u/Interesting-Till5562

I have been grateful to find a community of people in my shoes who articulate what I feel so alone in and remind me that I am emphatically not alone in feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, easily irritated and feeling a lack of control over managing these feelings.

My anxiety went into overdrive when I started my estrogen patch and I’ve stopped and while things are better I want to know: what are things that have actually worked to help you manage the mood and emotional side of things when sleep is not guaranteed, and life is chaotic.

Hoping for tips that me and others can benefit from that are must dos that may not fix the problems but manage them better.

I’m 46yo still getting periods and my main peri symptom is insomnia. Last year my primary care provider gave me progesterone. I was taking 200mg and sleep returned (though lately I do experience the 3am wake up).

She had also prescribed an estrogen patch but it did nothing for me and instead made me spot all month, so for now she said, it wasn’t necessary but we’d need to revisit.

A friend insisted I take testosterone.. I was scared to take testosterone bc I had PCOS and developed chin hairs and afraid what testosterone might do.

For that reason I paid out of pocket to get what I thought was a specialist opinion. She was really nice but was shocked I was on continuous progesterone when I cycle regularly.

She said studies showed female range of testosterone didn’t show much help for women other than for libdio and changes that can happen with testosterone can’t be reversed.

She also suggested I take nextsellis. I expressed concern because progesterone helps me sleep and I would have to stop that, she said if insomnia returned I could take prescription sleep medications…

I took nextsellis today but I keep thinking why am I fixing what isn’t broken? But I’m doubting myself bc she said you’re not supposed to take progesterone in 200mg and continuously.

The reason I am having angst is when I told her I weight train now that I’m in perimenopause to help stem bone issues she said if I liked it that was fine but it just mattered that I was active. I asked her, did she really mean weight lifting had no impact for women in their 40’s and she said not really just be active and garden etc. This I know not to be true.

Hence my doubt.

But I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. I’m curious what you would do?