Do you think I am starting?

[RacerWife7]

Here's why I think I'm at the beginning of peri.:

1) I have hot flashes all day long and at night. They're worse if I'm stressed (or, I should say, more frequent when I'm stressed). Seems to me stress - even the slightest amount - triggers it.

2) Loss of libido. I guess some women might not care if this happens. But, for me, this is a big deal. My husband is 6 years younger than me and I'm thankful (and lucky) he's as understanding and patient as he is! I HATE this aspect of my symptoms!

3) Erratic periods / Changing cycles. As I mentioned in my intro. post, My cycles have shortened over the years. And now they're becoming erratic; whereas they've never been erratic. They've always been like clockwork for me. Now I'm having an average of 26 days per cycle with super long ones every now and then (like this month - 36 days).

Just for the record, I'm hypothyroid (actually Hashimoto's) and take Armour Thyroid. I'm monitored by my PCP for this and he's wonderful. He does a full, blood work-up on me every 3 months and monitors all my vitamin/mineral intake. I've been on thyroid meds since age 22.

I'm due to see my GYN, but don't fully trust that they'll accept the fact that I believe I'm in peri. Any suggestions on how to get through to them when I do go?

[minniepauz]

Janet, I seem to have gotten to your posts before the rest of our members, but I'm sure you'll be hearing from them very soon. As I'm sure you know, the symptoms of thyroid and menopause are very similar. I found some info that might help when you go to the doctor and also, if you haven't already, just post a question to Dr. Judy here on the board.

Why the Confusion?
There are several reasons why symptoms of hypothyroidism might be identified as symptoms of menopause:

There is a great deal of overlap between the symptoms of hypothyroidism and those of perimenopause:

1.Perimenopause and hypothyroidism often occur in women of very similar age ranges:
2.Perimenopause may begin as early as 35 or 40; symptoms can last up until menopause at 45-50
3.Hypothyroidism affects one out of eight women 35-65 years old, and one out of five women over the age of 65
4.The symptoms of hypothyroidism may become more pronounced due to the hormonal changes occurring during perimenopause

Furthermore, undiagnosed thyroid problems are a common problem; some experts estimate that as many as 15 million Americans have undiagnosed thyroid disease. Not all of these individuals have symptoms or will necessarily require treatment, but none has been appropriately diagnosed with blood screening. In comparison to men, women are significantly more likely to have thyroid problems. And since the risk of developing thyroid disease increases with increasing age, elderly women have a particularly high risk for such disorders. The majority of post-menopausal women with thyroid disorders will have either no or very subtle symptoms and suffer from a condition known as subclinical thyroid disease. The majority of these women will have an underactive thyroid condition (hypothyroidism).

[psexypsychic]

I had to deal with the veteran's administration to get my diagnosis. First, I told them, "I think I'm in perimenopause because..." and rattled off the list of my symptoms. I, too, am hypothyroid- diagnosed when I was 18. They pooh-poohed it for a while, then started doing all kinds of tests to rule out other things. It took them two years to finally get to the point- but that was mostly because at the VA, I'm not priority, so I had to wait a lot for testing times to open.

In the middle of the testing, I printed out the list of symptoms from this website and circled all of them that I had. Then I circled the similiarities to the thyroid disease in a different color. My doctor was very cooperative, but he had to follow the VA rules... so eventually, I was told, literally: "Well, I guess you ARE perimenopausal... huh..."

So, aside from printing up the list of symptoms to discuss, I have no advice for you.

Good luck.

[RacerWife7]

I had to deal with the veteran's administration to get my diagnosis. First, I told them, "I think I'm in perimenopause because..." and rattled off the list of my symptoms. I, too, am hypothyroid- diagnosed when I was 18. They pooh-poohed it for a while, then started doing all kinds of tests to rule out other things. It took them two years to finally get to the point- but that was mostly because at the VA, I'm not priority, so I had to wait a lot for testing times to open.

In the middle of the testing, I printed out the list of symptoms from this website and circled all of them that I had. Then I circled the similiarities to the thyroid disease in a different color. My doctor was very cooperative, but he had to follow the VA rules... so eventually, I was told, literally: "Well, I guess you ARE perimenopausal... huh..."

So, aside from printing up the list of symptoms to discuss, I have no advice for you.

Good luck.

Oh my gosh! How FRUSTRATING! It's sad how many doctors seem to disregard how well we know our own bodies. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. Back when I was 38 and having these symptoms, I did basically the same thing - printed out a list of symptoms from a website (it might have been WebMD or something) and circles the ones that I was experiencing. I didn't have the sense to point out the thyroid ones, though.

I chose a new OB/GYN and tried to call her on Friday, but she was closed for the day already. I'll try again on Monday.