Perimenopause is making me INSANE!

[mrsv98]

My body has lost all ability to regulate my temperature and it is making me nuts! Yesterday, I was so cold that I actually turned on my little heater for a bit. Today, all I did was roll the garbage can to the curb in 70 degree weather and I was sweating like crazy. ARGH!

Have any of my DIS ladies taken a soy supplement that helped with the symptoms/side effects?

Thanks from a desperate woman...

 

[BearcatsFan]

I have no advice, just this. I'm going to the doctor next month to get confirmation that this is what's going on with me as well (even though my general doc says 39 is too young to start perimenopause ... whatever!).

Hang in there!

 

[marmalade]

I have no advice, just this. I'm going to the doctor next month to get confirmation that this is what's going on with me as well (even though my general doc says 39 is too young to start perimenopause ... whatever!).

Hang in there!

My mom was 39 when she went through menopause. I am hoping the same thing happens to me.

 

[spacemountainmom]

My body has lost all ability to regulate my temperature and it is making me nuts! Yesterday, I was so cold that I actually turned on my little heater for a bit. Today, all I did was roll the garbage can to the curb in 70 degree weather and I was sweating like crazy. ARGH!

Have any of my DIS ladies taken a soy supplement that helped with the symptoms/side effects?

Thanks from a desperate woman...

I wish I knew of something!

However, I would consider having your thyroid checked out. I can tell when my meds need adjusting when I have trouble regulating my body temp.

Between the thyroid and the perimenopause, I am one hot mess!

 

[mrsv98]

Thanks for the camaraderie! I did have thyroid disease in my 20s so I do get regular checked. I wish that was it, a bit of synthroid is just what I need I think, my doc disagrees!

*sigh* 47 is NOT a fun age!

 

[Christine]

I'm 48 and I know I'm definitely in it. I'm never cold though. I am always warm and the least little bit of heat or stuffiness bothers me. I used to be one of those women that was always freezing in the office and wearing sweaters but NO MORE!! I don't have hot flashes though.

I have started skipping periods here and there (close to 2 months late now). To complicate matters, I am slight hyperthyroid due to thyroid cancer follow up so I don't know how much that is playing into it.

 

[Disfan1]

I'm 43 and right there with you too! I have hypothroidism so I am usually chilly. When I started complaining that it was too hot all of the time, my husband MADE me go to the doctor. Once I described the hot flashes, worsening PMS symtoms, incredible feelings of nostalgia and homesickness for my hometown, and the changes to Aunt Flo, he said I am in perimenopause. He also said that this stage can last for several years. That said, I haven't found anything that has helped either.

 

[mrsv98]

I'm 43 and right there with you too! I have hypothroidism so I am usually chilly. When I started complaining that it was too hot all of the time, my husband MADE me go to the doctor. Once I described the hot flashes, worsening PMS symtoms, incredible feelings of nostalgia and homesickness for my hometown, and the changes to Aunt Flo, he said I am in perimenopause. He also said that this stage can last for several years. That said, I haven't found anything that has helped either.

Yes, several years...such a treat! Poor DH, I am at this stage and DD is 12 and deep into puberty...he bobs and weaves a lot as he walks through the house!

 

[cabanafrau]

Thanks for the camaraderie! I did have thyroid disease in my 20s so I do get regular checked. I wish that was it, a bit of synthroid is just what I need I think, my doc disagrees!

*sigh* 47 is NOT a fun age!

I'm right there with you. I'll be darned if I've found anything that works.

Be warned if you haven't experienced it yet, even the slightest amount of alcohol may make you feel as if you are melting like the wicked witch. Sometimes it's so bad just the scent of wine in the air at communion on a Sunday morning can trigger a hot flash these days.

 

[ez]

I am turning 50 in September. I still get regular periods like clockwork, but I definitely have the hot/cold thing going on. I also get spells when I am driving where I feel like I can't focus and am gonna pass out, and then I get panicky cause I usually have one of my kids in the car, so it turns into like a panic attack. I wonder if thats a perimenopause thing. Also I get soooooo tired in the afternoon, like in a fog an in another world...I have to go lie down. I'm attributing all this stuff to perimenopause cause Ive never had it before. Anyone else?

 

[mrsv98]

I am turning 50 in September. I still get regular periods like clockwork, but I definitely have the hot/cold thing going on. I also get spells when I am driving where I feel like I can't focus and am gonna pass out, and then I get panicky cause I usually have one of my kids in the car, so it turns into like a panic attack. I wonder if thats a perimenopause thing. Also I get soooooo tired in the afternoon, like in a fog an in another world...I have to go lie down. I'm attributing all this stuff to perimenopause cause Ive never had it before. Anyone else?

Oh yes, 4:30 and mama needs a nap! I also find that I have to really work on being focused. There are times in my job where I have to deal with a lot of detail and I have to work at managing everything where before it was natural.

And don't get me started on the dreams!!! I posted earlier in the year that I was having crazy dreams and they haven't slowed down. Geesh!

 

[Christine]

I am turning 50 in September. I still get regular periods like clockwork, but I definitely have the hot/cold thing going on. I also get spells when I am driving where I feel like I can't focus and am gonna pass out, and then I get panicky cause I usually have one of my kids in the car, so it turns into like a panic attack. I wonder if thats a perimenopause thing. Also I get soooooo tired in the afternoon, like in a fog an in another world...I have to go lie down. I'm attributing all this stuff to perimenopause cause Ive never had it before. Anyone else?

I don't have all that but I did when I was borderline anemic with a low ferritin. My mom had regular periods right through her 50s. She even had them when the doctor deemed her "in menopause" and they had to give her something to stop them. Weird, I know. But if you are still having regular periods, you could have at the very least a low ferritin and it causes lots of fogginess, feeling somewhat brain dead, and that constant need for a nap.

I got that under control so I don't get it too much.

I get a terrible mental fog issue right when I start my period that lasts 3-4 days. My periods are fairly regular but I am not missing at least one period a year. But I have a normal amount of energy these days. I just get warm too easily.

 

[Robinrs]

Most of the women in my family went thru menopause in their late 30s. My mom went thru it at 36 but she had all of the children she wanted by then. I had no children and wanted one at 36 when I had stopped having regular periods. I thought it was menopause but it turned out to be my son!

I never had a regular period after having him. No symptoms, nothing, it just went away. I had strange periods, too, no cramps, lasted a day and a half, I guess it had a lot to do with hormonal imbalance.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I didn't read all the replies, perimenopause is invading my brain right now, but if you have a thyroid problem, please talk to your doctor about soy. I am on a very restricted dose because it interferes with your hormones...

 

[qtwns]

Another Hot Momma here! I had an ablation a few years ago to take care of the gosh awful periods I was having. I was/am definitely pre-menopausal. Of course since I had the ablation I have no idea if I am having regular periods, but if my monthly mood swings are any indication, then I would be if I could. I have recently began to believe in spontaneous combustion! I tried a progesterone cream that I get at GNC and it has worked wonders. It has a very calming and cooling affect on me. The week I go off of it each month, I get the hot flashes again.

 

[DeaverTex]

I really don't qualify here, but I read the OP to Mrs. Tex (who's an OB/GYN NP) and she:

1. Sends her heartfelt sympathy and . She's past menopause now, but I well remember being able to bake biscuits on her tummy.

2. Says that soy supplements do sometimes help with mild perimenopausal symptoms.

 

[Scrap4me]

I have no advice, just this. I'm going to the doctor next month to get confirmation that this is what's going on with me as well (even though my general doc says 39 is too young to start perimenopause ... whatever!).

Hang in there!

Trust me, 39 is not too young! I am 39 ( at least for 4 more months), and I entered this wonderful rotfl stage of life at 37 and 8 months.
Supplements and hormones affect me in wierd ways so I have chosen to deal with it moment by moment. The current predicament I have now is that I endure an intense migraine once a week. Fluctuations in the hormone levels cause this.
there are times when I would love to live in Alaska in the dead of winter, and then times when I could sacrifice myself to the nearest volcano! Don't you love being a woman?!

OP, if you choose to try any type of supplements it will be a game of trying to find what works best for you. With the constant changing you are currently going through, it is possible that what works one month may not work the next. Good luck and enjoy the roller coaster!

bring on 40!

 

[kellyg403]

I am 47. Oddly enough I have never done the daytime 'hot flashes' but at night I am either sweating like a pig or cold and wrapped in a sheet,blanket and comforter. My periods were right as rain. This is the first month I have ever been late in my life where I was not expecting a bundle of joy in a few months.

The mental fog is crazy. I have issue even remembering words anymore. I have to stop and really think hard sometimes. Especially whn I am trying to sound professional at work. Those big words allude me every single time!

I can't wait for it to be over. I am not moody...at least I don't think I am. But I have a definite lower tolerance for bs and have no issue saying so. That is unlike me!

Being a woman is hell. I have my annual checkup in Aug. My only fear at this point is that I will have my cycle whenever for a while. I don't want to have to worry about if/when its going to show up. If its finished, I hope its really finished. Not just trying to make me a crazy person wondering what I will be wearing, how bad it will be and when it will show up. I am starting to think that might be WORSE symptom yet...


Kelly

 

[Christine]

I am 47. Oddly enough I have never done the daytime 'hot flashes' but at night I am either sweating like a pig or cold and wrapped in a sheet,blanket and comforter. My periods were right as rain. This is the first month I have ever been late in my life where I was not expecting a bundle of joy in a few months.

The mental fog is crazy. I have issue even remembering words anymore. I have to stop and really think hard sometimes. Especially whn I am trying to sound professional at work. Those big words allude me every single time!

I can't wait for it to be over. I am not moody...at least I don't think I am. But I have a definite lower tolerance for bs and have no issue saying so. That is unlike me!

Being a woman is hell. I have my annual checkup in Aug. My only fear at this point is that I will have my cycle whenever for a while. I don't want to have to worry about if/when its going to show up. If its finished, I hope its really finished. Not just trying to make me a crazy person wondering what I will be wearing, how bad it will be and when it will show up. I am starting to think that might be WORSE symptom yet...


Kelly

Your symptoms sound a lot like mine.

I missed my very first period, last year at age 47. After that, it all sort of "righted" itself. Before this, I was ALWAYS 29 days like clockwork. Now, I predominantly still at 29 days but I have a few cycles that may be between 31 and 34 and an odd one here and there at 26 days. And then there was the missed period last year.

THIS year (at 48), I had my last period on May 7th. Should have gotten another one around June 5th. It looks like it is starting today so that's a pretty long stretch. Safe to say that I missed my June period since it is almost July. This is exactly what happened last year when I missed one cycle. Same amount of skipped days.

And I've yet to have a true hot flash, but many nights I am sweating a lot. I finally gave in and lowered my AC so my room would be colder since stuffiness seems to trigger the nightsweats. So far it's worked pretty well.

 

[crz4mm2]

I am almost 53. Started with hot flashes 10 years ago. Peri-menopausal symptoms can start 10 years prior to menopause.
I have hot flashes and night sweats (and day sweats as well). Mental fog.
Still having some periods.
Skipped a few in the past year, before that I was having them ever 14-21 days.
Had to have a D&C last year for thick endometrium.

I took some hormones for a while, and decided I didn't really want to so stopped. The hormones definitely helped with the hot flashes, I really didn't feel they helped with the mental fog.

This too shall pass......