Perimenopausal or anxiety/depression?

[welshdory]

Hi

I'm almost 41 and have suffered with numerous menstrual issues for most of my adult life. I have also suffered with anxiety and low mood for most of my adult life.

I am currently on escitralopram 15mg for anxiety/depression which i feel helps a little but its still there.

At the moment I am a carer for my terminally ill hubbie, as well as working and we have a young family so there is definitely a lot of stress there.

I have peri symptoms but also aware that they could be anxiety/depression and also related to the huge amount of stress my family is under.

I am unsure whether to trial HRT or not and would welcome any experience or advice relating to peri symptoms and anxiety/depression.

Thanks in advance

[Catkins]

So sorry to hear that you're going through such a rough time.

I managed to not have HRT until a couple of years ago, I'm 54 now. When I was peri, the hardest thing to cope was the unpredictability of how I felt. I found it easier to accept the physical symptoms than the mental ones. Fortunately being on antidepressants really did soften the mental symptoms for me, but I did still suffer some tremendous mood swings, literally one minute I would be furious and crying and the next minute I would feel totally fine and embarrassed that I'd been in such a state.

Honestly, talk to your GP, it might be worth increasing your dose of escitralopram, or they may think it's worth giving HRT a go. You are going through an awful lot at the moment so I would consider anything that might make things a little easier to cope with. Also see if there is any support in your area for carers. In my area there is an organisation that offers support/guidance to local carers.

[NoraB]

Hi

I'm almost 41 and have suffered with numerous menstrual issues for most of my adult life. I have also suffered with anxiety and low mood for most of my adult life.

I am currently on escitralopram 15mg for anxiety/depression which i feel helps a little but its still there.

At the moment I am a carer for my terminally ill hubbie, as well as working and we have a young family so there is definitely a lot of stress there.

I have peri symptoms but also aware that they could be anxiety/depression and also related to the huge amount of stress my family is under.

I am unsure whether to trial HRT or not and would welcome any experience or advice relating to peri symptoms and anxiety/depression.

Thanks in advance

Sorry to hear about your husband. That must be incredibly difficult for you and this kind of stress will most likely be responsible for some of your symptoms..

That said, you are in the right age for starting the menopause. Have you had a FSH test done? This hormone rises in menopausal women and is used to 'diagnose' menopause..

Personally I never took HRT (I'm post-menopausal by ten years) and this is because I was never able to tolerate the pill & there are other risks for me even if I was able to tolerate it..

However, many women take HRT and it's changed their lives because, let's face it, the menopause is natural etc but it can be shit, right? The advice is to take it for ten years (or it was last time I checked) but some women carry on taking it well after that because it's a quality of life thing and this makes it right for them..

My advice is to do your homework and make an informed decision based on your personal pros & cons.

If you choose not to go down the HRT route then be reassured that there are lots of ways you can alleviate the symptoms..

[JulieJay92]

i can recommend menopace from either boots or holland and barrett xx

[Starburst8]

Worth asking for a referral to a menopause specialist? I think given the stress you're under it would be a kind thing to do for yourself to get the best possible advice and guidance. Xxx