r/Perimenopause

I have a drs appointment tomorrow because I have an ongoing issue with my progesterone. My doctor is hell bent on having me cycle it, instead of taking it continuously. She says that I can’t take it continuously until I am officially in menopause.

I know that there are a lot of mixed feelings about progesterone, but I LOVE it! It makes me feel more loving, helps my sleep tremendously, and helps my mood. Also, I have migraines, so on the 14 days that I am taking progesterone 200mg, I feel great, sleep well, and don’t have many migraine issues. As soon as I cycle off for the rest of the month, I feel absolutely awful, have lots of migraines, poor sleep quality, am grouchy, have bleeding, some cramps, wake up at 3am and can’t go back to sleep.

I have asked my doctor multiple times if I can go on continuous progesterone and she says no. Everything that I read, watch, hear says that most people are on continuous, even in peri, especially if they like progesterone. I have read that the idea that you need to bleed each month is an antiquated idea. Two of my other doctors have told me that they take continuous progesterone in peri.

I am exhausted in general, and really exhausted about arguing about this with my doctor. The only reason she can give me for the denial is that it could “make my bleeding problems worse”.

Can anyone think of a persuasive piece of information I could use to sway her? Am I missing something? Aren’t a lot of you in continuous progesterone?

I'm on day 22 of my period (went to the doctor already) and I'm so ready to say goodbye to this MF 😤 I'm so done, but I wonder if someday I will look back and say "those were good times". What do you think? will you miss having your period? 🤔

Hi all,

I’m hoping to hear from women who’ve gone through something similar, especially during perimenopause.

Have any of you experienced sudden or worsening hip joint pain around the onset of perimenopause, and were told you might need a total hip replacement but later found out it was something else?

I’m especially curious about cases where it turned out to be:

• tendon or soft tissue issues (like gluteal tendinopathy)
• labral tears or impingement
• inflammation-related or hormone-related joint changes
• something that felt severe but wasn’t actually bone-on-bone

If this was you:

• What were you initially told?
• What was the actual diagnosis?
• Did you avoid surgery? If so, what helped you improve?
• Did hormones (like estrogen changes or HRT) play a role in your symptoms or recovery?

I’m trying to understand whether hormonal shifts during perimenopause can mimic or worsen joint conditions to the point where surgery gets recommended too quickly.

I’m not against surgery if it’s truly needed. I just want to make sure I’m not overlooking something that could be addressed in a less invasive way.

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences 🙏

I’m 38 years old and started having perimenopause symptoms at 35 but my periods didn’t start to become irregular till I was 37. So for the past year and a half my peri symptoms have gotten worse I’ve experienced many things so far but it comes in waves. I don’t always feel like crap though. I notice my symptoms only get really bad whenever I skip a period and that’s when I’ll feel like death and mental for 2-3 weeks straight.

so about 3 weeks ago I noticed my vagina finally started to change, it started out at first I was kind of itchy on my inner labia for like 5 days then afterwards I woke up and noticed my inner lips looked flatter, thinner, Less plumped. Then I itched a little bit more for like another 4-5 days then it all stopped. My vagina literally changed overnight but it started with the itching and a dryness feeling as if I had a rug burn on my inner labia. my inner labia is on the bigger side so it did look like it shrunk because it lost volume but it’s still there. and it did get a little bit lighter in color too and also the area near my clit lost volume and my clit looks more exposed. The whole experience shocked me.

I‘m in a relationship so I’m sexually active, last time I had vaginal sex was a week ago and it felt normal, I’ve been using lube for years now even before perimenopause hit me just because I like the feeling more, But my clit ……well I lost sensation there, I have little to no feeling there since my vagina changed, so since I have very little feeling there I can’t orgasm anymore. Even if I get really into it at most it just feels like I’m edging. This whole experience honestly doesn’t bother me as much because I’m more into vaginal sex than oral or foreplay and I don’t masterbate. But I got very depressed since this change happened to me Because if I ever wanted to orgasm I know I can’t anymore, I feel like I have a useless vagina now lol . Plus just this whole perimenopause thing at 38 years old been too much, I know I’m not young but I am on the younger early side for peri and on top of all that I now lost my ability to orgasm at 38 years old. I sometimes feel bad about myself like I got cursed to be going through all this before even hitting 40.

Ive been raw dogging this whole peri thing because honestly I have really bad anxiety it’s been that way my whole life, I can’t even get on medication for my anxiety. I’m scared of side effects from HRT or estrogen creams etc.. Ive never even been on any type of hormonal birth control either.

Any women on here that just kept it natural how has your sex life been since your vagina changed, like do you still enjoy sex? Did you stop having sex? does it feel somewhat the same?

GP said no point testing Estrogen so I was wondering if at 47 you would likely have low estrogen.

As the title says… I’m thinking of trying this option rather than HRT. I just cannot seem to find the right dose. I’ll feel good for about a month or two and then right back to square one. Worst symptoms are bloating and weight gain. I had blood work to rule out any other issues. My periods are all over the place… some cycles last 78 days and others 22 days, 40 days, 33 days, a few have been 14 days 🤷‍♀️ Which has me wondering if I’m better off suppressing them until they end.

Looking for support and maybe a bit of advice.

Bit of backstory: 39. Been on 100mg of continuous progesterone and E patch since November. I had horrible peri symptoms . The worst was the urinary issues and vaginal pain. I also had no libido, acne, joint pain, horrible anxiety etc. Things have gotten a lot better on HRT (GSM is a million times better and my anxiety is a lot better as well) but now my period is all over the place. I now bleed twice a month. Usually 3 days of light bleeding around cycle day 17, and then 2 weeks later I bleed again which I assume is my actual period. Again it’s super light and lasts maybe 5 days. This past month I hardly even needed a pad it was so light, but enough to make me feel crampy, moody, and be annoyed at life.

To try and combat this mid cycle bleeding issue, my doctor had me increase my 0.0375 patch on cycle day 16 to 0.05 (my cycles are about 32 days long right now). I am supposed to stay on 0.05 until my “period” is due in 2 weeks. Her theory is that the estrogen drop right after ovulation is what is triggering the shed. I upped the patch 2 nights ago. Spotting started like it normally does at this time but now it feels like an actual period, complete with shedded lining that’s visible in the toilet/pad.

I know irregular bleeding is considered normal in HRT, especially when changing dose, but why does it have to be a trade off? Not being on estrogen makes my GSM unbearable (and yes I’ve been on vaginal estrogen too for a year and it didn’t fully solve the issue), but being on estrogen makes me bleed twice a month-or at least I assume it does. I feel like I can’t win. I also wonder if my doctor is changing things too quickly. I was on 0.025 from November to January, then 0.0375 from January to now. I’m not sure I love this idea of changing dose every 2 weeks (0.0375 to 0.05 then back down to 0.0375)

Anyone had this issue too? What helped? Stopping my E patch really isn’t an option. I can deal with bleeding but the GSM had me feeling like I had a constant UTI and that absolutely ruined my quality of life. Now that is so much better. Luckily I tolerate the continuous P well and it calms me and helps me sleep every night.

Sorry, just crampy, mad that I’m bleeding, and debating on if this increase to 0.05 is worth it and I should wait it out or just go back to my 0.0375 where I still bled mid cycle, but at least it didn’t feel like a true period. Maybe I’m just all over the place because I’m adjusting to a new dose and have had so many dose changes in the past 6 months.

I’m tired. I’m a newly single mom too (divorce was final 4/10) so I guess all these ups and downs feel heavier and harder to navigate where I can’t afford to not be okay. I have full custody of my 8 and 13 year old boys so I can never just tag someone else in whenI’m struggling.

I just want to feel somewhat okay (which I do on HRT) AND not bleed every 2 weeks. Too much to ask I guess 😟 Just needed a shoulder to cry on tonight. This peri shit is lonely. Plus I got mad at the cat tonight and then felt guilty and cried. It’s gunna be okay, right?

I am perimenopausal, 53 and still a clockwork 28 day cycle. I do have PCOS and recent ultrasound says I might have adenomyosis. Problem is my cycles are extremely painful and heavy, with hourly flooding on days 2 and 3, and so I am anemic. My gyn wanted me to try Slynd, hoping it would reduce or maybe eliminate my cycles.

So far I am extremely fatigued. And extra hungry, though I calorie count so at least I'm not gaining weight. I had been very active at the gym, now I have zero energy.

I can deal with that, and I've heard that those things might level out after a few months.

The scary thing to me is: even before the first pack was gone I began my period around the 3rd week, a week before my actual cycle would have began. It is extremely heavy - but only for a few hours per day - then goes lighter until the next day. It's always the worst around 8 or so hours after I take the Slynd dose (I take it at bedtime). It is also very painful, and it looks like you cannot take NSAIDS on Slynd and Ibuprofen is the only thing that has saved me these years up until this point. I'm on day 7 now, 5th day of heavy bright bleeding, Gyn wants me to keep going.

Does it get better? Is there a good chance it will lighten/get rid of my cycles in a few months?

Between the fatigue and pain and bleeding I'm just so discouraged.

Thanks for any help/stories/advice.

It happens mostly in the evenings after dinner or while I’m asleep. I’m suddenly on fire, but mostly it’s my thighs. This. Is. So. Weird.

0/10. Unsubscribe. This bites.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Hi everyone,

I don't know where to turn anymore. Some backstory, as soon as I turned 38 this past January, I began experiencing night sweats. I've had them for the past few years, normally the week before my period was due and that was it.

However, it has turned into every single night now, some nights worse than others. Last night I barely slept, I had to change my clothes TWICE, they were that wet.

I'm at a loss on what to do. My family doctor ran tests, I had a whole body MRI, a chest x ray, labs upon labs - everything looks fine. I went to see a doctor who specializes in women's hormones, my labs again came back fine with the exception of being unable to detect bio available testosterone and lower range DHEA. She prescribed BHRT for DHEA, I haven't yet started it as we are awaiting results from the DUTCH test I had done. My family doctor was concerned about cancer, due to the night sweats, and so that's why all these tests and labs were done.

I don't know what to do. No one has answers, my family doctor says nothing points to peri menopause, the other doctor specializing in women's health says it's very likely that's what it is - however there is no definite test.

I guess I am wondering - has anyone experienced anything similar? What did you do, how did you obtain proper support?

Thank you so much for reading.

Hi friends! Just discovered there's a peri group in addition to the meno group 🎉

I almost just said I'm 38. That sums up my life right now, lol. I'm 48, uterus, mirena, .0375 E and started 100mg oral progesterone 4 weeks ago today. Nothing has helped my brain fog. I started the P to quell the increasing anxiety - which it did. But it's making me a bit low. And I already run low. I'm on wellbutrin and Zoloft. If you dealt with mood shifts when starting P, about how long did it take for you to level out emotionally, assuming you did. I know it can take 3-5 months. Just curious what others have experienced. You know, looking for some hope. Thank you all!

I have what I think is hormonal insomnia at 30 years old. It started a couple years ago and it’s only recently that I connected it to my cycle. My doctor doesn’t think I’m perimenopausal due to my age but I see that this is a very common issue in perimenopause so here I am.

It’s usually within 5 days of my period. I wake up anywhere around 2-4am and then am awake for at least two hours before I can shut my brain off and fall asleep again. It’s miserable. I can fall asleep fine, it’s just staying asleep that is the issue. I was prescribed progesterone to take for the 5 days leading up to my period about three months ago. It worked okay the first two months but last month I had four days of insomnia, including 2 of those days during my period which is unusual.

My doc suggested trazodone to help. I’m a little afraid to try any type of prescribed sleep aid because I am sensitive. I am often groggy or brain foggy the next day if I take melatonin, CBD, or allergy meds. Sometimes it’s more preferable to have just slept shitty and deal with that grogginess, honestly.

I’m considering trying birth control and taking it continuously (doc said the one week of placebo pills will cause the same drop in hormones that is already causing me an issue) but I haven’t had the best experiences as a teen and in my early 20s when I took it (mostly issues with it causing depression but also had issues with breakthrough bleeding when taking continuously too).

Every month it’s a toss up on if I will sleep well or not the week before my period. It’s causing anxiety before I sleep… about sleeping… which probably doesn’t help. Sometimes I miss work or other activities the next day because of the lack of sleep, but then I can’t really nap during the day anyway.

Thoughts? Ideas? What’s worked for you?

I have ADHD and I'm going through perimenopause. The combination has been particularly horrific as they both seem to bounce off each other. Is anyone else struggling with this?

Last week: tinted toilet paper..

Mental process: I am overwhelmed about everything!

A couple days later: no tint

Mental process: everything feels like im not from this world. I don't understand anything.

A few hours ago: got me some fish food looking blood

Mental process: mellow

Right now: I am being obsessive about the cleanliness, and can't remember if I took my transplant meds or not.

Mental process: I'm having a lot of anxiety because I went to a social gathering. Was I doing a good job socially?

This is not who I was...

Currently on my second stint of estrogel after I ditched it last time as it made me beyond anxious - I’ve been raw dogging ever since. There was absolutely no hint of it assisting with my peri symptoms. My question is this- surely I would see some benefit- even just a hint? Makes no sense to me!!!

Anyone else have this symptom, and does HRT help?

(Note this is different from declining vision .. it’s a temporary or intermittent condition that seems tied to brain fog or fatigue)

I'm about 2 years into peri, and the brain fog is the absolute worst! Its been hitting me especially bad the past week or so, which isn't helping at work, since I've got a number of projects I'm getting off the ground. I've been getting confused, mixing things up, or just flat out forgetting the most obvious details.

Its doubly maddening since I've always had a mind for details and expansive vocabulary, even before I started school, and now I find myself struggling for words in the middle of sentence. I stumbled over the word for Velveeta on Monday, for Pete's sake. Hella embarrassing during meetings when I can't remember technical terms related to my projects. (Things would be so much easier if they were an email or text. I'd have the time to gather my thoughts and my vocab brain going on momentary strikes wouldn't be as obvious.)

The weight gain? Manageable, and I've never been a skinny gal.

Waking up at 3 am for no stupid reason? Ok, whatever.

The hormonal acne outbreaks? I've been dealing with them since I was a teenager, so this is no different, and the zinc supplements have lessened their severity.

The itchy ear canals and the creepy crawly sensations on my legs? Weird, but tolerable.

Gimmie all those other symptoms and then some, but give me back my brain!

And it’s amazing, my brain works again. It took abt 3 day to feel like I wasn’t ingesting speed (which honestly still better than brain fog), but it’s almost like my brain was reconfiguring itself to come back online. I started last Thursday morning. I take 5 mg powder in my coffee. It’s unflavored (mostly) so it doesn’t disturb my coffee addiction. I can work all day and not feel like I need a nap or wonder what the heck I’m supposed to be doing right now. I chose the powder bc I didn’t want the extra calories or ingredients of gummies. It’s working so well.

I just wanted to THANK all the ladies who have been recommending creatine!!

Feeling sad today. Lots of thoughts and emotions. I know it's hormonal, I am on bc which helps but this roller-coaster. I tried zoloft years ago but got so numb. Are there others that may help?

"I have a friend" who is almost 49, never been pregnant, has a personal history of breast cancer, and went off the pill around 40. She hasn't had to think about contraception in a long time, but she wants to get back in the proverbial saddle. She is not married or in a ltr.

Since hormonal BC is off the table, a non-hormonal IUD (and/or condoms*) seems like the only option, but it also seems really invasive and unpleasant for someone whose chance of pregnancy is, what, 3%? (After 40 the whole condoms thing becomes a drama too, but that's almost another conversation. My sample size may be low, but it seems like men our age can barely function even without one, and my body doesn't respond well to them either. I'm on estriol cream now, so that should help a little bit.)

Do I even need this stuff any more? I know diseases are a thing, but at a certain point in a relationship you want to stop using barriers. I never took risks as a younger single person, but now it all seems like such a drag. I would love some advice, or just a pep talk.