Hello!
I've spent hours on this forum and it's been so insightful. I thought I would share my journey so far, in case it can help anyone in a similar position. It's a long one - apologies!
Age 37 - first things that changed were much heavier periods and often leaking through and shorter cycles. 28-30 days, shortened to 26 days (ish) sometimes less. It took me a while to realise this was a trend happening more and more regularly.
Age 38/39 was the point when mood symptoms started to become clearly noticeable and impact family life.
Mood symptoms - low mood, feeling really socially paranoid and unconfident, constantly in fight or flight mode. It got to the point that I would literally jump every time my husband would walk into a room, so he started to announce himself before coming into a room, which would still make me jump! Really sensitive to sounds, music or kids shouting would make me feel really easily stressed. Increased rage, snapping at the kids, feeling very easily stressed for no tangible reason. Generally felt so much less resilient to any stressors, like I couldn't cope, feeling detached and not really caring about anything. I've been lucky to have felt pretty balanced previously, so these negative mood symptoms felt like a big change to my personality. I definitely was sensitive to progesterone when pregnant and felt like I could fall asleep standing up during the first trimester!
Waking early with a feeling of dread or panic for no reason. Increased bowl movements (like a nervous tummy type thing). Both of these I experienced in early pregnancy and I think are a result of very high oestrogen. Increasingly shorter cycles with really heavy bleeding. Extreme fatigue, having to go to bed at 7.30 pm straight after kids in bed. I'm sure there's more symptoms I've forgotten, but those are the stand out ones!
I suppose I could cope with the above if it was only for 7 days luteal phase, but it was getting longer and longer and because of the shorter cycles more and more frequent. It felt like a third of the month I was feeling terrible!!
Almost the hour my period would start the mists would clear and I would start to feel increasingly positive, upbeat, energised, happy, increased libido - classic early follicular phase and ovulation type feelings - but turbo! Also significant discharge, like the type around ovulation but for many more days. During this time I would almost gaslight myself for feeling so bad the weeks beforehand. It was great and I would be really motivated and get lots done, eat well, exercise well - but also would feel a bit on edge and manic to be honest!
Initially the GP suggested PMDD and said they felt it was early for perimenopause, although didn't totally dismiss it could be that. They did full blood count to rule anything else out, which came back fine, which I expected it would. I've since read loads and now know the above are all classic symptoms for the very early stage of perimenopause or the late ovulatory phase. I wish more practitioners were aware of this!
Basically I think my hormones were in chaos and often oestrogen was super high and then plummeting! And the same for progesterone. I felt like I couldn't catch a break and it was really hard to know where in my cycle I was and how I would feel each day. It was impacting so many parts of life.
I first tried Femodene pill to switch off my ovulation, which was a pill I took for 10 years in my 20s. First month fine, but then I felt totally knackered the whole time (progesterone) and headaches/huge sore boobs (oestrogen).
I then tried 25 mcg Evorel patch. I didn't notice any difference on the oestrogen only bit, but the Utrogestan 200 mg tables made me feel awful. I had crazy nightmares, extreme fatigue, hopelessness, detached, sad and then total rage and irritation for maybe 3-4 days coming off it. I also started to bleed on day 8 of taking it. I think a bit of progesterone is actually what my body needs, but the 200 mg dose was just way too high - especially with the low dose patch. I know they have to give this dose for endometrial protection. I tried taking it virginally as well (which is meant to lessen side affects), but didn't notice much difference. I do hope they do more testing into variations on safe levels for progesterone.
Then I tried Femodette which is a lower oestrogen version of Femodene. Again first month fine, but by the second month I was experiencing symptoms. Low mood, fatigue, no libido, vaginal dryness etc, then I also started spotting for 2 weeks. I think the oestrogen dose was too low, so the progesterone was too much for my body.
I'm now pinning all my hopes on Qlaira combined pill. I just really hope that the levels of hormones and the different progesterone work for me! At the start of the year, the GP did suggest this as a good pill for perimenopause, but said it might not be helpful for me, as the levels or hormones fluctuate to mimic your natural cycle and she felt with possible PMDD it might be the fluctuating levels that were affecting me. But I think it was just the levels were fluctuating to such a huge degree and I'm hoping with the balanced cycle with Qlaira it might be less so and therefore suit me.
Fingers tightly crossed!
The only thing to try next is the Mirena coil and oestrogen patches. I like the sound of the lower dost of progesterone and it possibly being more localised. But I'm quite worried about trying a coil and then struggling to get it taken out quickly enough if I have negative symptoms. I know lots of people get on with it well, but I've read lots of negative stories especially of those with progesterone sensitivity. At least with the pill you can just literally stop taking it the same day!
I hope this might help someone. It helped me get it off my chest anyway! If anyone is interested, I can update on my experience of Qlaira. Hopefully it's positive.
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Topic: Late ovulatory phase / early perimenopause / shortening cycles & symptoms age 39 (Read 1219 times)