Hi Clarebear,
Welcome to the forum.
Poor you, peri is like a juggling act isn't it? Your itchiness sounds awful and I think quite common in peri. Sometimes a cause can be found though. Have you analysed if you are reacting to something; new laundry powder, softener, soap, washing up liquid, perhaps a body lotion you've used for years? Peri can trigger all sorts of allergies and intolerances to things that never affected us before. I became super reactive at the start of peri, which was a huge pain and I continue to develop new intolerances.
nearly50's suggestion of Piriton is really sensible. Try it and see if it does help relieve the symptoms otherwise see if you can identify a trigger. Your facial reaction may be Rosacea which again commonly develops in peri. Check out the symptoms on the NHS site. Mine started right at the start but I manage to keep it totally at bay. Incidentally, many of my skincare products and makeup that I'd used for years now make me react too. I've had to change to completely different ranges.
As far as the migraines are concerned I really feel for you. They are terrible things. Mine started big time at the start of peri and it is very common that this period of hormonal upheaval can aggravate them. When you say you've always struggled with them, did you notice that they were triggered by your menstrual cycle when younger? What are your triggers? What medications have you tried? What are you taking at the moment? Have you seen any specialists in order to find a solution? Sorry, so many questions, I'm trying to see if I can offer any helpful advice!
I'm no expert by any means but have years of experience trying to deal with the wretched things!
There are many women here, like Rockhopper who has offered excellent advice, who have struggled trying to find a solution to migraine. If you can give me some more info I'll see if I can offer some advice.
All good wishes to you x
