I'm new here and absolutely love this site. It has been a lifesaver!

I just turned 40 and have had peri symptoms for at least a couple of years. Shortened and just plain strange menstrual cycles that average about 24 days, anxiety, breast pain (95% in right breast), pain at ovulation, etc. No hot flashes.

I have had breast pain on and off for the last 18 months or so. It doesn't seem to relate to my period, at least it is not worse just before my period starts, as I would expect. This month, I had a period on April 13 which lasted for about 7 days and then a couple of days of very light spotting (more like blood streaks in discharge-sorry, yuck) after. Throughout this time, my breast was excrutiatingly painful! I would expect to be ovulating around now--not sure if I have or not. But yesterday, I had some pinkish discharge and within an hour or two, the breast pain just about vanished.

Does it make sense for breast pain to be "relieved" by ovulation. What the heck is going on with me?? I really don't have anyone to talk to about this and I'm really panicked by these changes.

Thanks,
Jen

Hi Jen, welcome! I'm a newbie as well.

I used to always get sore breasts before my period. But when perimenopause symptoms started it stopped - they were never sore. I'm assuming my estrogen was low. Now that I've started bioidentical hormones, they are super sore and painful around ovulation, then less sore as my period approaches. I believe estrogen peaks at ovulation, then starts to decline, so I'm assuming that I might need less estrogen. Have you had your levels tested yet? I started "self medicating" before I had any tests done, and I think I got myself may off balance - I wouldn't recommend doing that!

I helps to know that others have similar symptoms, doesn't it? We can't *all* be crazy!

Thanks for your reply, annasmom! What bioidenticals are you taking? I have just switched doctors and had my hormones checked for the first time. Not surprisingly, they are all within "normal range".

This perimenopause business has come as a shock and I am still trying to make sense of it all. This site has been so helpful and I am feeling reassured knowing that there are so many other women out there going through this.

I must say that this experience has left me pretty frustrated with the medical profession. When my symptoms started it never occured to me that it could be related to menopause. I certainly had never heard the term perimenopause! I was 38 years old and as far as I knew, menopause happened to 50 year old women and consisted simply of hot flashes. I know much better now!

A couple of years ago at an annual physical, I mentioned to my doctor that my cycle had changed (I had always had my period every 28 days like clockwork until then) but my doctor simply shrugged and said this can happen. O-kaaay. No mention of hormones of peri. When I began to experience breast pain, I went back and was sent for a mammogram. It was negative and I was told that breast pain is common. Once again, hormones and peri were never raised as a possible explanation. I now find this incredulous!

So off I went with my symptoms and a pat on the head. Maybe I was supposed to read between the lines. Last November, the anxiety kicked in and I was back in the doctor's office. I was convinced I was dying. When I burst into tears, my doctor said (somewhat condescendingly) "Oh, are you worrying about a terminal illness?" The next thing I knew, I was walking out the door with a prescription for Paxil. Took one pill, had a horrible reaction and decided that wasn't for me. I also decided that that doctor wasn't for me. The kicker is she is a female about the same age as me. I hope if and when she starts experiencing peri symptoms that it is an eye-opener for her!

Ok, time to stop with the rambling and venting now!

Take care,
Jen

Hi Jen,

I so could hva written your post! I had the exact same thing happen to me over the years. I started with the irregular periods at 38 and was told, oh that can happen as you get older, and was put on bcp.
They worked for a little while but I eventually went off them because they were causing high blood pressure.
When the anxiety and some other symptoms kicked in a couple of years ago, I went back to my gyn and was told,oh,it's stress and was given paxil too,even after I told her I didn't want it. My gp gave me the same thing, along with xanax. I never took the paxil and the xanax really didn't help much.
That was when I decided it was time to do some research and found Power-Surge. Thank God!!! I have learned so much from this website and from the women on the message boards.

This year when I went in for my annual physical I was ready! I convinced her that it was peri (why,I ask you, should we have to convince doctors of something they should know about!?!) and was able to get a prescription for bios. I am taking Vivelle Dot and Prometrium. What a difference! I've been on them only a month but have noticed a difference already. The hot flashes and anxiety are both about gone, I'm sleeping better and I think my mood has improved too! The only time I notice the anxiety now is a little the day before I'm due to change the Vivelle patch so I guess they lose potency over time. I also had a little just before my period but it's a lot less! I haven't used my Rescue Remedy in about 3 weeks!

I know what you mean about the doctors. Both my female doctors are just a little younger than me so I hope when they get there they at least get some of the symptoms of what they are so sure is "stress" and it lets them know what is really going on!

Anyway, welcome to power-surge! Hope you feel better soon!