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[Camjo06]

Hi all 
I'm really hoping I can get some advice from ladies you are in the similar situation as me currently.
Bit of background....
I'm 43 still having periods but irregular, heavy and short.  I'm still getting at least one a month and have not missed a month.
Apart from this I don't have any classic symptoms of being peri that I know of. When I ask the doctor if certain symptoms may be related to the menopause they just shake their heads which fills me with worry.
I have blood in my urine constantly (traces when tested), no infections and I've had a bladder & kidney scan and all looks fine. I have lower back ache and behind my ribs, very achy weary, restless legs and regular cramping, not just around my period. I'm very very tired with absoutely no energy (very unlike me, normally constantly on the go).  I've gained weight around my middle despite eating less and moving more than I ever have before.  I've suffered with lower back ache and cramping before but I never felt fatigue like this in my life.
I'm having bloods done on the 12th August to test for pretty much everything (apart from hormone levels, GP said there is no point until I have missed at least 6 periods) but had these done the same time last year and they all came back clear which I am hoping for again this time around. 
I would really like to hear from anyone who has experienced similar symptoms whilst still having periods and not having nay treatment for peri/meno. I'm going crazy not knowing the cause of why I feel like I do. Thank you

[CLKD]

Hi!

I cured my restless legs by eating small bananas daily.  If they began to draw in the bed I take 2 'nurofen' which helps me sleep.

My periods waxed and waned for several years.  Then stopped.  I had cool 'flushes' down my back at night for a few months, that stopped.

Your GP should have prescribed appropriate vaginal atrophy treatment for your repeated irritable bladder!    Another GP who has no idea  .  Give the surgery a ring this afternoon and ask for vaginal atrophy treatment: either 'vagifem' or 'ovestin' should be prescribed.  The idea is to use the preparation into the vagina at night for 2-3 weeks.  When I get the need1P symptoms I take 2 'nurofen' to ease the nip as the urine flow stops. (we have 'bladder issues' thread as well as vaginal atrophy experiences). 

Lack of energy can be due to low VitD levels or thyroid function - especially if you have put weight on.  That should have raised concerns for your GP if this is something you have discussed.  However, my apron dropped a few years ago so when I look downwards I look fat  When in bed my belly is flat ;-).

Many GPs have little idea as to what peri-menopause actually means  .  Browse round.  Make notes.  Ask anything ........ we talk about most things.

[sheila99]

Ask your gp if she's ever heard of perimenopause, she doesn't sound very clued up to me. Blood tests aren't very useful in peri as your levels fluctuate so much but by the time you've missed 6 periods there's no point either because it's blatantly obvious. If you are normally regular but aren't now it's a pretty good sign of peri. Have a look at the Advice for Husbands pinned post for many of the symptoms. Fatigue can be a symptom of meno but it's also connected to many other conditions. Perhaps see if the bloods come up with anything and ask for hrt if they don't. I wouldn't say your symptoms are definitely peri but they could be, I don't like the sound of the pain. Do you have any vaginal pain that could explain the blood if it's from va.

[CLKD]

Years after my last period I get 'pain' and think "Oh NO! not after all this time!" 

Sometimes when constipated my lower bowel and coccyx areas feel 'full', not painful exactly.  However, during my menstruating years I remember that deep feeling of my bottom dropping out  which would disappear after the period stopped.

Do you suffer with heartburn?  Silent reflux may be the reason for any pains behind the ribs where wind gets stuck!   

[joziel]

You should be treated according to your symptoms, not blood tests.

Those things you've listed could well be peri-menopause or they could be something else. Best way to tell is (if bloods are normal) to start some HRT and see if you feel better. It's not going to do any harm if you don't need it, you can just stop it again.

But having just gone through all this myself (actually still going through it), for me there were multiple things which just weren't quite optimal which - all together - made a big impact. I did need estrogen, but I also had low iron levels (ferritin) and my energy has been so much better since taking some gentle iron every day (Spatone). GPs don't test for ferritin, they usually just test haemoglobin is which is pointless as it just tests the iron in your blood - not your storage. I did a Medichecks home blood test (finger ****) to get that result.

I am also taking a B vitamin complex, since low B12 is very common and can also cause low energy and fatigue. (I use Garden of Life Raw B - since it is derived from real foods and not synthetic vitamins.)

For restless legs and sleep, magnesium bisglycinate is really important - 300-400mg daily, with at least half that dose before bed. I use Pure Naturals as it doesn't have crappy fillers in it or silicone dioxide.

And pretty much everyone should be taking about 2000iU of vitamin D a day...

If you have blood in your urine constantly, you should be on local estrogen (Vagifem) which should help to fix that. You can take that with or without systemic HRT. It is prescription only but GPs freely prescribe it and it has pretty much no side effects for most people. You can stay on it forever. From September women who are 50+ can get it from the pharmacy without a prescription but us younger women will have to go to the GP, which doesn't seem fair.

With the weight gain, I'm sure that will be peri-menopause and if you start HRT, it should resolve in a few months. My metabolism returned to normal when I started HRT. Good luck!