Perimenopause - Mumsnet & Gransnet share the knowledge

We did and we have asked so we will keep you posted!

Thanks to all who are posting help/answers/ideas - we are posting your replies on the Mumsnet thread too. Meanwhile about to post some more questions from MNers...

From AliceInSandwichLand:

I am 49 and more or less through menopause - had years of hideous heavy periods in my mid forties, seemingly every five minutes, which led to anaemia (if you are in that stage and feel breathless and exhausted, get thee to a doctor and get iron tested - it took me embarrassingly long to realise given I am a vet and should have had some medical insight, therefore! Iron sorted it nicely.) I am now down to a very light period every few months, which is fine, and am also delighted no longer to have tender breasts, which had been painful for half of every month for thirty years or so, and especially during peri menopause.
At the moment I have not gone for HRT because my symptoms are relatively mild - just a few hot flushes and joint aches, which are really helped by exercise, and I am thinking about vagifem as described above. I am currently trying the menopace supplements and think I may have a bit more energy, but it's not made much difference. Would agree that refined sugar and carbs and alcohol are all really bad news - I have been gluten intolerant for years anyway but now eating even less cake type stuff, sadly. My main issue at the moment is waking with a hot flush pretty much every night at about 1:30 am. It's not a bad one, not too sweaty, and sometimes I get back to sleep easily but sometimes not; and I wake earlier than I'd like to most mornings, too. This is definitely linked to menopause because as someone said above, it stops when I do have a rare period. Does anyone have any suggestions of what's worked for night waking, please?
Thank you for an interesting thread.

From chickydoo:

47 here, regular as clockwork. Periods sluggish though, and a bit clotty, but they haven't changed much......But the night sweats, never in the day, but at night I drip like a tap, sometimes I wake up & have to strip the bed & me twice a night. DH had to sleep in spare room, unless he want to be engulfed in the waves of my sweat.. Poor love... How do I turn the tap off??

From NCISaddict:

The increased hairiness back of thighs, chin and nipples. It really makes you feel unattractive just when you need the cinfidence to cope with lack of sleep again.
The bonus is that I haven't had a period since August, they just sr=topped dead, no slowing down, really hope they don't start again.

Chickydoo from Mumsnet asks:

"47 here, regular as clockwork. Periods sluggish though, and a bit clotty, but they haven't changed much......But the night sweats, never in the day, but at night I drip like a tap, sometimes I wake up & have to strip the bed & me twice a night. DH had to sleep in spare room, unless he want to be engulfed in the waves of my sweat.. Poor love... How do I turn the tap off??"

AliceinSandwichLand from Mumsnet:

"I am 49 and more or less through menopause - had years of hideous heavy periods in my mid forties, seemingly every five minutes, which led to anaemia (if you are in that stage and feel breathless and exhausted, get thee to a doctor and get iron tested - it took me embarrassingly long to realise given I am a vet and should have had some medical insight, therefore! Iron sorted it nicely.) I am now down to a very light period every few months, which is fine, and am also delighted no longer to have tender breasts, which had been painful for half of every month for thirty years or so, and especially during peri menopause.
At the moment I have not gone for HRT because my symptoms are relatively mild - just a few hot flushes and joint aches, which are really helped by exercise, and I am thinking about vagifem as described above. I am currently trying the menopace supplements and think I may have a bit more energy, but it's not made much difference. Would agree that refined sugar and carbs and alcohol are all really bad news - I have been gluten intolerant for years anyway but now eating even less cake type stuff, sadly. My main issue at the moment is waking with a hot flush pretty much every night at about 1:30 am. It's not a bad one, not too sweaty, and sometimes I get back to sleep easily but sometimes not; and I wake earlier than I'd like to most mornings, too. This is definitely linked to menopause because as someone said above, it stops when I do have a rare period. Does anyone have any suggestions of what's worked for night waking, please?
Thank you for an interesting thread".

ancientbuchanan from Mumsnet

"What effect does obesity have? If any. Am v obese. Am mid fifties and still ovulating normally, although with hot flushes from time to time and more blasted hair.

But DM's menopause went on till she was 78 or so".

Kristinam from Mumsnet
"Oldgreymare -thanks, that's reassuring

Imdadgeine - that's interesting, I exercise quite a lot and I don't eat gluten, spicy food or caffeine , so maybe I'm not noticing any mild symptoms that I do have

I also have an interactive thyroid so I'm on meds"

lotsofcheese from Mumsnet
I am wondering if I'm perimenopsusal too? I'm 42 & having periods about every 21 days. My cycles have been gradually getting shorter since I was 36.,I've been so dry & itchy down below & having constant thrush. My fat distribution is all round the middle hmm

But on the other hand, I got pregnant very easily at 36, 39 & twice at 40. - although 2 of these ended in miscarriage. I wouldn't be so fertile if I was perimenopausal - right?

And I have no night sweats, mood swings (DP might not agree!).

My big concern, if I am perimenopausal, is heart disease. My mum had a quadruple bypass at 54 - and an early menopause. I also had severe, early PE which means I 'm at risk too."

Durham Durham from Mumsnet
"This has been a bit of a revelation for me, I hadn't even heard or perimenopause. I'm 44 this year and the last 12 months have been a nightmare for me. My periods have become very heavy and irregular. I sometimes, but not often, get nightsweats in which I wake up soaked. My PMT symptoms are much worse than they have ever been, I'm up and down and completely unpredictable. I can sometimes hear how unreasonable I am but can't stop myself, I get very tearful and am anxious a lot of the time.

This may or may not mean I am currently going through the perimenopause. It would be good to know these symptoms are normal and that they will pass".

BellBookandCandle from Mumsnet

"Any advice from veggie G'netters.......don't want to go down the HRT route..... So, any tips on what worked for you would be great (am hairy, grumpy and cycle length is getting longer and periods vary from heavy/flooding to light/negligible and PMS is almost bloody constanthmm) - thank you"

From Devora on Mumsnet:

"Thanks for lending us your wisdom, Gransnetters. I'm 50 and think the 'peri' bit is probably a thing of the past. I have vit D deficiency and am riddled with arthritis so accept that bodily pain is probably a permanent feature now.

But emotionally I'm not doing great - this may be down to constantly being massively overstressed and knackered, of course. I don't think I"m a very nice mum at the moment. Does HRT help lift the mood as well? Is it worth a try before looking at other solutions?"

From JonesRipley on Mumsnet:

"This is on my mind but I'm not sure whether I should go to the GP or not. Because I have the Mirena coil, there are no periods, but what I have noticed in the last year or so (I am 44)

Increased PMT -crying, anger
Feeling like the beginning of cystitis, but which isn't amounting to cystitis -pain, feeling of urgency
Weight gain- about half a stone, no discernible reason
Migraine, also apparently cyclical
No libido

I feel quite down about it, but I know my moods well and I don't think this is psychological"

From TheHoneyBadger on Mumsnet:

"Q: (especially to anyone who had had a lot of problems with pms triggering mental health problems - re: severe rather than just a bit bleurgh and to those unable to use HRT).

the pill really helped my pmt problems and made a huge difference to my mental health until a savvy young doctor picked up on the fact that i had a history of aura migraine and so should not be taking the pill at all due to a double whammy stroke risk. this means that when the time comes HRT is ruled out for me also.

i suppose my concern is having had hormonally related mental health problems in my late twenties through to mid 30's which now are relatively settled (via anti depressants and taking agnus castus ((highly recommended - has taken me from cycles between 38-48 days long with weeks of pmt before they arrive to on average 30-33 day long cycles with minimal pmt)) and possibly just getting past the big fertility drive hormone stage) does that mean i'm likely to have all hell break lose again when the menopause era hits?

also if i can't take the pill or hrt what options will be available to me? i can't even use the mini pill which would have been safer stroke risk wise because progesterone turned me even more crazy and suicidal - joy

so yes if anyone with mental health issues with a hormonal edge to them has been through menopause i'd love to hear their experiences and i would also seriously recommend high dose agnus castus to all women with any issues around their cycle or the menopause - in some countries it's actually prescribed for everything from pcos to pms to heavy periods. it works upon the pituatory gland and has honestly been a miracle for me."