I believe that I'm perimenopausal.  I'm 48, my periods are different, etc.  I thought I was having hot flashes really bad.  

However, last year when I told my doctor that I was having day-long hot flashes, a thyroid blood test was ordered.  Sure enough, the thyroid was out of whack.  I began taking Synthroid.  A few weeks later, the blood test came back o.k.  

In March I had another blood test to check several things:  one was hemoglobin (had been having a "never-ending" period), thyroid, and hormone level.  The hemoglobin was 9.something, thyroid was fine, hormone level was 7.  Doc said if I were in menopause the hormone level would be 20-30.

I began taking the Synthroid in July last year, and by October by the way I felt (which was better, not so hot!) I just didn't feel I was having true hot flashes.  The type thyroid problem I have makes me extra sensitive to heat.

However, lately I've been more sensitive.  Really sweating it out!!  The weather is getting warmer so maybe I'm just reacting to that.  I'm not crazy about spending the rest of my life doing a meltdown everytime it gets the least bit warm.

Just wondering if anyone else in perimenopause deals with thyroid concerns.  How can a person tell if she's really having a hot flash?  (I've never had night sweats at all.)

P.S.  I'm a tad confused...if we find a helpful site, is it o.k. to share that in a post as long as the site doesn't cost the consumer??  But it's a no-no if it does cost.  Or am I wrong??  

Hi Jeannie, I'm Jeanne  lolA hot flash does not last all day. It comes on suddenly or slowly , and goes away after a few minutes for sometimes up to a half hour. It certainly doesn't last all day. Although, you can get quite a few a day too. but not one long continuous one. Mine always were from the waist to the neck , and really sweaty under the breast.Hot weather never brought mine on , it would just make the hot flashes I would get even more miserable.When you say you get really sweaty that is what I get with the flashes. I don't have thyroid problems but it sounds different than flashes.Sorry you might have both. There are some things to help with the flashes . I would ask my doctor about it. Hope this helped a little. Hugs, Jeanne

Jeanne...Hi!!So sorry to hear your having problems with this thing....I know it can be such a drag!!!I'm taking Synthroid.....have been for 8 years now!!You said at first your flashes were all day....since taking the Synthroid have they calmed down.....shortened??  What I get now (or use to) is more of a steady flushing rather than a flash....along with the sensitivety to heat!!If your thyroid reading is now in the normal range.....it souldn't be affecting your FSH!!Perimenopausal women usually have an FSH reading of at least 20-30.  You must remember that it CAN fluctuate each time it's taken....and is not necessary accurate for determining perimenopausal conditions.

You said your hormone reading was 7....I'm assuming here you're not talking about the FSH.....this is different than the thyroid reading!Once the thryoid is under control....you should go through a NORMAL menopause...(whatever that is)  for you.  Your age alone tells me you are peri....and being sensitive to heat is normal.....it sounds like you are having normal flashes/flushes as well!!As jeanne (the other one)....said Flashes are more sudden and don't last all day......but flushes can last longer or you just feel warm/hot more than usual.Have you considered taking anything to help yourself....such as herbs...soy....or HRT??  You might want to talk this over with your doctor!

Hang in there my friend and keep reading and posting....there are different things you can try!! Best of luck to you and God luv ya!!!  You'll be OK!!(((Hugs)))

Hello Jeannie - from yet another Jean!

What is happening to you sounds a little bit like what I experienced about 5 years ago. I was about 40 at that time, having erractic periods - heavy, but irregular. I also was feeling very very tired all the time, and feeling hot. Summer weather made me miserable, and I drove my family crazy with keeping the house cold all the time! I too thought I was perimenopausal and went to the doctor. I had all  the tests... and similarly to you, was told that my FSH was okay - definitely not menopausal. But my thyroid was a bit low (can't remember the numbers) and I started on synthyroid, which I took for about a year. The thyroid level came up a bit, I still felt hot all the time, and was still tired. Finally, I decided to stop taking the synthyroid, and had regular thyroid and FSH tests - and both were within normal range.

After a couple of years of having a "high operating temperature" all the time, I began having a few episodes of waves of heat - breaking out into a sweat. I really wasn't sure if it was the same thing - or hot flashes too. (I now know the difference - a hot flash is much more sudden and severe, and lasts only about 4 minutes for me. )

I felt that I was perimenopausal. I did a bit of reading about it, and started drinking soy milk - 2 or 3 glasses a day. It worked wonders for me for about a year. I no longer felt hot all the time, the hot flashes disappeared, and I felt fine. I thought I had this menopause thing solved!!!

However, as we all know, what works for a while doesn't work forever. I think my hormone levels dropped suddenly a few months ago - my periods stopped, hot flashes and night sweats returned with vengence, and now the doctors agree that I really had been perimenopausal all along. The soy stopped working - and now I've started on the long road of experimenting and trying to find the right combination of things that work for me.

I'm happy to report that although I don't feel perfect (who does?) I'm holding my own on a regime of progesterone cream, soy, and vitamins.  The thyroid problem has totally disappeared (if there actually was a problem with my thyroid - I don't think so).

I don't know if this will give you any help, Jeannie, but I think the two things, thyroid and menopause are intertwined and certainly have an effect on each other. I really don't trust FSH tests. Supposedly, saliva tests are more accurate for hormone levels, but I have never had them. If you think you are perimenopausal, you probably are!

Cheers - from one hot lady to another!!

Thanks everyone!  All of you are being so helpful!  You are probably right--I may be dealing with two things.  (Good grief --I just previewed this thing--this is long!--sorry!  I find that sharing info w/other women can really help me figure out stuff--)

I have changed gyns. since I began the "hot"/thyroid journey last summer.  Actually, being VERY hot started before that.

My previous gyn had me on Premphase (for hot flashes).  However, after I'd taken the Synthroid for 3 months or so, the hot times just didn't seem as intense as before.  So, I quit taking the Premphase because I wasn't convinced that I'd been having hot flashes.

I got along fine.  I stopped taking the Premphase in October.  Didn't have a period Nov., Dec., or Jan.  However, in February I started one, HUGELY heavy, clotty, that lasted for over a month.  First they tried Provera, which had been effective in stopping me before when I'd have those horrible periods.  Didn't work.  Then they tried BC pills, 3 a day, which after 2-3 days, finally did work.

Someone mentioned fatigue.  Talk about feeling TIRED!  Of course, by the time I'd bled for 30+ days, my hemoglobin was 9.something.  That accounted for some of it.  But I've been tired for a loooooooong time.  

Took iron, had a D&C and hysteroscopy in April (endo biopsy was fine), and have continually felt better and better until now, I feel SUPER.  And I haven't said that in probably over a year.  Honest.  

But with the extra warm spring days we've had in Ohio, I'm sweating like anything.  When I am active in the least, I really sweat.  I've never been a sweat-er, except when I was pregnant and, of course, last year (and before).  I have gained quite a bit of weight in the past few years and attributed some of my discomfort to being overweight.  

From this past October until this spring, I've felt that the hot times weren't as bad, but my overall body temp was just higher all the time that before.  Until now, it was very manageable.  (I haven't worn a winter coat for 2 years!)

Anyway, my new gyn. prescribed Prometrium 200 mg., once a day.  That's to help with the terrible periods.  I go for a check-up on that in July.  I've read some about Prometrium, and feel I probably have had too much estrogen and need the progesterone to balance that out.  If I don't have a complete melt-down before July, I'm going to ask about a little help.

Anyway, input is always appreciated

Hi Jeannie,I started prometrium and it did wonders for my hot flashes and night sweats.  I also take estrogen but didn't feel better until the prometrium.  I can't tolerate the heat at all anymore.  Meno has made my heart race continually and the heat brings it on.  May be something to watch for.  Even my showers are warmish and quick now.  No baths anymore.  Not looking forward to the summer at all.  Good luck!  I started out on 100mg of prometrium and then went to 200mg for spotting.  200mg can really knock me out some nights but it's nice to actually sleep again.  Let us know how it goes!!  Hugs, Lori

Well.....Jeanne.....YA sure SOUND like me!!!NOT certain if that's GOOD or BAD!!  *Giggle*  Anyhoo....goin'  through the biopsy thing....the Provera....SHEESH!!  THAT was a MISTAKE!!!  Stopped the bleeding but it sent me over the edge.....if you will!  Had a bad....bad REACTION  to it!!  **Sob-Pout**Didn't know who I was or where I was fer days.....Grrrrr!!

Ya Know!!  This is the first year/summer that the heat HASN'T bothered me the way it did before!!  GOSH!!  Maybe the worst is over!!  Ya Think??   Cause I do like summers........but the last few.......Jeepers.....'thought I was gonna sweat into a puddle!! Hated it!!   Bottom line............it all takes time!!  Some gals get through it fast......some don't!!  Who knows.......maybe by next week you'll be shivering!! LOL! Yeah right :biggrin:I do feel for ya.....it's such a drag.....trying to figger out what the body is doing or not!!  As you can see you have company:)Don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for the gals here!!!!   ***They Are The Best***Hang in there, my friend.....luv ya!!

(((Hugs)))

Jeannie~

I can relate to everything you are saying!!  I'm sorry to hear you are going through this, yet am relieved to know I'm not alone in this. ha..  

I will be watching this thread as more women reply.  I am 33 and currently taking Premarin.  I was always one to freeze in the winter and would burn hubby up with the heat turned up...but the last 2 years, he has been chilly in the winter months in our home and I've been hot.  

I was diagnosed with endo back in 1991 and it was removed along with a D&C and dye through the tubes.  I always had extremely painful periods and then couldn't get pregnant due to endo.  The surgery didn't help the pain, but I was able to have 2 children before having a vaginal hysterectomy.  Removed the uterus and cervix.  I was told it would be best to keep my ovaries to prevent menopause coming early.    Well, I still have pain (endo is a good possibility) especially since the ovaries were left in.  Estrogen adds fuel to the fire for endo.  

Besides being hot all the time and sweating at the drop of a hat, I started having hot flashes.  Doctors all said I was too young.  Well, after testing...thyroid was fine, but I was peri-menopausal.  The Premarin helped a lot with the hot flashes etc. but...as I have recently learned, fuels my endo.  

So, I am probably going to have to go through peri-menopause without my Premarin.  Does anyone have any advice on helping the peri-menopause symptoms without taking estrogen??

I know there is a difference in hot flashes and the being hot all the time and sweating.  I have had both.  Let me know if you find any info on this.  It is awful to go anywhere and have sweat pouring down your face.  I also have a past with always having a slight fever when my temperature is taken at the doctor.  This could be from the endo.  Who knows.  After many years of different doctors, diagnoses and surgery, I am checking into seeing a doctor that specializes with endo.  

Not trying to worry you, but I was told during my last surgery there was no more endo...but with all the pain and symptoms I have, it is a big possibility it is still there.  If it is said we can post links, I have some sites that talk about endo.  Did you have any reasons for the doctor to check for endo?  I'd be happy to talk with you about it.  I'm gathering all the info I can before seeing the next doctor.  I have found many ob/gyn's don't know a lot about endo.  I wish I knew 20 years ago what I know now about endo.!!

Take Care and try to stay cool!!Molly

Hi, Molly --   I'm glad you posted because I believe things have changed for me.  As Jean mentioned, what works for a while, doesn't always work.  And I'm finding out that what was once true, isn't necessarily true anymore!  Since I last posted, I took the Prometrium for the 10 days that I was supposed to in May.  Wow, what a pleasant difference!    Some of the pleasant side effects was drowsiness (althought that STILL doesn't help me sleep), plus, here's the best part:  although I'm warmer overall that I was just a year or so ago, I can definitely tell when a hot flash begins and here's the BESTEST part...I can tell when it ENDS!  Prior to taking Prometrium, I just couldn't.  The way it seems to me is that I probably was having hot flashes all along, but I just wonder if they didn't get "stuck in the 'on' position"  When I have a hot flash, it doesn't last too terribly long; however, I have many, many hot flashes.  At least to me they seem like very many.  I will have hot flashes off and on all day.  Prior to all this, I did not have that first night sweat.  If anything, I would get cooler toward evening, and even have a hart time getting warm at night.  Well, I don't have THAT problem any more.  If night sweats are just having hot flashes while you sleep, then that's where I am.  EXCEPT I DON'T EVER SLEEP ANY MORE.    (Gosh, can you tell from all these capital letters that this subject gets to me a little?    )  I still have the doc (gyn) appointment in July and will keep working with him on the hot flash stuff.  Probably will need to see reg. doc re: sleep.  Don't be surprised if I start a new post re: sleep or the REALLY SERIOUS lack thereof.    To answer your question, I'm not taking any estrogen right now.  The gyn felt that the estrogen I was producing needed to be balanced by some progesterone, which he gave me in the form of Prometrium.  (I'm overweight and that contributes more estrogen, plus being perimenopausal is causing my estrogen to fluctuate, according to the gyn.)  Taking estrogen last summer didn't help anyhow!  I only had relief when I started taking the Prometrium.  (BTW, I haven't had a period since taking the Prometrium...should've had one about 2 weeks ago--wonder what that's about?)  My gyn wasn't really looking for endo.  I had a D&C because of heavy, clotty, long-lasting periods.  The gyn did a endometrial biopsy to see if that was the cause (the biopsy was fine).  I've read that perimenopause can last for up to 7-10 years.  Good grief!  I try to be discreet, but when sweat is pouring down my face and into my eyes, it's kind of hard to hide and is darn embarrassing...  Isn't it great to have somewhere to vent?

 Here's to ice cold drinks, cooler summer days, AIR CONDITIONING (wish we had central air...), more ice cold drinks...  

Jeannie,

Hi, I would have replied sooner, but my monitor decided to quit and I just received my new one.  I hate computer problems...but sure love them when everything is running smoothly.  

I'm glad to hear you don't have endo...it's no fun.  It's funny you mention hot flashes being "stuck"...I also told my doctor that I felt like my temperature needle was "stuck".  I hope you continue to feel better and yes I'm thrilled I found this site.  It is reassurance from others I'm not crazy!! *grin*

Take Care,   Molly

Hi, Molly!  Glad you're back.  Noticed your signature had "Good Golly"--like the song "Good Golly, Miss Molly"??  I love that

    My hot flashes have definitely become "unstuck" because I am convinced that is something of what must have happened to me prior to using the Prometrium.

    All my life I have always been extra sensitive to the heat.  It can give me headaches, and wears me out in no time.  I was so dreading summer. I figured my heat situation would be unbearable.

    Well, this past Tuesday was probably one of our worst days of the summer so far.  90 degrees with horrible humidity as Ohio does so well .  I had slept some the night before (wonder of wonders!!) and actually got a lot done on Tuesday!!

    I don't know if my D&C in April moved my thermostat off "stuck in the hot zone" or if it was the Prometrium, but whatever it was, I'm thankful.  Instead of sitting near a fan as much as possible, I only turn one directly on me when I'm in the middle of a flash.  That does the trick.

    One thing I've been finding that when I'm the least, and I mean LEAST bit stressed, I really have A LOT of hot flashes.  I became hugely concerned with one of my daughters beginning last June, remained concerned about her throughout the school year, plus, although I love my job, teaching first graders and trying to do a good job, is very stressful, too.  Wonder if my stress level was stuck in the "on" position, too??? :

    Began the second round of 10 days of Prometrium last night.  Had a good, solid sleep, once I did go to sleep.  Hot flashes and sleep deprevation are my two biggest nagging problems.  Am willing to give the Prometrium its try.  But also got on the Revival Soy site and am considering about taking the plunge into drinking that.  It seems expensive, but being unsettled with my health is "expensive", too.

    Another thing I did was go to the Home page on Power Surge and kept clicking on things I found about thyroid stuff.  It looks like thyroid stuff is a bigger deal than I thought it was.  A lot of good books were recommended.  I'm a reader and with reading suggested books, plus talking/listening to the ladies here, we're bound to come on some solutions!!!  Good luck, Molly!!

 

Jeannie~

LOL...I like that song to!!  I will watch for your post on not getting any sleep.  As you may have noticed by the time of some of my posts, I'm a night owl.  Actually, I just can't sleep.  I don't really have the night sweats too much any more.  I would wake up drenched before the Premarin.  It could be from the pains I've stated to have come back...probably endometriosis.  But that's another story.

I didn't notice that it had been awhile since your first post...but I'm glad I replied and have chatted with you. I have been learning a lot on sites like this with many of my "female problems".  

I had to chuckle to myself when you mentioned central air...my hubby has been telling me for 2 years he would put one in for us.  He is self employed...construction co.  Things get done here as fast as the wife of a plummer...waiting on the leaky faucet to get fixed!! LOL

Take Care and I'll watch for a post on sleep deprivation.Molly

Everybody,Curious how questions of thyroid problems arise in sync with perimenopause--all our glands must be readjusting. I wanted to add a different perspective to this thread--so many women out there take synthetic preparations for thyroid imbalances . . . I had some hypothyroid symptoms about two years ago--the worst symptom was my hair falling out. I am extremely hypersensitive to most pharmaceuticals, so I sought out something nutritional. Now I take kelp supplements every day. It seemed to be just what I needed, my hair within a week stopped shedding profusely and now a year later it grows in almost as thick as it did in my teens. Kelp is not something someone can easily overdose on unless sensitive to iodine. Also, I've come across diet books that suggest different diets for different problemed glands--sugar in any form is reputedly very bad especially for people who have thyroid problems!

Lisa,       Iodine is supposed to be good for thyroid problems, they've always said people should get enough iodine because it keeps you from getting goiters.  Maybe I didn't get enough of it years ago!  LOL

   I also have thyroid problems and have been on synthroid for about 12 years.  Thanks for telling us about the kelp.  About 7 years ago my synthroid dosage was not strong enough and it seemed that I was losing a lot of hair at that time.  I know its not as thick now as it used to be.  I will have to try kelp.

Jeannie,  The hot flashes are not quite the same as the thyroid problem.  It seems that since I started having thyroid problems I've felt hotter when it really is hot but the hot flashes are more like a very intense blushing feeling that comes over you.  And I get them more when I'm upset too - especially a nervous type of upset.

When you go to your doctor for the thyroid blood test make sure that he does a TSH blood test too, not just the T3 or T4 (for the thyroid hormone).  The TSH blood test tests the thyroid stimulating hormone that the pituitary gland puts out.  If the TSH is higher than normal it means that its trying to tell the thyroid to put out more hormone, so you need a higher dose of synthroid.  If the TSH is lower than normal it means you have too much of the thyroid hormone and you should be on a lower dose of synthroid.  The first doctor I had didn't test the TSH and that really messed things up for me.  Each person's normal thyroid level is different so the doctors can't just generalize and say such and such is a normal level.   Also I found that exercise helps with thyroid problems.  I have a lot more energy when I'm exercising regularly than when I'm not.  I also have had the heavy blood clotting periods after I was diagnosed with hypothyroid and it seems that exercising helps that too.                                Good luck to you all.