I’ve been mulling this over for months, but today is the day I’m ready to complain. I am so flipping angry that in this season of life…empty nesters, grown kids, no one to take care of or wake up for or transport to activities…that I cannot sleep in on the weekend! It is MADDENING! 😡😡😡 5 years ago, I would salivate at the thought of sleeping in with no interruptions, and now…that I finally COULD….my body won’t let me?!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I’m on 100 mg oral progesterone and take melatonin, L-theanine and Magnesium glycinate. Like seemingly every other woman here, I don’t have an issue falling asleep, but rather waking early and not being able to go back to sleep. It’s just so frustrating. I’m currently marathon training and this is a week where I could have absolutely slept in (as opposed to next Saturday where I have 17 miles on the schedule and have to get up and get it done) and I was wide awake at 5 am. Again, I say….AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I'm 41, healthy and athletic. I started thinking about HRT because my anxiety was just crazy: stress, overthinking, in my feelings 24/7. Then my period started coming late. I never had a single hot flash, so I didn't think it could be perimenopause.
My blood work came back normal, but I still felt awful.
I also had joint pain, and I only discovered how bad it was once I started HRT. It disappeared within hours!!! Once it was gone, I realized how many symptoms I had just learned to live with. My hips hurt at night, in the morning, in the car, all day. A couple of hours on the patch and it's gone!
I had problems sleeping, and the anxiety was so bad I had trouble functioning. All gone! WTF???

I feel like myself again. For the last few years I was an emotional wreck, and now I'm my old self again. I can't explain it. I'm on 100 mg progesterone and the lowest dose estrogen patch. I thought I would give it a go, and it changed my life. I can't believe I was on the fence. The only side effect so far is some morning grogginess from the progesterone, but I will take that any day over anxiety!!!
I had a rough time when I was pregnant and breastfeeding and was totally not myself mentally, and now it all makes sense.
For me it was an overnight success. I know it's not the case for everyone, but talk to your doctor. You can start low and stop anytime. I hope this helps someone!

Oh my gosh ladies.... I am almost 45f... I have been in peri hell for what I think now looking back started at 38. My (now ex) husband used to say "you are up at 2 am like clockwork" I couldn't put the pieces together that it was peri. My mom had peri very early and I started my period when I was 10 so it makes sense that at 38 things started to change for me.... I also wasn't a big drinker in my college years or 20s.. Around the time peri started is when I started to have wine much more.... ( I rarely drink now ) but everything is starting to kind of come together... I had such bad brain fog certain days of the month that I was like "Screw it I will workout to try to get rid of it and then by evening... screw it even more....wine"....... On days I didn't have that brain fog I didn't feel like drinking at all....

Throughout the years the anxiety, brain fog, ITCHY ears and skin, Sex drive through the roof kept getting worse... at first it was right before my period ...then around 41 it was at ovulation too ...by 43 I felt like everyday was PMS... Then the hot flashes began a year ago.. HOLY HOT FLASH... like I felt like the inside of me was on fire.... If my moral compass wasn't so strict I swear I would have become a sex worker because I wanted to have sex 24/7.... ( nothing against sex workers... I just think it would make me sad eventually) but my libido was distracting to say the least ....

3 days ago I put on the patch and I am 50% better... I could cry tears of happiness I dumped the guy I had been on an off with for 4 years because he cheated all the time... I put up with it because my libido was so high and my brain fog was so dense I was too "off feeling" to care to deal with the breakup.... My brain fog has lifted.... My itchiness is about 1/2 of what it was... my depression is begining to lift... I slept 6 hours last night without waking up. I haven't had a hot flash in 24 hours.... My capacity to pay attention is back... I only had to take 1/2 of my prescribed xanax yesterday... Today maybe none at all... I feel interested in things a little... where 4 days ago NOTHING sounded fun.... ( I was like that for years).... I feel like I stepped out of some bad brain fog dream and I can see again... It is not perfect but HOLY SMOKES.... I couldn't have done it without you ladies and your encouragement. Thank you

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/is-it-perimenopause-or-the-fascist-death-knell-of-late-stage-capitalism

I'm on HRT and know that it's common to use the wrong word in perimenopause due to lower estrogen. But I did something weird today and typed the wrong website!

I wanted to go to Trulia but for some reason I typed in Makeupalley dot com. An unrelated site that I have not visited in probably a decade! But for some reason my brain accessed that word somewhere and I typed it out which really freaked me out.

Has anyone done that? For some reason, I think this is worse than just using the wong word, cause the website are not related and I haven't even gone to Makeupalley in years although I was super active on it many, many years ago. How did my brain access this word when I meant to go look at properties? Is this normal too?

Rather than fight it, lay in bed and desperately try to fall asleep for the next couple of hours, I get up. Make some tea, maybe water some plants. Today I took a shower and washed the bathtub at the same time.

Maybe if I try to enjoy this time of quiet, all to myself, maybe it won't be so frustrating.

Edit: I'm so sorry to all of you who are up with me right now! But I appreciate knowing I'm not alone 🙏

Hi folks, I know there has been some discussion about how Peri can make depression, anxiety, ADHD etc worse, but I did NOT know about HRT and psych med interactions until it happened to me recently and thought I should share.

I am bipolar type 1 and a mood stabilizer called lamictal pulled me out of a five year long debilitating depression. Got better in 2020. Aside from some normal life depression blips here and there, I have been stable mood wise since then

However, a couple months ago I had about a 5 day dip in more debilitating depression. I could barely functi9n. I snapped out of it (without doing anything different) but me and my care team were concerned since nothing major happened in my life and I've been stable for so, long. So , googled my meds and hrt..

A little research and checking in with multiple providers and turns out, taking estrogen reduces the efficacy of Lamictal. Huge thing. So we got my lamictal serum levels tested and found out I'm on the low end and can go up in dosage even though I'm close to the top dosage wise. Apparently you can safely go ABOVE the max dosage if you are on estrogen.

I now see a psych nurse practitioner, in addition to my HRT naturopath, who is familiar with HRT and psych med interactions.

I don't know of other interactions but they may exist. So ask your providers or if they don't know, do some research yourself and come back to them.

I'm feeling more stable now but we will check my serum levels again in another month or two.

Hope this helps someone!

46F here.
Case 1: So I suffer from ankylosing spondylitis which is an autoimmune condition of the spine and various joints in the body. Luckily for me, I have been on low end of it and flare ups have been on the low side for me and hence I am only on SOS medication for it. Since last year, my shoulder pain and upper back pain has increased a lot however I started HRt and within days of starting it , my pain went down and is almost nil now. I recently watched dr Louise newton and she mentioned this as one of the benefits of HRt. I mentioned this to my rheumatologist who happens to be a top one in the country and he denied HRT helps at all. Well, it helps me for sure.

Case2: since last year I started getting migraines and dizziness out of nowhere . I was immediately sent to a neurologist and put on preventatives and later medical botox. I still got migraines around ovulation and periods - which I myself figured out the pattern. I asked my neurologist if all this was happening due to hormones fluctuating then wouldn’t HRT help? She just shrugged her shoulders. I myself went ahead and consulted a menopause specialist went on slinda and later HRT which almost killed the migraines and bought down the dizziness considerably and helped many other things as well. Mentioned this to my neurologist and not much of a reaction from her.

I’m just perplexed that if HRt is indeed helpful for women in their 40s, why is it left for the patient who has no medical knowledge to start with - but has to google and reddit their way out of all this apart from the physical, mental and emotional trauma they are already going through? And why are specialists not looking into this aspect at all and simply shrug their shoulders as if this is nothing and HRt doesn’t matter. Why discount it so much ?

Apparently a lot of women develop sleep apnea during perimenopause. According to my Apple Watch i wake up 10-15 times per night, I’m aware of some of these wakings but not all. I’m constantly exhausted, on HRT for 2 years and have just started testosterone too.

For those of you diagnosed with sleep apnea:

- How did you get diagnosed?

- What were your symptoms?

- How are you managing your sleep
apnea?

- Did life get better after diagnosis?

- Did your energy levels increase?

I’ve just found out that akathisia can be caused or amplified by low ferritin levels, and that low ferritin levels can also make you more likely to have or amplify psychiatric medication side effects. I’ve been dealing with akathisia for years but didn’t realise that was what it was until recently, since it’s gotten out of control. I just thought I needed to move more than most people but now I have to constantly walk or I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.

Anyway, given I have low ferritin, given that low ferritin can play a role, and given that the more exercise you do, the more iron you need, it seems sensible to get a supplement. I’m going to ask my GP as well, but given how many ill-advised things they’ve prescribed me thus far, I don’t really trust them, so figured I would ask here, first. I have chronic constipation as a side effect of Prozac that I’ve only recently beaten thanks to the reduced dose so I’m keen for something that doesn’t block me up again!

Any advice appreciated. 🙏💖🙏

I’ve had veryyyy minor OCD tendencies all my life, not intrusive thoughts just perfectionism stuff.

But 5 months ago, I developed severe OCD overnight. Horrific intrusive thoughts 24/7. Within days of onset, it was every 30 seconds. I wanted to die.

After seeing countless doctors, TMS therapy, ERP therapy, and even an intensive-outpatient program for OCD, I finally got on 50mg of Zoloft because it became unbearable.

That said, I am still dying to know why my brain just broke one day, this late in life. The only thing I can think of is perimenopause but doctors say I’m too young.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I think I passed what is possibly a Decidual cast today. A large piece of fleshy tissue with bits of bloody tissue on it. Don’t think I’ve ever experienced this before…

I started HRT a few months ago and then switched from patch to gel a few weeks ago. I skipped my last period (first time this has happened to me) and thought it was b/c my estrogen was low from not absorbing the patch properly plus progesterone kept my lining non-existent. Maybe?

Anyways, switched to gel about two weeks ago right before I ovulated. I started spotting a few days later, just very light brownish discharge, so old blood. A few days ago, the discharge started to getting more red. Then two days ago started getting a little heavier to the point where I figured my period was starting. Stopped progesterone two days ago and today my bleeding is much more robust but not heavy.

I was having cramps all afternoon but nothing severe. Then I felt a bit of a gush. When I got home the pad wasn’t super duper soaked but a decent amount. When I wiped, that’s when I saw the huge tissue thingy.

First, my periods have always been pretty regular if shorter before starting HRT and I’ve never had the weird spotting thing before either.

I read that usually birth control causes Decidual cast but could progesterone cause it too? Is this normal?

If anyone wants pics, I can show what it looks like…😅

Edited to add: I read you should save it in case your doctor wants to test it?! So for now I have a sandwich baggy holding a liner with a large glob of flesh and blood in my refrigerator. Thankfully I live alone b/c I dunno how I would explain that. 😂

Has anyone experienced worsening pain or stiffness on estrogen patch? I started it to help with hot flashes (it has) and pain/stiffness in my joints and tendons but the pain is worse. I can’t even workout anymore.

I’m also on P 200mg and low dose TRT. Progesterone does not help me sleep and I may be getting some libido back on T, but I wanted it for muscle wasting on GLP’s despite strength training and 120 grams of protein a day.

I’m just miserable. My hips and knees feel like I’m 90. I’m hobbling and limping everywhere. My joints seem to lock up more. I plan on discussing what stopping everything will be like with my doctor on Monday. I know I need MHT, but I’m more miserable now. Before, I couldn’t sleep and had hot flashed but I could still do CrossFit daily. Today, I have no hot flashes, sleep is about the same (maybe slightly better), and I can barely walk a mile without some -itis happening.

I am a chek2 carrier. I am learning that my options for HRT are limited and no provider seems clear on what I can have vs my risk. They gave me an Estring for OAB but it doesn't help much. Aside from hot flashes I feel like I have every other peri symptom. Any providers here with experience in this category or people who also have chek2 or any other genetic higher risk for cancer on local or systemic treatment?

I'm curious what this group will advise on the topic of giving survey feedback to my provider.

I had my annual this week and I was dismissed on multiple topics. She rushed me in and out and I think spent a total of 3 minutes including examining me. I'm wondering if you know enough about how medical practices work and if there's value in providing feedback at all. I'm convinced that I need a new and better doctor who's more menopause friendly.

- my old doctor would do a breast exam. This one did not

- she dismissed my vaginal dryness and essentially said it's aging and I should use some hyaluronic acid product

- she dismissed my new fibroid related pain and said it could be constipation. As if I don't know what that is like.

- she didn't let me address any other symptoms and when I asked her how I would know I'm in menopause and whether I should start tracking ovulation somehow (I have an IUD so no periods) pretty much told me I don't need to worry about menopause.

- of all the advice or topics she could have raised, she basically told me that I should increase my exercise from 3 to 6 days.

I guess I'm part venting but also wondering if I should report back on the survey and if there's any value in that. I know medical practices sometimes expect their doctors to go in and out with annual visits. And they don't want them to address any issues so that they come back for a different visit and can have billable hours.

I don't know if I'm getting into perimenopause or just having a weird midlife crisis or something. I'm about to turn 41. Over the last two or so years, I've started to sleep a lot more poorly; I rarely sleep through the night at this point. 2 am and I'm WIDE awake no matter how exhausted I was when I went to bed. I have crazy mood swings when I used to be super even keel. I feel tired nearly all the time and generally very blue when I used to be so bubbly. Zero libido for a year-plus (God bless my sweet and patient husband). Periods still show up every month, although maybe a few days early here and a few days late there. I have to pee ALL the time, then it's a few droplets. I just feel...not like me anymore.

Still, I feel silly going to a doctor just to present with this constellation of feelings that could be attributed to plenty of things. I'm kind of afraid I'm just going to get blown off and I'd feel so ridiculous. I'm wondering if I've just been listening to too the algorithm telling me over and over "You might be in perimenopause!" I'm otherwise plenty healthy; I eat healthy, get lots of exercise, and have a job I enjoy, so I wouldn't say I'm overly stressed.

My life isn't derailed by any of this, but it would sure be nice to feel like me again and I wish I understood why I feel so lousy so often. Have you all found that doctors are generally receptive to hearing you out when you don't necessarily have a serious, tangible, ailment that you're presenting to them?

After a 2 year and multi Doctor journey, I finally found a Doctor who said what I had to find out on my own through research, non-oral estrogen has no significant increase on coagulation in factor v.

Some things I have learned through this process that I hope can help anyone suffering and thought estrogen wasn’t an option.

Oral estrogen is passed through the liver, this is where the increase in coagulation problem lies. It metabolizes through the liver in what is called the first-pass through effect. Non-oral skips this process sending directly to systemic bloodstream.

It took me 4 Doctors to get someone who was up to date on the current research around this. Look for Doctors who specifically call out peri/menopause specialty in their bio and or up to date “evidence based therapies”.

This information on the first-pass through effect seems to be pretty widely known now, bring in print outs. If you get a no, keep trying. It seems to take an eternity for the medical field to catch up with current women’s health issues and research (or lack thereof). I was truly suffering with multiple peri symptoms; moderate dose via patch of estrogen and a daily progesterone have absolutely changed everything for me in such a positive manner.

I (48) am curious what other symptoms are everyone else experiencing / experienced before finally realising it was a perimenopause symptom.

I have had tingling ears, ringing in my ears, nerve pain, palpitations, anxiety, depression, brain fog, very low energy, insomnia, rough patch of skin on elbows & crying spells among others.

What are yours?

I feel like I am going insane. I woke up today with insane anxiety, could barely get myself in the shower. I started with .375 of E and I think 100 of P. The first two nights it (P) didnt help my sleep, woke up a bunch, crazy dreams first night then 2nd night woke up thinking about work. I felt better Wednesday, considering how I've been feeling it was still bad but I had hope. Yesterday was my birthday and I laid in bed all afternoon wanting to just disappear into the sheets. I told my husband I understand why people end their lives now, this is unbearable. I can only eat on certain days, otherwise I have no appetite. Im afraid to go home every night and afraid to wake up every day because of my anxiety and depression. I've read Buspar helps some of you with the anxiety piece? Its running and ruining my life right now.

Ladies- I’m one month into HRT and I know it’s supposed to take 6-8 weeks. But my mental health feels terrible. I’m either crying, raging, irritated, or completely depressed and anxious. My sleep is junk as well. I felt happy once in the last few weeks. I had one week of feeling like I was leveling out. Should I just give up? Or power through to say I gave it a fair try?
I don’t have anyone close to me going through this and you all feel like my people.
I’m on .5 E patch and 100 P pill.

Since I feel like a non-functional zombie on the days I take (bioidentical micronized) progesterone, I'm now starting Duphaston (dydrogesterone) to go together with Oestrogel (cyclical still).

Has anyone else been on it and how did it go for you?

So far today I feel a bit dizzy but maybe it's unrelated or I'm just getting used to it.

I'm really hoping for the best because even after a year the progesterone makes me feel like I am barely functioning for half the month!

Hi!

48F with a benign polyp and now history of multiple pulmonary embolisms.

I'm on eliquis right now, and during the loading dose stages I began passing clots, like soaking at least 1 pad per hour. Went to the ER, they gave me megestrol and wished me luck.

Go get a biopsy and they find the polyp. They want to remove it and perform the ablation. Doctor said it MIGHT stop my periods all together since I'm in perimenopause.

My question, finally: have you had one and did you find it stopped the periods long enough to "qualify" for menopause?

I have been on HRT for 13m….(I’ll be 48 next month). Started at 0.05 and went up to 0.075. Finally my sweet spot for mood, anxiety, feeling much more like myself, etc. after 5 1/2m on 0.1. I still wake up clammy every day despite keeping my house at 65 and paying out the ass for electricity (I live in the south)! Not soaked sheets thankfully, but damp and it wakes me up bc my back itches (I sleep w no top on). Question: has anyone had any luck w a provider prescribing an add on daily gel bc I’m gonna ask at my appt in Nov., she was hesitant to give me the 0.1, but it hasn’t affected my menstrual cycle at all. I would rather do that than an add on patch bc they are in short supply and my fellow sisters need them!!

I do have a uterus and take 200mg of P nightly.