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[Babsm67]

I think peri symptoms kicked in with me around autumn 2011 (age 44) although my bladder problems started at around age 40 along with menstrual migraines (I am now 48).  I seemed to slowly but surely lose the motivation to do the things I used to enjoy (I called it a 'creeping depression').  I went through a stage of my periods being late but having normal flow then, about 4 years ago, they started coming earlier.  Around the same time, the bladder problem got worse & I found that my anxiety went through the roof, particularly at work & before social events. 
In autumn 2013, the following symptoms started up:  flooding during the first two days of my period, occasional spotting midcycle,  insomnia, food intolerances (resulting in sore, itchy bumps & tummy troubles), itchy head & skin, dry eyes, hair loss & drier, coarser hair & severe pms.  By January 2014, I was feeling depressed enough for it to affect me at work & ended up having a week signed off in Feb.  I also started to forget things & felt 'overwhelmed' by everything.  In the run-up to Christmas last year, I was totally disorganised, (normally try to start getting organised early), couldn't think straight & finally, during Feb/March 2015, I had a breakdown, resulting in me resigning from my o!d job & having a complete change of direction workwise (which I probably needed to do sooner).  It literally has been the 'Change' for me this year.  Currently trying to get annoying symptoms sorted out  (I know the feeling, Estelle, my bladder is a nightmare!)  Just been advised to try Mirena coil instead of endometrial ablation but am terrified of the synthetic progestogen due to previous intolerances & severe pms problem     X

[Katejo]

Mine started in about 2007-8  (aged 44-45) when my periods became much shorter and lighter. I didn't have a period of heavier ones at all. That was followed by a few other symptoms including occasional morning nausea and tight calf muscles in 2009-10. Periods finally stopped completely 18 months ago after periods of 7-8 months  free.

[Night_Owl]

Late 30s it all started.  Looking back, I was totally unaware of what was happening to me.  It has been long (continuing) scary journey.

Periods stopped at 44 and before that (late 30s) there was a lot going on, which I didn't link to meno.

The very first symptom was bladder weakness.  And hair loss.   

Next up were cold chills: I can recall clearly sitting in a training session, late 30s, and a strange creeping chill passed over me, it was so weird and I couldn't work out what it was, it totally unnerved me - in time the scary chills turned to hot flushes. 

After periods stopped then the whole works kicked in - fear, insomnia, depression, flatness, anxiety, jitters, nausea, nervousness, over emotional, over sensitive, rage, loss of confidence, jumbled words, migraines returned, day flushes, night sweats (pools of sweat), hideous night dreads, dry eyes vag and skin, IBS, food/alcohol intolerances, gum disease, tinnitus, more bladder weakness, hair loss etc etc.  In fact there is not one part of the body/mind that is not affected.

Many years spoilt by meno - 9 years on - it is like being ill forever.

Does anybody else feel that their life/self has been so distinctly divided - pre meno self   /   post meno self.  (I have friends/acquaintances who say they feel just the same.)

Much preferred the 'before me' who could, amongst other things, function as normal in daily life - make plans and keep them.

[Pollie]

Interesting thread 

Age 43 - dizziness - had brain scan and 18 months of other tests and referrals, nothing wrong.
Age 44 - needing to pee frequently in the night - cystoscopy - nothing wrong
Age 45 - episode of emotional anxiety, crying for weeks, due 'apparently' to personal life
Age 46 - sore,stiff, leg and arm muscles - blood tests nothing wrong
Age 47 - plantar fasciitis - physio, fortune spent on inserts, private podiatrist, nothing worked.
Age 48 - last period
Age 49 - overheating in night, started hrt. Stopped overheating but all other symptoms remained until quite recently ....
Age 52 - I think I had a 'surge' of oestrogen and ALL symptoms went away temporarily !!!

I have felt like a hypochondriac all these years but all credit to my GP's they have taken me seriously, given me every test and investigation I have asked for, some that I haven't , and they have never, ever, said "oh it's just your age"

Pollie

[Briony]

Aged 40, a month after a miscarriage. Had never been pregnant before (and haven't again after). My hormones went crazy afterwards - never had any issues before this, not even PMS - and my body seems to have spent the three years since then making up for it! Symptoms were initially atypical - neurological issues, numbness and tingling everywhere and random shooting pains/electric shocks. Now just your standard peri 'joys'. BCP has helped a lot, but it has also meant having to accept I will never be a birth mum.

[elsie001]

Age 26 - came off BCP to try for a family.  Periods didn't re-start so 1st 2 kids were conceived (Aged 29 & 32) with help from Assisted Reproduction (Clomid, injecting my stomach daily, daily ultrasound scans).  During the years I had no periods, I had the odd quite debilitating hot flush.  Had brain scan as they were concerned it might be to do with my pituitary gland but scan came back fine.
Age 34 - periods re-started after a break of 8 years.
Age 35 - unplanned pleasant surprise - child no. 3! Hadn't had any infertility treatment.
Age 43 - Crying for no reason, ramped up anxiety, panic attack, insomnia, hormonal migraines.  JIA (a form of rheumatoid arthritis) returned after being in remission for 20+ years.
Age 48 - present.  Very heavy periods....still fairly regular, aches & pains, crippling insomnia, bad pms.  Getting Coil fitted next Tuesday and (probably stupidly) pinning all hopes on this being a miracle cure!

[SadLynda]

Night-owl, I think I can just about remember the pre-perimeno me, she was a different person

[Dulciana]

3 and three quarter years ago, my hot flushes started out of the blue, in January.   That was when I really thought, here goes.   

[GypsyRoseLee]

These stories are all so interesting and quite varied.

I have been feeling so well in myself since I started on my 2nd pack of the Pill, and now I have gone into the 3rd pack I just seem to be getting even better.

It has made me realise that I had actually been feeling pretty low and depressed for most of each month for YEARS before the really nasty peri symptoms surfaced in Nov 2013.

[Angel45]

Really interesting thread and reassuring to know it's similar for a lot of people but also varies in symptoms,

Looking back my periods changed around 2 years ago possibly longer, I started to suffer with pmt never having it before and went from a cycle of every 6 weeks to around 4 weeks and from a bleed of 7 days to 2/3 days which I never really thought anything of. Last October I had flu, what they put down to a particular nasty virus and was off work for 2 months, never felt so ill, I cried in the doctors in January had full blood tests, which thankfully came back clear, I now think I was suddenly hit during that time with hot flushes, aches and pains, anxiety, palpitations, can't sleep and awful indigestion, when i started to read up about preimenopause it seemed to fit the bill, nicer been the doctors so much think there is a chair with my name on it, I am now trying to accept that's it's just that time of life, started Pilates taking a few natural supplements trying to eat healthier and exercise,

Who'd be a woman!!

[Dandelion]

Usual age of around 42/43 I think.

Taz x

Mine started at 42
I remember getting this real sharp anxiety that I had never had before, even though I was an anxious person.
I was getting sweats around the neck and waking up with wet on both sides of my jama top.

[peegeetip]

Mine started in early 40's with severe sudden headaches.

Went to doc so many times (hate to think of the cost of that had I paid for each session).

AT NO TIME DID DOC EVEN MENTION PERI!!!

When I understood later I was furious.

If I'd stuck with BCP then I'd have avoid all the visits plus expensive tests (and all the worrying)

For the sake of continued BCP or HRT at 40p per day I could have saved the NHS thousands!!!

Cost of HRT / BCP over 10 years = £1500~
Cost of Doc/Consultant/Tests over 10 years = £15000+

[peegeetip]

Its difficult not to sound like you have to blame someone for the waste of time, effort, money and worry Sparkle.
Since peri is far longer than Doc's want to admit its very difficult for some of us to feel we've lost time during these years.

Totally agree with you that they have to be sure, however there does seem to be an ignorance on simple checks on ladies and other people in general.

As an aside, This Morning just had an article on Lyme's disease and how hidden it is. Also how much it can affect people mentally. It just a wonder as so many ladies come to the forum with mental health issues that even HRT struggles to help.

Simple checks at the point when I started getting sudden onset headaches would have confirmed me entering peri.
We could have tried BCP further or HRT to help whilst further investigations occur.
Had we done that then my NHS costs would have been a fraction of the repetitive and redundant process I entered into.

Not to mention the extra appointments I'd have cleared for others

I sometimes feel its almost like job protection, as the doc are guaranteed a procession of ladies from late 30's thru to 50's and beyond once the damage is done after the peri symptoms move to the meno problems.

The cost and waste to the NHS must be huge. Surely the NHS and other health provider needs to review and make things better.

Thanks

[getting_old]

I suffered pretty bad periods from the time they started (horrible cramps, remain close to the bathroom, etc.), but things started to get a bit erratic around 4-5 years ago, then I got some really heavy bleeds around 3-4 years ago and they've continued. In the last 2 years my periods have got even more erratic with the time between ranging from 14 days to 50+, and I've been sleeping with a low tog duvet year round for a similar period, however it was only a few months ago that I really thought about it and started to research the menopause and discovered peri. I don't have any close (female) friends and I'm just so unbelievably naive about "womens stuff" 

[peegeetip]

hi getting_old,

I'll change that to getting_wiser (as we all do when we start our journey when our eyes start to open).

Tbh even my close female friends don't talk about peri/meno.

One friends husband joked about her flushes and you'd have thought someone had switched off the volume suddenly.

I really think thats half the problem with a lot of what we experience in life, periods, pregnancy etc.
All are taboo to talk about the "truth" and get people more aware of the issues

The most worrying aspect is the fact most ladies have a 10 year period in their life where quality can suffer at the very least. No surprise that the highest divorce rate is over this same time period.