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[Lucibee]

Hi - I'm Lucy. I'm 46, and been experiencing perimenopausal symptoms for about 5 years or so (although it's difficult to tell what's associated  and what isn't). Within the last few months, my anxiety has gone bananas, so I'm here for answers/pointers so that I can steer my GP in the right direction. And, I guess, reassurance. This does get better, doesn't it? 

[CLKD]

Eventually!

Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful.  Do read the 'treatment' section above. 

Browse round.  Make notes.

As oestrogen levels drop so the body may become dry: skin, nostrils, deep in the ears, eyes, vagina - we have threads galore about the latter.  Also muscles may become lax = aches and pains 

We have a funny room too ........... 

[Lucibee]

Thank you! Is there an appropriate place to post about symptoms?
I have no idea about what's normal and what isn't - a lot of the things I'm experiencing don't seem to be listed.
I initially went to GP with extreme anxiety, but had to continually prompt them to get them to even consider perimenopause.

[Dotty]

Post in “all things menopause “ or just post on this thread and I'm sure someone will answer.

[CLKD]

Hi open a thread in all things menopause

[Lucibee]

Thanks @Dotty and @CLKD

[4meSons]

 
Hi from me a fellow anxiety sufferer
This site has been a life line for me and also opened my eyes to the perils of peri, I thought I was losing my mind x

[Hurdity]

Hi Lucibee

from me too.

In order to best help you, could you tell us what your periods are doing and how they've been recently in terms of cycle length etc. Have you started skipping periods, has your cycle got longer, shorter, heavier, lighter? Sometimes women begin to experience peri-menopausal symptoms while still ovulating regularly or sometimes PMS gets a lot worse - at this stage HRT may or may not help, although CCP (there are milder types) can even out mood swings and regulate the cycle.

Hurdity x

[Lucibee]

I did post in All thing menopause, but chickened out. (TMI-phobia!)

My cycle has been getting longer and more erratic for the past couple of years. Periods have got shorter and lighter. Had 3 months off last year, and I've been spotting instead since the beginning of this year (2018).

Major anxiety started in October last year, although I've had probs with mild/moderate anxiety for at least 6-7 years. Seems to be linked to my cycle (PMS-plus - ie, 2-3 days before menstruation then continues throughout period).

Other things, I'm spasmodic rather than congestive. Pretty sure I'm intolerant of synthetic progestogens (from past experience on COCs and POPs).

GP has put me on Prozac, which sort of helps a bit (Raynauds has gone), although prone to slight mania and rapid cycling (rollercoastering). I'm not particularly bothered by night sweats, in that I cope with them OK when they happen, and they are now less frequent than they were. The anxiety is way more difficult to deal with.

I've suffered from depression since puberty, so I guess that's a complicating factor.

[Dancinggirl]

Lucibee - welcome to MM

It sounds to me as though there are a number of things going on - underlying anxiety and depression problems but with the menopause is adding to this these problems.    I'm wondering how your depression and anxiety has been treated generally over the years?   How old are you now?   There is no doubt that hormonal changes and fluctuations in the peri stage, can and does have an impact on our mental state, however treating this with hormones can be tricky and not always successful - it requires specialist advice and monitoring.  Prozac will often help to control flushes etc. as well as helping depression but some HRT alongside could be helpful as well - especially as the fluctuations in hormones through this peri meno stage is obviously having an effect.
I believe there are a number of drug treatments specifically for anxiety and these may be appropriate but it could be worth having your hormone levels monitored over a few weeks (so blood tests need to be done) to see what's going on with you hormones and then deciding whether some HRT could be tried.  Try keeping a diary over 4-6 weeks to illustrate when you get the severe anxiety in relation to your cycle and this can be shown to the GP.  Don't worry about progesterone at this stage - Utrogestan might work OK for you, especially if used vaginally.  The hormones in the POP and BCPs are often different to HRT.
At this stage I would make an appointment for the GP, write out all your symptoms and questions and print stuff off from this site to help with discussion and ask to have you hormone levels tested 2-3 times over a few weeks.  The blood tests together with a diary of your mood and anxiety phases could help with future treatment options.   DG x

[CLKD]

46 ..........

Maybe keep a mood/food/diary to chart how you are feeling.  It was easy for me to forget how ill/well I felt on any particular day 

Nothing is TooMuchInfo on here 

[Lucibee]

I am currently seeing my GP about this. They won't do blood tests, because they have been told that they won't tell them anything. I suspect I probably do need to see a specialist, but I don't think there are any in my area (Wales). In the meantime, my GP is fussing over my previous diagnosis of Protein C deficiency, which my haemotologist sister tells me shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to stick to doing things their way for now, and if that doesn't work, I'll try something else. (I could be here a while!)

FWIW, I've been tracking my mood and symptoms for years. I'm pretty damn sure the depression/anxiety is cycle related, and thus exacerbated by perimenopause.

[CLKD]

Get your sister to speak to your GP on your behalf ;-)

How's the weather in West Wales today?  Any snow yet?

[Lucibee]

No idea about West Wales, but here in East Wales, it's very cold and we are starting to get a few flakes.

[CLKD]

As a meander I remember when Terry Wogan told the World that "Wales is cut off!"