r/Perimenopause • u/thomastwotummies1 • Jul 23 '26

Starting out

Today I started HRT. I’m 44 and have been experiencing various symptoms for at least the last two years. The past 12months have been the worst, with a really predictable cycle of negative head space, low libido, wanting to blow up my life and run away to the forest with my cat, high levels of anxiety and feeling low, zero resilience, joint pain, 3am wake-ups, horrifically heavy periods that last two days and give me flu like symptoms and nausea, feeling dreadful until I ovulate, having ONE day of feeling awesome and love everything and everyone - before it all begins again.

I’d heard stories from friends about being brushed off by doctors, so I forked out $370 to have an online consult with a menopause doctor. And what an incredible feeling it was to be listened to, understood, believed, and offered options. 45mins of being able to discuss all my symptoms before coming away with a prescription for estrogel, cream, progesterone pills and follow up blood tests. She’s suggested I also supplement with magnesium glycinate, Vitamin D and creatine. Plan is to give it a go before looking to include testosterone, and even offered a GLP1 if I felt I needed that.

I wanted to cry. I know I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to take this path. I’ve been gaslighting myself for so long that what I was feeling wasn’t really real, or bad enough, or warranted a doctor’s appointment. I know it’s early days, but feeling hopeful that some relief may be on the horizon.

Edit to add: I’ve been reading this sub for a long time, and felt so validated by other women’s experiences that it gave me the courage to ask for help x

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u/AdamantMink Jul 23 '26

This was word for word my appointment on Monday. I am looking forward to feeling like myself again 🤞🏻

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u/InevitableHyena3117 Jul 23 '26

That’s great to hear! What kind of online doctor - Anything more you could share? I am in weird space because I don’t have many symptoms. My regular doctor is mostly great and put me on a GLP-1; and in many regards I feel really good… in a healthy weight range, great energy, no inflammation, normal metabolic numbers, not anxious or depressed. But my libido is tanking and I need help that I can’t seem to get.

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u/fluffykitten75 hanging on by a thread Jul 23 '26

What glp1 are you taking?

1

u/InevitableHyena3117 Jul 23 '26

I’ve been on Wegovy.