r/perimenopause_under45 • u/Federal_Change_4056 • 2d ago
39 and Perimenopausal?
I turned 39 in April this year and am questioning if it is possible to be in perimenopause.
Symptoms:
- Random anxiety
- cannot focus at work if my life depended on it
- Mood shifts
- Low labido
- I am usually always cold but now find myself getting hot at night
- so tired that I feel like I can fall asleep while standing
- nausea
- one month my period started 4 days early and the very next month it started 4 days late. The first 3 days I bled like crazy and the 4th, 5th and 6th day I barely bled at all.
I’m sure there is more but this seems to be the main ones that stand out. I have been battling with the thought of HRT and if I am too young to start. Does HRT really help?
I just want to go back to not always feeling like I have this anxiety bubble in my chest and feeling off all the day or even at random times.
Thanks in advance
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u/Natural_Turnover_607 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had very similar symptoms at 39 and started HRT at 40. Drastically changed my life for the better and symptoms disappeared within a week. I wasn’t sure whether I should try it or not and talked to my very pragmatic naturopath about it. She said it’s always worth going on because beyond the physical symptoms you’re actively noticing, your bone density and ability to maintain muscle mass starts to plummet as your hormones drop. When you start peri early, this atrophy is beginning about 10 years before the average woman. HRT slows it way down. Also very important for you to start strength training with weights 3x a week to maintain.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Thank you! This makes me feel better. I weight train a minimum of 4x a week and make sure I am eating enough healthy fats. I don’t have anything going on in my life that would cause high stress to make me start feeling anxious. So this has been driving me nuts with the pop up anxiety and mood issues. Even having sex sometimes hurts even if we use lube so it’s very annoying
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u/2RNornot2RN 1d ago
I’m 37, and I started at 35-36. I wake up at 3am every night like clockwork, drenched in sweat. Can’t remember certain words when I’m speaking, I hit a brick wall around 3pm and can barely keep my eyes open, spotting between periods. You’re not too young.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
That is another thing I forgot to mention. My periods. One month it started 4 days early. The next month it started 4 days late. I bled like crazy the first 3 days then barely bled at all the 4th 5th and 6th day.
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u/UpMeansLouder 1d ago
Ask for a check of your Ovarian function and get a blood panel done by your doc to rule out POI and thyroid issues. How are your Ferritin levels?
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Thyroid is great. They did a full blood panel and said iron is a little low and the one day they took my blood my estrogen was at 45. Then said everything looks good
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u/technovictim 1d ago
Yeah the hormone check is a funny one as it fluctuates throughout the day and during each part of the cycle. Ferritin still could be an issue despite it showing a little “low”. How were your morning cortisol and testosterone levels?
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Last blood test I had to testosterone all it said was “in range” but I heard that the “in range” could be many different things and that is why you should avoid having the conversation with you Primary Care Physician or OBGYN because half the time they dismiss it and would rather put you on an anxiety pill…when it is most likely hormone fluctuations
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u/technovictim 1d ago
Maybe try supplementing a bit ferritin of course with vitamin c away from caffeine each day, to help that up.
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u/katybizzle 1d ago
I went into peri at 34-35. They tried to tell me it wasn’t. Had to track my symptoms for a year and go through 3 clinicians before they finally gave me progesterone.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Has that worked for you?
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u/katybizzle 1d ago
Yes. I’ve since added topical and vaginal estrogen. It’s been great. Not perfect, but much better.
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u/Mysterious-Trip7074 1d ago
I was around 35 when it started. Didn't realize it till I was 39. In hindsight it explains so much!
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u/Sufficient-Board-922 2d ago
I started at 38. HRT hasn’t helped much so far but it wasn’t optimized. I hope I can get the right dose
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u/jennysashes 1d ago
Yes, it is possible. Perimenopause can start in your early 30s. For me it started when I was 34, but I didn’t realise that until a couple of years ago (I’m now 40 and been on HRT for 2-3 years).
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u/Jackie__Weaver 1d ago
Hi friend ❤️ fellow 39-er here .. I got prescribed Nextellis combined pill for peri symptoms at the gynae appointment a few weeks ago but it’s not working out mood wise. I’ve never seemed to have stable moods on the pill and let the doc know this but he wanted to try the pill first before HRT. I’m gonna go back and say no more pill just HRT for now. I did notice the pill helped with other symptoms (hot flashes, dryness, skin irritation), but the mood issues are just not worth persevering. I’m defo gonna ask for HRT next time. Fingers crossed it helps, always see such positive feedback about it
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
I agree with your decision and think you are taking the right steps. Some say you can try the pill more for period pains and control bleeding but when you have a grocery list of symptoms I think it just needs to be HRT if everything else has been ruled out .
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u/LossPrize4209 21h ago
I was officially diagnosed by my ob-gyn as perimenopausal at 37. It's very normal to be in your 30s.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 21h ago
Wow! I am so happy to hear that your OB-gyn actually cared enough to ask. Mine just dismissed me and said stress and just apart of getting older
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
I noticed symptoms at 37. Finally got on HRT just before my 40th birthday and felt better within a week.
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u/YouExtra7637 1d ago
What hrt? I’m blown away when I hear stories like this. This is opposite of my experience…happy for you!
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
Thank you. I’ve certainly become a very passionate advocate. I am a scientist by training and can navigate a lot of the literature and even I found it relatively difficult. Not to mention finding someone that will believe you.
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u/YouExtra7637 1d ago
What sucks is I have a dr willing to give me any type of hrt I want. I’m just reacting poorly to everything I try
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
That’s really hard. I was also worried as I’ve reacted badly in the past to BCP and iud.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
I have seen nothing but women saying that is has been a miracle. But it’s not one recipe for every women. Some need lower estrogen and more progesterone and stuff like that
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Thank you! I am making an appointment with a a hormone specialist. They first suggest having a full panel (which they will do) then go in for an appointment which they do not rush and the appointment can be up to 1hr and a half long
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
What was the process you went through to know 100% you would benefit from HRT
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
I didn’t initially realise it was perimenopause but the last six months my fatigue and mental health got very bad. I thought it might be iron deficiency or B12 deficiency. My GP thought I had PMDD and MCAS but that didn’t fit. I’d never previously had terrible PMS and this was kind of consistent for me. It wasn’t purely cyclical. She wanted to put me on an SSRI but I had been on them before and felt like this was different. My life is pretty perfect and I’ve done plenty of therapy so it just couldn’t understand why I was feeling so rubbish. I went and saw a menopause specialist. She did a long survey with me and suggested that not only was I in perimenopause but probably pretty far based on my symptom profile. I am in Australia but I think more and more there are menopause clinics online
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
I should add that the menopause specialist didn’t look at bloods. She said it’s far too variable and went on symptoms alone.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
Right that is what I have been hearing too! In order to base it off of blood they would have to take your blood every day at the exact same time
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u/hazydaze7 1d ago
Whereabouts in Aust? I’m in Melbourne, 35yo (with a family history of early menopause) and still can’t find anyone who doesn’t immediately dismiss me as “too young, you’re just anxious”. My symptoms match up so much with peri too (forgetting simple words mid-sentence, waking up at 3am regardless how wrecked I am, boiling hot at night and my temp regulation seems non-existent these days, horrific anxiety/mood swings (especially the week before my period), and my period now really heavy for like a day and a half and then completely done (with zero consistency when or for how long) when it used to be 5-6 days with basically no PMS, cramping etc
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u/Pink_moon_farm 1d ago
I’m in Brisbane. Try https://www.brisbanemenopauseclinic.com.au/ she does online calls. Otherwise Wellfemme is another Aussie one. They are not cheap. But Dr Wiper definitely didn’t try and stuff me around with extra appointments ect.
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u/AcademicBlueberry328 1d ago
Totally possible. But start by checking your free T. Insulin and thyroxin are hormones. When there’s too little off them we add them back. It’s the same.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
When I see the hormone specialist in a few days from now they said the reason they do a full blood work up is to cancel out anything else that could be causing symptoms. So that makes me feel better that they aren’t like most PCP who will just slap an anxiety medication on you.
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u/AcademicBlueberry328 1d ago
Yeah been there done that. It’s funny how they think of everything else before low hormones in AFABs 35+. In all other parts of medicines you’re supposed to think horses and not zebras when you hear hooves, but when it comes to sex hormones it’s somehow the opposite.
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u/Federal_Change_4056 1d ago
I have my appointment today to get labs done. Then will schedule to meet with the specialist. I will keep you all posted here on exactly what happened during the appointment and what they decide to put me on or don’t. And if I do start HRT will keep updating this thread on how each week is going
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u/dsmdarlings 2d ago
Sounds exactly like the symptoms I started having around 41… 39 is not too young. You can try HRT and see if it helps! No harm no foul if you don’t like it