I was fobbed off by two female GPs, over a period of 8 months, telling me I was 'too young' to even be thinking about menopausal symptoms!
I was 43 for heaven's sake!
Plus, I had a long history of PMS and also suffered with PND, so I was clearly very sensitive to any hormonal changes.
Plus, very early menopause runs strongly in my family (one cousin was only 29, another was only 41, my aunt was only 38).
Plus, I told them my periods had gone from being medium/heavy to being very light and closer together (another clear indication that hormones are playing up).
I went to see them many times because I was suddenly suffering with random insomnia coupled with periods of extreme anxiety and intermittent very low mood. But I told them and told them and told them that these symptoms were only intermittent, and that I could go a week or more feeling perfectly fine again.
I mooted the idea of my problems being hormonal, but they dismissed that out of hand. They both insisted I was just suffering with clinical depression and they gave me ADs and Beta Blockers.
Well, I took the ADs and BBs for 8 months but my 'symptoms' still kept breaking through several times a month
![Angry >:(](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/angry.gif)
In the end I just stopped taking them.
I finally saw a sympathetic male GP, who was far more knowledgeable about hormones/menopause. He was immediately suspicious that my symptoms 'came and went' and identified that they seemed to be cyclical. He referred me to a specialist who immediately diagnosed me as peri menopausal with premature ovarian failure. She ignored my blood results and diagnosed me purely on medical history and current symptoms.
After going through my medical history she told me I 'was a poster child for peri menopausal hormonal depression/anxiety'.
I have been on HRT for nearly 2 months now, and still feel quite up and down but at least SOMETHING is being done.
If those two female GPs hadn't diagnosed me incorrectly, I could have started HRT nearly 18 months ago, been stabilised on it, and wouldn't have LOST the last year of my life to awful anxiety and low mood.
Because of this anxiety/low mood lots of social events have been ruined for me, and I can NEVER get them back. I missed a friend's wedding. I hated every moment of my daughter's birthday last year. A romantic weekend away for our anniversary was ruined. Lots of stuff.