Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[1968kiwi]

Hi all. I'm new to perimenopause and to this forum. Have a fairly unhelpful GP and can't easily see a different GP so hoping for some info from here.

I've been experiencing a lot of the common perimenopause symptoms for about 4 months. One issue is making life really difficult - crashing fatigue.

The fatigue hits at random times and so is really hard to deal with. It leaves me unable to do anything other than be unconscious (I can't call it sleep because it doesn't feel like sleep!). Hard to maintain a career and social life when a need to be unconscious can occur at any time. It hits a few times a week on average and lasts usually around 4 hours but as long as 20 hours a couple of times.

I've had lots of blood tests so know the fatigue is not related to any of the common causes, and I have been trying supplements, diet, exercise etc but it's pretty much evident that this is a hormonal thing.

Have any of you had similar symptoms?

Are there any mediations that help?

Really hoping for some good news....

[CLKD]

 

Some ladies find that herbals etc. help for a while but when their hormones kick in and start fluctuating, any good effects are lost.  HRT can be useful, have a browse round the Forum and make notes. 

I remember the sudden need to sleep really well, fortunately by then I had retired and worked from home.  I remember my Mum sitting down suddenly and dropping off to sleep …….. no explanation, it simply happened.

Making sure that you are hydrated and maybe eating little and often might ease it a little.

[Hurdity]

Hi 1968kiwi

 

Sorry to hear about your extreme fatigue. As a matter of interest what are your TSH results (presuming they tested for thyroid?). Good to have a baseline to work from and monitor any changes.

Re the peri-menopausal symptoms - how old are you and have your periods started becoming irregular?

Even though the reasons could be hormonal. many women do find lifestyle changes at this point can help minimise some of the symptoms until you get further advanced and might want to consider HRT - but sounds like you are trying these ie diet, weight, exercise, alcohol, sleep, smoking, stress, caffeine etc. There is some info on this site which might be helpful too:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diet.php
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/weightgain.php

Four hours at a time 3 times a week is a lot of hours to be out of action during the daytime though I hope you manage to find a way to feel better and function - perhaps time to think about cutting work hours and social life, and pacing yourself so that you don't get even more exhausted.

Hurdity x

[Briony]

Hi and welcome

I identify exactly with how you describe the fatigue. It's so different to normal 'feeling tired' (and it gets very frustrating when others equate it to how they feel after a night out partying or whatever!).

For me, the only thing that helped was hrt/the pill. (I presume you have had your thyroid, Vit D, B12 and iron checked already?). This stopped the low estrogen/high progesterone swings I was getting which caused the fatigue. Do you get any other symptoms when it strikes? I would get the chills and slight nausea. Never lasted all day but would strike out of the blue. 

Hope you find a solution soon, B x

[Joyce]

Oh crashing fatigue is so horrid. I had it a few years back whilst on an HRT break. Luckily I wasn't working, but was looking after my first GD who was about 18 months. So exhausting. Every sympathy with that.  I'd get chills too which had me wearing umpteen layers.

[1968kiwi]

Thanks so much for your responses!  Have felt so very alone in this and so seeing your messages almost brought me to tears (of relief) ... or maybe that's just the hormones making me emotional lol.

CLKD - just knowing other people have experiencced the same symptoms means so much!  Will try the smaller meals...

I'm almost afraid to ask, but...How long did you (or your mum) experience this fatigue?

Hurdity - They tested my thryoid but just told me it was normal, I didn't get a copy.  Thinking I may ask for copies of all my results next visit though.

I'm 47. Had 'normal' periods until September, then an odd 1 day period in September, nothing since.

Thanks for the links and other ideas 

Briony - Boy do I agree about people not understanding that it's not just feeling tired!  I work with a man with chronic fatigue and he's the only person I know who really understands how debilitating this kind of fatigue is.

I did have everything else checked via blood tests over the last 4 months, hence why I'm 99% sure this is hormonal for me.

I have plenty of other perimenopause symptoms but they seem insignificant compared to the fatigue and they don't worsen/change with the periods of fatigue.  So no warning signs to predict when the exhaustion may strike and it has no relationship to how busy or stressed I have been. 

cubagirl - so HRT prevented the fatigue when you here on it...  for you and Briony it worked...I'm so relieved to hear that HRT helped with fatigue for some people !!!  This gives me some hope!!

Thanks again all of you - you have no idea how much of a weight has been lifted just from your replies.

xxx D