r/perimenopause_under45

Anyone else found their underwear not fitting properly or not feeling comfy anymore since peri? I swear I’ve become way more sensory averse in general (sounds etc) but the underwear thing is a nightmare. I’ve literally ripped knickers off in a flaming rage because the gusset is aggravating me. Is this a symptom of GSM? Gussets in general are way too narrow for me but this peri experience is another level. I’m wondering if going on HRT will help with this?

Apologies in advance for the long post here but looking for advice. I have been on 125 mg of sertraline for 15 years and the last couple years along with change to my menstrual cycle I noticed an uptick in anxiety. Last year my OCD came back with a vengeance, just as bad as post partum, along with the mood swings. My primary increased sertraline to 150 mg which triggered the most annoying side effects of 24/7 earworms (songs stuck in your head all day long / cognitive musical looping). At first I was told it was a side effect and to wait it out. 3 months later psychiatrist put me on Buspar. Eventually increased to 37.5 mg which seemed to quiet the earworms and massively helped with the anxiety however my OCD (pure O / obsessive looping and intrusive thoughts) has still been in over drive even after going back down on the sertraline to 125 mg. So I made an appointment with a functional medicine doctor who supposedly specializes in HRT and she confirmed I am in perimenopause which could be the culprit of my OCD flaring up and mood swings. She put me on 50 mg micronized progesterone which I did great on the first week until I start pmsing and got my period. I was crying everyday, very low mood, intrusive thoughts. Didn't go away until after my period. I was convinced it was the progesterone. Doctor told me it was just my PMS. I have never had such severe PMS. At a follow up appointment she now wants to increase progesterone to 100 mg. She says my estrogen is very high based on blood work at 550. To my knowledge I thought doctors arent supposed to treat peri based on blood work? She won't prescribe me low dose estrogen patch (which I think I would benefit from for mood stabilization) and told me if she puts me on a patch with estrogen that high I could get a blood clot. I am overwhelmed by the difference in school of thought between functional medicine treating peri symptoms with progesterone only and possibly testosterone vs. OB/GYN treating with estrogen and progesterone. I'm 44 years old with a uterus for context. Any advice on how to get this managed? Should I be looking for another doctor?

Just turned 42 this year and started the patch .025 and 100mg of progesterone on Monday. Day 1 I felt like I was on a stimulant after I put the patch on and I haven’t slept more than a few hours both nights. Did anyone else have this experience and then have it go away after a week or two?

Since turning 40, I am a literal hazard, a liability, a genuine employee from hell for 3-4 days leading up to my period. I can’t think, I can’t focus, I can’t care, and sometimes it’s so bad, like my mistakes and ineptitude are so relentless that I pinch myself to see if I’m in a nightmare. Can I take these days off? Can I get a medical note saying I have to take these days off?! It would benefit everyone on my team if they didn’t have to have their patience worn thin by me month after month.

Has anyone else noticed the inability to do multiple things at once anymore? I figured I'd ask here, because I'm ready to see a doctor.

I've always been able to do & think about multiple things at once. I drive & daydream... (I couldn't help it.) And Multi-tasking was my specialty. But at this point if I can walk and chew gum at the same time - I'm doing something.

I can't even finish a sentence anymore. I was in the middle of telling my husband something last night - and it was just gone. I had ZERO idea what I was even talking about. And him prompting didn't help. I just burst into tears. (I was embarrassed, frustrated and scared. Like do I have early onset dementia?)

I haven't been diagnosed with perimenopause, partially because of all the horror stories of doctors not taking it seriously due to "40 is too young". But I have quite a few symptoms ... sleep disturbance, the itchy ears, unexplainable weight gain, rage from out of nowhere (when I am generally a doormat who will literally make herself uncomfortable to help someone), brain fog, inability to multi-task, executive dysfunction ... etc. BUT, there is one issue that has just been really annoying and I have been dealing with it for the last 2+ years noticeably. I start spotting brown blood just a few days after I supposedly ovulate (my BBT indicates ovulation, and 4 times out of 5 I have accompanying ovulation pain). The spotting lasts until I have my period with red blood & clots for the normal 4-5 days. The spotting is enough to stain undergarments, but not enough to require more than a panty-liner. My labs say everything is "within normal range", so oBvioUsLy there's nothing wrong.

Anyone else experience this? Any over the counter, holistic, or natural help would be greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone! I'm a student at Georgia Tech and I'm part of a research team looking into perimenopause, and more specifically, how daily habits and your cycle can influence symptoms.

Since perimenopausal symptoms are unique to each person, there's really not enough research that doesn't generalize it, meaning that it isn't accurate. We would love for you to contribute to cutting-edge research that actually reflects how different perimenopause is for everyone.

Who we're looking for: women currently experiencing perimenopausal symptoms.

What's involved: a short daily check in survey about symptoms, diet and habits, and a sample tracking amino acids sent at the end of the month. At the end of the study you'd get access to an analysis of your own personalised data and how it syncs with your cycle.

What your participation is used for: to build the first personalised dataset on perimenopausal experience and contribute to research that can change how perimenopause is understood or supported.

Participation is completely voluntary, and your data is kept confidential. Please comment or DM me if you're interested or have any questions! Here is the survey link to sign up: https://forms.office.com/r/Z2bMLDb56A

Has anyone not lost their libido and suspect they are in perimenopause????

I’m 36 and in an unnatural state of perimenopause that has been hell. Maybe POI and HPO axis dysfunction. My nervous system reacts dramatically to normal hormonal fluctuations, I have PMDD that’s new, and HRT is not helping. Going pharma route to shut my cycle down now. I’m getting one good week a month maybe. I have had some improvement with HRT but not enough to justify continuing to try it with how many side effects I have. big side effects are PMDD, sleep issues, exercise intolerance, blood sugar fluctuations, dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness …. so many things!

My doc is prescribing progestin only pill, Opill specifically, but is also suggesting I start Venlafaxine 37.5, an SNRI. I’ve never taken SNRIs and my body is EXTREMELY sensitive to exi at this point. My dr is great and approaches all of my protocols with my sensitive system in mind and she seems really calm about this option. I’m scared to try it. I’m ok with Opill, I had an IUD like this previously with little issue, although before all this. We will still need to address my longevity and deficiencies but hope that in 30-60 days the Opill will help stop my cycle and the huge list of side effects from normal hormone fluctuations.

Has anyone else had experience with Venlafaxine and willing to share?

I am 41 perimenopausal, PMDD and neurodivergent. Obvs I am going through it! I was prescribed Escitalipram SSRI (Lexapro) and Bupropion but I’m just so ragey and having Luteal hell and no longer even a good week, it just rolls on through. I’m so anxious. I want to go for HRT but I don’t know how to start the convo as the Dr laughed me out of their office saying I was too young. Another doctor said possibly but only Progesterone and I’d need to get a lot of bloods done. I recently got a Wellwoman test and things are mostly very healthy and good, apart from very low Copper. I’m in Portugal but relocating to UK. I feel a bit desperate as my relationship is suffering badly and it’s a stressful time , any support welcome

Anyone notice since Peri they swallow down the wrong tube more than ever? I googled it and apparently it's a thing, as our tissue and structure in our throat and neck start to degrade. It honestly freaks me out and I fear getting pneumonia from it one day

I just joined after reading posts here for months. I wanted to say thanks for all the helpful info and humour. It has helped me a lot.

I’m 42F and started noticing peri symptoms/signs around 11 months ago. I’ve been on progesterone for 5 months and it’s gotten rid of the horrible PMS I was experiencing (I feel like I’m in puberty again but it’s worse lol).

I started bovine collagen powder supplements and I didn’t know how anyone tolerated the taste/smell, so I’ve tried 3 different brands and I want to share my rankings from least gross to the most gross, in case it helps others.

Top choice, least gross, barely any smell or taste in coffee: Vital Proteins.
Second choice, kind of gross but fairly tolerable: Sports Research
Third choice, I couldn’t stand the smell or taste: Organika.

Who gets them? If yours stopped when did they stop?

Im going into week 8 and man they are bad! Started having them at week 6 and they just haven’t let off. Hoping this is part of the process.

36yo - after 35 things started getting weird night sweats anxiety but then got mono and then covid and everything got wild. anxiety / panic / waking up with brain fog and heart racing. tested for everything else which is normal. periods still coming but cycle is irregular (2 weeks late, 1 week early, short / heavy)

idk why I’m posting other than I feel crazy

i was on loestrin back when I needed ocp and was recommended to go back on that but I had no libido and felt a little flat emotionally ? wondering if it’s worth trying. Anybody else that was run over by a truck at 35?

ETA:

has anybody had worsening panic / anxiety and derealization?

Anyone here having intense rage during luteal phase? I cant control myself lately if things are not going my way. I used to be so considerate.

How do you take your progesterone? I started taking 100mg continuously less than a week ago and I feel exhausted. I take it vaginally.

Is this a temporary effect of progesterone?

Does anyone have any tips for helping me to stay asleep?? I have an NP appointment at the end of the month but I cannot stay asleep. I am going insane!

I’m 40 and my doctor says I’m perimenopausal. I was still having regular periods, although they had shortened to every 21–23 days instead of 28. Within the last year I lost my father and have also been under a great deal of stress. I’ve dealt with hot flashes and overheating for several years, but more recently I also started experiencing increasing anxiety, fatigue, low motivation, issues sleeping and weight gain/bloating.

My doctor tested my hormones and said my estradiol and testosterone were low, although I understand hormones can fluctuate a lot during perimenopause. She started me on an estradiol patch. I do notice I have more energy on it, but I also feel much more bloated, hungrier, and like I’m retaining fluid overall. Since starting it, I’ve also stopped having a period, which worries me a little since I was still cycling before.

For context, I was originally started on a 0.05 patch. After I complained about the bloating/weight gain and fluid retention, my doctor suggested lowering the dose by cutting the patch in half to see if my symptoms improved.

I’m wondering if anyone else in perimenopause experienced this on an estradiol patch, especially if you were still having regular periods. Did lowering the dose help? I’m starting to wonder if maybe my hormones were only low at that particular point in my cycle and whether I may not need as much supplemental estrogen yet. I’m also wondering whether, at 40 and still having fairly regular periods before starting the patch, I may not have needed this dose yet.

I started progesterone and estrogen patches last fall and had a wonderful experience. At first. After a few months I started getting terrible anxiety, like tight chest anxiety. That quickly turned into intrusive thoughts. Once I came off the patch I felt immediately better. I tried then to cut patch in half and try again and it all happened again.

Has anyone else had this experience on E? Would trying the gel maybe have a different response? I loved the benefits it brought before all the crazy, but I just couldn't live like that. Scared to try something else.