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[stardust123]

Hi, I am perimenopause I think, I'm 47 and have suffered anxiety since I was 42, triggered by a traumatic life event.   Have struggled to keep it under control.  Just wondering if hormones could be contributing.  I've finally had an oestrogen and progesterone levels check.   These are the results:
Serium Oestriadol Level -    214 pmol/L
Serum progesterone level -     <1 nmol/L

The test was taken about a week after the start of my period.

Doc has not said I need to do anything, but follow up action on blood test says 'other' so not sure what that means.
Any help / advice would be appreciated.

[Hurdity]

Hi stardust123

it is very common for anxiety to worsen as you approach menopause because the extreme hormonal fluctuations can make women less able to cope with mood changes or events that they would otherwise deal with by various means.

Oestrogen levels are very variable as you probably know and rise during the first half of the cycle until they reach the pre-ovulatory peak. Although your levels are not especially high they are consistent with the reference range - and in any case one blood test can't tell you much. I'm not sure why the doc measured progesterone - this is only necessary to test for ovulation (usually for fertility reasons) and would be carried out in the second half of the cycle.  Your progesterone reading is as expected before ovulation ie pretty much below the limits of the test.

The usual test for diagnosing menopause ( when tests are carried out) is for FSH. However in your age doctors should diagnose peri-menopause on the basis of symptoms in conjunction with your cycle, and those blood tests are not necessary.

What are your periods doing and have you started skipping them yet? Do you have any other menopausal symptoms eg flushes and sweats, joint aches etc?

Unfortunately in the late reproductive stage PMS can worsen but HRT may not necessarily work at this stage. Some women do find a low dose HRT helpful and others start one of the newer birth control pills that are a bit like HRT (using estradiol), which control the cycle and mood swings.

There is an article about peri-menopause here which might be helpful https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/magazine/pdf/Article%20-%20Perils%20of%20the%20Perimenopause.pdf . Also there is a site "Nomorepanic" which contains strategies to help people cope with anxiety.

Hurdity x