Hi Nancy i so relate to your post, I have all the symptoms you have and so please i'm not on my own with this. I do get freezing cold like Blessed and have to stand over a radiator to thaw out. I do also have a problem with my sugar level (hypoglycemia) as it goes too low if i dont eat little and often and i get weak and shaky. Funny you should mention about the light sensitivity I'm just the same and my nose gets stuffy randomly. I too will not be having HRT and hope to see this through the hard way i just take extra vitimins. take care Nancy I'm sure we speak again x
Hi Mimi, Yes your symptoms are peri menopause. I too had severe coldness and my entire body felt tight. If it was below 70 degrees I was bundled up and still cold. I had the tingling on all extremities. I felt like I just could not relax my body. I had blood work ups and all was normal. I was weaning off an estradiol patch (bioidentical estrogen) and had no idea this was a symptom until I did further research. Hope you are feeling better these days.
So glad I found this today. Looking back, I've had peri symptoms for nearly 4 years now, but recently (last year) I've had such an intolerance to heat: it literally raises my temp and makes me very uncomfortable. After a 64 day span of no period, I finally get it and all symptoms disappear Then on day 6 of now longer period, I can't fall asleep due to severe "bone aching" coldness, which I can't comfort with any amount of blankets. Of course, by 3am, I'm sweating, and next morning/day (today) I am so cold and it's 74 inside the house (!). Aside from this unusual (for me) cold symptom, the nausea leading up to my period has increased. What fun.
Pending labs to check FSH, Androgens, & Testosterone. Independent supplements of vit B-12 and Iron until then, with a LOT of praying and meditative thoughts when I can manage a sane outlook.
Hi Mimi, you and I sound exactly alike OMG, I am 54 and its been pure hell, everything you described is happening to me and more. I have also been to the doctors and I am going again and I am almost 100 percent sure that its all due to hormonal issues and from the latest report this can last for 14 years. I would suspect that there must be some natural remedies I am searching too so any advice to Blessed would be helpful to me, I realize this post is new compared to when Mimi sent her post. But please help, I have chills too sore aching arms and I also have swelling and little knots that are not cancerous I have it checked too on my shoulder.
Hi Mimi and Ladies,
What a relief to discover that I am not alone. I've read so much about hot sweats, but cold chills are often dismissed in a one-liner. I'm wearing thermal undewear as I type this now. Mine are certainly NOT flashes: they last an average of 3 days. My symptoms are similar to yours: like the flu, chilled to the bone, unable to get warm - even under several sets of clothes, thermal and blanket and hot-water bottle. I was getting these weekly, when I decided to go to the Dr and make a few changes to my lifestyle.
Blood tests came back normal today. I'm now exercising more, doing more walking, drinking mostly decaff coffee/tea and I'm trying to get more soya into my diet - beans are easy and soya milk in tea (if you can stomach it!) I've only had one bout this month instead of the four or so I had last month. I'm sleeping better, too. On the positive side, my hot flushes are not severe and I think the exercise helps. Lenie95046 I suffered for years with knotty shoulders, too and had several bouts of physio, blaming my computer, but the walking has improved it hugely. I'm only at the start of this journey, so I'll wish you good luck ladies and thank you for sharing your experiences with the rest of us.
I had many of these same symptoms. It took a lot of doctor searching before I could find one who agreed with my research. I had sub clinical thyroiditis along with being peri menopausal. I am now on Desiccated thyroid hormone and symptom free!
Yay me!!
Hi Blessed_mimi
i am 48 and am a epileptic who is going through the menopause.
I have so many symptoms and cannot take anything for the menopause.
i have the tingling, bad sleep, dizziness to the point sometimes even when I'm sitting. In the chair.
panic attacks as well and I have struggled to hold down my full time job, and also struggle to go out to places but am not going to give into that!
i feel for everybody thats suffering with all various symptoms
Bless you all, dear Ladies Across the Pond! I have been experiencing some weird symptoms, most likely menopausal in nature, and it is such a comfort to know that I am not alone. The night before last I got out of bed to use the toilet, and was fairly dizzy. Came back to bed and felt very hot, so I let myself cool down with no blankets for a while. (Before this I've only had a few hot flashes, and also two other brief dizzy spells. I am 58 and have only been a year-and-a-half without periods. A pretty uneventful menopause so far.) After that I felt very cold, and could not get warm! I even took my temperature, thinking maybe I had a fever, but it was normal. Last night, after feeling chilly off and on all day, I decided to dress warmly for sleep. I slept with my socks on all night (which never happens: they get shed partway through the night always), wore an extra layer of clothing, and kept my electric mattress pad turned to '3' all night long (again, I never do this, as I'm always too warm at a certain point, and turn it off). Woke and Googled and found your stories, and feel ever so comforted. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.
Sorry to hear you have been suffering too. It is reassuring to hear that other ladies have similar experiences: you are not alone here I experience the severe coldness, just as you describe. Last night I popped downstairs for a hot-water bottle as I could not warm up either. This helps bring me back up to temperature! I smiled when I read your description of socks and extra clothing - as you could have been describing me! My thermostat is definitely malfunctioning!! At the other end of the scale I do have hot flashes or flushes, but these come and go in phases. It is a confusing stage in life, when we are so used to being in control at work and at home. Keep taking care of yourself
Thanks, Teresa! My husband said what you said: I need a new thermostat! I agree that the unpredictability/lack of control are difficult. For 40+ years I had periods with cramps bad enough to take pain meds for. That was hardly pleasant, but at least it was predictable! 
Please take care of yourself also.
Yes!! I've always felt cold the week before my period but it's getting worse and I literally shiver. I feel like the cold is in my bones and I just cant get warm. Comes on the week before.
Hello Blessed_Mimi,
this may be a bit behind for you to read my reply, but that's good to hear i'm not dreaming what i'm experiencing myself, although i've been told to be too young (44) to go through menopause . I can get cold spells-like proper freezing, and pretty exhausted, with pain in the chest, throat, i started taking some agnus cactus, but then again i'm not regularly taking it, i may have to consider more of my state now i've read your blog. A friend of mine couldn't believe i could get cold because of perimenopause, but i always had some chilly spells before periods, its just that it's now getting stronger. Thanx again
Mimi,
I get your symptoms, all off them.. numbness hands, feet, tingling too, my tong feels like burning, my short term memory is shot! , i get also anxiety, and crying spells,...
Its all alright...it'll pass we wont be like that forever....
Smile! We were blessed being women!!!
Dear Blessed_Mimi, I most of your symptoms. I am 47, at least 2 years postmenopausal. Freezing to bones episodes for 1 year, with gradual worsening over winter, continuing with lesser degree into spring now. Not as bad as during winter. Airconditioners at work my worst enemy. I use microwavable pads in my pockets and electric heater under the desk. It seems like during freez flashes only external heat works. I do have numbness and tingling in my legs that comes and goes in different spots. Sometimes my feets get so numb, it's very uncomfortable. Top of hends and forearms get numb. Palms and bottom of feet are sore. Small muscle fibers twitching. All these changes on daily basis. My best friend is down blanket. I wake up every morning almost fine. As soon I get up, at all starts like deja vu. All my blood work was fine, including blood count to rull out anemia, iron, vit B12, blood chemistry. Brain MRI was fine. Also have occasional palpitations, chest tightness, mild wheezing. My grandmother developed severe asthma after onset of menopause. So I use inhaler occasionally. I use highest dose of HRT. It helps to control dizziness and migrains. Didn't notice a big difference for anything else. It almost like a beast living it's own life. If I wouldn't be a medical professional (Physician Assistant in USA), I would think I am crazy. All my symptoms don't have any consistent anatomical distribution or persistent course, thus only hormons to blame left. And I am ok with it. Much better than MS, permanent perypheral neuropathy (nerve damage), ALS and so on. I didn't find anything that works of it. I just accepted it and try to live with it. I exercise doing stretches, more intence activities aggravate numbness and tingling. So, I just learn how to balance. If anybody has solution for this nonsence, I will appreciate it. Good luck to other less fortunate.
hello, sorry this is late, i just read your post. i am having all of the symptoms and also including hair loss. i get the chills really bad, stiffness in the neck and shoulders and chest. i think this is due to hormones being depleted. i have not gone to the doctors yet, but i believe this is just due to menopause.
I just joined this forum after desperately searching the internet for people who share my symptoms. I am 45 and the past few months my periods have gone from 28 days like clockwork to 20-21 days. I am having random numbness and tingling on my right cheekbone, and getting the chills on my right side. Feeling cold. My anxiety is through the roof ( I don't have a history of anxiety), also some tingling and pins and needles randomly throughout my body and itchy skin. Bloodwork normal. Neurologist found nothing wrong. A few years ago diagnosed with fibromyalgia due to fatigue and body aches and joint pain. Now I think that the fibromyalgia is just part of the whole hormone changes. I have never really felt the same since having twin boys at age 38.
Thank all you ladies for posting. I am currently going through these symptoms and I was really scared. Now that I know that it may be menopause causing this, Im not as worried any more just irritated with it. The only thing about mine is I am hot from the waist up and cold from the waist down all at the same time along with the tingling. My doctor cant find any thing wrong so maybe it is just menopause. Again, Thanks.
Hi Mimi, Question for you have you ever had a back injury of some sort? I had similar if not exact symptoms to yours, when I started going into menopause. With tingling in my hands and feets, neck pain, chest pain and jaw pain. My doctor smart lady, said these sound like injury symptoms, let's do an x-ray. After having an x-ray done of my back, it was determined that my neck has a pinched nerve, that causes these tingling sensations, numbness and pain all up and down my jaw and chest. For which my doctor put me on nerve medicine that helped. I still get cold flashes, when I eat any type of sweet foods, chocolate of any kind, or teriyaki sauce or soy sauce. Soy will cause hormone fluctuations so be careful and avoid it like the plague. Also, steer away from processed sauces or salad dressings as many of these contain soy by products which can also be GMO, unless of course, it's all organic. I approved of taking a low dose birth control pill to regulate the emotional crying, and anxiety which cleared it up after a year. But then my hot flashes came on and well it was pretty bad. When I stopped eating soy food products the hot flashes went away. Eating all natural fruits and vegetables really helps. I found that juicing vegetables and fruits for menopause helped clear up a lot of the symptoms. On occasion my body goes into a cold flash or hot flash but it's because again sweets seem to be a weakness or I had some processed food I shouldn't have eaten. Are your symptoms any better?
Hello and good morning everyone. I am 40 years old, I have been going crazy lately trying to figure out what's wrong with me. I havent been diagnosed with perimenopause but I have had cold flashes, mood swings, depression, aniexty, body feels like it's not mine, heart palpitations,feeling like complete doom is around the corner. I've had anxiety and depression in the past but this is of a whole other beast, I can't enjoy every day things in life anymore I can't relax watch a movie I'm always on the edge. I've had thyroid, heart,blood,brain, everthing checked, it's all good. Gyn said it made no sense to check my estrogen levels because it's not accurate, as someone stated on this post. I'm not sure what I have that's what s making me so afraid. But I do get cold flashes with chills along with other systems. I decided to take it upon myself to order macafem supplements, I'm hoping it helps has anyone else tried supplements to ease your symptoms?
Wow hello Mimi,I have every symptom you named I've had every test imaginable, all came back good. I'm going to a different doctor next week he specializes in hormones. I hope to find some answers there. I'm 40 years old and have had very similar symptoms as you I have a 13 year old daughter otherwise healthy. I just need to know for sure what I have I don't need a anti depressant.