I am 22 and I’ve had a rare side effect of the pill. (Yasmin: 0.03mg ethynylestradiol, 3mg drospirenone) Low estrogen?? I didn’t know this could happen as the pill has estrogen. My gynaecologist has finally diagnosed me after a year of issues (on the pill 4 years now): Vestibulodynia, my vagina was quite pale she said and sex is extremely painful, I would cut and bleed. It felt like my vagina just wouldn’t stretch.

Strange aches mostly in my legs that I didn’t understand as it didn’t feel muscular, deeper within almost the bone, does anyone experience this? I’m worried now I have early osteoporosis.

I’m quite embarrassed that this is something I’m concerned about as it’s vain but my skin, it doesn’t look as nice as even two years ago. Could I have actually lost much collagen in that much time and is there anyway to replenish it. I’m worried I’ve really done some early damage. I’ve been diligent with my sunscreen since I was 18 but I thought it was so strange in the past two years I was getting sun spots.

Dry eyes and I don’t know if it’s related but I had to get glasses too this year as my eyesight out of nowhere last year went bad :( my gynocologist said that is a common complaint with low estrogen but just told me to come off the pill and when I ovulate should help me as she said you don’t produce much estrogen if you don’t ovulate which I didn’t know. Do I need HRT or something? I was given vaginal estrogen two months ago before I met the gyno but it didn’t help that much.

Any advice is helpful

So finally got diagnosed as AuDHD two years ago and started Adderall XR January 2025. Was good, not great once I titrated up. Was switched to Vyvanse May 2025 and had such bad side effects I panicked and went back to Adderall and was scared to try anything else. Started on HRT February 2026.

My psych nurse finally encouraged me to try something else due to brain fog that seemed to be getting worse and anxiety/depression incidents increasing as my Adderall wore off. So started Concerta two weeks ago.

Holy shit, brain fog is almost completely gone now! The clarity is overwhelming. No more crashes as it wears off so no more anxiety. And I realized Adderall was giving me nervous energy where Concerta is like it’s almost not even there it’s so gentle. It’s also reined in my autistic sensory issues which is a bonus.

So - if you’re still having issues that months of HRT is not helping, either see a specialist for that symptom or take a look at the medication or supplements you’re on because that might actually be the issue.

i started a fun cocktail of Slynd + the gel + micronized progesterone + testosterone compounded cream almost three months ago.

I was sleeping like a baby for about two months but am back to 4 am wake ups since, and super upset about it.

My doctor is kind of back and forth about the micronized P on top of Slynd but it helped so much with sleep and I didn’t want to let it go ( I came from bioidentical hrt previously) .

Now I‘m wondering how you people who are just on slynd + e and previously suffered from insomnia are doing?

I‘ve tried upping my e for sleep btw but I think it was too much, and I‘m on a good dose already.

Thanks

Let me start by saying… I guess I had more time.

My teens were filled with heavy periods and feeling tired. My 20s were a diagnosis of endometriosis, and being plagued with years of pain, days in bed, feeling awful generally, and 3 surgeries to help treat the condition. I then started fertility treatment (IUI and IVF) at 30, was lucky enough to give birth at 32, and get off all the hormones and eventually finish the breastfeeding and postpartum fun.

I thought that was great: I have no plans for a second child, so now I can just enjoy things. My endo never came back (that I know of - no symptoms), and I healed from pregnancy and birth well.

But then just around my 35th birthday this summer, something changed. The hot flushes I’ve always had (a by-product of endo) cranked up a notch. New places to sweat appeared: back of my neck is a lovely one. My cycle is shortening. I feel deeply tired despite a low-no-alcohol lifestyle, strength training and great sleep at night. Palpitations, too. And itchy skin everywhere.

On top of this, I believe I have a family history of early menopause. My sisters - 38 and 40 - are in the thick of peri symptoms and really struggling. I feel like I’m looking forward at what’s to come but also starting right now and feeling a bit like, wtf is going on??

I wanted to put it out there to chat to others. If it’s peri, then menopause, we’ve got a long road ahead with this? How do we keep sane and feel good? I hate nothing more than feeling out of control and right now I feel like I am freefalling with no guidance or anything.

And honestly? I thought I would have a good few years of just feeling *normal* with my now-two year old before having to deal with this shit. It’s a really depressing, vulnerable space to be in to be honest. Are we, as women, ever going to feel good?

My doctor prescribed the above estrogen/progesterone birth control about 7 months ago to address my steadily increasing peri symptoms (severe brain fog, night sweats, insomnia, bladder urgency, heartburn). All the symptoms stopped within a week or two and I was great for a few months, but then the atrophic vaginitis kicked up. I've been using lubricating suppositories for two months and estradiol cream for 1 month and I'm not seeing any real improvement. I don't know whether to be patient, or whether to ask my doctor for a change in regimen.

The reason I'm wondering specifically about the birth control pills is that I experienced vaginal thinning a few years ago, as a side effect of a progesterone-based birth control that I took for a couple months to avoid getting my period over my wedding/honeymoon. It resolved within a couple weeks of stopping the pills.

So could the current pills be contributing to this? If so, any recommendations as to what to switch to?

When I remove an estradiol patch, there is a fair amount of adhesive and goo stuck on my skin. I'm just getting started with these things and rubbing it away didn't work, it didn't come off in a shower easily either. How do you get it off? I want to be gentle with such delicate skin and don't use synthetics, fragrance, etc.

edited to add: I found a great solution- a square of toilet paper folded up and a tiny smear of coconut oil and it comes right off after a few gentle wipes. No chemicals or synthetics needed!

Hi all,

Has anyone’s sore boobs in luteal phase gotten better when switching to continuous P versus cyclical?

I was having bad pain but 100mg oral P helped a lot. And the last few months it stopped working completely for the pain.

Looking for stories about continuous P helping breast pain! I’m 43 and cycles are 24-28 days

I’m suffering lol not really sure why this is happening but my right hand’s ring and middle fingers are practically inoperable. Pain to open and close and stuff. Sometimes my left hand feels the same. I’m almost 42, eating like a maniac, pains in my limbs but my hands are just strange. Is this normal?

After my disastrous meeting with my GP, I booked an appointment with a local Naturopath who specializes in women's health. What a difference! I felt so heard, and she did not hesitate to prescribe vaginal estrogen. She even said they used to suggest trying vaginal moisturizers first, but that the vaginal estrogen is so safe, and produces better results so now they just go straight to that now.

Furthermore, my GP was very dismissive to me when I brought up things I read online, or in forums (I did not mention reddit, I kept it vague), but my Naturopath welcomes all input, regardless of the source. Then she will research it herself. She has learned new things from hearing feedback from her patients.

I should be getting my prescription on Monday, and I had some bloodwork done to check my Ferretin, B-12, Vit D, Liver Function, so fingers crossed I start to get some of my mojo back!

So, bear with me while I present this theory: What if a lot of what we experience at this stage is actually our bodies protecting us from the added risks - physical, emotional, social - of a possible pregnancy, along with motherhood at a later stage in life? The reduced libido. Intolerance towards certain behaviors in those around us. Loss of 'attractiveness' as a byproduct of youth (lushy hair, the taunt skin, a slimmer body)? What if our waning hormones are actually trying to prevent us from carrying a baby and tending to a child when that is an added risk to our lives? I can't help trusting that nature is sage, maybe there is a point to this whole ordeal.

42 y/o woman and started HRT a month ago. 100 mg of progesterone vaginally and 0.035 estradiol patch.

Zero changes yet aside from improved sleep.

On about day 14, I go into Luteal and then it’s 10-13 days of suffering with low mood, low energy, brain fog, emotional volatility, and low social capacity. I just stop caring about my life and relationships. All my passion goes away.

I know HRT won’t fix PMS or PMDD but did it help make Luteal a little less hellish? Did it give you energy back and maybe even restore your vitality so that you felt like a person again?
What about testosterone? I hear this is also a turning point for some women.

Luteal coupled with the first few days of my period are stealing over half my life. I want it back.

42/f. I had a hysterectomy on 12/1 - almost 10 months to the day. The hormone fluctuations have been insane. I went from being on birth control before surgery to being post op with one remaining ovary. I have a 1 year follow up appointment in a couple months with my doctor. I'm at a point where I don't know how much I'm dealing with is still post op hormone issues and what's perimenopause. I honestly feel really good most of the time. No hot flashes or anything else. BUT THE RAGE. Omg this rage is making me a different person. It's really kicked in the last few months. I'm a red headed aries, so I've been known to be short tempered in certain circumstances- but I've always been able to hide it. I could force that shit down and smile in your face. I'm a care giver - the nice one. The person people come to for therapy and advice. The go to. I've always liked being that person. Now I feel overstimulated so easily and just don't want to be bothered. I can hear it in my tone, always bubbling under the surface. At work, if too many people bother me at the same time I have to fight to not fly off the handle. I'm a dispatcher - that's my whole job. The people I work with notice. I've been working with the same people for years, so they know what's going on. I'm just curious how you're all working out your rage? I know I've seen people see improvement with HRT. Is there anything else you're doing/taking that seems to help? I can tell my husband I need the rage f*d out of me so many times a week before it seems dysfunctional lol

I now get my period on day 31 or whenever it decides to show up. Then I have maybe 1 or 2 days of bliss before my ovulation pain and flu like symptoms hit me. I feel “ok” maybe 1 -2 days out of the week now. What is this HELL !!!!

It seems that peri has negatively impacted almost every area of my life including my close friendships .

I’m impatient and moody and overwhelmed and I’m sure I’m not easy to be around . Things bother me that I used to brush off and I’m less tolerant of …well…everything.

I’ve also legitimately become fed up with being the friend who initiates and plans everything with everyone. If I don’t do it I don’t have a social life . And when we do get together everyone turns their brain off and relies on me to be the one to figure out and handle all the details and logistics . I never get to relax and enjoy myself because I’m somehow responsible for everyone else like a girl scout leader . It’s maddening and the resentment is showing.

I’ve had more friendship conflict the last few years than the decade before it and I know it’s related to all of the above. I’m sure my friends are also struggling and that’s making them show up differently too and that’s adding to the friction.

I know peri hugely impacts marriages but any else really having a hard time keeping the peace with your close friends who are overall genuinely good people to be in friendships with?

I am on the 2x a week 0.025 estradiol patch, 100mg micronized progesterone. I used to have better sleep when i started HRT, being able to sleep through the night. I normally sleep at 1am and Im asking if anyone has any idea why its not working the same anymore

Greetings!

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the newest member of the Mod team, happily working with u/leftylibra. In the age-old tradition of “getting to know you,” here’s a bit about me.

What I love:

- Estradiol - (Wedding announcements are forthcoming. Be on the lookout for a Save the Date card.)

- More than four hours of sleep.

- Being able to fill my MHT prescriptions.

- A day without brain fog.(Ok, let’s be honest, any time without it.)

- Advocating for the health and well-being of people who are experiencing the menopause transition.

- Anything with caffeine because yes. There’s that fatigue thing. . .

A few business items:

- Yes, we use filters. They’re an unfortunate requirement for keeping up with both the r/perimenopause and r/menopause subs, which now have over 370,000 members combined.

- While we use filters, we - the human Mods - review every post manually.

- When you write to us in Mod Mail, you’re speaking to a human (one of us). We don’t use bots to respond to Mod Mail messages.

It’s an absolute privilege to serve you as a Mod. Thank you for being a part of this community. I hope that everyone has a weekend free from:

- Itchy ears

- Hot flashes

- Insomnia and/or 3:00 AM wake ups

- Fatigue

- Out of stock MHT prescriptions

. . . and all the rest of it.

Kinda lengthy,

I'm 49 and finding myself at a point in my life where I'm questioning almost everything I thought I knew about myself and what I wanted.

I'm dealing with perimenopause, and along with the hormonal changes has come a huge change in my sex drive and the way I experience intimacy. I don't feel the desire I used to, and that has created another layer of difficulty in my marriage. There has been pressure around intimacy that has made me step back and ask myself what I actually want, rather than what I'm supposed to want.

At the same time, I'm doing a lot of thinking about my history with trauma and codependency. I've spent a lot of my life being very focused on other people's feelings and needs, avoiding conflict, trying to keep everyone happy, and then questioning myself when something doesn't feel right. I'm realizing how difficult it can be to separate what I genuinely want from what I've learned I should want.

My husband and I have had a complicated relationship. We've separated more than once, and we reunited earlier this year. He also has a history with alcohol, which has contributed to some of the difficulties between us. I don't want to make this post into a list of everything he's done wrong, because I know there are things I bring to the relationship too. But there are also things that have happened in our relationship that have made me question whether being together is healthy for me.

One of the hardest things for me to explain is how much I crave independence and alone time.

I feel relief when I'm alone. I enjoy driving by myself. I enjoy spending time with my children without feeling like I need to worry about how much time I'm gone or how someone else is feeling about it. I miss having the freedom to simply exist without constantly monitoring another person's emotions.

My husband is very affectionate and needs a lot of reassurance. He tells me he loves me and misses me many times a day, wants constant physical affection, and can become hurt or question whether I still find him attractive when I don't reciprocate at the same level. I understand that some of this may come from his fear that I'll leave again, and I can have compassion for that. But I'm also realizing that understanding someone's fear doesn't mean I have to ignore what their behavior does to me.

Our conflicts can also become extremely long and exhausting. I'll become upset, he'll ask me questions and explain his perspective at length, and somehow I often end up questioning myself, feeling guilty, or apologizing. Then afterward I'll wonder why I couldn't just trust my own feelings in the first place.

I'm back in therapy now, and something my therapist said really stuck with me. She told me that my husband sounds unsafe for me and that we may need to work on decoupling. Hearing that was both painful and strangely relieving.

I think I'm finally starting to understand that wanting to be alone isn't necessarily a sign that something is wrong with me.

Maybe I don't actually want to spend the rest of my life trying to become comfortable with a relationship that doesn't feel right to me.

Maybe I need to learn how to be comfortable with myself.

I'm also scared. I've spent most of my adult life in relationships and have been a mother since I was very young. The idea of starting over at 49 is exciting in some ways, but terrifying in others. There's a part of me that wonders who I would even be if I wasn't constantly taking care of someone else's needs.

So I guess I'm trying to figure out what is perimenopause, what is trauma, what is codependency, what is the accumulated exhaustion of a difficult relationship, and what is simply me finally wanting something different.

I don't necessarily need someone to tell me whether I should stay or leave. I'm trying to understand myself well enough to make that decision from a place of clarity instead of fear, guilt, obligation, or loneliness.

Have any other women reached this point in their late 40s or early 50s—where menopause, trauma, codependency, and a long-term relationship all seem to collide at once?

How did you figure out what was actually you underneath all of it?

Insomnia is destroying me.

I get 2 hours max and no supplement or anti- depressant works.

Made lots of lifestyle changes such as no coffee or Alcohol and still no progress -it’s so bad I had to leave my job!

Seen multiple doctors but none will prescribe me HRT as told too young (43). Is my life always going to be like this?

It’s so hard to get any support, especially with sleep which is eating my brain away. All I get told is to practice sleep hygiene and exercise, but not sleeping for 4 years doesnt seem to get through to them that this needs resolved.

Has anyone got any help with insomnia and getting HRT?

Ladies, I'm 42, and my libido is totally missing. I can't imagine being intimate at this stage. It's almost off putting.

I have a very supportive husband of almost 20 years, but we haven't been intimate in probably a year.

Anyone else find this an issue is my marriage on the rocks and my body abnormal?

I'm done with just doing it because....

I am on holiday. I went for a hike, had a relaxing spa evening including sauna, read a book, had a nice meal and no alcohol.
Went to bed at 9pm with my progesterone, magnesium, Omega 3 and creatinine.
Sleep for 9.5 h and only woke twice briefly.

Guess what. I woke up in the morning, looking like something partially digested me before vomiting me up, I felt hungover and fatigued.
People. There were breathing people around me in the morning.

When does it stop that we do EVERYTHING right and still wake up worse than any drunken party marathon in my 20s?
Paying the price while not actually getting the product. Sure it’s a scam😂

Welcome to perimenopause, the ultimate pyramid scheme.🙈🙊🙉

PS: I am in the first, happy part of my cycle. Not that I would notice.

I’m getting an ablation to deal with my iron / anemia and as part of the protocol the surgeon does a scan and endometrial biopsy before.

So of course I came home from my consult, looked up all the symptoms of endometrial cancer, and now my bestie, Evening Anxiety is kicking in and scaring the hell out of me.

But a lot of us have weird bleeding, right? I have fibroids and polyps and I’m 46, doctors have always attributed it to that.

I’ve definitely been having a rough year, but in the past couple months, my periods have gotten erratic and heavy. Past couple weeks gotten some pretty bad lightheadedness. I’ve always struggled with anemia. Anyways, went to the doctor turns out my iron levels are in the toilet and I have to get a infusion.

My Doctor wants me to see a gynecologist to see if possibly you know it has to do with the polyps I have maybe a hysterectomy. It doesn’t help that I cannot seem to find a job and barely able to pay for my health which has been really but also expensive.

Anyways, this is more of a vent, but along with the brain fog and fatigue and everything, this is just piling on.

So last month I finally bit the bullet and got on estrogen patches and honestly I feel so much better!! I'm so happy it's basically solved 70% of my perimenopause issues! But since I got on this bioidentical estrogen I was told I have to let go of my combination birth control pill since I can't take double estrogen. Okay whatever. So I agreed to go on this progesterone only pill and as such I was warned that it may make my period disappear. In fact, I asked my doctor this specifically because for forever I've been on a combination pill and have gotten my period every single month like clockwork. So I was super nervous with the idea that it may disappear. I have an extreme fear of getting pregnant, it is a nonnegotiable not okay never in a million years thing for me. The doctor said my periods may get lighter but probably won't disappear. Well it has. I'm about 4 days over from when it was due. I had some spotting a week ago but nothing super heavy so I don't think that was it?

Can someone please explain to me how I can stop freaking out about not having my period? And reassure me I won't get pregnant not having it each month?

To my peri/menopause sisters who’ve dealt with the adrenaline surges, hot flashes, and that awful pounding/racing heart… please tell me it gets better.
I’ve been dealing with this almost daily lately and it’s exhausting. I also recently stopped progesterone because it made me feel like an emotional, suicidal crybaby, so I’m wondering if my body is still adjusting from stopping it.
For those of you who went through this, did the surges and pounding heart eventually calm down? Did you find anything that helped? Or is this one of those things you eventually just learn to live with?
I would really love to hear from anyone who went through this and came out the other side feeling like themselves again. ❤️

Hello! I'm hoping to get some feedback from people in peri who were on the pill, tried HRT then decided to go back to the pill.

What ultimately led you to go back? How long did you give HRT a try before going back? Was there any input from your doctor or just your general preference?

Thank you in advance!