I am not sure if this is the right place to post as there are many areas that are affecting me right now. I have been going through Perimenopause I am sure the last 10 years although the doctor told me when it started I was to young and put tons of other labels on the problems I was having. Lets see severe depression and anti depressants were perscribed to being borderline bipolar. I have managed to get some of the problems under control with soy, but I have an ongoing problem that I have not been able to control.

I started with hives 9 years ago. I was told I had a reaction to something but it was never determined. I have spent the last 9 years with it coming and going with the worst outbreak the doctor putting me on prednisone, zyrtec, and atarax and zantac. I spent two months on this with the hives subsiding but coming back as soon as I was being weaned off the prednisone. It finally subsided but I have bouts of hives to the point I can't sleep and they go on for weeks.

I have all the other indications of heading for menopause. I am 51 years old, I have sore breasts on a regular basis, have had hot flashes although those are much better introducing soy to my diet, I have had weight gain although I have not changed my diet any. I am active and get plenty of exercise and I eat well. No sugars, very little meat, I grow much of my own veggies and have fresh eggs, goat milk etc.

I have tried a dozen and one things trying to relieve the hives. I have gone through my periods being every two weeks, to a month and a half apart to stopping for 2 months then returning to every 2 weeks. It seems the hives subside then as soon as I think i am done with them I end up with another bout and my period again. They generally start a week or so before my period is going to start and go through the first two or three days of it. But with periods being every 2 weeks I dont have much relief. I have tried claridin and many herbal creams to relieve the itching but to no avail lately. It gets to where I can't sleep, I am cranky, I itch constantly and I don't want to be around others cause I am cranky, tired and itchy.

Help please I feel like the hives are taking over my life and I am sure they are related to hormone changes. I can't afford healthcare right now so I am trying to find something and all the information out there is confusing. I have read some info on Progestrone Creams helping but I am confused on if the hives are indication of low estrogen or low progestrone and what will really help.

I have months the soy really helps and no problems and other months that when I use progestrone cream and drink soy I break out anyways.

Any suggestions ideas? Thanks. And if this is posted in the wrong section mods please put it where it belongs.

i dont really have any help but wanted to say welcome and im sure as i have read alot of others suffer from this and will probably be more helpful i just wanted to let you know you are not alone and welcome......

nc53215 thanks for the welcome. I guess I forgot to mention the 1000 other symptoms I have and after reading the forum more I see I am not alone. Sometimes I feel like I have become a hypochondriac with all the things that are wrong. Sore breasts, urination problems, weight gain, my butt moved around to my middle achey all the time, tired, and the periods from hell. I use to think my periods were bad prior but they are miserable now and every 2 weeks which is getting old. I just want it over! But I keep reading elsewhere even when it is over sometimes those symptoms linger.

I am just at wits ends with the hives and wish I could find something to relieve it. Does anyone have a time line for how long peri lasts? I don't think I can go though much more of mood swings, feeling sick all the time, wetting my pants when I sneeze etc etc.

My younger sister had to rub in she hasn't had any symptoms (or very few) and she stopped having periods last January. I have no one in the family to discuss this with as my mom had a hysterectomy same with my grandmother so I thought for the longest time I was just plain losing my mind.