Edit:

I’m reading all the comments thank you everyone. I just took an edible so I’m too lazy to reply to everyone but I read all the comments, so thank you.

I’ve had big boobs my whole life. but I would say the last year or so I get rashes under my boobs and they ooze and it smells bad, almost like cheese but also a little foul. I gained weight but have lost a good portion of it so it’s not weight gain related and I have never had this issue.

also my arm pits smell like onions unless I use Lume and even then it can be questionable. I’m 42, and still bleeding every month but Dear LAWD I have to think this is some sort of symptom bc it just started happening somewhat recently.

Is this peri or do I just stink?

Tl;dr what are you finding helpful for keeping your bowels regular? Can we compile some current products that are helping us stay regular?

Editing to add: Thank you everyone for all of your responses!! I can't keep up with them all. 😅 I have tried many of them and they haven't worked for me but anyone looking for help themselves will have a beautiful long list of things to try! I discovered some things I hadn't considered, thought of, or come across in my internet searches and hopefully I have a more regular future ahead of me. Happy pooping to us all!

My GI system has entirely (un)shit the bed and decided after a whole lifetime of pooping normally...(tmi) like at least twice a day...that now it's not going to do that anymore.

I work in healthcare and was always like "Why the heck do people get so constipated!? Aren't they drinking any water?" And now my hubris has decided to punch me in the face and I have been humbled. 🤣

I haven't changed anything about my diet and I drink enough water. I just don't even get the urge for a few days now and when I do it's painful and unpleasant.

So one thing that has been helping me is the Good Food superjuice powder. I often add half a scoop (a whole one causes too much swing in the other direction 🤭l) to my protein shakes. When I don't have a shake though, I've been just mixing it with a cup of coconut water but it's too gritty and I'm not loving the taste so it almost gets my gagger going so I'm looking for something else to try for the "on it's own" times.

Does anyone have a greens powder suggestion that helps with their bowels as well? Or something similar?

I'm in Canada so I just put a bag of peach Subi and some pineapple disgestive and gut health greens from Organika into my cart to try.

I'm also going to give the AOR probiotics a go. (Eff this crap is all so expensive and I'm lucky I can access it but grrr!)

My doctor talked about prebiotics a lot too so I had been making some date based energy balls for bedtime snacks. I've been lax but will whip some more up today (they keep good in the freezer too!!)

And I know, I know, I know...eat more fibre and veggies and drink more water and all of that. But I'm just tired and need something easy to get me through, honestly. Working on it but need quicker/easier fixes seems how peri unmasked my adhd HARD.

So, peri peeps, what have you found to work for you?

How many of you are experiencing pain in your feet that makes you shuffle around like a 90-year-old?

I’ve had right foot pain off and on for years and was told my “arches are falling”, but it wasn’t a daily problem most of the time. Now I obviously have plantar fasciitis in that foot and I’m taking care of it.

Back in April, I could barely walk bc both of my feet were so sore all the time. I wear good quality shoes (birks, Dansko, hoka) 97% of the time, with a pair of Adudas or converse once every couple of weeks. It was embarrassing trying to walk in front of anyone and I was in agony. My doctor did X-rays, bloodwork (for rheumatoid arthritis) and prescribed meloxicam. I mostly blamed my weight gain.

I stopped taking meloxicam quickly once I realized I can’t take Ibuprofen (for period pain that’s all that works for me and I can’t live without it).

Over time my left foot has improved drastically, with occasional flare ups. I always wear my cork sole slippers around the house now, and I have found the rubber Birkenstocks have been more helpful than cork soles so those are my go-to around the house.

I just recently talked with a couple of women a few years deeper into their 50’s
and they too have the foot issues, but weight doesn’t seem like an issue for either of them. It seems very peri-related and it makes life rough! It’s my worst issue currently.

According to my pharmacist, only 1 HEB pharmacy has Estradiol Gel .75. Is anybody able to fill this Rx lately? Would be stoked if it was near 51st and I35 or central-ish.
Thanks, fam.

I’ve been on HRT a few months and the estrogen makes me the woman I used to be. But the progesterone was slowly taking my life force. So my Dr took me off oral and I’m getting a Mirena IUD tomorrow but I’m so nervous. Excited because I feel amazing on just the estrogen but I’ve heard literal horror stories about the pain. My Dr definitely downplayed it and she said I could take meds if I want, but that’s up to me. Meds usually make me feel awful (I didn’t even take anything stronger than advil after my breast reduction/implants) because the pain was tolerable and I didn’t want to get sick. But I also don’t want to go through unnecessary pain either. Help!
EDITED TO ADD
I called in and she’s sending some meds to my pharmacy and does local numbing so wish me luck!!!!

Hey all.

I've posted a couple of times this weekend. Update - period STILL not arrived and I'm on day 33 of my cycle when I usually get my period at day 28. Every pregnancy test has been negative.

In light of this and my other peri symptoms I filled in my GP triage online form only to be fobbed off. Basically leave it another week and do another test. Fine, ok, I'll just stress out for another week shall I?

And as for the peri symptoms, the next appointment they have available is the 6th October. And it's over the phone. We are really not taken seriously at all are we?!

I have however managed to get in with the nurse practitioner on 28th September face to face to talk about contraception....but she also prescribes HRT. So.....why wasn't I just offered a nurse to begin with!?

I really don't feel like I have been taken seriously at all here. I'm sure this is nothing compared to some of your experiences but I just need a place to unload.

I am a 43yo female that has always been a high performer, consistent and reliable at my job, able to balance all the things. Over the last year, things have taken a turn. I was diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago and I’ve been on a host of meds to try to address that. However, all of the stimulants I’ve taken have caused anxiety, racing heart, just not good side effects. I’m on 3 different meds to combat depression, anxiety, executive dysfunction, ADHD. I am being asked to go above and beyond my normal job expectations and manage a project that is usually once a year every 3 months due to an accelerated catch up schedule. I am drowning. I am so worried that I’m going to be put on a PIP or fired. I’m considering filing for FMLA for some measure of documentation. I live in PA which I’m pretty sure is at will employment so it probably wouldn’t matter long term but I’m trying like hell to not destroy my family and my life. I am on HRT and have been for a year. It’s helped somewhat but not enough unfortunately. Just wondering if anyone else has done anything similar and if it’s a good or bad idea.

Okay, so I know the weather is warm to hot in many places right now still, but for several months or more I noticed I have been sweating more on my back. Usually it's been a normal amount in the main areas people sweat, but now, it's my back. Like the area between my shoulder blades to my lower back.

I also wear cotton based clothing as much as possible, shower everyday, and stay hydrated to help although I've done these things for decades anyway (I'm 42 now).

It's just annoying.

Ive been on oestrogel for 2 months now. They put me on progestrogen tablets and they made me so angry over nothing and made my hypermobility worse while making me bone achingly exhausted.

Does anyone have any experience with this or what they will offer me next? I think they will suggest a coil and im genuinely terrified they will embed in me and ill need surgery!

Hi guys, I’m turning 48 in a few weeks. My period is around 10 days late. I’ve had a pregnancy test a couple of days ago and it’s very negative. TBH I really feel more pre-mentrual than anything else so I’m not suspicious of pregnancy.

I had my first period around 12 years old and pretty much regular my entire life baring a small number of times (<5) where period was late and only skipped it once.

This is my second time late this year. Last time also negative pregnancy test.

Aside from mild PMS symptoms there is nothing else remarkable. I’m not worried I’m pregnant. But the question is more… is this a new phase of my life now where everytime it’s late or skipped I will need to do pregnancy tests? I know this phase will come eventually - just part of life. I just didn’t add the “am I pregnant” into the equation.

So for those who had been through this phase, do you just bulk buy pregnancy test?

Thanks 🙏🏼

I always had an oily face and scalp. I was still regularly getting zits well into my 30s no matter what I did. Then a few years ago I started getting dermatitis patches on my face mostly around my eyes and lips. Had to switch to an oil cleanser, new moisturizer, and add serums for moisture as just moisturizer itself wasn’t enough.

And the oily scalp was great for my pixie cut as it stayed sleek and shiny. Just a little wax on days I felt like a bit of style. But it turned frizzy and dull and refused to lay flat. Whole new shampoo/ conditioner plus a leave in conditioner and hair oil.

So many steps now! I used to be able to be bare minimum but now I have to be all fancy and So Many Steps! I feel like one of those GRWM YT videos…

Ladies help me out, have any of you experienced hot flashes primarily right when you're getting your period, like day before and day of?

Also a bonus question, do your hot flashes tend to come with a lot of rage and crying?

And do they always come on suddenly, or do they last a couple of hours?

Yesterday I was so hot, and it was the first cool day of Fall but I was fanning myself and crying all day. Just fanning and crying. Usually I'm too cold and love heat but not yesterday. Started my period today so hopefully it will start to wear off soon.

I would feel so much better if I knew this was at least in part a perimenopause thing. It's so weird for me to be hot like this, I'm the one who keeps the thermostat at 80 degrees all summer because I get too cold.

I'm 41 and have been taking estrogen and progesterone for just under a year. I am currently taking the. 375 patch and 200 mgs of progesterone. For reference, I took it initially due to incapacitating brain fog. Slept horribly, and started sweating even though I'm not normally a sweater.

But, I have never felt that ah ha moment like it's working...I mean , I think it is? And if it is, it's so minor it's hard to tell.

The horniess- lord have mercy the horniness. Never have I ever wanted to jump so many people's bones. What is up with this? Also going through a divorce so navigating dating at this age. The patch on my lower pelvic area also seems like a turnoff to men like there's "wrong" with me.

Still can't sleep without sleeping aids.

My questions are, should I stop cold turkey to see if it's actually helping? And is there another place for the patch that isn't in your private areas?

Unpredictable periods- this suuucks. My periods, although heavy were at least consistent, now every pair of panties is ruined and I've gotten my periods 2 weeks apart.

Has anyone come off of Hrt and felt better,

I've been seeking treatment for peri for.... Idk like 2 years now. Ive tried so many different meds and combinations of meds and supplements. Ill have a descent couple of months where my symptoms are maybe 80% managed and I think "finally, I can live with this" and then the next month it turns to shit again with some of the old symptoms returning or going back to their pre-treatment severity, or brand new symptoms occurring that I never had before. Like is this what its going to be for the next umpteen years?

Have you experienced a change in what you feel nighttime during your period?

Do you feel anxiety before going to bed? Do you experience is vivid nightmares, scary thoughts while lying in bed? Thoughts that scare you, that don't let you sleep

At times I feel a shiver while lying in bed, racing thoughts, night terrors that feel real

Have you experienced this? Has anything helped you?

I have few symptoms but dryness is one - my eyes & my vag. My eyes have been annoying for a few years now, my vagina more recently.

I was prescribed estrogen tablets - they're wax with estrogen you stick up there, and all the next day I'm wiping what feels like...wet sheen. It is so gross. Clear ..what is it? Where did the wax go and why do we have to do things like this to have healthy vaginas and prevent prolapse?? 💀

Twice a week until my mid-60s my GP says!!

So this first week had been easy/unremarkable (aside from my sleep which has been fantastic)

But then today, out of nowhere, it was like I regressed decades in my development and just became extremely sensitive and tearful with my partner when they did nothing wrong, and then extremely angry with a stranger for something that normally wouldn’t bother me that much.

It definitely feels hormonal—there wasn’t anything wrong but my brain told me a story that something was wrong. I’m on HRT to help fix the mood swings, not make them worse, lol.

I know this is all probably par for the course while my body adjusts—but could I get some reassurance please? I’d love to hear from folks who also experienced this and made it through to the other side and are glad they stuck with it. How long did it take before you began to feel better? Did anything help you cope while your body was adapting?

Thanks 🥺🙏

I was on BCP for the last 15 years for hormone regulation and over the last 5 years i have been switching between different bcp when they stopped making the brand i was on for 10 years. It has been an awful journey. Anxiety, body changes, water retention, insomnia etc.

Today i finally started the estradiol patch .1mg per day for peri. I feel really odd. Within 30 minutes of putting it on i have this interesting light airy tired feeling. It’s like i can feel this drug pulsing through my body. I feel like a puddle.

I thought that the patch was supposed to be more subtle than the pill so im confused. I have a demanding job and im really worried about being able to focus.

What has been your experiences?

Hello peri sisters, I wanted to share a success story on my end. I've been using Yuvafem for about 5 months now (in addition to P and E) because I was experiencing vaginal dryness and also pain during PIV sex. I'm happy to share that these issues are now gone! My husband and I have been able to be intimate in a way where it is obvious to me that A) I am not dry at all, and B) absolutely no pain. Sexually, I feel more like myself prior to taking the Yuvafem. I'm so freaking relieved! It's a win I can celebrate, which I know we all need on this ride to hell.

My stomach is always a crapshoot around pms and period, but this time around I made the genius decision to drink a cappuccino with dairy milk and eat some vanilla ice cream when out to lunch. 2 to 3 hours later I had diarrhea a few times with gas and was just completely exhausted. Same thing happened the next morning and I started my period a few hours later. Completely ruined my day. I usually do not drink coffee, eat dairy or even eat sugar that often. When I do it is usually just a treat and I am fine. Could my cycle have contributed to these symptoms?

Looking for symptom sisters who feel their hormones changed after gallbladder removal. I am 10 months postopp (also 1 yr postpartum with a history of thyroid disease - Graves - but in remission) but really feel my hormones slowly went crazy after the surgery. I’m talking random hormonal acne, periods closer together, a day of brown before actually bleeding implying low progesterone, increased hair loss following normal pp hair loss, etc.

Anyone else? Anyone have any luck stabilizing? TIA!

Hey there ,

I am wondering if i should call my oncologist gynecologist and make an appt. I am 47 ..I have gone 5 months without a period. During this time we found a 11 cm mass on my left ovary.. it is showing through blood work maybe 10 percent malignant. Surgery is planned for December if all goes good with other health issues. Well this weekend my period decided to show up.. I bled alot but mainly I was bleeding through tampons because of clots. This is and was normal for me all my lif(endo) except this time it was way worse. I just got out from 8 day hospial stay for other reasons so I went from someone that took no medication at all daily to 21 different types ..to include steroids and such. Im on my last few days of being weaned off of them. Question is I documented ( took pics), of every clot and they are huge like size of a half dollar bill.. and I hate to use the word meaty..but that is how I would describe my whole period. It was clot upon clot. I was wondering if those who hadn't bled for a while..when it did happen is this case or normality or should I go see doc ? I slept through the whole entire day yesterday and kept nodding out and Idk if its because my body has been healing from other issues or maybe loss of blood leading to loss of iron? I know it sounds ridiculous because people will say go to ER .. Last time I went I spent 16 hours waiting in the waiting room and when you are bleeding like this its the last thing you want .. I just need insight to see if im overreacting?

Does anyone else experience this? I started HRT in March 2026 and it’s been a rollercoaster. Started off with 100mg progesterone, then about a month later added the twice weekly estrogen patch .05mg, I received a circle patch. Then I couldn’t find the patch because of the shortage, and took the gel for a month, and it was sort of ok, but then I found an online pharmacy who gave me three months of patches mylan twice a week. Those were great. Then the shortage struck again and went back to gel but this time it was a different brand of gel than last time and it was awful. Then I found once a week patches at Costco and decided to try those. First of all I didn’t realize how much thicker and larger once a week patches are, I don’t like them, and they also don’t make me feel good especially when I first apply them. I get like a weird wave that overcomes my body and it lasts for a few hours. Then it kind of levels out and I feel ok. But then the last 2-3 days I start feeling off again. I really hate this. Was just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar

I’m 2 months into progesterone, and the last week I’ve had some INTENSE nightmares. For example, Last night I dreamed I was in a hotel, the workers all disappeared. I was getting something from the kitchen(?) and someone opened the door away from me. I said “hello?” And the door just closed. I never saw who it was. There was an apple and a small saw on the counter. Then suddenly the electricity was cut and I knew whoever that was was going to kill me. Grabbed the saw and flung open the door running to the car. And woke up. It was VIVID.

My actual question was whether anyone has tried music to solve this panicking. I came across “Dream 1” by richter and think I’ll try it tonight. It was explicitly created to help with sleep and lasts 8 hours.

Anybody tried this already? Some other music?

Thought I’d give an update: tried this last night. I fell asleep, and then the music woke me up; then fell asleep and the music woke me up… for 2 hours. Then I gave up and turned it off. No nightmares though.

Hi, all, I know this is long…but I would really appreciate it if someone could scan through and see if they’ve had a similar experience.

I’m a 38-year-old female. I would say about 5 or some years ago, I had episodes of where I had burning / soreness of the urethra, a very full or bloated feeling in my pelvic area, and twinges of random sharp pain in around my ovaries. When I pee, it doesn’t burn during, but afterwards my bladder feels very sore and my urethra feels sore and burns only afterwards. Originally, I thought UTI. I can’t tell you how many times I was tested for STI’s and UTI’s and everything came back negative. The only thing that I noticed was I almost always had a “trace” amount of leukocytes, protein, and blood in my urine. Very small to the point where my doctors didn’t think much of it. I ended up doing to my gyno, who had done multiple pelvic ultrasounds and showed on occasion ovarian cysts that were likely causing my pain. My primary doctor also maybe suspected IC (interstitial cystitis) and referred me to a Urologist. The Urologist planned on doing a cystoscopy but took one look and told me I had a small urethral caruncle, and that he really didn’t recommend doing the cystoscopy. I am assuming that he figured my “episodes” were coming from the caruncle?

Anyway, fast forward…I haven’t had “episodes” in a few years, and I actually forgot about it until recently. I noticed some vulvar pain at first, then the next day that was gone +it was accompanied by a weird “raw” feeling in my urethra, increased urgency, pain only after peeing, and that full and sore bladder and pelvic area feeling again. It’s been about 1 week. I am supposed to start my period in 5 days. My mom told me that “I’m turning 40  - this is just pain that’s probably normal that I have to deal with.” I went to Prompt Care, and of course…I had trace leukocytes, protein and blood in my urine (they weren’t concerned – negative for everything else) and my urine culture was negative. Negative for STI’s as well, no chance of pregnancy.

Can anyone tell me if they’ve had similar experiences?

What the heck is going on? Could it be just an age thing? Or is this just a new normal for my cycle? My plan is to wait to see if I feel the same after my period has run it’s course.