Hello Ladies,

When I first came upon this site, it seemed like so many of you were telling my story. Mid-thirties, now having some type of hormone trouble. Near passing out, nausea, dry mouth, cold-burning sensation in hands, feet and neck, foggy thinking, migraines, palpitations, nerve tingling down right arm. I'm pretty sure I've had a few hot flashes and can never seem to get the temp right. I'm either freezing or burning up. I was diagnosed with mitral valve proplapse this summerl, but was told it was a pretty straight forward and benign case of if. I've had and MRI, EKG, EEG, urinalysis, bloodwork and countless blood pressure and blood sugars taken. Everything (except the mitral valve) has come back normal. I saw yet another doctor today (a female GYN) who is going to do some tests since I am young for all of this. She did acknowledge that bloodwork won't tell us anything until I'm much further down the road.

So here's my question . . . How can I really be sure I'm in peri? I'm so scared sometimes. I worry that my heart is going to stop and then my children will have no mother. I don't want to burden my husband with every ache, pain and wierd sensation. But, other than this site, I still don't feel like I have any answers. I guess I just need some reassurance that this will all pass with time. I'm sure that many of you have felt the same way.

Just needing to vent, I guess.

Oh, by the way, my daughters - who normally get straight A's are both struggling with science and can't remember to bring their books home and we found out we are having out of town guests (5) in the middle of the week! My kids are little and have homework and we have meetings. Very inconvenient!

Hi Wantmyoldselfback (love the name!),

I remember reading that peri can last for a decade, so you may be in the stages of peri, I really believe I was by my late thirties. Infact my niece, started complete menopausal symptoms by 40. It is so different with everyone.

BTW, I also found out a few years ago that I have the same thing, mitral valve prolapse. Mine is also benign, but whenever I have had espisodes of heart palps, it did freak me out. They did pass with time and recently I have not had any. But, I do get cold hands and feet in the winter time, colder than I can ever remember, so who know's.

The one thing that I did notice in my thirties, was lots of anxiety. That was probably my first sign that the hormones were changing. My periods were always like clockwork, and that did not change until well after the age of 48 for me. But, by the age of 44, I did have more signs and never thought that peri was what I was in, until I found this site.

Along the way, I had dizzy spells, horrible PMS, mood swings and awful periods, where I could barely function. So, this is probably somewhat normal, it is something that will be hills and valleys for along time.

If you haven't tried anything yet, do read up on supplements and you could even try "estroven", which is available at Target or drug store, it's all naturel, and in the begining it did help me somewhat to feel more normal. If things get much worse, have your doc do a blood test (insist on this) and see where your hormone numbers are at. But, even these don't always tell "why" we are feeling badly. How is you thyroid, that is something to check also.

Good luck with everything.

Juliann

Hi Juliann. Thanks for the support. I have had my thyroid checked and my hormone levels. Both were normal. New doctor said yesterday that there's such a wide range of normal for hormones I could be in peri and my levels could be normal until post menopause. I've been looking up supplements and I'm not sure where to go. I've seen the estroven and a soy product. I've also read about black cohosh, st. john's wort, B-12, magnesium, and even a PMS/Menopause tea! It's overwhelming. I'm still on the pill and not sure if there's any contraindication in taking these things. My mother-in-law always tries to give my husband B-12 when he's cranky or uptight, so maybe there's something to that. I'm not really used to these types of mood swings.
Such is life. . . thanks again.
CJ

I think you already answered your own question! You are right about not getting anything concrete with having your hormones checked untill you are way into it. Part of peri for most women is anxiety, knowing you have a prolapse dosen't help, but rest assured it is straight foward. We are all on here looking for answers that we don't get at the Dr.'s. You know that there is something changing inside of you and that is evidence enough after you have all different tests and blood work done up. Trust yourself, start to track your symptoms and you may be lucky soon and see relevence to when in the month they come. With time you can chalk it all up to peri and know that some symptoms last a day, some stay for a week etc. Once we know what we are dealing with and faceing, it makes it less unknown. I am 45 but do think I felt changes at around 37-38. I remember just not mentaly being myself, having electric shocks running through my head, sweats and palps. They stopped for a few years after that. Vitamins surely won't hurt! Glad you found your way to this site!
Girlsmom