#Perimenopause

[therichantsim]

I have my first job interview ever. I’ve always been self-employed even when I worked with companies like L’Oréal I was more of a consultant than an employee. It’s a work from home job which is very nice. I can still be a full time artist but also make a steady consistent income to offset the slow times in between gallery shows.

I’m so nervous though. All I’ve ever been was a cosmetologist that who specialized in hair color. It’s a call center job for a small IT company. I’m excited but anxious at the same time. Wish me luck and positive vibes please. I’ll keep y’all posted.

[periodperiod]

Periods: Breaking the Silence

Heavy. Prolonged. Recurrent. PCOS. Endometriosis. A vindictive mother, who lies and evades, and arranges for all other family members to join her in this. Useless doctors, who do not support. Breaking the silence.

[madameandhermaladies]

Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso (1932) or how I cradle my tummy in full surrender to excruciating uterine pain.

[cleoselene]

in a comment with my ol' pal @elon-musks-disrespectful-nipples I bemoaned the fact that no one really warned me how fucking shitty perimenopause would be

like I got plenty of warnings from lots of women and girls about my period but LADIES we are falling down on warning women about perimenopause

I didn't have migraine headaches before perimenopause. Oh, I got headaches. Bad ones, even. BUT NOT MIGRAINES!

Hot flashes feel like they come from the inside of your soul, btw. You can try to stick your head in a freezer or stand under an air conditioning vent, but until it passes, NOTHING will make you feel cool and comfortable.

I had some wicked PMDD in the first couple of years but that has THANKFULLY passed as my periods become less of a thing

feel free anyone to reblog and add your perimenopausal nightmares to warn your good sisters what might be coming

[chadots]

Everyone should receive a guide at age 39 to prepare themselves and their loved ones for the absolute absurdity of perimenopause. I’ll get it started:

Has your personal temperature has lost all contact with reality?

Can you not fall asleep because your feet feel dry?

Do certain smells make you inexplicably angry?

Congratulations! You’re perimenopausal. Don’t worry. It only lasts 4 to 10 years.

[ursulakats]

Okay, we need to talk about perimenopause. Again.

I've been suffering from severe panic attacks that like to pretend they're a heart attack (as in, near-indistinguishable) and come without trigger or warning for years and years. No doctor, no therapist, no gynaecologist, no one ever mentioned that this exact symptom could occur due to fluctuations in oestrogen and/or progesterone levels.

I only figured it out now, because we were trying to treat excessive sweating with oestrogen gel for three months, and when that didn't work, I stopped taking it. And, after a break of three months (which had never happened in the years I've had the attacks), the panic attacks were back. Only now, I knew what to look for, and guess what I found 😑

So, should you ever be treated for something that behaves like a heart attack, and your heart is checked and okay, it might be (early) symptoms of perimenopause. Even if you think you're too young. Talk to your gynaecologist. (Just, really have your heart checked, okay? 😅)

Please share! Someone might need to hear this.

[stelly38]

Me, all through perimenopause. Oh, who am I kidding? Me, every time Aidan Turner is on my screen.

[jadedbirch]

As follow up to my rant post about Peri/menopause, I wanted to provide this resource to the trans/nb community since I'm not an expert, but this guy seems to be. Also, yes, you can still go through Peri/menopause after a hysterectomy - another common question on my original post.

There's also a Reddit for trans men over 50 that seems to have some discussion and resources.

[cleolinda]

Excited to announce that I have been dealing with some kind of mysterious neck strain with absolutely no cause for the last two days, and it has finally occurred to me that it could be a silent migraine symptom (“silent” migraine in that it doesn’t feel like a headache, it’s just all the other side symptoms). Extra fun: I’ve had a lot of stress or weather headaches in my life, but I don’t think I had silent migraines until after perimenopause started last year. (Please refer to my discussion of pre-menopause hot flashes, cold sweats, and itchy eardrums here.) I am absolutely disgusted with human existence and will be applying migraine meds and an ice pack after lunch.

[mydonkeyfeet]

Perimenopause

who's going to explain perimenopause to us ancient tumblrinas? I don't remember learning anything about it in school or even college human anatomy and physiology. I can't tell if I'm starting or not. I have irregular periods but they've always been irregular. Anyway, SOMEBODY has to be the old ancient crone on Tumblr talking about perimenopause so it might as well be me. Be the perimenopause discussion you wish to see in the world.

From webmd:

Perimenopause symptoms may include:

Hot flashes and night sweats, or vasomotor symptoms (VMS)

Breast tenderness

Worse premenstrual symptoms 

Lower sex drive 

Fatigue 

Irregular periods (also called perimenopause periods) 

Vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex

Leaking pee when you cough or sneeze

Having an urgent need to pee more frequently

Mood swings

Trouble sleeping 

Short-term memory problems

Trouble concentrating 

[jhscdood]

Ok so as a trans man about to enter my 40's, I took advantage of my annual HRT refill appointment with the provider at Planned Parenthood to talk about

perimenopause

which is the period leading up to your body shutting down the ovaries and fertility for good. It usually starts in your 40's but can also start as early as your mid-30's.

Among people who still get their period, period changes (change in flow, schedule, etc) are one of the first and most obvious symptoms that perimenopause has begun.

As I am on both long-term birth control and testosterone, and thus haven't had a period in 4 years (and my periods were never regular to begin with thanks to PCOS), I'm not likely to have that symptom.

The other symptoms of perimenopause to look out for are:

Mood changes (including mood swings, anxiety, depression, irritability)

Hot flashes

Weight changes / fluctuations

Sleep changes

Headaches / worsening of headaches

Symptoms CAN be treated, such as with SSRIs or estrogen.

Estrogen HRT for perimenopause is not contraindicated with Testosterone - you can take both at once and it will not reduce the effectiveness of the T. Estrogen does have other side effects to be aware of (Nausea, diarrhea, the usual).

So, if you are transmasculine, in your mid-late 30's or 40's, and you're starting to feel inexplicably funky, talk to your PCP about perimenopause.

[vanalex]

[allhailthe70shousewife]

[zelphafrost]

The perimenopausal urge to sequester yourself away from everyone so you stop feeling so fucking combative and angry.

[deez-no-relation]

I made this for r/menopause on reddit but they apparently don't allow image posts

[virtie333]

Well, that was unexpected... and yet not.

I got my lab results back and I'm anemic! I was normal last year, so it's just been this year that this happened. I've bled a lot thanks to perimenopause, but not heavily, and I've been good for over a month. And no symptoms. I was reading the symptom list and nothing except for what I've had all of my adult life (fatigue and headaches).

So, I have to start an iron supplement and I'm also going to try black cohosh for my hot flashes.

It sucks getting old.