Does anyone have throat problems, possibly due to perimenopause? This may be due to reactions to certain foods like wheat or yeast. And I read somewhere that food allergies start or worsen during peri.

My throat feels tight and congested, especially after eating (anything). I have more mucous and phlegm to deal with and I'm constantly clearing my throat. And have a dry cough. Not sleeping as well as I could because of this throat thing. Sometimes my throat spasms for a short time and the lymph glands in my neck are chronically swollen.

Am I the only one dealing with this unusual problem?

Suzy,

What country do you live in? Over here in the UK the pollen is really high this year (worst for 12 years) and I have never suffered before but this year my chest is producing loads of mucus and I am coughing away. Hayfever can affect your throat and bring your lymph glands up I believe and since it is an allergy, as you say it can be made worse during Peri.

Hi squiggle (cute name)

Thanks for your post. I live in the US and the pollen has been higher than normal here as well but right now the counts are relatively low for grass, trees, etc. My throat problem was extremely bad this past spring when everything was blooming away !

Do you take anything for your congestion? So you heard that peri can worsen things like allergies too?

Hi Suzy and Squiggle,

Yes, I've read over and over that peri can aggravate pre-existing allergies. Also, that women frequently deal with mysterious hoarsness and throat problems, possibly related to newly developed sinus problems.
Most women's voices change at around 50 yrs old, too.

I began having voice change, hoarsness, sinus drip while in peri. Hard to start using allergy meds during certain seasons. I always seem to have sinus drip, even when there is no congestion and I don't need to take meds! My throat always seems aggravated now and a bit raw, probably from the dry cough I have sometimes. I went to ENT and he did an endoscopy (with camera through you nose and down to look at your throat)...he found nothing, of course. A couple of times this year, both times as I was getting on my elliptical, I got a cramp in my throat! How on earth can you get a cramp in your throat, for God(dess) sake?!

I think around 6:00am I awoke choking and coughing. Some substance was aggravating my throat. I suspect it was sinus drip that caused it. It took forever for me to get it to settle down. It felt like when you get a "tickle in your throat" and everytime I swallowed, my throat seem to contract and get aggravated again. But, ENT says there is nothing there, so I don't worry about it. I just live with it.

Do a search for throat problems on the boards, many women have had this problem and they've also been told nothing is wrong by their ENT when they had checkups. Also, no dr every puts together your age and symptoms and mentions it might be peri/meno. They just take your money and say goodbye.

T'Pow

HI all

My upper gastric tract has been the bane of my life since I became a perigirl in May last year

I have had oesophageal spasm and regurg since being peri - cos my blasted tum seems more acid than before - which makes sense if oestrogen has dipped - cos oestrogen apparently inhibits stomach secretions - so low oestrogen would stop the inhibition and tomach woudl be more acid.....

Acid regurg can cause what feels like congestion in the throat and irritate so make you cough?

I also agree about the pollen and effect of hormones on whole body and hence allergy response - funnily enough I have had nasty hayfever for years and this year it has been a bit better than usual - go figure? I have been careful to take a morning Benadryl recently on days when I noticed an itchy upper palate which is my hayfever warning sign - so that has helped

My throat glands are often swollen but I think this is to do with some lovely hormonal zits I get on my face and upper body aroudn peirod time......joy!!

Mele

Hi again Suzy,

I have taken antihistimine this year for hayfever for the first time. It is good for a lot of other allergies so I would say it is worth a try for you. There are drowsy & non-drowsy types so I would think non-drowsy if you need to drive/ operate machinery.

I am going crazy all. Yesterday went to Dr since last symptom was pain by right side all the way back in throat and every time I swallowed it radiated to my ear. So I went again yesterday to Dr I used in the past. He called it a tonsillar concretion. Told me to use this glycol stuff 5 or 6 times a day and eventually it would callus up and I would swallow it. Also to take Advil because it would be an antiinflammitory. So last night once again the pain got really bad so before I went to bed took 1 Advil. This morning I kept swallowing to test and it felt better. Now, it feels like it moved to other side of my tongue so that when I swallow its like a muscaluture pain radiating to my ear every time I swallow. I am absolutely going crazy from this-is this part of menopause Gals. A few weeks ago I had the lump in thoat feeling. Im so scared that I'm having panic and anxiety attacks from this-and the more I think about it the worse it makes it-its like a vicious cycle. I just want to feel like I had a good normal day. I keep thinking I have some terrible disease. This has been going on the last few weeks following the lump in throat thing and visit to dentist to remove a tooth last week. I wonder if he should have given me antibiotic right away. I took Keflux after I went to Dr. with the initial lumps in back of palate a few days later. I'm so frightened. When I eat and move my tongue around to swallow it hurts moving tongue and makes it feel like its in my ear which infection is not-coming from tongue now. Betsy Candies 123

Hi there, been away on holiday and just read your post. I have had all kinds of throat problems since entering peri in the past 18 months and have had exactly the same sensations of a lump in the throat and right sided ache going down my throat and into my ear which comes and goes all the time. It drives me mad! I also get mild tinnnitus in my right ear. I have come to the conclusion that it's a combination of muscle spasms/stiffness in my neck and shoulder referring aches and pains to my throat/ear, allergies and postnasal drip aggravate it too and I also wonder if I have a TMJ related disorder. I get a bit panicky about it occasionally but although it flares up it does improve - I've actually had about three months of virtually no symptoms before this latest flare up. I hope you're feeling better now. I know how worrying it can be! Jess xx