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[ladypenelope]

Hi,

I was pointed in this direction by a GP after I had a telephone appointment with them at the end of August.   Doctor is a trainee and dismissed it on the telephone call until he spoke to a more senior doctor (I then got a call back).

I came off the pill over 9 months ago.  Since coming off the pill, my periods haven't been right.  For the first 5 months, I put it down to coming off the pill (really light and pain free).  However, in previous pill free periods, my normal periods go back to "normal" within 3 months and I'm begging to go back on the pill to manage the pain and the heaviness.  To put in context, I need more pain relief to be able to function with a period than a broken bone.

About 3 months ago, I started having hot flushes and I noticed the mood swings (looking back, the mood swings started before then) and they've been getting worse.  And I've put on weight around my waist and I just can't seem to shift it (based on my "normal", I shouldn't be putting on weight).  The weakness, night sweats and insominia are something new.  Symptoms get worse until my period starts and then they disappear and there's this relief.  It was my mum who said I needed to talk to a GP as I describe this hot feeling that causes me to turn tomato coloured even thought I am sitting still... My friends are worried about me as I'm an emotional wreck.

I had a blood test on Friday and my results came back as "normal" for hormones and the doctor has said that I do not have menopause.  Overall, my blood results came back as "abnormal", but those results are being ignored becuase it wasn't what I went to ask about.  The doctor asked me to do my own research prior to the blood test and the things that have come back abnormal can be linked to the perimenopause.

In terms of age, I'm 33... My mum started her "change" (as it was called then) when she was 34 and my nan was also in her early thirties. On my Dad's side of the family, early signs of ageing is also a thing (I've bucked the trend by not starting to go grey in my 20s).

Just hitting my head against the wall.  I can deal with the hot flushes, but the "rage" and mood swings I can't cope with.  I have a public facing job that I can't walk away for 5 minutes if something happens. I can't burst into tears because a member of the public has decided to swear at me for something that I have no control over.  The energy required to manage the mood and emotions is too much and it's running me down and causing stress.

Something feels wrong and I just don't want to be fobbed off on a single blood test (when the NHS advice says that blood tests aren't reliable and the acceptable ranges are so large and overlap) just becuase I'm under the age of 45.

Have a face to face appointment tomorrow (I had a call back on Monday due to the blood test results but had issues with signal so got bored of playing answer machine ping-pong).

[Dierdre]

Welcome to the forum, you'll get plenty of support here and use the search button for others experiences. Sounds like peri menopause and all the wonderful symptoms, but obviously the doctors need to do more investigations and you are still young for this. However if your Mum and Grandma had this at your age there's a good chance you'd follow suit.
After tests and speaking to the doctor if you're still not getting help ask for a referral to a gynae or better still a menopause clinic if there's one near you.

[CLKD]

Morning. 

Which blood tests were 'abnormal'?   Hormonal blood tests can be reliably unreliable!  Many GPs still won't accept menopause symptoms unless we are not having periods and complain of hot flushes! Some members have laid it on thickly how badly their flushes are impacting, in order to get appropriate HRT!

Ring the Surgery and ask for an appt to a dedicated menopause clinic because Gynaes often don't know much more than GPs.  From where I'm sitting you may well be. moving into perimneaopuse, the years prior to the final period = menopause.

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use to chart progress.  Could you take a week off work to recharge and do some research and get that referral sorted?

There is no such thing as "you R 2 young 4 menopause" although it helps to have a handle: some girls never menstruate, others have a few periods then stop - others like yourself have a family history of 'early' menopause .  Did your GP ask about your family history?

There is also the daisy website, specifically for 'early' menopause so you may like to drop in there.  Let us know how you get on!

[ladypenelope]

Thank you both.

I feel like I'm not being taken seriously as I'm still having a period and I'm "too young".  I came off the pill as me and my husband would like to stop the period of our life where we're actively trying not to have kids.  We had a pill-free period at an earlier part of our relationship (I went through a "I don't want to take any medication if I don't have to phase"), so I'm used to use cycle tracking.  I had started cycle tracking when I came off the pill naturally, so I have data but I haven't been overly comprohensive with it... which made me realise that what I'm feeling is very cyclical!

Which blood tests were 'abnormal'?   Hormonal blood tests can be reliably unreliable!  Many GPs still won't accept menopause symptoms unless we are not having periods and complain of hot flushes! Some members have laid it on thickly how badly their flushes are impacting, in order to get appropriate HRT!

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use to chart progress.  Could you take a week off work to recharge and do some research and get that referral sorted?

Low iron and high serum alkaline phosphatase level (liver function).

I had last week off work which is where I've started the research.  I naively thought that I would get support from the GP, but, again, I'm having to avocate for myself. I was signed off sick for two weeks for stress in August after having an emotional breakdown at work that I couldn't pull myself together to be safe to undertake my duties.  Whilst the trigger was a situation at work, my emotional reaction was way off the scale (and it was the week before my period so I had battled with hot flushes and night sweats all week as well).  Hot flushes are worst when I'm at work as I drink more caffiene (the joys of working until 2am).

If I get nowhere with the GP, I'll ask for a referral to the menopause clinic.

[Flossieteacake]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I really sympathise as so many GPs have an odd idea about age when it comes to peri. I was told I was 'too young' at 38 and really had to fight to get HRT.

I hope your appointment goes well. It would be helpful to ask for the referral to a menopause clinic anyway just in case the GP is unable to help you if you wish to try different HRTs.

[CLKD]

Your emotional reaction may be that you are at the point where you will no longer take crap from any1!  Don't beat yourself up about that.

Get on a menopause clinic waiting list sooner rather than later, if you don't need the appt when it finally arrives you can cancel.

Let us know how you get on.

[Ayesha]

I think a menopause clinic is your best bet here, you are very young but your family history speaks volumes. I think only a menopause clinic will know exactly where you are coming from and more understanding.

[PM16]

I am 39 and going through menopause. I had always (incorrectly) assumed menopause was going to hit me in my 50s. How wrong I was lol.

Whether it has happened to other family members or not, follow your gut because you know what is normal for you. I had similar symptoms where I knew my period pattern simply wasn't the same as what I was used to. I gained weight and had the flushes etc. My hormonal blood tests confirmed peri menopause.
Just because your hormone tests are normal on one day doesn't mean to say if they are repeated eg a week or month later that they might flag up hormonal changes.

Just because you are under 45 doesn't mean you should be fobbed off.

I hope you gain more answers at the next appointment.

[ladypenelope]

I thought that becuase I didn't start going grey in my 20s (I hit 31 before the grey started) that I had a few more years befor this journey...

Doctors appointment on Thursday was frustrating...

Despite going to the doctors in 2017 with anemia symptoms and heavy periods, I had a blood test that came back abnormal.  But, as it was "borderline", I was fobbed off that everything is fine.  I asked to go back on the pill (even though I didn't want to on the time due to the affect it had on my mental health) because it was the easiest way to allieve my symptoms and feel better.  I was also told in 2017 that the they didn't check hormones (even though I was told that they would).

My husband came with me so I was able to not mask the impact of my symptoms.  I'm an engineer by training, just becuase a number within an accepted range, it does not mean that it's normal.  Lance Armstrong managed to cheat at the Tour de France for years for keeping his post-race hormonal levels within "normal levels" but they were above where they should have been based on his normal.

GP is speaking with the menopause clinic (thank you to those who told me to ask for that referral).  I'm getting another blood test booked in 6 weeks and they're going to do a scan to check ovaries.  GP asked me to keep a log of symptoms against cycle times (handed over as I was asked to do that).  He did acknowledge that I've done my research.

My options medically are:
1) HRT
2) contraceptive pill

I would like the chance to have a child with my husband (mum was peri-menopausal when she had me), so the contraceptive pill is off the table. HRT seems, on research, is my best option to help, but it is being gate-kept based on unreliable diagnostic criteria because I'm the wrong age to be given it on symptoms alone.

It's somewhere, but nowhere.  Frustrated.

I'm tired and super grumpy this month already.  My week of relief where my sleep is better and I can recharge (I'm not fighting night sweats and insomnia) coincided with the heatwave week.  I miss my curves, I just feel like big dumpy rectangle. Carrying on with the logging.  A friend is giving me a broken garmin which which fancier than my current one which will help me get some of the data to support my logs.  I shouted at my husband this week for wearing the wrong tshirt... It's going to be a looooonnnnnngggggggg month.