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[Melly]

Hello.  I am new here, been lurking for a bit but feel brave enough to post as from what I have read, it seems very supportive.  I'm 41, I'll be 42 in a month.  And I'm convinced I'm perimenopausal.  This all started for me this past October.  Out of nowhere, it seemed.  Health anxiety, bloating, gastro issues, aches & pains, night sweats, fogginess, forgetfulness, increase in PMS symptoms.  The PMS symptoms that I hadn't dealt with since my teen/early 20s. 
Had 2 trips to the er, convinced I was dying both times.  Dismissed both times with there's nothing wrong with you.  Finally admitting defeat that could not handle whatever was happening to me I agreed to allow myself to be prescribed paroxitine.  I feel horrible about that but as a mom to a 6 yr old boy & working full time I had to do something!  Dr ran full metabolic panel on me.  All fine.
I admit the paroxitine has helped take the edge off.  I am coping better.  But still have hideous anxiety.  When I went for my yearly mammo, the technician was wonderful in pointing out my density had lessened due to hormonal changes.  My gyno not so helpful..more skeptical saying I was so young to be starting any changes.  I started googling and found an article titled "I thought I was Dying," and cried with relief reading about someone like me.  Being in peri he--!  Thru further research I found mm.  Please allow me to thank you all who have given me hope and strength about these issues.  I am so tired of feeling alone and afraid.  Sorry for such a long introduction but it has been bottled up so long and I couldn't contain it anymore.  Thank you again

[dazned]

 

Well your not alone any more . Have a good look round and keep asking away.

[Dorothy]

Sorry you are having such an awful time - there is so much help on this forum, so you don't have to feel alone any more.

I know loads of people who have had early menopause...in fact, I wonder if they need to do more research to see if the 'average' age is gradually reducing over time?  Is your doc one of those who believe that anyone is too young at 41 or is it just aimed at you?  If it's general scepticism, it might be worth pointing out things like the Daisy Network available to those with early meno...they would hardly exist if it never happened!  Hope you manage to get some support from the doctor soon.

[CLKD]

  have a browse and look at the daisy site which is for girls with early menopause.  Menus top of page, pull down to read them.

No one is every too early to begin menopause!  GPs seem to have it set in their heads that it begins at a certain age    pity they don't listen to their patents 

Ask away!

[littleminnie]

   Melly!

[Hurdity]

Hi Melly

 

How are your periods doing? Peri-menopause officially starts (from the definition, I understand) when periods start to become irregular - but there are hormonal changes going on during the years before this which cause symptoms in many women - including night sweats - and especially also in relation to pms getting worse.

As the others have said if you do go through menopause early then there is plenty of support and you need to take HRT at least until the natural average age of menopause which is 51-52. At least you have already been referred to a gynae - (is this due to other issues?) but it seems strange for the gynae to dismiss menopause as a reason for your symptoms purely on the basis of age.

I presume you have been offered blood tests etc by your GP as a baseline to check there are no other reasons for any of your symptoms?

Hurdity x

[Melly]

Thank you all for being so welcoming!  It really means a lot.
Thank you for the reference to the Daisy site.  I've visited it and feel better for doing so.  No reason my gyno-who I saw for my annual-for thinking I couldn't be in peri other than age.  We talked about the symptoms I have, she said they were too vague to be Peri related.  She did admit at the end that night sweats are a symptom, so maybe I was.  Honestly, it was the response I was expecting sadly.  Reminded me of being told I was a high risk pregnancy because I turned 35 2 months before my delivery.  Nothing else mattered. The dr even told me they had to choose a number for high risk, so that was it.  This time I was told 45 is the magic number for peri to really be considered. 
I've been on bcp pill for the past 6 yrs, but thru my last 7-8 cycles, there has been a change in the PMS symptoms.  They've started earlier, been more intense, heavier bleed.  I've decided to stop taking it after this cycle.  My mother had a complete hysterectomy by 40 and her sister was post menopausal by 43, if family history is anything to go by.
I'll keep educating myself as best I can.  Thank you for all your knowledge, ladies! So beneficial!!

[CLKD]

Browse round, make notes.  One has to be completely period free for 2 years before 1 stops contraception.  If the PMS is worse than have a look at the NAPS web-site, I was advised to eat every 3 hours, 24/7.  Sudden drop in blood sugar levels can cause anxiety attacks and intense nausea.  The eating 3 hours saved my Life 

[Briony]

Nelly, I read the same article and was ridiculously relieved that I immediately emailed it to my long suffering partner. I cried too! My symptoms started at 40, so you're not too young. Best thing I ever did was swap GP - now taking a HRT style CCP and much more with it. Which pill do you take? X

[Briony]

'Melly'. Sorry, auto spell !!

[Taz2]

  Melly

Taz x

[dogdoc]

Hi Melly. I'm 42. Symptoms started in late 30's and became horrifically bad at 40. I'm also told I'm too young. Have seen about 5 specialists for various ailments and NONE mentioned possibility of perimeno. Finally saw one gp who runs a women's health clinic. She said I was the 'poster child' for perimenopause.

Doctors DO NOT know everything.
Tara

[katykins]

Hi, I'm also new to this site.

Been through the mill over last 8 years (I'm nearly 45) with horrendous migraines that have increased to one every 10 days, to the extent they're so debilitating I can't commit to anything. Had brain scans etc, showed nothing. Also take antidepressants as do suffer depression but now wonder if it's all a hormonal thing.
Have had night sweats for at least 5 years, thought it was side effect of antidepressants but blood test at GP revealed I was in menopause. Was actually relieved to have an answer to feeling appalling for so long.
GP prescribed Elleste Duet 2mg which after initial side effects I began to feel better. What was amazing was that for first time in 8 years I didn't get my horrendous migraines (still headaches but so much less) which confirmed to me that the migraines were hormonal even though they always came at random times, never linked with my menstrual cycle.
After 4 months on them, excruciating pain in my left side (from pelvic region to breast) started and is reminiscent of the pain I had 12 years ago which was eventually sorted through laparoscopy (turned out had stage 4 endo). After the surgery was told that I needed to have the menopause brought on artificially (at age 32), was told not to worry (by male gyno) and that would all be fine, not to worry about some facial hair etc. I was horrified and refused. He said it would come back again but I just got on with it and here I am 12 years later with what seems to be endo symptoms. Constant pain, not cyclical, just persistent which seems to go along with the increased oestrogen I've been taking. Visited Dr Annie Evans, who's been fantastic, changed me to 2mg Sandrena and 100mg Utrogestan. Within 5 days felt appalling, so tired and depressed and worst of all, migraine came back with avengence. She says I can't tolerate the progesterone part so I've just picked up my livial Tibolone 2.5mg. Really scared to take it as have read lots of negative comments.

Wow, sorry, I've really gone on alot. Just very confused and nervous to take it but also have read some positive feedback on this med. It's so comforting to read that I'm not alone.

[CLKD]

   Dr Annie has a good reputation 

Sadly this time of Life is Trial and Error. Having said that, finding an anti-depressant that helped was T&E for me in the 1990s.  Better now!

Browse round.  Ask away.  Have a read of menus, top of screen 

[Melly]

Thanks for all the great advice!  It really does help to have others out there to share the burden with on the really rough days.  I just never knew hormones could be responsible for so many things going on in the body.
 Thanks for commenting on the age dogdoc!  I was thinking why does the age have to be so stringent about peri symptoms!
Briony, I'm so glad you saw that article too!  I sent it to my husband-he was gobsmacked! The bcp I was on is tri-previfem. I don't want to be on it anymore.  It has a consistent dose of ethinyl estradiol & increasing amt of norgestimate.  I've also started keeping a journal of my daily symptoms, so I can see if there is a pattern of when certain things occur.  Not every day is bad and I am learning to cherish the good ones and try not get so upset about the difficult ones.  But it's hard.  Gotta keep going!