poor Kid - and I mean that"!! 

Fat Finger Syndrome, and typing too fast!

Haven't read it back, so apologise for any other mis-types!!

7

Sorry you are going through this. You could be in Perimenopause. If it works for you, you should talk to your doctor about HRTs or for your moods and depression try an SSRI which is an antideprsant they say the SSRIs can help relieve a lot of symptoms associated to perimenopause and menopause. 

It can also relieve you anxieties too. 

Talk to your doctor about SSRIs and see what she says 

8

I can relate so much to much of what you type. Including bereavement and loss of my parents. Then I also blamed that for my 'break-downs'. 

May I inquire as to where you get the natural progesterone? Like you, I don't feel comfortable taking medications. xx

9

Not sure if I can mention it, and it get through the Moderators, but here goes:  Wellbeing Serenity Bioidentical Progesterone Cream.  I don't get the 1:2 as I'm not wholly sure that I need the Oestrogen element....yet.! 

I'll post another note below, without mentioning this, just in case this doesn't go through

Sx

10

Ah Ha!  I see my post went through!

What I was going to say is that the Cream I use actually advertises on this Site!  Generally if you scroll down, you'll see a Pot of it, and advertising for their Website!!

I'm waiting on another pot any day soon.  They come to me in mainland UK from the Channel Islands so take about 4-5 working days.  They are very reliable; confirm payment and shipping; and I have signed up for their Wellbeing Newsletter.  All good stuff!

Like I said:  this stuff seems to work well for me personally (at the mo), but I know a lot of other posters on this site are not fans at all.  'Horses for Courses' I say, but I also appreciate, like with most things, its not a case of 'One Size Fits All' (how apt is that for me at 54, struggling with my weight?!!)

Besides, if this ain't for me, there's always conventional HRT.  I ain't going through this without a fight!!

It says it can take 4-5wks before you fee the benefit. Probably less time than trad HRT.  But for me personally, as I use it alongside Menopace Original vit/min supplement (1-a-day pill: I can cope with that!), I think I started to feel much, much better pretty quickly. 

In truth, it was probably that I was so bloody low/depleted in Vit B6/B12, Vit D, Magnesium etc, that just by taking the Menopace I'd have felt better soon anyway!

Having said that:  when I had a break-through bleed (didn't feel like a Period, no pain what so ever, very light, very bright bleeding, couple of days duration) I stopped it for a few days.  The Wellbeing site emailed me back about this and reassured me it was not actually a 'Period' - more a break-through bleed.  Well because I stopped applying the Cream for a few days, I went straight back to the crippled, aching-like-a-95yr old I'd felt like at Xmas.  So I promptly started re-applying, and felt much, much better within a day or so!  Won't be doing that again in a hurry!

Currently on about Day 17 of what would have been my 'usual' cycle.  Its finally started to go up the wall, and I can't tell you how pleased I am about that!  At 54, I have been praying for the day that my P's start to become irregular, and cannot wait to skip one, then the next, then next.....!!!  I do hope it doesn't arrive on or beyond Day 28. 

Plus, I do hope this doesn't turn into a case of 'be careful what you wish for'!!  Watch this space...

If you do decide to use it, just post a note now and then to let us all know if this helped you or not.

BTW, should you not be in the UK, and are in the US for example, I believe your Docs/Gynaes may prescribe this:  Don't know how many miles I'd have to walk over hot coals to get a UK GP to prescribe that!  Maybe the new N.I.C.E Menopause Guidelines will change that??!!

Have a lovely day. Sunny here South of London.  Enjoying it while it lasts!

Sx

11

Lisa, just wondering how you have been doing? Hopefully you arr doing better. Iam in this peri nightmare. It is awful.