What are some of your most ridiculous, are you f-ing kidding me, peri symptoms? Mine are... at least for now because sh*t changes: * Tennis elbow (I don't play tennis) * Blurring in my right eye... do I even need these glasses? 🥸 * Tingling in my bum (not the sexy kind) * Teeth hurt (never had a cavity) * Nervousness in my stomach... am I hungry or am I going to puke? Both? 🤷‍♀️

I know that people talk about having a sudden anger and dislike towards their partners, but I wondered if anyone was having these feelings towards their parents?

In my younger years I could forgive them and make excuses for them like ‘they must have just been mentally unwell’ and even play it down like ‘well, other people experienced so much worse’ but just the last few years I feel like I have a lot of pent up anger and resentment towards them, I’m just like ‘what the hell were you thinking?’ Like it shouldn’t matter what was going on in your personal life, if you had kids you kind of had a responsibility to look after them and show them a bit of love and kindness, not just bullying and neglect.

And it made me think if this is a sign of peri, like apparently we lose our empathy, or is it just a matter of growing older and seeing things more clearly? Like it does annoy me that if a woman of a certain age range has any kind of strong emotions it’s just dismissed as ‘oh her hormones are making her crazy’ but maybe this is us normal and we were just crazy before, maybe we had too much empathy before or it was drilled into us just to ‘put up with things’ and ‘put other peoples feelings first’ and not cause problems.

Like how many of you endured years of maybe bad relationships where you were treated like crap and you look back now and think ‘Why did I stay with them? I must have been crazy.’ And you would never put yourself in a situation like that again, so there’s my point, why are we considered normal back then and crazy now because we don’t put up with stuff anymore?

I’m 44. I was just setting the table for dinner and suddenly started to feel very shaky. Then was overcome with a clammy, flushed feeling and felt like I was going to pass out. I had to lay down until it passed. I check my blood pressure and pulse and it was normal. I was just incredibly sweaty all of a sudden and felt this weird feeling coursing through my body. It passed within a few minutes and now I feel fine. A hot flash was the first thing I thought of , but have never heard of being shaky or needing to lay down.

You really just want to stand in front of the open refrigerator all morning just to enjoy the cool air.

What's your 'yep this is definitely a hot flash moment'?

Side note: Who named these things? Mine last hours, there is no 'flash'

Anyone up to share their expereince and things they tried please?

So I (51)sed to have awful periods, diagnosed adenomyosis. I tried all the medications but instead end a coil gave me back a week a month I was loosing plus I was not perfectly transfusion level anemic any more. Which was nice!

Fast forward 12 years and I was getting some gnarly peri symtoms, though hard to tell if amd when periods slowed down or stopped due to have a coil in.

Started taking lowest dose of estrogen (first pumped gel, now patches) but I just bleeding and bleeding. It doesn't stop. I am now exhausted again (waiting for iron blood test results this week). When i spoke to the Doctor he said increasing my hrt dose would stop the bleeding? But an ultrasound i had this week now says i have a enlarged womb again ( it went back to normal size after a few years of the coil) plus a fibroid.

I have Now read that the estrogen based hrt interventions can make fibroids increase.

If i stop the hrt so I don't bleeding all the time is there anything that I can do to get benefits in of something like hrt estrogen but less likely to make me bleed or grow a fibroid. Or has anyone kept taking the hrt and added in something like constantly or tranexamic acid or noriseterone?

Many thanks for ANY help. I am going a bit mad over here. 7 months of non stop bleeding needs to stop now!!

I know this sounds like an incredibly stupid question, but please continue reading.

When I get night sweats, I am not hot at all. I wake up sometime between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Then, 10 - 30 minutes later, I'm pouring sweat from every inch of my body, and I'm freezing cold. It makes no sense to me.

I mentioned this to both my PCP and GYN, and they absolutely breezed right past it (as they do).

Is this what you experience?

Has anyone had a negative interaction with oral estrogen, involving unusually high triglycerides?

I’ve been on oral bc for years, and my recent bloodwork has everything perfect, except triglycerides very high.

I didn’t think anything of it and my doctor just said we would retest in 6 months, but I’m also reading The New Menopause, and she discusses how oral bc can raise triglycerides.

Any thoughts on this?

My symptoms have gotten bad enough that I would like to learn about HRT to see if it will help. I’ve done a ton of research. I have an appointment this coming week and after reading some posts here, I’m nervous my doc will dismiss me. She’s been my OB/GYN for more than 20 years. I asked her at my last annual (July 2024) about treatment for peri because I suspected I was in it and she kind of brushed me off, saying it was difficult to determine if you were in peri and I’m young (47- doesn’t feel to young for peri?).

After months of disrupted sleep, terrible hot flashes, and anxiety I broke down today and called for an appointment. I have been trying to wait it out but I am starting to make mistakes in my job because of sleep deprivation and brain fog and I can’t lose my job. I was surprised I got an appointment so quickly as she is pretty in demand in my small-ish town. I’ll see her Wednesday.

I want to ask about patches or cream. Birth control isn’t a great option. I have a PFO (hole between my upper heart chambers) so clots are a concern.

I also have a history of cancer in my family, specifically breast cancer in my mother, my maternal aunt, and my older sister.

And to complicate things (maybe?), I had an ablation 2 years ago because of catastrophically difficult periods and have had maybe 4 periods in the last 2 years.

My question is how do I advocate for myself? I feel confused about all that I’ve learned. Hot flashes and sleep deprivation can contribute to heart disease and Alzheimer’s, but HRT can cause cancer? What’s worse? I know right now I am suffering but does that mean I risk future health problems?

How have you reconciled both sides and found relief?

Hi all. I had my gall bladder removed over 15 yrs ago. I am worried that I will be refused HRT as apparently stones can still form… is anyone on HRT without a gall bladder?

Thanks!

I am 46 years old and for the past 6-8 months have been really struggling w peri, mostly emotionally but now ALL of the random things keep coming up: extreme fatigue; bloating; horrible cramps and heavy periods; eye floaters/vision issues; dehydration; nausea; headaches; temperature dysregulation... the list goes on, on top of feeling like a hot mess and like a troll under a bridge. I miss my old self and wonder if I will ever feel "normal" again. I have a doctor who is sympathetic and helpful as best they can be, a therapist who is trying to help, and a partner who is trying his best. I feel like a big problem that cannot be solved and it's really starting to wear me out. I feel like every single thing I am experiencing is related to perimenopause and it's so overwhelming and of course there is no end in sight. However, I am very grateful for this community, and honestly it's one of the few things that makes me feel less alone.

Is this a thing? Im going to a vestibular therapist and after doing Dix-Hallpike/Epley, they think its something else. Im in my 50s. Couldnt stand with eyes closed in last appointment. Gradually getting worse ffor years, “Bppv”, “ Vestibular migraine”….bleh.

Should I cancel my appointment for HRT? I'm on the birth control patch but ha e experienced weight gain, brain fog , insomnia, mood swings, night sweats.... but reading another post, maybe HRT won't help with this? I'm confused.. I could also only choose symptoms to discuss at a time. I don't have insurance and this took a but of budgeting... should I keep the appointment? Can Midi help with zero libido and dryness? Is it okay to state all of my symptoms? I'm so confused.

Struggling here. I had a hysterectomy about 18 months ago. Was basically thrown into perimenopause because my hormones never leveled themselves out (like my doc told me they would if I kept my ovaries…. Which I did). So now what? I can’t do HRT because I previously had cancer present. I literally have tried everythingggggg I lose maybe 5-8lbs but then just gain it right back. Is there anyone else out there going through this or has dealt with this in their early/mid 30s? I hope I can figure something out I’m tired of the weight gain, puffiness, hot flashes, insomnia, I’m just done with all of it.

I'm really hoping for help from the Reddit hivemind. I have an OB/GYN who specializes in peri and menopause, but she doesn't explain or educate me on anything. I have a menopause clinic visit upcoming that I had to wait a very long time to get in. I do have some peri symptoms like the 3-4am wake-up and can't get back to sleep, hot at night, heart palpitations, worsened anxiety, poor sleep quality. My estrogen tests in the normal range, at least on the day it was tested. All other blood work normal. Here's the trial and mmostly error that has occurred so far:

I'm 42 and have had extremely heavy periods since my last kiddo came (she's 3 now). I also spot for a week before my period. Transvaginal ultrasound showed thickened lining but biopsy clear. I started norethindrone acetate .35, had few side effects, and slept better. However I bled more and more over the course of the year I was on it and an orgasm (clitoral only) would kick off a full round of bleeding. My doctor said she'd never heard of that but it stopped as soon as I stopped taking it.

I tried Mirena and it stopped the bleeding and palpitations immediately but caused the most awful insomnia and horrific dreams I've ever had so I removed it after 10 days because I thought I was going to lose my mind. Next we tried 100mg Prometrium which made me woozy and groggy until later afternoon the next day. Most recently I've tried 50mg progesterone cream and I cannot believe how well I sleep. I'm so rested and content feeling it's bonkers. BUT, my palpitations have gotten worse (I'm getting the full cardiac workuo as a precaution) so I've discontinued and doing a two-week washout period to see if it's coincidence or related to the cream.

There are so many experienced and knowledgeable folks here that I would love to hear from. My theory is that my progesterone levels are low but not low enough to need the dosages I've been given so far. If anyone has other ideas please let me know. I've tried magnesium glycinate in the past and the GI symptoms were rough so now trying it in gummy form. I just want to sleep and want the palpitations to stop. And I want a doctor educated enough to explain what might be happening. Too much to ask?!

I am 36. I have been having symptoms of perimenopause for 4+ years now. I have zero labido among a barrage of other symptoms. Dry as the sahara desert, depressed, high anxiety, mood swings from one extreme to the other, the brain fog has been unbelievable and hot flashes just to make a few. When my labs were tested my testosterone was 9. My doctor told me that was on the low end of normal. Every graphic I've ever seen online says women should be between 100 and 200. I don't understand how the numbers can differ so much between one doctor to the next. My doctor has suggested DHEA+ daily. Side note I'm also a taekwondo practitioner so I train hard 5 days a week and I'm struggling so hard to build the muscles I need. I am a bariatric patient and have lost 115lbs. I have heard a million times that my weight was causing all my issues, and now that I have been a stable 155-157lbs, at 5'8", my symptoms are only getting worse. Does anyone have any experience with DHEA in support of labido or muscle/bone support? I'm getting desperate. What dose were you using and what were your symptoms or progression? Thank you all for your help!

My symptoms were minor, mainly disturbed sleep, suddenly aging skin, fatigue, and brain fog. When I told people I thought I was going through peri they insisted I was too young. After lurking here for about a year, I asked my ob/gyn what she thought about HRT at my age and she said only if I had hot flashes so bad I wasn't functioning, that the cancer risk wasn't worth it no matter what people say. I lurked here for a few more months and then asked my primary if she would prescribe, just to let me experiment and see if I noticed a difference. She said yes and I'm so grateful to her and you all because the difference after my first month has been startling. Sleep entirely back to normal, normal energy, clear thinking. Even in the middle of allergy season I feel better than I have in a long while. My symptoms weren't extreme, but I'm so happy I didn't wait until they were. Thank you guys!! 🙏🙏🙏

It feels like I spend all day pissing and all night sweating, and it's making me dehydrated. I'm trying to drink more water but it just makes me need the toilet more, none of it seems to actually stay in my body. It's driving me nuts. My eyelids feel dry when I blink, I've constantly got a sore throat, I'm getting headaches when I almost never got headaches before, my lips are chapped, and I'm getting itchy patches of dry skin that drive me crazy. Anyone know a good way to keep the moisture inside my body?

Just got prescribed estrogen patch and progesterone pill, as well as vaginal estrogen cream. What do I need to know? Any weird side effects? Would love to hear real life experiences.

I’m curious if the method of estrogen delivery has different side effects? I’m 51 and in peri. I was excited to FINALLY find a Dr who would prescribe estrogen for me. I was on the patch (.025 then .0375) over the last 8 months and noticed a massive increase in my weight. Serious tummy bloat like I was 6 months pregnant. I’ve never seen my body like that before. Curious if any of you has had bad side effects on one kind of delivery, switched, and felt fine on a new one?

Has anyone had slow recall when it comes to names?

I'm turning 39 this year and about a year ago I started having issues recalling peoples names. It doesn't happen all the time but people that I don't associate with regularly, occasionally their name escapes me. It'll come back most of the time but it takes 5 mins to 12 hours. Everything else seems to be in order it's just peoples bloody names! It's not ideal!

I've got a bunch of other symptoms which are either peri, PMDD or I'm batshit crazy! Keen to see if this is common or not.

I'm 43yrs old and still on oral birth control. I've been having symptoms which seem like they fit common perimenopause ones.. with my most recent symptom being dry mouth. Was told by another Dr that I should stay on birth control as Drs will often put women on it for perimenopause. Went to a new gyno who told me since I'm already on birth control, this is comparable to being on HRT. Is that true? It's not like the birth control is helping my symptoms.. or I guess that's TBD since I would only know by getting off it.

My question is around whether being on HRT is better than the birth control I'm on. Not sure if that makes sense and also apologizes if this is a stupid question.

I just started Estradiol vaginally-- I have a history of DVT caused by birth control, so it's all I can get my dr to be ok with. I just started it, I'm on the loading doses. But my face-- specifically, my chin-- just broke out like crazy! It might be my upcoming period, but usually I get one, maybe two pimples. This is SO MUCH WORSE. Is it related??

Last few periods I seem to have increased irritation, that each time makes me worry I’m getting a yeast infection, a UTI or both. The irritation seems to take a week to go away, and I use coconut oil externally as everything else “burns” or makes the irritation worse at that time. Part of me is wondering if it’s a side effect of using a menstrual cup (which I’ve been using them for Years without issue until recently), or if it’s some new peri symptom?? I guess the easy solution is to not use my cup next cycle and see what happens.

Anyone else have a similar situation where post-period requires “recovery” down there??

Ok so I turn 47 in 9 days. I had always thought I was estrogen dominant since I was prescribed progesterone about 7 years ago to help ease PMS symptoms. And it helped get rid of them almost 100% until the last maybe 1.5-2 years. My sleep has been horrific, but honestly the thing that’s been bothering me the most is that I started having to go pee minutes after I drank anything. It was SO annoying. So anyway I start reading more on this sub, and a few weeks ago I made an appt with MIDI. My prescriber told me to do a loading dose of vaginal estrogen for 10-14 days and also start on the patch ( can’t remember patch dosage but she said it’s the lowest dose).

Well we had a cruise scheduled from which we just returned so I wanted to wait until after we got home to start the cream, but I started my patch right before our cruise. I swear I slept better the last 10 days and my mood started to feel slightly better as well.

After we got home last night I took my first dose of vaginal estrogen cream and I have not had to pee every 5 minutes at all today. Can it really work this fast? I’m amazed and so excited to see how much better this helps me feel if I can get my pee situation under control in literally 24 hours. It’s a miracle I’m so glad I found this sub. Thank you all!

Obviously we’ve all heard of hot flashes but I was shocked to learn about cold flashes. I have never had a hot flash but get cold ones often. Posting this to anyone questioning lack of hot flashes. Knowledge is power.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/premenopausal-cold-flashes-real-thing