Perimenopause - Warning TMI!

[OakLeaf]

Any comments on changes in libido levels?

Mine is gone. Absolutely gone. But the breast stuff 3-5 years ago is another HUGE contributing factor to that (both on my part and DH's), so I can't necessarily blame it all on menopause.

[Crankin]

My flashes stopped about 6 or 7 years post meno, but I was also on a med that caused them and they didn't start for at least a year after my last period.
My libido is the same. The only issue I had was severe dryness, but the desire was still there. That coincided with the time I started riding 1,000 + miles a year and man, the combination was quite painful. I've had an E-string since 2005. It gives a tiny tiny dose of local estrogen to help that issue. My doctor told me that it is even approved for post cancer patients. She also told me "use it or lose it."

[DocZan89]

Got it all...hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, fatigue, fatigue, fuzzy thinking, forgetfulness, decreased libido and depression. It's been about 9 months since my last period. I will be 50 in July and all of this started about 3-4 years ago. It goes in cycles where I'll be great for a few months and then it hits me again for a few months. I've tried figuring out what helps and what doesn't help. For me, it seems eating right and exercise do the trick. When I am "on the wagon" doing what I'm supposed to do I feel good. When I fall off the wagon (winter is a particularly bad time or my work schedule) that's when my symptoms are at their worse. I'm off the wagon now and hoping to kick myself in the butt now that it looks like Spring will truly be here.

But...as previously suggested, make sure to check for Thyroid Issues. They can mimic symptoms of menopause.

Once you can come to grips with all this and find what works for you, your love of biking will return.

Hope this helps.

Rosanna

[emily_in_nc]

Libido -- what's that?!

[Biciclista]

Libido -- what's that?!

snort

[thekarens]

Just an update...went to the gyn and she did a pap, told me the pathologist might not be able to read it because there was too much blood up there (even though there wasn't any when I went to the restroom before and after the appointment, must just be hanging out up there.) Then told me she felt "something" small on the right side...whatever that means. I had blood drawn the following day, which is a whole other story and next week I go for an ultrasound.

As far as the libido question goes I've gone from about an 8-9 to a 2-3, which actually is fine for us/me.

[indysteel]

Ugh; I sure hope it's nothing serious. Keep us posted. I'm glad you went to the doctor. I think it's important to recognize that while certain perimenopausal symptoms, like heavy bleeding, aren't uncommon, it's nevertheless important to consult a doctor to rule out other, less benign, causes.

[thekarens]

When I asked what she meant by that she said not to worry, that usually it's a cyst or fibroid so I'm not freaking out....yet

[Catrin]

When I asked what she meant by that she said not to worry, that usually it's a cyst or fibroid so I'm not freaking out....yet

Yes, try to hold onto her words to not worry - sometimes that is easier said than done! Glad to hear that she doesn't think it is anything serious and do keep us posted!

[thekarens]

So, blood work is in and she says I have a "mild case" of hypothyroidism. She said the normal range is .0450 to 4.5 and mine is 3.490, which is still within range, but I guess she would be happier if it were a bit lower, so she's asked me to take some meds for 6 weeks and do more lab work. Thursday is the ultrasound.

Crack me up, for 42 years I sat on my *** doing nothing except gaining weight and as soon as I decide to "get active" and lose 60lbs I start having problems. Yes, I know the two are not related or should I say, probably the years being lazy are what is causing the problems, but it's just ironic.

[indysteel]

Glad that showed up in your bloodwork and that you're getting treated for it. Just an FYI that by some standards, anything over 3 is hypo. The American College of Endocrinologists established a range of .3 to 3 a few years ago, but some labs and docs have been slow to adopt that. I have Graves Disease and have consistently been told that a TSH of 1 is where a lot of people feel their best, and that's true from my own experience. I hope you start to feel better with some medication.

[thekarens]

Good info Indy. I appreciate it. Hopefully the ultrasound goes fine and with the meds I can stop feeling like a nut job and go back to getting serious about getting fit.

[indysteel]

Good info Indy. I appreciate it. Hopefully the ultrasound goes fine and with the meds I can stop feeling like a nut job and go back to getting serious about getting fit.

I bet you'll feel better soon. Since I started treatment in August of 2011, I've been both mildly hypo (between 3-4 TSH) and mildly hyper. Now my TSH is pretty close to 1, at least according to my last bloodwork, and I feel as "normal" as I've felt in a long time. I felt like poo when I was mildly hypo. Not at death's door of course, but I definitely felt off. I had this undercurrent of melancholy that was impossible to shake, and I wanted to sleep all the time. I still managed to exercise, but it was a struggle. Now I'm back to working out six times a week.

I hope the ultrasound doesn't reveal anything or at least anything that can't be easily remedied.

[GLC1968]

I'm just now seeing this, but I'll be very curious to see what your ultrasound returns.

I can't remember if I ever posted about it here (probably not) but when I was 38 I all of a sudden started having ridiculously heavy periods that were all too frequent. I was never regular before I went on the pill, but at the time this was happening, I was trying to change my pill to a lower dose...so I thought that was what was causing it. When my doc tried a number of hormonal ways of 'fixing' it that didn't work, I just got frustrated. Then we moved and while looking at houses, I had to run into bathrooms because I was bleeding through super tampons and double thick pads (combined). I found a new doc and first thing he did was an ultrasound. Turns out, I had a large fibroid that was almost entirely within my uterus. It was attached just at the top wall.

After a few months of forced 'menopause', then surgery and then a few months later a second surgery to get the remainder of the fibroid, I was cured. Now, 7 years later, I'm completely regular and I no longer take any hormones (no more BCP).

At the height of this problem, I was bleeding so badly that 1) I was incredibly anemic and had to have a transfusion prior to surgery and 2) I actually gushed blood out once in an all employee meeting at work (it doesn't get any worse than that!) and once onto my OB-GYN's shoes.

[indysteel]

How awful, GLC! I have several friends with similar stories, and I'm amazed that so many doctors initially write off incredibly heavy bleeding as a mere hormonal problem. I had one friend who basically had to go postal at her doctor's office just to get an ultrasound. It turned out to be a giant fibroid that required a hysterectomy. When she first complained to her doctor about the bleeding, he told her it was just a normal hormonal thing. She then changed insurance companies and she didn't think to reveal it as a pre-existing condition. It then got worse and she eventually had the surgery. Well, the insurer denied the claim, alleging fraud. It was maddening.