Are there tests for peri? Options

[KimberleyR]

Hello. Here I am again on powersurge looking for my answer...

For the past 2 years I have been through something horrible. I can't believe it. I have no answers for anything except carpal tunnel.

I am now 36. I have had quite a lot going on in my body and all my tests come back normal. I have been told it is in my head, but the latest one is fibromyalgia. So I still have no answers. If it is fibro, maybe fibro is caused from crazy hormones????

Here is a little about my symptoms... 2 years ago started with tingling all over, small muscle tremors (like popcorn) all over - this comes and goes still, terrible headaches, achy joints, night sweats, anxiety, extemely cold hands and feet, fuzzy head, neck pain, shoulder pain, sometimes pain all over, ringing in ears, tmj, restless legs, plus many more. My periods are very light although they used to be heavy for 7 days. My pms was so bad - my legs would ache terrible, constipated, migraines, just felt terrible. I always get 2 migraines a month - 1 when I ovulate and 1 the day before I start my period.

Is there a test to test for peri? My gyno said as long as I am having my period every month my hormones are normal. I do have periods every month. My breasts are so sore for 2 weeks before - I have even gone all month with sore breasts. Every month my symptoms change.

My thyroid has been tested - not the antibodies though. My doctor said I don't need that.

Has anyone tried anything that has helped them?

Thanks to all the lovely women out there with these complicated and delicate bodies.
Blessings,
Kim

[t_nikki]

Well you can get a hormone panel ran by your gyno but the chances of your doctor saying their in the "NORMAL" range are pretty high.I had 2 ran and mine came back normal and I have all the symptoms you have and I am 32.I could have written your post shugg.Sounds like peri too me, the thing is our hormones flucuate daily during this time so test are not always accurate.But just because the range says NORMAL does not mean you are not in peri.You have come to the right place, there is so much info here.There are lots of alternatives talked about on here and chances are you can educate yourself more on this sight and end up knowing way more than your doctor does about peri and meno.I tried 2 different kinds of Birth control to even out my hormones but they did not work well with me at all.There are alot of women our age that use them on this sight and have found relief from their symptoms.I hope you find assurance here and you gain insight into your symptoms.
Sending you Big Hugs

[Snowmoon56]

Well girls I'm 52 and only had 6 periods last year and my tests are still normal.

[t_nikki]

Well girls I'm 52 and only had 6 periods last year and my tests are still normal.

You have got to be kidding me See there...WE KNOW OUR OWN BODIES BETTER THAN ANYONE SO NEVER EVER LET ANYONE TELL US IT'S ALL IN OUR HEADS .I am sorry your test aren't able to confirm the diagnosis of peri or meno,I know how important it is to have that DX so you can stop driving yourself crazy with all the ..WHAT IF'S.I am sending you postive energy and hugs

[Snowmoon56]

Of course at my age I have no doubt what my problem is> and since it been 10 years and doctors has deny it for all this time> I say go by your gut! Roll your eyes when they say you are tooooo young!

[NANAOF2]

Hello. Here I am again on powersurge looking for my answer...

For the past 2 years I have been through something horrible. I can't believe it. I have no answers for anything except carpal tunnel.

I am now 36. I have had quite a lot going on in my body and all my tests come back normal. I have been told it is in my head, but the latest one is fibromyalgia. So I still have no answers. If it is fibro, maybe fibro is caused from crazy hormones????

Here is a little about my symptoms... 2 years ago started with tingling all over, small muscle tremors (like popcorn) all over - this comes and goes still, terrible headaches, achy joints, night sweats, anxiety, extemely cold hands and feet, fuzzy head, neck pain, shoulder pain, sometimes pain all over, ringing in ears, tmj, restless legs, plus many more. My periods are very light although they used to be heavy for 7 days. My pms was so bad - my legs would ache terrible, constipated, migraines, just felt terrible. I always get 2 migraines a month - 1 when I ovulate and 1 the day before I start my period.

Is there a test to test for peri? My gyno said as long as I am having my period every month my hormones are normal. I do have periods every month. My breasts are so sore for 2 weeks before - I have even gone all month with sore breasts. Every month my symptoms change.

My thyroid has been tested - not the antibodies though. My doctor said I don't need that.

Has anyone tried anything that has helped them?

Thanks to all the lovely women out there with these complicated and delicate bodies.
Blessings,
Kim

I've read alot on peri over the internet and you can start going through it in your 30's. I'm 39 and been going through it for about 2 years now, but my mom and grandma went through the change really early. My gran was 40 and my mom was 46. Crazy things happen during this time....you might even actually think you are losing your mind....I did for about 2 months before I finally got a grip on myself, partly due to taking birthcontrol...I'm 39 and had my tubes tied, but am taking birth control and they are working pretty good for me, I also started walking and drinking lots of water. Hope you find some relief because I know first hand how it can make you feel.

[CurlyJulie]

Hello. Here I am again on powersurge looking for my answer...

For the past 2 years I have been through something horrible. I can't believe it. I have no answers for anything except carpal tunnel.

I am now 36. I have had quite a lot going on in my body and all my tests come back normal. I have been told it is in my head, but the latest one is fibromyalgia. So I still have no answers. If it is fibro, maybe fibro is caused from crazy hormones????

Here is a little about my symptoms... 2 years ago started with tingling all over, small muscle tremors (like popcorn) all over - this comes and goes still, terrible headaches, achy joints, night sweats, anxiety, extemely cold hands and feet, fuzzy head, neck pain, shoulder pain, sometimes pain all over, ringing in ears, tmj, restless legs, plus many more. My periods are very light although they used to be heavy for 7 days. My pms was so bad - my legs would ache terrible, constipated, migraines, just felt terrible. I always get 2 migraines a month - 1 when I ovulate and 1 the day before I start my period.

Is there a test to test for peri? My gyno said as long as I am having my period every month my hormones are normal. I do have periods every month. My breasts are so sore for 2 weeks before - I have even gone all month with sore breasts. Every month my symptoms change.

My thyroid has been tested - not the antibodies though. My doctor said I don't need that.

Has anyone tried anything that has helped them?

Thanks to all the lovely women out there with these complicated and delicate bodies.
Blessings,
Kim

Kim,

I feel for ya. I really do because I started going through peri at about age 39. I'm now 43. I had some of the same symptoms that you are having and I went to my family doctor and she ran tests, and they all came back "normal". She finally told me, via the nurse, that it was all in my head and that I needed to see a psychiatrist. Others tried to tell me it was hypoglycemia (it runs in the family) or stress, or depression, or this or that. It was all nonsense. Kim, my advice is to stick with your convictions. You know what's normal for you and what isn't. Don't let anyone else try to pawn off your symptoms as something it isn't. Sometimes it was an uphill battle "fighting" with friends and family who had my best interest at heart, but who were more than willing to accept the doctor's diagnosis.
I made an appt. with a reproductive endocrinologist. Finally I found someone who took me seriously. One of the first things out of his mouth was, 'wow, you're nearly into menopause!'. sigh...relief at last. He put me on birth control. First we tried Ovcon35 but that was too strong. Then we tried Nuvaring and I really liked it. I used that for a year. Then I went off it because my blood pressure had gone up. I wanted to see if Nuvaring could be causing it. It wasn't. I stayed off birth control for a year and was fine. Now I'm on Yaz because the Peri symptoms have come back. I'm fine for most of the month but a week to 10 days before my period I am a depressed, crying mess. I sleep too much (which I'm glad I got that lottery pick, rather than not able to sleep at all) I'm still in the first month of Yaz and the emotional upheaval is still there but could be that I just need to give it more time.
I suggest talking with your physician about birth control. It works for a lot of women.

[kath S]

I say go by your gut! Roll your eyes when they say you are tooooo young!

Hear Hear I,m going to try and do the Roll my eyes next time.... because if I hear the words "normal" and "too young"

(I,m anything but normal and too young 43!!) I swear I will scream and scream into eternity and beyond...................

Snowmoon is so right go by your gut.

However trying to find someone who understands seems quite remote by my understanding.

I think reading on here is by far the most comforting.

Have all of your symptoms Kim, some days all at once!!!

My bloods as you may have gathered are Normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????

So just hang on in here you are in good company.
You will find this of enormous help.

[nc53215]

i blame my early peri (33) on getting a tubal at the age of 21........ im now 49 its been a living h'e'l'l'

[Michah Hadley]

Me neither, sweets........in the 4 years years that I searched for answers, I had 2 diffrenet drs bring up peri, but because of the blood being "normal" and my age(I was 31 when symptoms started), it was thrown out.......3 months ago, I was finally dx by a dr that looked out of the box. I am now getting treatment.

Bllod is not definitive nor reliable........the idea of peri is that the levels fluctuate in preparation for meno.......you would have to get blood taken everyday for at least 3 months to see inconsistencies, not a singular blood test on one day.......keep pushing until you get answers, sweets....


We are with you and take care.......

[DebraD]

Hello. Here I am again on powersurge looking for my answer...

For the past 2 years I have been through something horrible. I can't believe it. I have no answers for anything except carpal tunnel.

I am now 36. I have had quite a lot going on in my body and all my tests come back normal. I have been told it is in my head, but the latest one is fibromyalgia. So I still have no answers. If it is fibro, maybe fibro is caused from crazy hormones????

Here is a little about my symptoms... 2 years ago started with tingling all over, small muscle tremors (like popcorn) all over - this comes and goes still, terrible headaches, achy joints, night sweats, anxiety, extemely cold hands and feet, fuzzy head, neck pain, shoulder pain, sometimes pain all over, ringing in ears, tmj, restless legs, plus many more. My periods are very light although they used to be heavy for 7 days. My pms was so bad - my legs would ache terrible, constipated, migraines, just felt terrible. I always get 2 migraines a month - 1 when I ovulate and 1 the day before I start my period.

Is there a test to test for peri? My gyno said as long as I am having my period every month my hormones are normal. I do have periods every month. My breasts are so sore for 2 weeks before - I have even gone all month with sore breasts. Every month my symptoms change.

My thyroid has been tested - not the antibodies though. My doctor said I don't need that.

Has anyone tried anything that has helped them?

Thanks to all the lovely women out there with these complicated and delicate bodies.
Blessings,
Kim

Kim, your symptoms sound like peri to me. I started having changes in my period at 37. I started spotting for a few days before my actual period and was very alarmed because it was always said that spotting could be ovarian cancer. I paid full attention to this but have now spotted for 12 years. I think it's amazing that doctors still don't get peri. They think that because we still have a regular period or that we are not over 50, this is not hormones but something hypochondriacal. I believe that women are going through peri earlier just as girls are starting their periods at 8 years old these days!!!! Who ever though a child would start having a period at 8 years old! So how much more probable is starting peri in your late 30's. It just makes sense. It sounds also like you may be having some anxiety with all of this. Your symptoms are identical to the ones I have dealt with for many years. The docs have checked me and found nothing. We all must be crazy! LOL Debra

[KimberleyR]

Thanks to everyone. All the info is so helpful, also hearing everyone else's stories eases me some.

Has anyone tried the saliva test for hormones? I was thinking about doing this but I am not sure if it would be one of those 'everything's normal' test.

What about an endocrinologist? Do they test hormones deeper than a gyno would?

[CurlyJulie]

I went to a Reproductive Endocrinologist who specializes in fertility issues. He is already familiar with various female problems of the reproductive area even though peri isn't his focus. An endocrinologist specializes in the endocrine system, which the ovary is considered to a member of, so for me, it was the answer.

[Michah Hadley]

Thanks to everyone. All the info is so helpful, also hearing everyone else's stories eases me some.

Has anyone tried the saliva test for hormones? I was thinking about doing this but I am not sure if it would be one of those 'everything's normal' test.

What about an endocrinologist? Do they test hormones deeper than a gyno would?

Sweetie, I have an endo for my thyroid and he wouldn't touch talking about peri. He is a numbers man. If it is in range then, you are swinging from the chandeliers!! Not so. I was dx by an exceptional garden variety GP. He treated my stepmother for cancer so my dad finally forced me to go and see him, just when I had given up........not all endo's are like that, but they can be funny people.......my thyroid surgeon was the one who rang me to tell me to keep going until I was "satisfied". I think he really believed there was something wrong outside of my euthyroid goiter! Pretty good for a surgeon.......they are usually worse than consultants!!

It only takes ONE doctor.......see an endo if you think it will help, but because of cost, get a good recommendation from a friend or family member if you can. All my doctors are male.......not saying that females are any less better than men, but when I wrote the other thread on here "stupid, stupid, doctors" that endo was a female........I have never been good with female doctors........in my experience they are flippant, nasty and patronising.......just my experience.....Maybe because I am an ar$%hole and want answers, they have not reacted well to me. My psychologist is the only female on my team. HHmmm, I think I have issues!! Who wouldn't after all this palaver!

My gynea has a very good understanding of hormones in relation to sex, fertility and cancer. He is the most amazing gynea I have met in the 17 years looking for answers to do with my pain. Any gynea worth their salt will be able to satisfy your peri needs. But they can be numbers people too. I am wondering how my gynea will react when I see him that I have been dx peri.......HHHmmmm

Remember, sweets.......it only takes ONE in whatever package they come in........for me it was my gynea, then my surgeon, then a complete stranger who helped me........very odd sort of path to answers......

Take care and I hope you get answers........keep fighting until you do