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[Peri-wrecked]

Hi, I'm 34 going on 35 and I've been having what I believe are Peri symptoms since May 2015 when I decided to come off the pill. Initially I started getting pains in my chest and tingling in my left hand and fingers-I was told I had everything from panic attacks to pulled muscle, trapped nerve, possible MS, fibromyalgia or RA. Obviously, I was anxious as the chest pains continued for months and months. I eventually noticed a pattern where it occurred around my period etc although I wasn't getting proper periods when I came off the pill-I had spotting every 28-30 days but no proper bleeds. Anyway, 13 months after stopping the pill I finally got a bleed and woke up the morning of my bleed with the jitters and shakes!! This nervous energy that I never felt before in my life. I kept going to my gp but everybody said it couldn't be hormonal. I was prescribed anti anxiety meds-they made me worse. I tried 3 types and all were terrible. I had to quit working because I couldn't leave the house!!!
Since, I have had silent acid reflux, terrible back aches, pressure in lower abdomen, hot flushes, I only get periods for 2 days and very light, I got 2 periods last months and the first one came on day 21 of my cycle. I'm frustrated as nobody believes me that it is peri. I went to gynaecologist who only said come back in 4 months. No help at all. I had swabs to rule out bacterial infections. I've had ever test to rule out major things except no testsreally on my reproductive organs. I do go back to gynaecologist in a few weeks but I'm not hopeful of getting much help. Does anybody think that I am right in thinking I'm in Peri? Any other people my age experiencing similar? Any help appreciated.

[CLKD]

 

Ladies can go into menopause at any age! I wish that the medics would get a grip  .  Some girls have one period then never again, other ladies menstruate normally but go into The Change earlier than 'expected'.  I think there is a Link on here to the Daisy web site which is for ladies with early menopause.

Keeping a mood/food/symptom dairy may be useful.  Also, at an 'earlier than expected' age, one needs to consider that HRT can protect heart and bones.  Blood tests can be reliably un-reliable  so symptoms are important.

Browse round.  Make notes.  GPs should be more aware, certainly ADs are not the recommended first route of treatment for women having changes and symptoms.!. 

Reflux is 'normal', itchiness and aches and pains 

I am sure that someone will be along with HRT knowledge and advice!

[Dorothy]

Poor you, it's SO hard to get a lot of GPs to consider peri for anyone under 50!  If they have ruled out other common causes, then it does sound as if it could be peri.  I agree with CLKD that HRT is really important if you are going through an early menopause.  Did you have to come off the pill for medical reasons?  I ask because the BCP is seen by many GPs as being the best option for younger women, particularly in the early stages of peri, partly because it is a higher 'dose' so giving more protection and partly because it overrides your natural cycle instead of 'topping it up', so it evens out the fluctuations.  It can also help you feel less of the odd one out as many other women your age will be on the pill, albeit for different reasons!

The other advantage is that it's usually easier to convince a GP to prescribe the pill than HRT for younger women...you don't have to tell them that it's for meno, not birth control or period problems!

It might be worth contacting the Daisy Network, although you do have to pay to access their forum.  I never bothered with that, but I do check their FB page regularly as they often have some helpful articles, and it can be encouraging to read about other younger women going through the change as it makes you feel less isolated.

Sending hugs.  Hope you get some help soon.  Read around the forum - there is loads of good advice on dealing with the various symptoms, and a few 30 and 40 something members, so you're not the only younger one. 

[Peri-wrecked]

Thank you CKLD and Dorothy, it is so nice to not feel so alone in all this and to be taken seriously. I have a gp appointment on Thursday with a female doctor so I will probably go back on birth control. The reason I came off it originally was because I had read back things about the type I was on and I had been encouraged to change it he previous year by my gp but I wasn't told why at the time so I figured I'd just give my body a break. I never knew there was such a thing as perimenopause. It wasn't until I went researching my symptoms and noticed that it all started with coming off the pill that it fell into place. I guess I was my own enemy really because I kept wanting answers when I really had the answer myself but at that stage I was too frightened to go back on the pill because they had scared me into thinking I might have something else. My anxiety got really bad because I felt I wasn't being heard. It's just an awful experience altogether. The doctors were telling me that it must be my life circumstances that were causing it but I was never so happy as I had been then. Probably the happiest I had been in a very long time. I feel left down by the medical field really. I know doctors spend years in medical school but they should learn to listen more to their patients. I should have listened to myself too but I didn't think I could be going into early anything at the time. I thought my hormones would setllte after a few months off the pill. I'll make sure to have my small girl totally prepped when she hits her 30's about what may be ahead of her. My own mom didn't give any advice only to get on with it. 
Thank you ladies for all your advice. Hopefully, I will get back to my old self soon. It's great to know that this community of women are here.

[Dorothy]

Any time we can help, just shout!

Hopefully, by the time your daughter is old enough to worry about peri, GPs may be more informed.  It took me 4 years to get a diagnosis, and I know a lot of other ladies have had to wait longer than that.  I hope your GP on Thursday is sympathetic.  It might help to make notes of some of the advice re BCP, so that you can argue your corner if the GP is reluctant to prescribe it again.  I've found wording it along the lines of "Because of the recent guidelines published in... I wondered if BCP would be a good option for me" which kind of flags up that it's ok for me to take without actually telling the GP what he/she should be doing!

[Peri-wrecked]

Thanks Dorothy,
I don't think they will have a Robles prescribing the bcp to me again. They had prescribed it a few months back but my anxiety was sky high that I couldn't take it. I also wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening to me. They wouldn't confirm that it was hormonal and they never once mentioned anything like perimenopause-I honestly had no clue it existed. I never heard anybody mention these things ever. It's a nightmare. I feel so hard done by. That the medical community fail women. I literally had a breakdown because I didn't know what was happening to me. If doctors had said 'oh have you heard there is such a thing as perimenopause' then I would have relaxed more. But all I got was 'I'll send you for test!! For x,y,z and in the meantime while waiting months for referrals why don't you try yoga!!'
I got told to try yoga and Pilates while I was thinking I had some crazy disease!!  Then I get the 'it's all in your head'. Only thing that makes me feel some way better is that there are other women who have gone through the same thing. It isn't right though.
Thanks for replying again. I do appreciate it. I will certainly use the line you mentioned-mind you I hate going to doctor now as I feel they think I'm a hypochondriac. Hopefully, female doctor will be more sympathetic. Mind you I saw her in February last year to discuss my lack of periods since coming off the pill and she told me it was perfectly normal to go up to a year without a period after coming off the pill. I almost feel like cancelling the appointment and just waiting for my gynecologist appointment mid march but I'm desperate to get on something to help me. My anxiety is what bothers me most but I do feel that is hormonal as I tried 3 meds now and no difference. maybe I'll be lucky and find the right bcp. I was experiencing some side effects on my last pill like skin rashes, nervousness, irritability etc. little did I know it would it would get ten times worse once I got off it.
I'm ranting here. Sorry!!

[Dorothy]

Don't apologise!  We've all ranted at some point    One of the best things about MM is that it's such a good place to rant to people who understand exactly what you're going through

[CLKD]

Go Girl, you rant away!  There's usually someone here who will respond!

Let us know how you get on tomorrow.  It is dreadful in the 1st World that GPs are less clued up or not listening to patients: and I'm sure that other specialities are the same: I don't get the '10 mins. allowed' excuse either    If GPs were up to date and not watching budgets so closely it would save time in the long run if HRT was discussed initially, that the possibility of early menopause was suggested ....... instead of which many women are made to feel that the GPs is doing them a favour by allowing them into the surgery in the first place 

[Dorothy]

I agree!  If time is an issue, they should have some information on HRT that women can take away to read and then return for another appointment - it's what my old surgery did with birth control - they had leaflets on the various pills, coil etc, and women were given the info pack and encouraged to return for another appointment to discuss the best option when they had read through it.  If they can do that for birth control, why not HRT?  It would also save the NHS time and money in the long run, as women who get HRT for early meno are less likely to suffer long-term serious health issues that would demand more NHS input!

[Peri-wrecked]

Thank you CKLD and Dorothy,
It was lovely to have your messages this morning before going to my gp.

I explained my symptoms to her and she told me that she didn't think I was in perimenopause due to my age!!! 

She went on to say that even though she doesn't think it's peri (she thinks most of my symptoms are anxiety!!!) even though I told her about pattern with periods and that it all started when I came off birth control etc etc.

Anyway, she said even if I was in Peri all she'd recommend now would be birth control which is what she recommended today. She recommended a 30mg estrogen one. There are only 3 types of this one available in Ireland and they are Yasmin, Ovranette and Ovreena. She recommended Yasmin as I was on Yasminelle before and she thinks it's the best one. I wasn't given any other options and HRT was not an option either as she didn't believe I was in Peri. She said only thing that would make her check more would be if I wanted more children.

So basically go on the pill and get on with life. Obviously, I'm scared of messing with my hormones again but I guess I need to try this. It's this or anti depressants and I really think as this is hormonal that anti depressants isn't the right road although I won't rule them out completely.
She also said I can stay on the pill until I'm 50. Obviously she said to go back to her for a follow up in 3 months to see how the pill is suiting me.
I guess now I have to get my anxiety to calm down and just try it. I'm petrified but I won't know if it will work until I try it.

[Cassie]

I went through it all @ 38, they also looked at me madly,until I insisted on blood tests and sure enough it showed post meno. Went onto the gel and Utrogestan, 12 yrs later feel fab, you could very well be...insist on further investigation, do not be fobbed off.

[Peri-wrecked]

Hi Cassie, thanks for responding. What symptoms did you have at the time if you don't mind me asking? Was anxiety one of them? Are you still on HRT? I'm glad you are feeling great now! That's brilliant.

[CLKD]

Take what has been prescribed and ring your surgery to ask for a referral to a Gynaecologist?  This GP has no *right* to insist that you aren't in peri  ....... you know your body.  Hormones can cause anxiety surges.

Maybe print off the details of this Forum, hand to the Receptionist and suggest that your GP has vocal contact with Dr Currie!  Also, tell your Receptionist that because you know that this is peri-menopause but your GP won't recognise it, that her attitude is wasting NHS money, if you got a good response and consideration of HRT you wouldn't be taking up as much time 

[Dorothy]

The birth control pill is often regarded as a better option for younger women than conventional HRT anyway, so without meaning to, she may actually have given you the best thing for your problem!  I'm on Ovranette, which has worked brilliantly for me - the only problem I had is that when I had a pill break, I completely crashed, sleeping constantly!!!  I now take 3-4 packs back to back and then have a 4 day break - I time the break over a long weekend and just accept that I am going to sleep for most of it!  Because I now know exactly how many days after stopping the pill it takes for my worst symptoms to kick in, I can time it so that it happens when I am not at work!

Oh, and next time she says you can't be peri because of your age, ask her why there is a charity (Daisy Network) set up specifically to help WOMEN UNDER 40 who go through the menopause...

[Cassie]

I had extreme anxiety was losing weight, palpitations, panic attacks and hot flushes which I then knew was def headed for meno and asked for the blood tests, Dr wasnt keen but when they came back he was ....yes you are def post meno. I am still on the gel and utrogestan intend to stay on as long as I possibly can.... Thre are many many woman who go through it in their 30s and 40s Drs just need to wake up and become better informed & to stop prescribing anti depressants when it is in fact hormones that are needing topping up.