Any #perimenopause folks out there?

[kellyshenanigans@yeg.bike]

@tiamat271 hi, I'm a perimenopause experiencer, but I don't really post about it. I read the book Menopause Manifesto and it was SUPER helpful, and I started weight lifting and started taking creatine, also super helpful. But today I'm trying my best to cope with severe period pain. I'm trying a couple more things for a month, and then I'm going to beg a doctor for help. Perimenopause was what made my executive function go to crap enough to realize I was AuDHD at 38.

[pattykimura@beige.party]

@tiamat271 My perimenopause wasn't too bad. One of my older sister's lost her mind. She forgot she had two sons, and went to work without waking them up, feeding them breakfast, and taking them to school. She'd forget to pick them up from school. She'd forget shopping, dinners, and laundry. I thought it was smashing, actually. She hated it. She went on HRT and everything came back. Her husband was both panicked and more appreciative. Good luck.

[cainmark@mstdn.social]

@tiamat271

Not me, but was sometimes burning up so much she was on the porch barefoot in -8 C weather.

[compassionatecrab@mstdn.social]

@tiamat271
I had 15 years of it.
My advice
1. Remove foods with hormones in it from your diet. Dairy is LOADED w/ them. Go organic where you find sensitivity.
2.If you have heavy or irregular periods in Peri, check how soon you can have a Novasure ablation or similar. Changed my life.
3. If um, dryness, is sometimes an issue, Gyn recommended organic coconut oil. Topically. In the grocery store, cheap.
4. Check w/ doctor before taking over the counter stuff. Internet is full of misinformation.

[fraumitfahrrad@ruhr.social]

@tiamat271

[independentpen@mas.to]

@MamaLake @tiamat271 me too

[angelacarstensen@norden.social]

@tiamat271

You are not losing your mind. The weirdness is real.

[katalyst@chaos.social]

@tiamat271 yes! Just went on the pill (which I have avoided my entire life) because at this point I will try anything

[cynblogger@sfba.social]

@tiamat271
Ask your doc about HRT.

[cynthiarose@sfba.social]

@tiamat271 I also am dying and losing my mind while in need of connections and community. Did we just become best friends? 🩸

[cynthiarose@sfba.social]

@deepmud @tiamat271
what is “bioidentical hrt” and how do I get it???? every hormone treatment I’ve tried just made things worse

[deepmud@mas.to]

@cynthiarose bioidentical hrt is using the same compounds as are already in your body. Estradiol instead of premarin (horse estrogen) and progesterone instead of the icky fake progestins.

There are supplements for all kinds of hormones.

As for making things worse, you need a doctor who prescribes and checks. It is impossible to do hrt without knowing your symptoms.

[sabrinadent@mastodon.ie]

@tiamat271 Say yes to the HRT! You can start it now, and the decades-long fear about cancer risks was based on bad data. There is a combined patch, progesterone and estrogen together, and it is the greatest thing on God's green earth.

In the summertime I do not leave home without a handheld USB fan.

People with more money than I have swear by bamboo sheets and sleepwear for the night sweats.

[sabrinadent@mastodon.ie]

@tiamat271 also perimenopausal rage is real. I spent two weeks of every month for about 18 months planning to divorce my husband. An SSRI (sertraline in my case) saved my sanity and my marriage.

[ezpala@mastodon.social]

@tiamat271 Dear Jenny as many other ones say, you´re not alone and not losing your mind... and well we´re dying since the moment we are born lol

[calmpresence@mstdn.social]

@tiamat271
Just to add to what the others are saying: having sweets, wine, or simple carbs (bread) reliably triggered hot flashes for me for a while. So i avoided them.
These are great: Daily outside cardio. Free weights (at home, nothing fancy) a few times per week. Magnesium before bed. Estrogen cream vaginally in the morning, not before bed.
Good luck!

[tiamat271@mastodon.online]

Oh my gosh, you are all amazing!!! I really wasn’t sure anyone would even respond, I’ve been feeling so alone in this. Thank you for sharing your stories, suggestions & solidarity!!! I’m going to read and respond to each & every reply, but in the meantime, knowing you’re all out there is really reassuring and helpful. Let’s all keep connecting, sharing & supporting each other (I wish there was a way to create a group on mastodon, anyone know how to do that?). Sending you all love and hugs! 🫂

[jennifer@partychickens.net]

@tiamat271

My mother has told me that soy milk (which apparently acts similarly to estrogen in our bodies) really helped ease her menopause symptoms.

I've also read that having a good gut microbiome can help regulate hormones: https://drbrighten.com/gut-health-menopause-and-perimenopause/

That article suggests fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kefir.

[tiamat271@mastodon.online]

@cynthiarose yes I think we did!! ️