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[H6891]

Hello, new to this so hoping I could find some advice/help/support.

I've been dealing with anxiety for the last 8/10 months, it hit me like a ton of bricks basically. I'd just turned 38 and there had been a few stressful situations that I just couldn't cope with.

Fast forward to now, I can't seem to shake it. There are also now a lot of perimenopause symptoms I'm experiencing - sleep issues, mood swings, hair thinning, dryness, hot flushes, memory/brain fog... The list goes on!

I had an appointment a few weeks ago and the nurse told me I was too young to be starting perimenopause, but ordered a blood test to check hormones and rule out thyroid issues.

Just got the results and all that came back was high cholesterol.

Where do I go next? I've got an appointment next week but I feel like I'm going to have to fight to be taken seriously because the hormone levels were all within normal ranges.
 
I've been doing a lot of reading and know that blood tests only show the levels for that particular day.

Tried anti-depressants and anti anxiety medication when this first started but these exacerbated my overactive bladder symptoms so I came off them.
Had CBT and started this again last week.

Anyone been in a similar situation? This is coming up to a year now of feeling so rubbish, negative and just not myself. I feel sorry for my husband and daughter because I just feel like I'm going through the motions, just getting through the day without enjoying it.

Sorry for the essay and any advice/things to say to the Dr next week would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[CLKD]

Join The Club!   

No woman is 'too young' to go into peri menopause. Some girls never menstruate [rare], others may see 1/2 periods then nowt else.  Then there are those who bleed regularly with/without pains. 

My periods were excruciating at times, with clots etc.. Fortunately as mine waxed and waned for a few years the pains went.  However I do in hindsight wonder if the anxiety was the beginning of peri. I had been on anti-depressant medication since 1989 as well as various types of anti-anxiety meds. all of which helped at that time.

Many medics still believe that. loss of periods with hot flushes are the 'only' menopausal symptoms  .  It may help U to keep a mood/food/symptom to chart progress.  Hopefully some1 will be along to suggest the various types of HRT should U think that U require it.  Take a list to discuss with your GP and don't be fobbed off with ADs etc.. 



Browse round the Forum, make notes. Do read the vaginal atrophy threads, 4warned is 4armed.   

[sheila99]

Not quite the same but aged 57 they didn't want to give me hrt either because I had no hot flushes and periods were pretty regular. I'm afraid bad temper was one of my many symptoms so I told them what I thought of their level of expertise and they relented 🤐. I'm not suggesting you do the same (I wouldn't normally have behaved that way) but sometimes you do have to advocate for yourself.  Do they have a meno specialist at your surgery you could see? Or a sympathetic GP? Take the list of symptoms and ask what else it could possibly be (particularly flushes and irregular periods as those are the well known symptoms).

[bombsh3ll]

Unfortunately there is a real blind spot around the treatment of younger women with perimenopausal symptoms but normal blood tests.

There are clear clinical guidelines for women with a POI diagnosis whose periods have stopped and have raised FSH, and guidelines for the clinical diagnosis and treatment based on symptoms of women experiencing perimenopause at the typical age, however women in your situation are particularly underserved.

I think you do have a case for symptomatic treatment of perimenopause - there is no harm in trying hormone treatment.

Another good option that can be easier to access is a combined pill, which typically provides either the same or greater estrogen than menopause hormone therapy, and can not only treat perimenopause symptoms effectively but can also get rid of your periods if taken continuously.

This is my preferred option for bypassing perimenopause - I take combined pill Zoely which contains body identical estrogen, plus DHEA for androgen replacement.

[H6891]

Thank you so much everyone for replying - I've started a list of things to bring up.

I got the symptom checker/questionnaire from Dr Louise newsons website and yep, definitely experiencing quite a few things. So I'm going to print that out and take it.

My periods are still regular and haven't really changed, maybe slightly heavier/more cramps in last year but nothing major, so that's why I think she said I was 'too young'- has anyone noticed a link if you started them early?

Thanks again

[CLKD]

My first period was when I was almost 12.  My periods began to wax and wane when I was in my late 40s I think 

[H6891]

Hi, thanks for the info. I went to the drs like I was going into battle- and it was a different nurse to who I'd spoken to previously!

She said straight away I was definitely not too young, gave me loads of information to read/fill in and booked another appointment for a week to discuss HRT!

I think I came out of there in a state of shock I'd read so many stories of people not being listened to or taken seriously for years so I couldn't believe it. She was so nice, so proactive and reassuring I felt 100x better just for speaking to her.

Hopefully it goes just as well when I go back this week and soon I'll be feeling more like myself again 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻