perimenopausal at 34?!

Doc tested some of my hormone levels and they came back that my FSH hormones are high and that of a perimenopausal woman. I am 34. He refuses to test my estrogen levels as he says it won't show anything although I asked him to. I suffer night sweats, anxiety, irritability. I'm not sure what my question is, but I would like to hear from other women who might have gone through this and tell me what I can expect etc.

My best friend is 26 and peri menapausal. Teh poor bugger gets the same symptoms as you plus hot flushes.
hope u can work out some sort of regime to make things easier for u hun xxxx

I'm right there with you, due to having chemotherapy. I will post again a bit later (I'm on the bus) as there are some good resources around.

OK, so first of all, let me say it will depend entirely on the whole clinical picture of what's going on for you as to whether you can be truly considered perimenopausal. If fertility is a concern for you, now might be the time to ask for a referral to a specialist, who can do more investigations and give you a more complete picture. Otherwise it's often a case of just riding it out, although as a young woman you can ask for more thorough investigations (eg with a sympathetic gp or a gynae) esp if your periods are on their way out, as there may be other causes of ovarian failure that need to be ruled out. Your Dr should be explaining the reasoning behind not testing the oestrogen levels, so it might be worth finding a good GP who specialises in women's health as your first port of call - because if you are menopausal early it can impact your health in many ways, like bone density, your heart, and sexual function.

Something you should be discussing with your doctor is whether you should be considering hormone therapy of some sort, and if not now, then when? (I have to avoid this because of my breast cancer history). There are arguments for and against, but that by itself could be enough to sort out your symptoms. It's quite important to start looking after your bone density NOW - with weight bearing exercise, calcium/mineral supplements and get your vitamin D levels tested (and take a vit D supplement to boost it). Otherwise there are practical measures you can take - I keep a spritz bottle on my desk and a fan to help with hot flushes. Apparently there's a cooling mat that you can get for your bed that helps if you're having bad night flushes. Dressing in layers (and keeping your bedding light) can help too. There is also an antidepressant that can help with the mood and hot flush issues, but I think that tends to be used by people who can't use hormone therapy for whatever reason.

There are some good websites that talk about early menopause issues:
Early Menopause.org.auAustralasian Menopause Society
Premature Ovarian Failure

Also for an alternative view, get your hands on a copy of Christiane Northrup's book, The Wisdom of Menopause. Not so much about early menopause but lots of good information especially re lifestyle measures and dealing with the mind-body connection aspects.

thanks Marydean. That was very well covered. I'm not going to stress about it and just let it play out. Thanks for all the info.

Hi Marydean,

Thanks for the info, you have made me re-think about seeing a specialist.
Im 29 and expecting an early menopause as my Mum had menopause at 32 and so did her maternal relatives.
I have started using progesterone cream for my mood and energy (natural progesterone, as my Mum had Breast cancer- possibly from taking HRT for her menopause...but thats another story!!)
My VitaminD test came back low so Im on the supplements now (I hadn't realised that could be linked, but at least Im aware now.)
I have no hot flushes yet but perhaps the low moods I experience sometimes are to do with menopause (as apose to antenatal depression, which I was concerned about.) I still have my periods, (even though Im breastfeeding) so even though Im not menopausal yet...I feel its looming
I will check out the website you suggested, knowledge is power!!
Thanks for the info Hope you are coping with the summer