perimenopause?

[zippy]

Anyone else in perimenopause? I had hormone bloods done in the summer because of irregular periods and they were out of whack. I was offered nothing to help and no advice or information about it. What's the symptoms of this or are they similar to the actual menopause?

[Catherine S]

When you actually hit the menopause it's the moment you have your last period. The years leading up to this is known as the perimenopause and can cover most of the anxiety symptoms you describe every day Zippy to be honest, with erratic menstruation thrown in for good measure. Symptoms of anxiety increase because levels of oestrogen decrease, and can include dizziness, weakness, trembling, aches and pains, headaches, feeling of intense body heat...in fact any symptom of anxiety can be heightened during this time leading up to the last period, and it typically starts in our 40s. After periods have stopped you can still get symptoms but they gradually taper off over time.

So this could well be the reason for your many and varied symptoms. Don't Google it, but there are lots of books about perimenopause and other women here will have experienced this too.

ISB x