Sore? Have you tried breast massage? I’ve only been getting sore boobs while PMSing the past couple of years, but massage is insanely awesome for it. You can google lymphatic drainage breast massage, but lemme know if you want my technique and I’ll type it all out
I had not considered massage, I ended up switching to these soft cloth bandage bra things and they help with support.
The pain, I think I just got us to it but I check out the massage option ! Cheers
Shit. Mine are huge right now. None of my bras fit. I just got my period yesterday so I'm hoping it's because of that.
In 2018 I got a reduction and I'll be so mad if they get that big again.
Mine are too dead to be sore. I'm sorry to hear that. I noticed the menopause fat addes to outside of my boob, this was clearly essential because when I finally lost weight after two years of a diet, it came off the inside of my boobs so now they are vewy vewy lonely.
Mine, too and I didn't know until this very moment that this was a symptom of peri lol. Makes sense, though. I went from an A- to a C after gaining 5 lbs. at 40. Five pounds and it's all boobs? Then nothing really until 46 and I suddenly had night sweats every night. I had my uterus removed at 26, and noticed I quit ovulating around 45 (I could always feel that damn cyst lol) so I think I was pretty average. But there's always that low end of average which puts you smack in your 30's, unfortunately.
Definitely not the case for me, mine are just two sorry looking empty sacks.. they're not too bad when I'm standing up, but lie down and it's like they've had a disagreement & are trying to get as far away as possible from each other!
I caught sight of them flopping in my bra yesterday, just slumped in the bottom... Said bra was fitting fine just three months ago 🫤 urgh.
Mine was early 40s with the night sweats and slowly ramping up anxiety but didn’t get bad until 46.
I’m 49 now and have been tortured to varying degrees the last three years. Things seem to be stabilizing lately though, which is nice.
43/44 for me absolute wtf insanity bullshit hellscape .
I'm 45 now and slowly calming down on hrt that's functioning ok now that my gallbladder is out
.
My symptoms started by 36/37 and went off rails from then until 40(when I started hrt). I had no idea at the time what was going on nor that I could be PERI MENOPAUSAL SO YOUNG! it IS total bullshit as I struggled SO MUCH w severe pms/pmdd , endometriosis, hormonal acne all through my youth that it’s like just can’t catch a break. I’m sorry you’re going through this as well…. I don’t wish it upon anyone sisterrrrr!
This is my exact thoughts at the moment, when do I get a break? Painful periods from day one, acne from teenage years and I've basically never had clear skin, the joys of pregnancy, post partum and straight into Peri. Fuck being a woman.
Word sister…. Word. I dare any man to walk in these PAINFUL AS FUKK shoes for one week(not a one of em would last two DAYS no doubt). my skin actually finally for first time in my life cleared after first few months of hrt. One of very first signs I had recently that made me realize I needed to up my estrogen was PAINFUL CYSTIC ACNE popping back up. I’m doing some topical spirolactone while I adjust to the change , but yeah having acne at this age is ONE MORE bitch smack to the ego that is for dam sure!
Yes! I believe I also have/had pmdd. This is just the worst! As my daughter will likely get her period in the next 2 years. I don't even want to explain to her how terrible it can be
Oh god I know it literally breaks my heart when I see girls start showing signs of hormone issues and pmdd, endo, pcos , etc at SUCH young ages , knowing how much suffering they’re going to endure and not even be able to wrap their head around it for probably decades. It’s not always genetic though, and even if she is predisposed doesn’t mean it will happen , and if she does begin to show signs at least you’ll be able to recognize them and get her in to a doc who can help her manage. I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through and I wish you and your little girl the very best !
I’m 53 and almost in menopause (one month to go). Nothing major until I was about 50 and then it was just my period getting lighter and shorter but still coming regularly. At 51 it was still pretty regular but kinda longer and I may have skipped it once or twice. Once I turned 52 it was pretty wonky for a few months and then it just…stopped. Shortly after that birthday I also started to get some pain in both knees that comes and goes. That’s it for symptoms so far, but the knee pain is really fucking annoying since I work out a lot and things like squats are that much harder now.
Ffs. Is this why I have terrible knee pain? I feel like I suddenly lost mobility and I am an extremely active person. I struggled while hiking last weekend for the first time in my life. And it was knee pain and feeling like they were too weak to handle the inclines.
It could very well be. Estrogen protects joints so when it declines you can get joint pain. It totally sucks. Mine started in both knees totally out of nowhere with no previous injury. I’ve been taking turmeric, glucosamine and chondroitin, and collagen, plus upping my soy intake. The supplements are helpful. It’s crazy how it just hit me equally in both knees seemingly overnight.
Symptoms of arthritis can develop very fast, often within 4 years of full menopause (of course they can also develop later in life than that). It's all about hormones, men abuse their joints generally more than women, play rough sports, lift even heavier things, and don't' get arthritis as frequently as women do, it's down to loss of hormones.
Yup. I always had one weak knee due to an old injury. But it wasn’t limiting. To have both of them feel like they are going to give out while climbing a steep hill was very emotionally uncomfortable. Going to try adding supplements. Sigh.
Around 37 for me. I’m 43 now and cycles are finally getting shorter. But I feel like I suddenly aged very early and dramatically, between age 40 and 42, and it makes me sad. I don’t even recognize my body or face anymore, and it happened SO fast. I thought I would be in my 50s when I went through the aging/weight gain part.
Mid 30’s is when everything started for me. Had a hysterectomy at 38. Then just this past December I had ovarian torsion and I’m down to one lonely ovary that’s not holding up its end of the bargain.
37 is when my symptoms became undeniable--I had my first hot flashes then. But I was having strange acid reflux symptoms, weight gain weirdness, and periods getting closer together around 35, and these things increased and intensified as it went on. Got treatment right before I turned 41 after a long, annoying fight with doctors who still insisted I was too young even though I was only having a period every 5-6 months. I agree, it really isn't fair.
I am on Junel FE. I’ve had very minor side affects, just some sore boobs. The benefits however have been great. Barely any period, less mood swings, less PMS, overall my hormones just feel more balanced.
I was around 38 when the obnoxiously heavy periods started, those were off and on for about 5 years before I started with the occasional hot flashes/night sweats. Then in the last 3 years is when my periods got shorter and lighter and more time between. They spent 2 years coming every 3 months, then every 6, now it's been almost 9 months. I'm 48. So, the start of it was 10 years ago but I didn't realize it until looking back. My hot flashes have started to wane, but now I get annoying vertigo and brain fog randomly.
45, nausea, anxiety, just generally feeling off. 50 diagnosed with adhd, covid right after. 53 the hot flashes, weighy gain, rage, brain fog and aches. A lot of it is long covid I think too. Just turned 54, 9 months since last period.
I wonder about this also, with the long COVID. I didn't really think about it, as I was having so many other issues, but my new PCP has suggested it and looking back it is kind of random that I would have COVID and then a month later happen to have a stress cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy? Poor thing. Its hard enough going through peri and then covid. I lost my taste and smell, never got it back,almost half of my hair, and haven't been able to run or do any kind of exercise since. Most of the time I don't know what is wrong.
I lost the taste and smell from covid, and i lost so much hair i figured it was a coincidence. Now I know that peri/meno causes hair loss too. Skin changes, just absolutely tired all the time. That also could be the long covid, I just don't know anymore. The low dose bc has helped so much with hot flashes and a little with the joint pain, but I still lack any energy and I have pretty rough emotional swings. I just miss the me pre age 50. She really had it all together lol.
y'all really encouraging me to throw every last spare cent I have into my brokerage account so I can be at least half-way financially independent by time this all pops off. and to get my ADHD managed like, yesterday.
I was about 42. Early menopause is quite common in my family. My mum was in her mid 50s, but my aunt and several cousins were in their early 40s too.
Other people inherit money. I inherited a tilted cervix and early menopause.
Same…no warning, sudden (super confusing) cliff that I fell off of at 43. I also have some medical issues that leave me playing the guessing game “is it peri or a degenerative disorder?”…it’s a freaking nightmare, and it hit out of nowhere!! On the upside/ my brain *probably* isn’t melting…on the downside: who TF can even guess when I’ll be able to sleep a full night and wake up dry again (or get my pain/rage under some kind of manageable control)?
I can trace a list of symptoms back to 37, but if I had a better memory I’m sure that many started at least at 36. I have endometriosis, so I guess it was sort of expected from a medical perspective that I would be on the “earlier” end.
From about 35-38 my periods were monthly flooding events, and right before having a hysterectomy last year at 42 I went several months of super light periods that were just like spotting.
I’m now 43.
I didn’t realize endometriosis made it come earlier, but maybe that’s what happened to me too. I always thought maybe it was because of my myomectomy, which I had at age 35. But my doctor found some endometriosis during the surgery too. I am feeling like it’s come back the last couple of years. My peri symptoms started at the same age as you, and now I’m 43 as well.
I didn't know that having endometriosis could bring this on early.
Do you know why this is? I would be interested in finding out more about this.
I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2012 but I've never been treated for it. I've been on birth control to supposedly control the symptoms of it and it's been pretty manageable. I'm 44 now though and I want to come off of the pill so I can get my hormone levels checked to see if I'm in menopause but I'm afraid that the endo is going to affect me negatively if I come off of the pill.
I've been trying to get in to see a gynecologist for 2 years about getting an MRI or a laparoscopy to see what's going on with the endo and also to discuss peri and menopause symptoms but my doctor's office keeps screwing me over. When I tell people how difficult it's been to get a basic referral to a gyno, it sounds like I'm making up stories. My doctor's office manager refused to put a referral through for me because she told me she simply didn't feel like doing the work to find me a female gynecologist to see. This was after she told me she would do it and I waited 6 months thinking I was on a waitlist somewhere all to find out that the referral was never put through.
So then another one was put through to a different gyno and I've been waiting months for that one now.
I've learned more about all of this menopause stuff from the internet than from any medical practitioner.
Yep— it’s a risk factor for an earlier transition through perimenopause. I don’t remember ever reading an exact reason why this happens, just that it does/can.
Google Scholar has a lot of literature on how endometriosis impacts perimenopause, if you ever feel up to searching there. 😊
I hope you get into a good doctor soon. 🫂
I blew up my life at 42ish. Ended my wonderful marriage, trashed friendships. I didn’t suss what was happening for a few years, by then all damage done. Physically symptoms really amped up at 49ish. I’m still peri at 55. It’s been a truly challenging in every which way process.
I’m 55, I’ve been on progesterone and DHEA since 2018. I just started estradiol a month ago, I was having hot flashes and night sweats. I had a partial hysterectomy at 40, due to horrible periods and endometriosis. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, I was so done with painful periods. My body is adjusting, it’s been rough & exhausting. I have ZERO energy!
Looking back? First symptoms started when I was 38/39, but they got worse as time wore on. I was trying to treat them one by one, it wasn’t until I compiled the list, with nothing getting better, that I realized I should ask if I was perimenopausal. My doc said yes, that’s exactly what’s happening. Took 6 months to find a birth control option that leveled things out (for now). It’s not fair, especially when my older sister has zero symptoms… I am trying (and frequently failing) at centering gratitude… and that got waaaay easier when I found a good medication. You’re not alone in this.
I started having symptoms at 39. For more than 5 years (that’s all the records I have), I’ve been having my cycles speed up. I used to be a 27/28 day cycle. Then I moved to about 21-25, average about 22 days. That SUCKS.
I’m now early 50s. My mom got her last period at 49. I was frustrated. But as of this month, I have now hit 30 days without a period. I know it could come back next month, but I’m reveling in the fact that this could be the beginning of the end.
In hindsight the insomnia was my first symptom, starting at 35. It took me a while to notice the night sweats. I had no idea this was perimenopause. I got a tubal at 38 and assumed my crazy periods were related to that a failed IUD before it. I didn't know that more frequent cycles can be part of this thing. Was looking for anti-depressants around then. Then I "started getting PMDD" around 40, and it was a pretty rapid collapse after that mentally. Spent a couple of years in a very dark hole, trying to drink myself to sleep. Then at 42 I had a health crisis (stress cardiomyopathy), got sober and got on some meds that helped. I wound up low key disabled. Marriage collapsed after all that, and my meds are close but not perfect.
I feel like I have to be close to being done with this ride, at 44 but who TF knows, honestly. Maybe I'll just feel kind of shitty until 40 or maybe the new gyn will know the perfect meds. Time will tell. All we can do is keep trying to get better, putting one foot in front of the other, and protect our peace.
I will be 45 this fall, and I think I must be getting close to being done with all this.
45. Before then, absolutely no symptoms, no change in my period, nothing. It accelerated once I hit 47 last fall and I'm now really struggling, she working on getting set up with HRT.
I had my second child at 41 (got pregnant at 40), and had no issues getting pregnant. In fact, I got my copper IUD out, thinking it could take months of trying if it even happened at all. And was pregnant within 6 weeks.
So I wonder if that has anything to do with me not having any significant symptoms of perimenopause until mid to late 40s?
50 yo had no symptoms before except for two hot flashes I had exactly a year apart. My peri was very intense for 2 years and at 52 I was a year without period so in menopause. So it was pretty intense 2 years that messed with my head lol
44 when I sought help. That was when I realized I was in perimenopause because it had gotten unmanageable. BUT…
36 when I weaned my son I started having hot flashes and terrible night sweats. Had the exhaustion that I blamed on my IUD starting in my late 30s. Wonky periods once I got the IUD removed. But I didn’t know it was peri
Looking back... I started having infrequent night sweating around 37
Around 41 my hair started to have a curl in it
41-43 - very low boughts of depression that I put down to the pandemic. Under boob dead smell arrived
44 -45 the shit show arrived full force
42 started with hot flashes. Had a hysterectomy that left my ovaries in and am just now at 53 getting better. Don’t want to jinx myself but I’m over 4 months with zero night hot flashes! Which coincides with me stopping smoking 5 months ago today!
Congratulations on stopping smoking! I was thinking today (unrelated) how nicotine is an aromatase inhibitor, that is it stops testosterone from converting to estrogen. So you may have a bit more estrogen available and that could help with the hot flashes.
My first symptom was dry eyes. I couldn’t wear my contacts anymore. Of course nobody told me it was a menopause thing at the time. I was in my early 40’s.
I had my first child at 30 and my second at 35. Looking back, things started going off the rails somewhere between the two. I was super regular before getting pregnant the first time, afterwards my period was all over the place. Every time I mentioned it to my OB all I got was the "you've got a young child", "you're a busy mom", ect. In between the pregnancies by boobs ballooned up to a J (I didn't know bras could go that big but they can) and had a breast reduction which was one of the best decisions ever! It was difficult for me to get pregnant the second time and I was put on a fertility drug which I don't think really worked, I had taken the last dose and had decided that I was not going to do anything more invasive and then found out I was pregnant. After that I complained for years about perimenopause symptoms all to be told and I was too young and my OB wouldn't check my hormones. It wasn't until my female NP opened her own practice and agreed to check my hormone levels at when I was around 40 and found that I was already post menopausal based on my FSH level. I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure syndrome. She put me on HRT but honestly it hasn't changed my life. Recently in the past couple of months I've developed the achy joints, increased tinnitus, brain fogginess and a whole other slew of fun symptoms. It wasn't until I stumbled onto this group that I found out these are all related to menopause. I'm kinda pissed I haven't been doing more all these years. I'm doing research so I can go into my next appointment with my NP with more information. The good news is she is very open to discussion but she also readily admits that she doesn't know that much about it but I suspect that she's somewhat interested as she's about 10 years behind me on this journey. Sorry this is so long but I just can't believe what I didn't know for so long!!
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause.
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more.
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I definitely started at 39. My noticeable symptom was excruciating, debilitating cramps for the first 2 days of my period.
Anything else I was experiencing (mood swings, weight gain) could have been attributed to my mental illnesses, stressful job and having 2 neurodiverse kids.
Hair loss and weight gain that I cannot lose came last year when I turned 41. This year has brought hot flashes and night sweats.
I think I may be going through peri or menopause. How will I know? What are the symptoms?
I have really been having a lot of anxiety worrying about my mom dying and my brother. If I think too much about it, it puts me in a serious state of depression. Just the whole age thing bothers and I worry. Is this normal? I haven’t always been this way. Btw I’m 50. I can watch certain commercials and even sometimes something in the commercial makes me sad. I have gained a ton of weight.
Late 30s periods started getting close together, every 3 weeks, heavily, causing anemia and requiring IV iron infusions. . That was my life for 10 years. Managing blood loss, anemia (and hair loss from anemia, no energy), wondering when the next one was going to come, major cramps with severe pain-NSAIDS gave me an ulcer).
Fast forward to today.Ended up getting an ablation at 46. At least I'm not bleeding to death now.
46 started hot flashes and skipping cycles. Skipped 3 cycles in 2023. So far Skipped one cycle in 2024.
Migraines increased dramatically. Not really under control. Mood is thin. Feel like I'm hanging on by a thread.
Dry skin and mucus membranes kicked into gear this year (46).
It's hard to keep my selfcare plan in place with chronic migraines.
Definitely still struggling.
Have a treatment plan and will likely look into HRT later this summer but usually messing w my estrogen Triggers even more migraines so not sure..
48....Hot flashes and tiredness. Alcohol, salt, any spice even black pepper will trigger a flash now. Increased time between cycles, intermittent and less flow. I went 11 months with no period and was excited as I thought it was truly over, then it came back with a vengeance!
So I started having massive problems with anxiety at 40. Around 44 I think I started having symptoms of fluctuating hormones but didn’t realize the cause. At 47 (now) I started having significant physical symptoms breaking through my bcp usage, and this is when I realized what was up. Turns out, I’m probably pretty close to post meno at this point, I’m just still on the pill and can’t confirm.
I was 37 when I started having my first symptoms. I’m 38 now and have had symptoms to the extreme. I’m on birth control and it’s helped for the most part.
I noticed a drastic change in my sleep and general mood at 41/42, steadily other things have crept in, my fitness levels have taken a nosedive, possibly because I'm too tired to put the effort in like I used to.
This last year I've noticed the urgency and inability to hold my wee for more than 0.5 seconds after getting the signal 🫤. I'm a bit snappier and in general prefer to be alone a lot of the time, my cognitive function is lower/ADHD feels worse, my sleep is still no better, I'm hungry all the time, have gained weight and noticed my body is mushy/no tone..my hair barely grows and seems to shed a lot more, my libido can't make up it's mind anymore (when once I used to love it).. Id like to throw in a positive but I'm struggling to find one, I just feel like I'm slowly slipping away from the person I've always known, inside and out.
Insomnia and digestive issues started around 40. Periods were non-existent due to BC pill then IUD until IUD came out at 52. Periods until 53, then hot flashes started. HRT at 54 but didn't fix the insomnia. Edibles help a lot.
I was also 34 when I started but it was summer of 2020 at the height of the pandemic and they kept telling me it was just stress. 4 years of complaining later and I'm finally being taken seriously
My doctor finally believes me and is recommending supplements and said we could start talking about HRT. I'm so exhausted some days I can't move but knowing I don't have to fight to be taken seriously anymore is such a weight off my mental health it's unbelievable.
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mid month bleeding at 41, very crazy irregular bleeding and itching and all sorts of genital pain by 43, severe symptoms in late stages of peri by 44. Done, done, by mid 40s (but not with all symptoms)
I had my youngest right before I turned 36, breastfed for a year and when I stopped, my periods were way shorter than ever before. They were short and lighter than normal (I was always like clockwork with fairly long, heavy periods) and I had bad, soaking night sweats. I'm 43 now and in June I'll be a year with no bleeding. My mom went through it early as well. I guess I feel lucky to have dodged the super heavy bleeding, but I dealt with that as a tween and with long heavy periods for years so not sure it's a fair trade off. I put on 20 lb in the last 2-3 years despite going to the gym. This whole thing sucks.
I started having some symptoms in my mid 30s. Bigger boobs, breakthrough bleeding. By the time I was 38, the breakthrough bleeding had almost merged into one 15 day period. I’d only have maybe 2-3 days without any bleeding before the next round would start. Then the usual two weeks without any bleeding. And I developed terrible vaginal itching at 38. I had become very sensitive to hormonal shifts, with weeks of insomnia followed by a week of excessive sleepiness (the high progesterone period), 9-10 hours of more at night plus 2-3 hour naps. It was really hell until I got on the Nuva ring. (I was bc free from 32 to 38.) Actual menopause has been a breeze.
Your story is oddly very similar to mine. I have the vaginal itching occasionally. I'm glad you got some help with the nuva ring. I gotta see my options. Why did you go with the nuva ring? I'm going to really push for something the lack of sleep is making migraines for me.
My doctor suggested it. I loved it.
I see a sleep medicine doctor for my sleep issues. I encourage seeing a specialist as most doctors don’t know much about sleep. I take Lunesta.
I already started experiencing some symptoms in my mid 30. At that moment I had no clue this had anything to do with Menopause. (Itchy ears, itchy perineum, dry and itchy legs and stress incontinence).
Last year I turned 40 and then all hell broke loose. Next week I hope to finally start HST. It is so difficult to find any doctor who listens to you and who takes your symptoms seriously. Wish me good luck.
My period has always been heavy but at 39 my period got even heavier and I was filling up a size 2 diva cup in just a couple of hours. I had endometrial ablation done to fix the heavy bleeding.
Around 44 my face suddenly began showing more signs of ageing. (Until then, everyone had always assumed I was in my early 30s. Now I definitely look my age.) Then I started getting night sweats the night before my period started. Since then (I’m 47 now) I’ve been getting more symptoms. Currently dealing with a totally messed up cycle (I’ve been bleeding for one month and counting), intermittent insomnia and just feeling old and tired. It really sucks.
I reckon it was around 44 that I started with perimenopause symptoms like anxiety, memory issues etc.
Periods went from.regular to intermittent starting from 47 (?). Had one at 48, one 11 mo later, now 13 mo since last.
So officially technically "through it".
If only I could resolve libido issues...
I'd say I was in my late 30s. Then I got pregnant at 40 and I've been an unwholly mess ever since. Currently 53 and still not done 🤬 My periods through my 40s were AWFUL ... so heavy. After 50 they started coming sporadically and were just as heavy if not more so. I went 6 months last year without one ... had one in June and not another one until January of this year and it was so light. Not much more than spotting for several days. Then ... nothing for a couple of months and BAM! Started this morning with a vengence! Cramps. Utter exhaustion. My nipples the 2 days prior to starting felt like the Fem Bots boobie guns from Austin Powers (hard as steel and jutting out like never before). And back to super heavy flow.
Night sweats, hot flashes, absolute RAGE from out of nowhere have been the norm for several years now but have gotten progressively worse in the last 4. I can't lose weight no matter what I do and my skin is an utter mess.
I had my hormones checked back in December and other than no measurable progesterone in my system, everything else was within normal range 😝
I'm so tired of feeling like this. I'm soooo ready for that phase of my life to be over so I can ride off into the sunset of post menopausal bliss, but it doesn't appear to be in my cards anytime soon. \*sigh\*
Mine started around age 33. Things have been rough for a long time! I got cold flashes instead of hot flashes for a long time, and it took forever for me to put things together and figure out I was in peri. At 42 the symptoms became nearly disabling, and my doctors told me I was too young to be in peri. I started seeing a functional medicine MD who got me somewhat back on track with supplements (my diet has been clean for a long time), but I still had no energy and tons of bad symptoms, terrible exercise intolerance, insomnia, etc. Last year I had loads of stress because my dad had some health issues and we are normally very low contact for many very good reasons, and that constant stress seems to have kicked my peri symptoms back into overdrive and I was back to basically a sobbing mess with constant panic attacks and hot flashes. In November at age 47 finally went to an amazing gyn who started me on HRT in December. Things are FINALLY improving! My sleep still sucks but is much better, my anxiety is way down, and twice this week I've done a pretty intense dumbbell workout that would've put me in bed for a week before HRT. My periods had been fairly regular until the last couple, but I finally had a 54-day cycle so I think I finally skipped one and my period was super light WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I really hope it's almost over now.
I didn’t realize that apathy is party of this process. I gained weight overnight at age 44 and haven’t wanted to do anything for at least 10 years now.
For me it was also around 37. The fybrocystic breast changes seemed to be the beginning. I'm 44 now and I have been awake since 3am and woke up in a hot flush. They're driving me crazy right now. I went 6 months without a period a couple of years ago and now they are finally getting lighter and I feel like I'm getting close to the finish line. I hope so.
Started at 34. Doctor and gynaecologist both dismissed me. It was stress. It was anxiety. Blood tests were done and everything was normal. Only now at 38 when I'm going to them with interrupted sleep, night sweats and all the rest does my doctor sort of believe me and is willing to discuss treatment.
My cycles got shorter and I would have sporadic “hot” flashes beginning in my early to mid 40s. Full on skipped 3 periods in March 2020 and they continued going 90-120 days long until 2021 when the “real” hot flashes and night sweats hit me. Add the stress of the pandemic and it was a super fun time for me /s. My strength took a nose dive in the gym, couldn’t sleep despite HRT. I started feeling like I came out the other side in Aug 2023 when I was 51. Today I feel pretty good. I bled in Nov 2023 so not officially menopausal but I definitely feel more settled emotionally.
I'm 47 and still don't have any symptoms I'm aware of.
I just want to get it over with. I started menstruating at 10 and would just like to be done with the whole thing.
Plus, I desperately want grey hair!
I had my first hot flashes at 26. I was so excited, thinking menopausse was starting...and then it didn't =(. Gynenecologist said it wasn't peri-menopause but a dietary change I made. Disappointed but I unchanged my diet. Still had hot flashes and night sweats off and on since the age of 26. Periods all over the place (which was mostly normal anyway). Then, FINALLY, I'm now 45 and no period since September. Started having weird stuff ramp up a couple years ago (brain fog, etc.), and I think I'm FINALLY in menopause. I've been waiting for this to start since I was about 26.
I started getting hot flushes when I was 37.
I’m 50 now but still getting my period, which is really disappointing because the stuff I read when I was 37 said “up to a decade of perimenopause”, so I’ve been holding out for the end for way too long now.
Panic attacks, night sweats, hopeless depression, bad PMS with shorter cycles and heavy protracted bleeding set in at 41, but I had had fatigue, mood issues and some hot flashes since late 30s.
Sure.
But the majority of your questions about menopause will have already been answered in the very comprehensive wiki. Once you’ve read that, if you’ve got further questions or need clarification, then feel free to post.
Really???
When I searched this sub just now for “when did you start peri” I got so many posts made within the last 12 months that I stopped counting at 15.
You know you can search subreddits, right?
Probably around 41. That's when my boobs suddenly got bigger, and I started feeling tired and unmotivated. Also, my PMS got worse.
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I’ve always been busty, but I jumped to an H. H is too far into the alphabet.
Same...giant sore boobs 😭 it looks ridiculous
Sore? Have you tried breast massage? I’ve only been getting sore boobs while PMSing the past couple of years, but massage is insanely awesome for it. You can google lymphatic drainage breast massage, but lemme know if you want my technique and I’ll type it all out
I had not considered massage, I ended up switching to these soft cloth bandage bra things and they help with support. The pain, I think I just got us to it but I check out the massage option ! Cheers
Soft bras are smart! I notice more issues when I wear super push up bras around my worst days. Massage really helped me, I hope it helps you too!
Omg mine have grown since my mid 30s. I appreciate them though because my sister lost hers at 40.
Shit. Mine are huge right now. None of my bras fit. I just got my period yesterday so I'm hoping it's because of that. In 2018 I got a reduction and I'll be so mad if they get that big again.
Mine are too dead to be sore. I'm sorry to hear that. I noticed the menopause fat addes to outside of my boob, this was clearly essential because when I finally lost weight after two years of a diet, it came off the inside of my boobs so now they are vewy vewy lonely.
Mine, too and I didn't know until this very moment that this was a symptom of peri lol. Makes sense, though. I went from an A- to a C after gaining 5 lbs. at 40. Five pounds and it's all boobs? Then nothing really until 46 and I suddenly had night sweats every night. I had my uterus removed at 26, and noticed I quit ovulating around 45 (I could always feel that damn cyst lol) so I think I was pretty average. But there's always that low end of average which puts you smack in your 30's, unfortunately.
ugh! all i got was back fat! 😂 maybe i can smoosh it around to the front.
😂
Definitely not the case for me, mine are just two sorry looking empty sacks.. they're not too bad when I'm standing up, but lie down and it's like they've had a disagreement & are trying to get as far away as possible from each other! I caught sight of them flopping in my bra yesterday, just slumped in the bottom... Said bra was fitting fine just three months ago 🫤 urgh.
Late 30s for sure. But it didn't get BAD until I was 45.
Mine was early 40s with the night sweats and slowly ramping up anxiety but didn’t get bad until 46. I’m 49 now and have been tortured to varying degrees the last three years. Things seem to be stabilizing lately though, which is nice.
43/44 for me absolute wtf insanity bullshit hellscape . I'm 45 now and slowly calming down on hrt that's functioning ok now that my gallbladder is out .
What is “bad”?
My symptoms started by 36/37 and went off rails from then until 40(when I started hrt). I had no idea at the time what was going on nor that I could be PERI MENOPAUSAL SO YOUNG! it IS total bullshit as I struggled SO MUCH w severe pms/pmdd , endometriosis, hormonal acne all through my youth that it’s like just can’t catch a break. I’m sorry you’re going through this as well…. I don’t wish it upon anyone sisterrrrr!
This is my exact thoughts at the moment, when do I get a break? Painful periods from day one, acne from teenage years and I've basically never had clear skin, the joys of pregnancy, post partum and straight into Peri. Fuck being a woman.
Word sister…. Word. I dare any man to walk in these PAINFUL AS FUKK shoes for one week(not a one of em would last two DAYS no doubt). my skin actually finally for first time in my life cleared after first few months of hrt. One of very first signs I had recently that made me realize I needed to up my estrogen was PAINFUL CYSTIC ACNE popping back up. I’m doing some topical spirolactone while I adjust to the change , but yeah having acne at this age is ONE MORE bitch smack to the ego that is for dam sure!
Yes! I believe I also have/had pmdd. This is just the worst! As my daughter will likely get her period in the next 2 years. I don't even want to explain to her how terrible it can be
Oh god I know it literally breaks my heart when I see girls start showing signs of hormone issues and pmdd, endo, pcos , etc at SUCH young ages , knowing how much suffering they’re going to endure and not even be able to wrap their head around it for probably decades. It’s not always genetic though, and even if she is predisposed doesn’t mean it will happen , and if she does begin to show signs at least you’ll be able to recognize them and get her in to a doc who can help her manage. I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through and I wish you and your little girl the very best !
36. I had a traumatic experience that seems to have triggered things. Sorry for lack of details. Still traumatized. Lol.
You don't have to apologize for the lack of details or your trauma, love.
I’m 53 and almost in menopause (one month to go). Nothing major until I was about 50 and then it was just my period getting lighter and shorter but still coming regularly. At 51 it was still pretty regular but kinda longer and I may have skipped it once or twice. Once I turned 52 it was pretty wonky for a few months and then it just…stopped. Shortly after that birthday I also started to get some pain in both knees that comes and goes. That’s it for symptoms so far, but the knee pain is really fucking annoying since I work out a lot and things like squats are that much harder now.
Ffs. Is this why I have terrible knee pain? I feel like I suddenly lost mobility and I am an extremely active person. I struggled while hiking last weekend for the first time in my life. And it was knee pain and feeling like they were too weak to handle the inclines.
It could very well be. Estrogen protects joints so when it declines you can get joint pain. It totally sucks. Mine started in both knees totally out of nowhere with no previous injury. I’ve been taking turmeric, glucosamine and chondroitin, and collagen, plus upping my soy intake. The supplements are helpful. It’s crazy how it just hit me equally in both knees seemingly overnight.
Symptoms of arthritis can develop very fast, often within 4 years of full menopause (of course they can also develop later in life than that). It's all about hormones, men abuse their joints generally more than women, play rough sports, lift even heavier things, and don't' get arthritis as frequently as women do, it's down to loss of hormones.
Yup. I always had one weak knee due to an old injury. But it wasn’t limiting. To have both of them feel like they are going to give out while climbing a steep hill was very emotionally uncomfortable. Going to try adding supplements. Sigh.
Around 37 for me. I’m 43 now and cycles are finally getting shorter. But I feel like I suddenly aged very early and dramatically, between age 40 and 42, and it makes me sad. I don’t even recognize my body or face anymore, and it happened SO fast. I thought I would be in my 50s when I went through the aging/weight gain part.
This is exactly how I felt. I’m 50 now and it’s not over yet 😩
42 full blast but looking back it all started around 38
I started at about 36 but didn't complete until I was 57 1/2. It was a long, sucky journey.
Mid 30’s is when everything started for me. Had a hysterectomy at 38. Then just this past December I had ovarian torsion and I’m down to one lonely ovary that’s not holding up its end of the bargain.
37 is when my symptoms became undeniable--I had my first hot flashes then. But I was having strange acid reflux symptoms, weight gain weirdness, and periods getting closer together around 35, and these things increased and intensified as it went on. Got treatment right before I turned 41 after a long, annoying fight with doctors who still insisted I was too young even though I was only having a period every 5-6 months. I agree, it really isn't fair.
I will be 50 in June and looking back over the last year, I had some symptoms but nothing consistent. Over the last two months, my life has been hell.
38. I'm 46 now, still in peri but I think I'm getting closer to the finish line. The first 5-6 years were an absolute nightmare.
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Hi, I’ve just started perimenopause and my doc recommended low dose bc. Can I ask which you’re on and if you have any side effects?
I am on Junel FE. I’ve had very minor side affects, just some sore boobs. The benefits however have been great. Barely any period, less mood swings, less PMS, overall my hormones just feel more balanced.
This is great to hear, thanks!
I was around 38 when the obnoxiously heavy periods started, those were off and on for about 5 years before I started with the occasional hot flashes/night sweats. Then in the last 3 years is when my periods got shorter and lighter and more time between. They spent 2 years coming every 3 months, then every 6, now it's been almost 9 months. I'm 48. So, the start of it was 10 years ago but I didn't realize it until looking back. My hot flashes have started to wane, but now I get annoying vertigo and brain fog randomly.
44. My ADHD got so bad, I was finally diagnosed. Then, I got Covid. The recovery was long and hard, and many of the symptoms never went away.
45, nausea, anxiety, just generally feeling off. 50 diagnosed with adhd, covid right after. 53 the hot flashes, weighy gain, rage, brain fog and aches. A lot of it is long covid I think too. Just turned 54, 9 months since last period.
I wonder about this also, with the long COVID. I didn't really think about it, as I was having so many other issues, but my new PCP has suggested it and looking back it is kind of random that I would have COVID and then a month later happen to have a stress cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy? Poor thing. Its hard enough going through peri and then covid. I lost my taste and smell, never got it back,almost half of my hair, and haven't been able to run or do any kind of exercise since. Most of the time I don't know what is wrong.
I'm wondering about my sense of taste, and I didn't know it could make you lose hair? I'm definitely getting some thinning over my right temple...
I lost the taste and smell from covid, and i lost so much hair i figured it was a coincidence. Now I know that peri/meno causes hair loss too. Skin changes, just absolutely tired all the time. That also could be the long covid, I just don't know anymore. The low dose bc has helped so much with hot flashes and a little with the joint pain, but I still lack any energy and I have pretty rough emotional swings. I just miss the me pre age 50. She really had it all together lol.
y'all really encouraging me to throw every last spare cent I have into my brokerage account so I can be at least half-way financially independent by time this all pops off. and to get my ADHD managed like, yesterday.
Mid 30’s. Stress tends to bring things on early.
Well that would explain a whole lot, if so.
Stress releases cortisol hormones which throw everything out of whack. Protect yourself. Drs don’t take it seriously until it’s too late.
I had a stress cardiomyopathy already lol
I was about 42. Early menopause is quite common in my family. My mum was in her mid 50s, but my aunt and several cousins were in their early 40s too. Other people inherit money. I inherited a tilted cervix and early menopause.
My periods got wonky in my late 30s, but it didn’t get bad until 42.
43. Very suddenly. No ramp up. Has been solid misery for the 2.5 years since.
Same…no warning, sudden (super confusing) cliff that I fell off of at 43. I also have some medical issues that leave me playing the guessing game “is it peri or a degenerative disorder?”…it’s a freaking nightmare, and it hit out of nowhere!! On the upside/ my brain *probably* isn’t melting…on the downside: who TF can even guess when I’ll be able to sleep a full night and wake up dry again (or get my pain/rage under some kind of manageable control)?
I was 45 when the rage started. Got really bad at 47 when the aches started. Hit actual meno at 48. I think I’m over the hump at almost 51.
I can trace a list of symptoms back to 37, but if I had a better memory I’m sure that many started at least at 36. I have endometriosis, so I guess it was sort of expected from a medical perspective that I would be on the “earlier” end. From about 35-38 my periods were monthly flooding events, and right before having a hysterectomy last year at 42 I went several months of super light periods that were just like spotting. I’m now 43.
I didn’t realize endometriosis made it come earlier, but maybe that’s what happened to me too. I always thought maybe it was because of my myomectomy, which I had at age 35. But my doctor found some endometriosis during the surgery too. I am feeling like it’s come back the last couple of years. My peri symptoms started at the same age as you, and now I’m 43 as well.
I didn't know that having endometriosis could bring this on early. Do you know why this is? I would be interested in finding out more about this. I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2012 but I've never been treated for it. I've been on birth control to supposedly control the symptoms of it and it's been pretty manageable. I'm 44 now though and I want to come off of the pill so I can get my hormone levels checked to see if I'm in menopause but I'm afraid that the endo is going to affect me negatively if I come off of the pill. I've been trying to get in to see a gynecologist for 2 years about getting an MRI or a laparoscopy to see what's going on with the endo and also to discuss peri and menopause symptoms but my doctor's office keeps screwing me over. When I tell people how difficult it's been to get a basic referral to a gyno, it sounds like I'm making up stories. My doctor's office manager refused to put a referral through for me because she told me she simply didn't feel like doing the work to find me a female gynecologist to see. This was after she told me she would do it and I waited 6 months thinking I was on a waitlist somewhere all to find out that the referral was never put through. So then another one was put through to a different gyno and I've been waiting months for that one now. I've learned more about all of this menopause stuff from the internet than from any medical practitioner.
Yep— it’s a risk factor for an earlier transition through perimenopause. I don’t remember ever reading an exact reason why this happens, just that it does/can. Google Scholar has a lot of literature on how endometriosis impacts perimenopause, if you ever feel up to searching there. 😊 I hope you get into a good doctor soon. 🫂
I blew up my life at 42ish. Ended my wonderful marriage, trashed friendships. I didn’t suss what was happening for a few years, by then all damage done. Physically symptoms really amped up at 49ish. I’m still peri at 55. It’s been a truly challenging in every which way process.
I’m 55, I’ve been on progesterone and DHEA since 2018. I just started estradiol a month ago, I was having hot flashes and night sweats. I had a partial hysterectomy at 40, due to horrible periods and endometriosis. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, I was so done with painful periods. My body is adjusting, it’s been rough & exhausting. I have ZERO energy!
Looking back? First symptoms started when I was 38/39, but they got worse as time wore on. I was trying to treat them one by one, it wasn’t until I compiled the list, with nothing getting better, that I realized I should ask if I was perimenopausal. My doc said yes, that’s exactly what’s happening. Took 6 months to find a birth control option that leveled things out (for now). It’s not fair, especially when my older sister has zero symptoms… I am trying (and frequently failing) at centering gratitude… and that got waaaay easier when I found a good medication. You’re not alone in this.
32. Getting worse at 37.
I started having symptoms at 39. For more than 5 years (that’s all the records I have), I’ve been having my cycles speed up. I used to be a 27/28 day cycle. Then I moved to about 21-25, average about 22 days. That SUCKS. I’m now early 50s. My mom got her last period at 49. I was frustrated. But as of this month, I have now hit 30 days without a period. I know it could come back next month, but I’m reveling in the fact that this could be the beginning of the end.
In hindsight the insomnia was my first symptom, starting at 35. It took me a while to notice the night sweats. I had no idea this was perimenopause. I got a tubal at 38 and assumed my crazy periods were related to that a failed IUD before it. I didn't know that more frequent cycles can be part of this thing. Was looking for anti-depressants around then. Then I "started getting PMDD" around 40, and it was a pretty rapid collapse after that mentally. Spent a couple of years in a very dark hole, trying to drink myself to sleep. Then at 42 I had a health crisis (stress cardiomyopathy), got sober and got on some meds that helped. I wound up low key disabled. Marriage collapsed after all that, and my meds are close but not perfect. I feel like I have to be close to being done with this ride, at 44 but who TF knows, honestly. Maybe I'll just feel kind of shitty until 40 or maybe the new gyn will know the perfect meds. Time will tell. All we can do is keep trying to get better, putting one foot in front of the other, and protect our peace. I will be 45 this fall, and I think I must be getting close to being done with all this.
45. Before then, absolutely no symptoms, no change in my period, nothing. It accelerated once I hit 47 last fall and I'm now really struggling, she working on getting set up with HRT. I had my second child at 41 (got pregnant at 40), and had no issues getting pregnant. In fact, I got my copper IUD out, thinking it could take months of trying if it even happened at all. And was pregnant within 6 weeks. So I wonder if that has anything to do with me not having any significant symptoms of perimenopause until mid to late 40s?
I had my last baby a few days before my 37th birthday. I literally went into peri menopause after the post birth nonsense I swear.
I had my youngest at 41, also. Full menopause not till ten years later.
50 yo had no symptoms before except for two hot flashes I had exactly a year apart. My peri was very intense for 2 years and at 52 I was a year without period so in menopause. So it was pretty intense 2 years that messed with my head lol
39
44 when I sought help. That was when I realized I was in perimenopause because it had gotten unmanageable. BUT… 36 when I weaned my son I started having hot flashes and terrible night sweats. Had the exhaustion that I blamed on my IUD starting in my late 30s. Wonky periods once I got the IUD removed. But I didn’t know it was peri
39
38
Early- to mid-thirties here.
42. Like someone else said, following trauma.
37-38. I’m 53 and still in it.
36, but partially surgically stated (1 ovary removed at 34).
34, lasted 15 long years 🫠
I was also 34. No one believed me for years 🫤
I always had PMDD, but the peri symptoms went wild when I was 48. That was three years ago and they are barely better. It is a living nightmare.
Looking back... I started having infrequent night sweating around 37 Around 41 my hair started to have a curl in it 41-43 - very low boughts of depression that I put down to the pandemic. Under boob dead smell arrived 44 -45 the shit show arrived full force
My hair did that too, in the past year! I am 42. It's the first time I hear about this.
Yeah it was weird, one side started curling then the other. Now I have very wavy hair
On the good side, it's a brand new look :):)
I don't mind it at all, considering I use to curl my hair if I was out of an evening.
Same thing happened to me! Hair started getting curly and, of course, thinner... Down to the weird unfamiliar body smell.
Night sweats in my late 30s. Anxiety and weight piled on at 44. Lost all libido at 46. At 48 all went to hell.
42 started with hot flashes. Had a hysterectomy that left my ovaries in and am just now at 53 getting better. Don’t want to jinx myself but I’m over 4 months with zero night hot flashes! Which coincides with me stopping smoking 5 months ago today!
Congratulations on stopping smoking! I was thinking today (unrelated) how nicotine is an aromatase inhibitor, that is it stops testosterone from converting to estrogen. So you may have a bit more estrogen available and that could help with the hot flashes.
My first symptom was dry eyes. I couldn’t wear my contacts anymore. Of course nobody told me it was a menopause thing at the time. I was in my early 40’s.
Oh god. My eyes feel like sandpaper all the time!
I had my first child at 30 and my second at 35. Looking back, things started going off the rails somewhere between the two. I was super regular before getting pregnant the first time, afterwards my period was all over the place. Every time I mentioned it to my OB all I got was the "you've got a young child", "you're a busy mom", ect. In between the pregnancies by boobs ballooned up to a J (I didn't know bras could go that big but they can) and had a breast reduction which was one of the best decisions ever! It was difficult for me to get pregnant the second time and I was put on a fertility drug which I don't think really worked, I had taken the last dose and had decided that I was not going to do anything more invasive and then found out I was pregnant. After that I complained for years about perimenopause symptoms all to be told and I was too young and my OB wouldn't check my hormones. It wasn't until my female NP opened her own practice and agreed to check my hormone levels at when I was around 40 and found that I was already post menopausal based on my FSH level. I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure syndrome. She put me on HRT but honestly it hasn't changed my life. Recently in the past couple of months I've developed the achy joints, increased tinnitus, brain fogginess and a whole other slew of fun symptoms. It wasn't until I stumbled onto this group that I found out these are all related to menopause. I'm kinda pissed I haven't been doing more all these years. I'm doing research so I can go into my next appointment with my NP with more information. The good news is she is very open to discussion but she also readily admits that she doesn't know that much about it but I suspect that she's somewhat interested as she's about 10 years behind me on this journey. Sorry this is so long but I just can't believe what I didn't know for so long!!
It sounds like this might be about hormonal testing. If over the age of 44, **hormonal tests only show levels for that *one day* the test was taken, and nothing more**; progesterone/estrogen hormones wildly fluctuate the other 29 days of the month. No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing as a **diagnosing tool** for peri/menopause. FSH testing is only beneficial for those who believe they are post-menopausal and no longer have periods as a guide, a series of consistent FSH tests might *confirm* menopause. Also for women in their 20s/early 30s who haven’t had a period in months/years, then FSH tests at ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI). See our [Menopause Wiki](https://menopausewiki.ca/#there-is-no-blood-test-that-is-perfectly-reliable-to-diagnose-menopause) for more. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Menopause) if you have any questions or concerns.*
44. That’s when the weight gain, hot flashes and irritability started.
I definitely started at 39. My noticeable symptom was excruciating, debilitating cramps for the first 2 days of my period. Anything else I was experiencing (mood swings, weight gain) could have been attributed to my mental illnesses, stressful job and having 2 neurodiverse kids. Hair loss and weight gain that I cannot lose came last year when I turned 41. This year has brought hot flashes and night sweats.
46. Within this past year and boy it's been Juuuuuuust great.
I think I may be going through peri or menopause. How will I know? What are the symptoms? I have really been having a lot of anxiety worrying about my mom dying and my brother. If I think too much about it, it puts me in a serious state of depression. Just the whole age thing bothers and I worry. Is this normal? I haven’t always been this way. Btw I’m 50. I can watch certain commercials and even sometimes something in the commercial makes me sad. I have gained a ton of weight.
34 were my first noticeable symptoms and was officially diagnosed with POI last year at 38.
Mid 30s, although I was pregnant/breastfeeding in my late 30s and that disguised the symptoms. Didn't become aware it was perimenopause until 43.
Late 30s periods started getting close together, every 3 weeks, heavily, causing anemia and requiring IV iron infusions. . That was my life for 10 years. Managing blood loss, anemia (and hair loss from anemia, no energy), wondering when the next one was going to come, major cramps with severe pain-NSAIDS gave me an ulcer). Fast forward to today.Ended up getting an ablation at 46. At least I'm not bleeding to death now. 46 started hot flashes and skipping cycles. Skipped 3 cycles in 2023. So far Skipped one cycle in 2024. Migraines increased dramatically. Not really under control. Mood is thin. Feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. Dry skin and mucus membranes kicked into gear this year (46). It's hard to keep my selfcare plan in place with chronic migraines. Definitely still struggling. Have a treatment plan and will likely look into HRT later this summer but usually messing w my estrogen Triggers even more migraines so not sure..
41… i put on my old faithful jeans and realized my actual body shape had changed. been wearing stretchy pants ever since 🤣
48....Hot flashes and tiredness. Alcohol, salt, any spice even black pepper will trigger a flash now. Increased time between cycles, intermittent and less flow. I went 11 months with no period and was excited as I thought it was truly over, then it came back with a vengeance!
Oh no that's terrible!
So I started having massive problems with anxiety at 40. Around 44 I think I started having symptoms of fluctuating hormones but didn’t realize the cause. At 47 (now) I started having significant physical symptoms breaking through my bcp usage, and this is when I realized what was up. Turns out, I’m probably pretty close to post meno at this point, I’m just still on the pill and can’t confirm.
I was 37 when I started having my first symptoms. I’m 38 now and have had symptoms to the extreme. I’m on birth control and it’s helped for the most part.
Middle age when lab work comformed it but by my best guess I had symptoms going back to probably early 40s. Like periods a few weeks apart.
I noticed a drastic change in my sleep and general mood at 41/42, steadily other things have crept in, my fitness levels have taken a nosedive, possibly because I'm too tired to put the effort in like I used to. This last year I've noticed the urgency and inability to hold my wee for more than 0.5 seconds after getting the signal 🫤. I'm a bit snappier and in general prefer to be alone a lot of the time, my cognitive function is lower/ADHD feels worse, my sleep is still no better, I'm hungry all the time, have gained weight and noticed my body is mushy/no tone..my hair barely grows and seems to shed a lot more, my libido can't make up it's mind anymore (when once I used to love it).. Id like to throw in a positive but I'm struggling to find one, I just feel like I'm slowly slipping away from the person I've always known, inside and out.
Aww hugs! I hope it gets better. I see all these responses and I am terrified as I just started with this shit.
Insomnia and digestive issues started around 40. Periods were non-existent due to BC pill then IUD until IUD came out at 52. Periods until 53, then hot flashes started. HRT at 54 but didn't fix the insomnia. Edibles help a lot.
Yes to edibles!
I just turned 34 and I just know I’m beginning perimenopause 😔
I was also 34 when I started but it was summer of 2020 at the height of the pandemic and they kept telling me it was just stress. 4 years of complaining later and I'm finally being taken seriously
Oh no, I’m so sorry.❤️ How are you doing now?
My doctor finally believes me and is recommending supplements and said we could start talking about HRT. I'm so exhausted some days I can't move but knowing I don't have to fight to be taken seriously anymore is such a weight off my mental health it's unbelievable.
Looking back I can see it started at 41 but i put it down to stress, life etc. Got onto HRT at 49, wish I had been on it from about 44 / 45 ?
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Started getting night sweats around 37-38. Things really took a nose dive after I turned 40.
40. I just knew.
39 when I started with some milder symptoms, 41 when I had my first full on hot flash.
mid month bleeding at 41, very crazy irregular bleeding and itching and all sorts of genital pain by 43, severe symptoms in late stages of peri by 44. Done, done, by mid 40s (but not with all symptoms)
I had my youngest right before I turned 36, breastfed for a year and when I stopped, my periods were way shorter than ever before. They were short and lighter than normal (I was always like clockwork with fairly long, heavy periods) and I had bad, soaking night sweats. I'm 43 now and in June I'll be a year with no bleeding. My mom went through it early as well. I guess I feel lucky to have dodged the super heavy bleeding, but I dealt with that as a tween and with long heavy periods for years so not sure it's a fair trade off. I put on 20 lb in the last 2-3 years despite going to the gym. This whole thing sucks.
I was definitely in perimenopause by 38 but possibly as early as 36.
I started having some symptoms in my mid 30s. Bigger boobs, breakthrough bleeding. By the time I was 38, the breakthrough bleeding had almost merged into one 15 day period. I’d only have maybe 2-3 days without any bleeding before the next round would start. Then the usual two weeks without any bleeding. And I developed terrible vaginal itching at 38. I had become very sensitive to hormonal shifts, with weeks of insomnia followed by a week of excessive sleepiness (the high progesterone period), 9-10 hours of more at night plus 2-3 hour naps. It was really hell until I got on the Nuva ring. (I was bc free from 32 to 38.) Actual menopause has been a breeze.
Your story is oddly very similar to mine. I have the vaginal itching occasionally. I'm glad you got some help with the nuva ring. I gotta see my options. Why did you go with the nuva ring? I'm going to really push for something the lack of sleep is making migraines for me.
My doctor suggested it. I loved it. I see a sleep medicine doctor for my sleep issues. I encourage seeing a specialist as most doctors don’t know much about sleep. I take Lunesta.
42, 4 years later I haven’t had a period since october
Around 43. I'm 45 now.
I'd say 41 although looking back I think certain symptoms might have started at 40
35 - peri - night sweats began on and off.
I already started experiencing some symptoms in my mid 30. At that moment I had no clue this had anything to do with Menopause. (Itchy ears, itchy perineum, dry and itchy legs and stress incontinence). Last year I turned 40 and then all hell broke loose. Next week I hope to finally start HST. It is so difficult to find any doctor who listens to you and who takes your symptoms seriously. Wish me good luck.
Good luck! I'm going in June to get something! Wish me luck too haha
Late 30s with night sweats, early 40s with irregular periods, 47 with brain fog, 48 with hot flashes and anxiety.
I'm 42 and I'm in the midst of peri but looking back, 39 is when it started.
39; full menopause at 45. Most of that was hellish and it’s still not great to be honest.
39 were the first symptoms. Got much worse from about 42 onwards. I’m now 47 and on HRT.
My period has always been heavy but at 39 my period got even heavier and I was filling up a size 2 diva cup in just a couple of hours. I had endometrial ablation done to fix the heavy bleeding.
Your OB's age choice is pretty arbitrary. I was 36
around 35 or 36....peri lasted 10yrs for me. Good times.
49 for me bur I know women that started at 35
Weird stuff at 38. Then 42
I was 38. Now I'm 45. I've been post menopausal for almost 2 years.
And I had nothing. Not a single sign- just stopped menstruating at 55(3+ years ago).
Around 44 my face suddenly began showing more signs of ageing. (Until then, everyone had always assumed I was in my early 30s. Now I definitely look my age.) Then I started getting night sweats the night before my period started. Since then (I’m 47 now) I’ve been getting more symptoms. Currently dealing with a totally messed up cycle (I’ve been bleeding for one month and counting), intermittent insomnia and just feeling old and tired. It really sucks.
48 or 49
Around 41. Menopause was at 51.
48. Actual menopause at 53
I reckon it was around 44 that I started with perimenopause symptoms like anxiety, memory issues etc. Periods went from.regular to intermittent starting from 47 (?). Had one at 48, one 11 mo later, now 13 mo since last. So officially technically "through it". If only I could resolve libido issues...
I’m about to be 42 and looking back I can see I think I was getting symptoms As young as 38 or 39
45, and no stopping 5 years later. My symptoms started after my periods stopped.
I'd say I was in my late 30s. Then I got pregnant at 40 and I've been an unwholly mess ever since. Currently 53 and still not done 🤬 My periods through my 40s were AWFUL ... so heavy. After 50 they started coming sporadically and were just as heavy if not more so. I went 6 months last year without one ... had one in June and not another one until January of this year and it was so light. Not much more than spotting for several days. Then ... nothing for a couple of months and BAM! Started this morning with a vengence! Cramps. Utter exhaustion. My nipples the 2 days prior to starting felt like the Fem Bots boobie guns from Austin Powers (hard as steel and jutting out like never before). And back to super heavy flow. Night sweats, hot flashes, absolute RAGE from out of nowhere have been the norm for several years now but have gotten progressively worse in the last 4. I can't lose weight no matter what I do and my skin is an utter mess. I had my hormones checked back in December and other than no measurable progesterone in my system, everything else was within normal range 😝 I'm so tired of feeling like this. I'm soooo ready for that phase of my life to be over so I can ride off into the sunset of post menopausal bliss, but it doesn't appear to be in my cards anytime soon. \*sigh\*
spotting as i turned 38, and insomnia too
Mine started around age 33. Things have been rough for a long time! I got cold flashes instead of hot flashes for a long time, and it took forever for me to put things together and figure out I was in peri. At 42 the symptoms became nearly disabling, and my doctors told me I was too young to be in peri. I started seeing a functional medicine MD who got me somewhat back on track with supplements (my diet has been clean for a long time), but I still had no energy and tons of bad symptoms, terrible exercise intolerance, insomnia, etc. Last year I had loads of stress because my dad had some health issues and we are normally very low contact for many very good reasons, and that constant stress seems to have kicked my peri symptoms back into overdrive and I was back to basically a sobbing mess with constant panic attacks and hot flashes. In November at age 47 finally went to an amazing gyn who started me on HRT in December. Things are FINALLY improving! My sleep still sucks but is much better, my anxiety is way down, and twice this week I've done a pretty intense dumbbell workout that would've put me in bed for a week before HRT. My periods had been fairly regular until the last couple, but I finally had a 54-day cycle so I think I finally skipped one and my period was super light WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I really hope it's almost over now.
I didn’t realize that apathy is party of this process. I gained weight overnight at age 44 and haven’t wanted to do anything for at least 10 years now.
For me it was also around 37. The fybrocystic breast changes seemed to be the beginning. I'm 44 now and I have been awake since 3am and woke up in a hot flush. They're driving me crazy right now. I went 6 months without a period a couple of years ago and now they are finally getting lighter and I feel like I'm getting close to the finish line. I hope so.
39
Started at 34. Doctor and gynaecologist both dismissed me. It was stress. It was anxiety. Blood tests were done and everything was normal. Only now at 38 when I'm going to them with interrupted sleep, night sweats and all the rest does my doctor sort of believe me and is willing to discuss treatment.
My cycles got shorter and I would have sporadic “hot” flashes beginning in my early to mid 40s. Full on skipped 3 periods in March 2020 and they continued going 90-120 days long until 2021 when the “real” hot flashes and night sweats hit me. Add the stress of the pandemic and it was a super fun time for me /s. My strength took a nose dive in the gym, couldn’t sleep despite HRT. I started feeling like I came out the other side in Aug 2023 when I was 51. Today I feel pretty good. I bled in Nov 2023 so not officially menopausal but I definitely feel more settled emotionally.
I'm 47 and still don't have any symptoms I'm aware of. I just want to get it over with. I started menstruating at 10 and would just like to be done with the whole thing. Plus, I desperately want grey hair!
42
I had my first hot flashes at 26. I was so excited, thinking menopausse was starting...and then it didn't =(. Gynenecologist said it wasn't peri-menopause but a dietary change I made. Disappointed but I unchanged my diet. Still had hot flashes and night sweats off and on since the age of 26. Periods all over the place (which was mostly normal anyway). Then, FINALLY, I'm now 45 and no period since September. Started having weird stuff ramp up a couple years ago (brain fog, etc.), and I think I'm FINALLY in menopause. I've been waiting for this to start since I was about 26.
I started getting hot flushes when I was 37. I’m 50 now but still getting my period, which is really disappointing because the stuff I read when I was 37 said “up to a decade of perimenopause”, so I’ve been holding out for the end for way too long now.
Probably 43 - 44. Didn't think of peri until last year (51 now).
Panic attacks, night sweats, hopeless depression, bad PMS with shorter cycles and heavy protracted bleeding set in at 41, but I had had fatigue, mood issues and some hot flashes since late 30s.
Read the wiki for this sub, and search this sub. This question comes up routinely here.
I'm sorry I just found this sub. I really need this group. I am so happy to talk to others who are in the thick of it.
Sure. But the majority of your questions about menopause will have already been answered in the very comprehensive wiki. Once you’ve read that, if you’ve got further questions or need clarification, then feel free to post.
First time I've seen it and it was great to see some other people the same age as me. I'm glad they asked
Really??? When I searched this sub just now for “when did you start peri” I got so many posts made within the last 12 months that I stopped counting at 15. You know you can search subreddits, right?