Aspergers and perimenopause.....

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Hi everyone,

I have been recently dx with Aspergers by my psychologist that I have been seeing for 2 years. I also started peri at the age of 31. I have really struggled with the symptoms of peri coupled with the chaos/control I feel with my Aspergers mind.....does that make sense?

Anyway, stimulation overload is well.....on overload, my mind goes around like a hamster on a exercise wheel and I get so stuck on repetitive behaviour. My T is working with me on mindfulness(a DBT technique) to try and help keep me in the moment......it is like trying to wrestle an anaconda!

I have started HRT (Livial) and was just wondering if some other lovely women could share their experience if they have one with trying to balance the peri brain with the Aspergers mind........gosh I am glad I found this site

Thanks all,

Michhsta

Welcome to Wrong Planet! I managed to get through most of perimenopause without realizing it. That's because feeling horrible was the norm for me at that time. I just chalked it up to the dysthymia that had been with me for as long as I could remember and I wasn't medicated. I only started noticing once the hot flashes kicked in. I didn't take any prescription medication but I read about natural remedies on line and started taking Black Cohosh which is the main ingredient in the OTC meds. It really helped.

Thanks Aimless.......nice to meet you.

Yes, dysthemia can be very hard. I have had bouts of clinical depression myself through the years. I have a number of physical issues that I am dealing with and found when I hit peri, it took me 4 years of feeling horrible to finally hit the deck and not succeed in getting back up! It is different for everyone it seems. I sort of deal with levels of melancholia now as well as moods associated with PMDD(premenstrual dysphoric disorder). My psychiatrsist tried anti-depressants but they made me feel worse......so hopefully after a couple more months, the HRT will really start working. I have noticed subtle differences already. I have heard that black cohosh is excellent. Has it helped with your dysthemia?

Take good care and it was good to talk to you......

Michhsta

I started having hot flashes at age 37. What has worked for me is wild yam extract capsules. I get ones that are standardized and I have not had trouble with hot flashes since. I have been taking the wild yam for 11 years now.

I'm glad you brought this up. I was just wondering the same thing. I think my hormones are causing my AS to be even worse. The racing thoughts are making me crazy at night and my control issues are out of control. More stimming than usual also. The worst of all is the hightened anxiety level. And, I feel so alone in this, all my friends minimize my problems.

Flash of heat topic

Hormonal surges and dips do a number on AS women. I have completed the change, though the odd flash remains. I do an hour of fitness on a stationary bkie each day and this helps.

No more surges makes for calmer thinking. The natural rmemdies are worth pusuing.

I think I am past this; I was having severe symptoms for awhile. The hot flashes themselves, were actually painful. It felt as if every nerve ending was being rubbed with sand paper. I went to an acupuncturist, and he did nearly three months of treatment, including certain Chinese herbs. They really, truly helped.

Hi

I was just wondering whether any one could discuss all the types of symptoms they've experienced with perimenopause and aspergers as I feel I am dealing with both currently and its a bloody nightmare. I started to wonder if my perimenopause was stressed induced as I am only 31 now and this all started when I was about 24 I started putting on weight and began having constant palpitations, then I went through a short stressful time I was trying to move out on my own for the first time I think I was 29 and I just couldn't cope with it, it made me feel nervous and weepy I couldn't get settled so moved back home about 5 days later it was the worse week of my life, I couldn't deal with the change and then it took me a while to get back to 'normal' I just felt as though my whole brain had done a 360 if that makes sense now to me this suggests AS big time? The same month I began with back problems and turned out to be arthritis in my lumbar region, now I feel the top of my back is going and my knees are starting to go that way too. I was getting slightly strange symptoms before this move happened though i was getting period pain on just my left side or right sometimes i had digestive problems - every night i would feel nausea if i'd eaten sugary foods for at least a year prior. Now my periods are very light if non existant and all over the place i have to guess when to have pads at the ready now the whole rhythm has changed they are harder to predict. The first really strange symptom i got was a metal taste in my mouth for about 2 weeks and then i got really bad burning in the back of my throat, weird taste in mouth, night sweats with nausea and without, hot flashes, I get intrusive thoughts ocd can be worse at some times than others, had a period of terrible delusions and depression (This could have been due to the fact that i'd swapped anti depressants and the new ones hadn't kicked in. It was f**king awful I thought i was going insane literally. All the symptoms are still there but they seem to be subsiding ever so slightly. I really hope this is perimenopause I can't go through this twice. Can someone help or give advice it would be very much appreciated. Sorry for going on.

Em x