Stress Center Peer Support

I'm 40 and my doctor told me last week that I'm in perimenopause. My anxiety started a couple of years ago and I'm convinced that perimenopause is making the anxiety worse. I'm not saying that perimenopause caused my anxiety as I'm a textbook case of someone with anxiety disorder but rather perimenopause is exacerbating my anxiety. My moods have been all over the place lately and I'm scared. I don't know how long this transition in my life will last and I really don't know what to expect. Any ladies out there going through this?

dw6692, I agree. I have always been a nervous person even as a child I had what the dr called a nervous stomach. But when I hit 40 and started into perimenopause my world turned upside down. My anxiety (which I thought I was handling ok) turned into full blown heart pounding panick attacks. I now have had a hysterectomy 3 yrs. ago but I still know when it is the time of month that my period should start, my anxiety and panic gets worst for about a week. I think and this is just my opinion that hormones have a lot to do with anxiety and depression. Good luck, I really think this program is helping me. It helps just to talk to someone else going through the same thing.

Thanks CDT. It does help talking about it and helps knowing that I'm not alone. I'm on week 2 of the program and at times I feel hopeless. I know I have to give the program time and I have a lot of work to do. I need to be patient. I agree about the hormones having an effect on our anxiety. I think just having that knowledge is helpful.

I'm 53. Perimenopause ABSOLUTELY created an onslaught of emotions and hormones that brought me to a place of "adrenal exhaustion" - have been out of work for 5 weeks. Perimenopause, I have found, a time when I can choose to grow through the 40 years of anxiety disorder or die. Extraoridnarily challenging time in my life. I also have 2 teenage boys and am a single mom. We have hormones racing in our house. I suggest you read Christiane Northrup's book "The Inner Wiseom of Menopause and the Change". The book brought me great information and consulation knowing I am not alone in this process. There are a lot of us out here!!!!

I'm 38 and also in perimenopause. I am having a very hard time with anxiety issues again. I'm trying to do the program again but it feels different this time. Before I was able to have really good results because everything was "anxiety" ...now I doubt myself over everything...is it an anxiety attack or is it really a heart problem...and so forth. Been to the dr a couple of times but still not getting relief from this. It helps to know others are going through peri menopause/menopause anxiety issues though...please say this will get better...