ladies over 40 in Peri Menopause

ConH12
ConH12 Posts: 37 Member
edited December 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey where are all of my 40's and over ladies going through Peri Menopause? I am 46 and it hit me this year and I am struggling with fatigue and some weight gain. Looking for other women in this phase of life to support each other and share workouts and foods that help.

Replies

  • jrh_this_better_work
    jrh_this_better_work Posts: 92 Member
    Over here! Turned 50 this year, have been working on losing weight since September-ish. I do feel tired and cranky quite a lot, and while some weeks the weight loss seems "easy", there are other 2-3 week stalls. I'm in for the mutual support!
  • 123lettifitness456
    123lettifitness456 Posts: 1 Member
    Turned 49 in June. It IS alarming sometimes to be feeling palpitations sometimes, and so warm other times... just getting older is tough, but add on perimenopause and it just is quite trying. Blood pressure creeping up etc... keep up the good work, ladies. Just hang in there.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Lots of us here!

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10482404/is-it-over-yet-the-perimenopause-thread/p1
  • rosie1angel
    rosie1angel Posts: 11 Member
    Hello! I'm also 46, having trouble with the weight loss. We can do this ladies. :)
  • TracyNew75
    TracyNew75 Posts: 50 Member
    I am 45 and I am experiencing some symptoms. Send me a friend request if you would like. I just recently reached my goal weight, but am up a couple lbs now since Thanksgiving. :(
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 wrote: »
    48 and enjoying the fun of my own private summers and an upended menstrual cycle. Every month it's like all possible symptoms get put in a hat, shaken up randomly, and my body picks which ones I'm having at random. I used to have a nice predictable progression of symptoms beforehand, so I could tell within six hours when I would start. No blessed clue now. I'm mid-cycle right now, and for the last five days my boobs have been sore. Why? Who knows! Whee!

    Oh my word THANK YOU for posting that! I am going through the same things—2 months ago my boobs hurt mid cycle for a week. I thought it was bc I bruised something doing a lot of fully harnessed climbing/zip lining. Next month, nothing (of course, the month I actually see my OBGyn for annual exam 🙄). Now I am on day 3 of Mid cycle boob pain. Like don’t hug me too tight, can’t wear a bra but can’t not wear one. Ugh. At least I know it’s not just me! This has never happened before.

    Cycles were predictable, then bam, could be 24 days, could be 32. Could ovulate on day 10 or day 16. Each month it’s will this month bring headaches, terrible acne, cramps, mood swings, Irritability, days of spotting, or nothing at all? Who knows!

    And I’m only 39 (though I do have low estrogen).
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited December 2020
    I am through it now, thankfully, but peri-menopause was like (or worse than) being a teenager again: no idea what would hit when (physically, mood-wise); months on end of two weeks of bleeding, then a week off, then several months of nothing, followed by heavy bleeding and back to the two on one off; completely unpredictable cycles and flow rates... I learned to carry a couple of spare pairs of underwear with me or more at all times (I still find them stuffed into odd pockets sometimes), and used towels as well as tampons as a backup, which I had never done before. The worst was when I was away on a research trip, lying on the pristine white quilt cover at a bed and breakfast and stood up to realise that the entire back of my jeans was full of blood... You can imagine what the quilt cover looked like. :( Fortunately I had my own bathroom and the heating was efficient, but I had to get the landlady to put my jeans in the dryer.

    As well as the thread above there is a group which is in the doldrums at present and would benefit from new life: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group.

    I also put on weight, but am nearly back to goal now, so it is doable. I have had to restrict calories more consistently and excercise more vigorously and rigorously than I did when I was losing five years ago though.
  • JintheSouth
    JintheSouth Posts: 44 Member
    edited December 2020
    I’m 49, I’ll be 50 in June. Luckily, I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago so I don’t have to deal with the unpredictable periods anymore but I still have my ovaries.
    Lawd, the hot flashes. I have central heat/air in my apartment and I also have a fan and space heater in my room. I alternate between the two, when the hot flashes hit I’ll have the fan on, when done, I get so cold I have to turn on the space heater.
    I can’t get a good night’s sleep anymore. I keep the fan on at night and already sleep half naked but I still get so hot.
    I read that exercise is supposed to reduce hot flashes. I exercise on a regular basis, so if my flashes are reduced I can’t imagine how bad it would get if I didn’t exercise.
    Also, I don’t diet but I don’t eat a lot of junk food either, I keep my weight down with exercise calories. I eat no more than 1500 calories a day, offset by about 300-500 exercise calories, but still I’m noticing some weight creep. Ugh. I tried eating 1200 calories a day but that left me hungry. I’d rather be happy than hangry :p
    This too shall pass. Hopefully sooner than later.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,372 Member
    JintheSouth wrote: »
    I read that exercise is supposed to reduce hot flashes. I exercise on a regular basis, so if my flashes are reduced I can’t imagine how bad it would get if I didn’t exercise.

    I read the same thing. I laughed when I read it because my experience has been that exercise actually triggers my hot flashes. I work out in a 16 C basement, get a little warm from exertion... and then it's like suddenly being dipped into a blast furnace for a few minutes and the workout gets extra miserable.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,513 Member
    ythannah wrote: »
    JintheSouth wrote: »
    I read that exercise is supposed to reduce hot flashes. I exercise on a regular basis, so if my flashes are reduced I can’t imagine how bad it would get if I didn’t exercise.

    I read the same thing. I laughed when I read it because my experience has been that exercise actually triggers my hot flashes. I work out in a 16 C basement, get a little warm from exertion... and then it's like suddenly being dipped into a blast furnace for a few minutes and the workout gets extra miserable.

    I get them a lot when I'm on the phone, which doesn't make much sense except I tend to pace a lot, so they are likely exercise-induced.
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
    Yeah, I just get them at night when I sleep. I start out the night in leggings and a t-shirt and socks (I have Raynaud's Phenomenon too) and two blankets, and over the course of the night I shed various parts of that. I woke up this morning with most of my weighted blanket pushed off me, totally naked, with only my lower legs and feet covered. At least my boyfriend doesn't complain.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm 54 and have yet to have a hot FLASH. (I do run hot.)

    Either I'm no where near menopause (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA) or it's the black cohosh with dong quai I've been taking for a really long time for fibroids. It's not helping the fibroids, but may be preventing hot flashes.

    https://smile.amazon.com/NOW-Black-Cohosh-Capsules-Pack/dp/B001F0R6LA/
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,372 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I'm 54 and have yet to have a hot FLASH. (I do run hot.)

    Either I'm no where near menopause (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA) or it's the black cohosh with dong quai I've been taking for a really long time for fibroids. It's not helping the fibroids, but may be preventing hot flashes.

    https://smile.amazon.com/NOW-Black-Cohosh-Capsules-Pack/dp/B001F0R6LA/

    Apparently some women >:)>:)>:) (think I remember 25%?) don't ever have hot flashes. My BFF's mother never had one, and I don't think BFF has had one yet either at age 56.

    I'm into the seventh year of mine....
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    "Exercise prevents hot flashes" makes me laugh, too. Honestly, I almost never get them in winter, summer only. And often right before the AC turns on. So I'm always wondering, "Is it a hot FLASH, or is it just hot?" It comes on in a flash and dissipates quickly, often leaving me feeling cool, so after 2 summers I've decided they are legitimate flashes. Guess I'm lucky that it's subtle that way. In winter, I get them right upon waking. Years ago when I wore a fitbitHR, I learned my HR spikes right upon waking, too, so maybe it makes sense. I have gone 166 days between periods three times. I'm hoping I've had my last one, but still have not made it a year so only time will tell.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,760 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    "Exercise prevents hot flashes" makes me laugh, too. Honestly, I almost never get them in winter, summer only. And often right before the AC turns on. So I'm always wondering, "Is it a hot FLASH, or is it just hot?" It comes on in a flash and dissipates quickly, often leaving me feeling cool, so after 2 summers I've decided they are legitimate flashes. Guess I'm lucky that it's subtle that way. In winter, I get them right upon waking. Years ago when I wore a fitbitHR, I learned my HR spikes right upon waking, too, so maybe it makes sense. I have gone 166 days between periods three times. I'm hoping I've had my last one, but still have not made it a year so only time will tell.

    Keeping fingers crossed 2021 is your year. :)

    I think I got really lucky during perimenopause and I put that down to all the exercise I do. I don't remember hot flashes other than sitting by a window at work in the summer and needing to bring my little fan closer to my face because I was sweating.
  • infowoman
    infowoman Posts: 3 Member
    Can relate I don't have a cycle and being overweight makes your body hold on to estrogen more I'm starting to have the flashes 46 1/2 years young and sex drive is up. Taking progesterone which makes you want to sleep eat and #$%k ..so I exercise just to calm myself down. Add me as friend so we can help each other and look up Jade Teta he's a doctor that knows how a woman's body Works and eat and exercise for your hormone type. Program is called metabolic renewal of you've heard of it.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    I *think* I am in peri-meonpause at 44. The main symptom for me is that my PMS symptoms have gotten way worse, and so has my ovulation pain. I also was getting hot at night, which was not like me, until we got a cooling blanket. My periods are still pretty regular, though.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    infowoman wrote: »
    Can relate I don't have a cycle and being overweight makes your body hold on to estrogen more I'm starting to have the flashes 46 1/2 years young and sex drive is up. Taking progesterone which makes you want to sleep eat and #$%k ..so I exercise just to calm myself down. Add me as friend so we can help each other and look up Jade Teta he's a doctor that knows how a woman's body Works and eat and exercise for your hormone type. Program is called metabolic renewal of you've heard of it.

    I would stop taking progesterone. It gave my mother breast cancer which is verified by the professor that looked after her. Only take it if you really need to.

    I'm past Peri but get a bit of the odd hot/cold thing. I managed without taking anything.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    infowoman wrote: »
    Can relate I don't have a cycle and being overweight makes your body hold on to estrogen more I'm starting to have the flashes 46 1/2 years young and sex drive is up. Taking progesterone which makes you want to sleep eat and #$%k ..so I exercise just to calm myself down. Add me as friend so we can help each other and look up Jade Teta he's a doctor that knows how a woman's body Works and eat and exercise for your hormone type. Program is called metabolic renewal of you've heard of it.

    I take Prometrium, which is a bio-identical progesterone, and I don't have any bad side effects. In fact, I think it helps me sleep better - I take it at bedtime.
  • StepWise123
    StepWise123 Posts: 181 Member
    I hope you don't mind me chiming in. I'm 70 now and experienced perimenopause when I was about 49-50. I was terrified of going through menopause. I'd break out in an embarrassing red-faced sweat during business meetings. Here's what seemed to help me a lot at the time: I drank soy milk once every day. Soy has some estrogen-like effects. I exercised 5 days a week and lifted weights. I took evening primrose oil once a day. All this really seemed to help. But, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone the bioidentical hormone replacement route. I was too stubborn back then. The growing waistline and other health issues start piling up without the protective benefit of estrogen. Good luck everyone.
  • DeniseSalsera
    DeniseSalsera Posts: 15 Member
    StepWise123 wrote: »
    I hope you don't mind me chiming in. I'm 70 now and experienced perimenopause when I was about 49-50....

    Thank you for the insight. Lots to think about. What about your libido? That's what bothers me the most.
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