Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[stocktonmomma2]

I am Brandi, 46, and believe I am experiencing peri menopause. In 2021, I began having horrible periods, having to leave work to change clothes, only going a week to 2 in between periods. My gyn suggested the IUD. I have the Mirena IUD and currently have no period. Approx 2 months ago, I started experiencing hot flashes at night, increased anxiety and irritability and recently tingling in my legs/feet and arms/hands. I have had a b12 level which was normal as well as my TSH.
I also believe I suffer from hyperventilation syndrome that started last summer, the inability to take in a deep satisfying breath. I yawn often to get my breath and often notice when I am inhaling I am not breathing correctly.

I am a nurse, so of course sometimes the more you know the worse off you are. I recently started to see a chiropractor for the numbness and tingling with no relief. I am taking Ashwaganda 600mg daily for anxiety. I feel like I am losing my dang mind and I just want to sleep until this phase of life is over.
I saw my gyn in June and she said we could take my IUD out and then test my levels but at my age she believed this to be peri menopause. I am curious about HRT and all of that but am also scared because I seem to hear horror stories about them.

Just wanted to reach out and chat.

Thanks
Brandi

[CLKD]

 

Peri-mennopause are the years B4 the final bleed = menopause.  Those 10+ years can throw up all kinds of strange feelings and symptoms. 

I have had difficulty in drawing a deep breath, it's quite awful.  I try walking around, bending over from the waist  .  Then it goes so I forget about it.  Pre-bleed I would find myself feeling bloated and 'breathless', 4 me it was cynical.  Blowing into a brown paper bag might help.

How long after removal of the Coil would levels be checkable [now there's a word, late at night.  8.50 p.m.  ]. 

How is your diet overall?  Which speciality are you working in?  Tingling etc. may be due to laxity of muscles, a lack of salt in the diet which can cause cramp, a trapped nerve .......... some women experience carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy so your symptoms may well be hormonally linked.

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use.  Browse round.  Make notes. Ask away - R Uin the UK or Stateside?

[Hurdity]

Hi stocktonmamma2

  from me too.

There is no need to take the Mirena out to check levels - what I mean is you don't need to check levels, although having said that the onset of peri-menopause is best determined by a combination of menstrual cycles, age and symptoms.  If over 45 and cycles have begun to go awry and vary in length each month by more than a couple of days, and symptoms are being experienced, then peri has likely started.

In your case - your periods becoming closer together is a classic sign of what is known as the Late Reproductive Stage which is the last stage of fertility and regular ovulation. After that the periods start to get further apart, when peri-menopause starts. Some also give a looser definition of peri-menopause - the time when hormones begin to start surging and declining even before periods become irregular.

As you have the Mirena you won't be able to tell when you start peri-menopause exactly as your cycle will be less obvious due to lack of bleeding or reduced bleeding - so symptoms will be a better indication.

If you are starting to have hot flushes and they are bothering you then you could start low dose oestrogen - there are no horror stories here about HRT. This forum is here to help demystify and reassure women on this journey and if you're thinking about HRT, then ask away and we'll try to help! However it may be too early for you at this point - just depends on how you're coping.

Hurdity x