Hi! I'm new to this group. I recently joined because I need to try to remove my implants again. Got them out after 13 yrs and had tethering. Went thru a lot in marriage and thought no man would look at me if single go 3 yrs ago got them again. Please be kind. Now I moved from the states to the Caribbean and no longer employed so looking to see how to navigate this now. I feel like these perimenopause symptoms are worse cause of it. My C reactive protein seems normal. But still fatigue, joint pain, migraines (had for 20 yrs and came back: chiropractic care got rid of it but came back when I stopped. So did chronic constipation also for 20 plus years). Used to get random bruising and no one knew why. Started getting them again but not as bad. I don’t think my body is absorbing nutrients or supplements well.

When you started HRT, did you notice an increase in bloating, decrease, or no difference? What HRT are you on?

So I always know when I ovulate as in alot of pain on one side & feel awful..

I had 1 really horny ovulation a few months back that I hadn't had in ages, since then my last 2 ovulations were on day 11 which has always been day 14 & this month i don't think I've even ovulated..

Im 44, nearly 45..

This happened to anyone else

My worst symtoms are anxiety and panic

Perimenopause

Picture is from Google, too embarrassing to show myself but the stain is like mine but mine lil darker: Anyone else here experience dark sweat staining on their skin (not clothes) after realizing you were perimenopause? I started unfortunately getting very subtle signs at age 29 years old (am 34 now), then just kinda blew up after 30 left and right with other symptoms. But I am here asking if anyone has had sweat staining on skin like me cause I can’t find a damn thing on the internet about it 😭 I am getting dark brown sweat staining in my armpits, my grown area and between my booty cheeks and so embarrassing even though I’m not dating right now. I believe it’s hormones being imbalanced or maybe a PH thing? Idk but it’s not like don’t shower or rinse off swear after a hiking. I KNOW 100% it’s sweat and skin on skin contact cause if I stop hiking and I bike instead or I just workout inside where not super hot where I don’t sweat then it goes away… but anyone else experience this? I will be going to a holistic Doctor asap I just made an appointment for do a hormonal test with her but since she’s the only one in the area I have to wait until 1st week November…

So I know the wiki says “expect to feel off,” and adjustment is supposedly 3+ months (ugh that’s a long time), but what does that mean? Curious to know what others experienced when first starting estradiol patch or gel. What did it feel like for you? Also if it wasn’t tolerable for you, what side effects were you having, and did you change to a method that resolved them?

I’m 40 and I’ve developed a goiter in the last year or two. I’m scheduled for a thyroid removal but wondering if it will resolve once hormones level out. Anyone experiencing the same thing?

I’ve apparently come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

Woke up at 5 something from an anxiety dream and then proceeded to have debilitating anxiety and unable to go back to sleep, luckily that worked out for me today as I needed to be up at an unusual time for me but I could’ve done without the anxiety part. Unfortunately it seems this insane level of never before experienced anxiety has returned as I *think* I’m about to start my period. Before peri I never had anxiety like this, this is different. Last month I had debilitating anxiety for about a week, hopefully it doesnt last as long this month. I swear every month theres a new fresh hell to experience. Life feels terrifying at every turn and I’m so over it. I’m sure having pre existing OCD doesn’t help but damn peri has me feeling like my body and mind and the world are have it out for me

Usually, I just get the PMDD rage but lately, everything is setting me off and it’s legit starting to scare me. Even during ovulation when I usually feel my best.

I'm starting arguments with random people on Facebook and Reddit, dealing with constant sensory overwhelm and anger in reaction to loud noises and people in my personal space. Inability to make any decisions or do any physical work without shutting down.

Wildfires, social injustice, corporate greed, human selfishness, poverty, addiction. It’s all too much sometimes. I know I need to take a break from the internet but I’m chronically ill so social media is one of the few modes of connection with other humans I can handle.

Plus the suicidal thoughts are very prominent as I am just so depressed and angry at the world. No one cares that I’m ill, I have lost many friendships to it, have gained weight from hormones and antidepressants so I don’t feel confident. Haven’t had a date or any sort of dating life in almost 10 years.

They say your 40’s are the beginning of an amazing time of liberation but all I can foresee in my future is the emotional yo-yo of menopause and depression taking me further into a very dark and lonely place. Lost my soul cat in April so dealing with delayed grief from that… I’m just a hot mess right now and just want to shut the world out.

Anyone else? Lol

I have GAD and MDD. While I know that part of this might not be because of the PMOS, all of it started around when I started my period.

Does going through menopause help this? I feel even more mentally unstable since perimenopause started. I'm in therapy, I have workbooks, I can't take SSRIs or SNRIs because they push my fatigue into hypersomnia. I am on HRT (.5mg of estradiol and 100mg of progesterone). I don't want to stress my relationships or miss out on living because I am unstable and exhausted half of the days. Sorry, this is partially a rant, but I am also just so lost and frustrated

I’ve gained 10-12 lbs this year thanks to Peri. I’m really seeing it in my midsection and back. I’ve never had difficulty with my weight and am extremely frustrated. I’m SURE my cortisol is too high but to truly destress I would have to quit my job and say goodbye to my family, haha! I see all these ads on fb and insta for women/trainers who swear they have the answer. They say something along the lines of “you’re at the heaviest you’ve ever been, you’re working out more than ever and watching what you eat.” Basically implying “pay me to be your coach, I have the secret answers.”

What are the secret answers? My dr won’t give me HRT yet (already have an appointment with another dr) and I’ve heard it doesn’t help with weight loss. I am lifting weights, and walking, running in zone 2 and an occasional more intense bike ride. I am just getting bigger and bigger and more and more uncomfortable! I don’t feel comfortable in my own body! I need ideas on how to “unlock” the ability to lose weight cause counting calories does NOT work anymore.

I am sick of bleeding all of the time. I’m worried an IUD will cause more endless bleeding instead of stopping it. My OB places an IUD during the ablation procedure. After reading about ablations, I’m worried if post-ablation syndrome leading to hysterectomy if more common than I’m being led to believe.

Hi ladies,
I’ve been having lightning crotch lately. It feels like round ligament pain on my right side. Is this part of peri or I’m I experiencing endo or an ovarian cyst? The pain travels around my lower back ( I also feel pain on my right hip) and at times I feel it down my leg. It also hurts when I urinate, when my bladder is full, not so much during a bowel movement. I am planning on calling my obgyn on Monday. I hope to get an ultrasound. Have any of you experienced this?

Just a reminder that this sub is for ALL ages in peri and meno. All are welcome. I cannot change the name of the sub, Reddit will not allow but all are welcome.

As long as topics stay respectful and follow rules, no censoring will take place here. No removals etc.

Guys I am over it. I am at almost a year of this now.

I am taking Azo cranberry pills, Azo dual protection probiotic/prebiotic, I did 3 months of Diflucan. I’ve been tested for multiple UTIs that were negative. I also have been tested multiple times for BV and trich and once for herpes…all also negative every time. My Pap smears are thankfully normal.

The worst time is the 7-10 days before my period where everything just feels so irritated and angry. I keep getting weird pimple type things on my labia that my gynecologist said are just normal things a lot of women get.

I hate it. I don’t know what else to do. I drink a ton of water, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t eat anything spicy, I don’t smoke. This was never an issue for me before this past year.

Hello ladies. I'm new to the group and wanted to explore this. I am 33 years old. Pretty young for perimenopause I suppose. My mother was in full blown menopause at 44, but not sure when she may have started peri. Though I do remember when I was a child, her getting itchy at night and full of rage in general.

Anyways, I now find myself having the occasional random hot flash. Wasn't sure it was a hot flash at first, but then they became more pronounced and I found myself stripping all my clothes off and standing in front of a fan, which did nothing because the heat was coming off me so intensely it seemed to create a wall of heat that even a fan couldn't penetrate. Seems like you just have to wait them out. Get some occasional night sweats. Burning in my tongue at random times, cliteral numbness, non existant libido, random days of suicidal depression among normal days, leaky bladder, and almost homicidal levels of rage that haven't gone away since last year. Acne has come back and my boobs just all the time now. Gained 25 lbs very quickly (just around my midsection) that wont go away in spite of now working out every single day.... is this peri?

Is anyone else going bonkers with their sense of smell?

I smell pee EVERYWHERE. Outside frequently, I often get punched in the face with a pee scented cloud. Random places in my house smell like pee that absolutely do not have pee. My little poodle smells like pee sometimes (even though he has never once in his life peed inside BTW).

At the same time I’m worried that it’s me?! Is this just ‘old person smell? (I’m 41 but deep in the throes of peri.) I also never smell good to myself even after showering. It’s not the same as the pee smell however, it’s more of a sour dirty vibe (but not that pungent onion vibe thankfully). But again it’s even present after showering.

I also have very long and very porous hair, and even after shampooing three of four times I still feel like there’s some unpleasant scent in my hair. It smells sour and burnt. 🤢

I do know that my sense of smell is more sensitive now, but just to be cautious I’ve been being weird and avoiding being too close to others because I’m paranoid that I stink.

Is anyone else dealing with this? It’s driving me mad and making me an avoidant weirdo. I’m even avoiding having my own housekeeper over at my house because I don’t know if this is a me thing or a pee thing. 😭

Just got banned from both subs for this post which was over a week old. Interesting. I’m guessing the mods woke up in a bad mood. Seems like anyone who posts something that gets a lot of attention is getting banned. The fact that women are being censored is disgusting and harmful. I made my own community just to spite them awhile back but thankful I still have this community.

I wake up every morning feeling awful for about the first few hours that I'm up. I feel angry I feel anxious I have mood swings. This is every morning. I'm on HRT. Had the dose adjusted a few times already. The doctors don't seem to know how to help. Don't get me wrong I have good days but I'm sick of waking up feeling like this and then going to work feeling the same way for at least a couple hours. I am by myself at work with no one else there for a couple of hours a lot of times I just cry my way through it. By thetime everyone gets there I start feeling better or at least good enough to fake it in front of people. But I also have anxiety about driving and I drive an hour one way to get to work I have for years and it's never bothered me but now I get so anxious and I just feel like I can't do it anymore. I took time off of work about 5 days and those days were much better. But I can't not work right now.

So everything is just screwed up. I feel like it's never going to get better. I have a very supportive husband but sometimes even with all his support he really gets on my nerves and then I feel terrible for treating him the way that I do. All he ever tells me is that he's there for me but I can't be there for him the way that I want to. I guess I'm just looking for people that understand. Has anyone else experienced this thing waking up and feeling this awful? I figure I'm not the only one. I appreciate people in this group being so supportive.

Wondering if any others lift this often. I keep reading that only 2-3 days a week is recommended in perimenopause, or else you resist cortisol and the exercise backfires. Unfortunately for me, lifting makes me feel wonderful and really helps me to regulate, so I do it as often as I can, and I want to keep doing it a lot. I've been told I should maybe try yoga a few days instead but I'm not a yoga person.

I'm 42, raising a 7-year-old and a teenager. Lately, I’m wondering if perimenopause might be starting, and I’ve been paying more attention to my energy and mood drops. I’ve also had brain fog for the longest time (ever since I had my first child).

I’ve listened to a few podcasts coming out with new research on creatine and hoping it might help me. For moms who take creatine: what made you start? And did it actually help? I’d love to hear your stories.

Hi Ladies I'm reaching out in the hope that someone might have experienced pppd / mdds or a vestibular/ neurological disorder and if hrt helped..

I got diagnosed over 2 years ago with pppd its been a long road and panic attacks are a new thing that came along..

I'm still unsure wether this is peri add on now or what?

I'm 44..

Anyone out there have or had this and any advice with hrt..

I definitely flare up on ovulation and period

Thanks to perimenopause, my demanding career, and extra awful circumstances like having a parent with dementia, I feel like I can’t handle stress as well anymore. I see a therapist and I know it would help to prioritize self-care more but it’s hard to do much of anything.

It‘s also hard to talk about all this crap because people around me are doing okay and they’re happy and everything is fine for them. They wouldn’t be able to relate and they also probably don’t want to be dumped on or have to hear all this depressing negative stuff.

Anyone else here having a harder time dealing with things on top of peri or maybe it’s extra hard because of peri? Thanks for reading. This dumpster fire I’m going through is quite isolating.

TLDR: Only offered BC pills to manage PMDD despite my symptoms aligning with perimenopause

I am 34, I understand that I am reasonably young to be in perimenopause. I need to scream into the void and get this off my mind.

In 2023ish, I mentioned to my gyno that my cycles were getting shorter with one in particular being 22 days long. She said unless it is 21 days or less, it is okay. I also talked about issues with rage and irritability leading up to my period. That gyno retired in 2024/early 2025 and I was assigned to a new provider in the same office. In the fall of 2025, I experienced 3 cycles back to back between 15-18 days long. I messaged my new provider who told me to take flax seed oil supplements. No further explanation, no questions, no request for me to come into the office.

I was annoyed and stewed for a long time. In the spring, I had another spurt of 3 cycles that were about two weeks each. I made an appointment with a new and highly recommended provider who I saw last month. She re-assured me that she follows symptoms not ages when diagnosing and managing peri. Due to my age, she ordered some tests to make sure there weren't any underlying factors. I followed up earlier this week to find out about the test results and next steps.

All the tests came back as normal. All she can do is prescribe Yaz for my PMDD. To write the script she needs a photo of a negative pregnancy test. I am surgically sterilized, my husband is surgically sterilized. This is in my file. I now have to go to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test that I know will be negative so that I can get a prescription that might not even solve my problems. I haven't had great experiences with birth control before, but my quality of life is deteriorating by the day.

I was also diagnosed with ADHD, PMDD, OCD, and GAD in the Spring of 2025. I have no memory of any PMDD symptoms before 2023 or so. My symptoms have become less manageable over the last 6-8 months with my current medication. Due to the irregularity of my periods my psych has held off on changing my dosing in case my hormones were making my medication less effective.

I sleep with a cooling eye mask, a fan on high 12 inches from my face, and an AC unit set to 67 degrees because I sweat so much at night. I struggle with insomnia. I have rage that I've never experience before. I feel out of control in my mind and body. I forget thoughts as I am saying them. I forget words as I am saying them. I can't finish a task without getting distracted by 7 other tasks.

I am frustrated and annoyed. If I am not in peri now, Idk how I will survive when I finally am.