Female Hormones

Hello,

I hope it is OK that I am interjecting in this thread, and I hope I'm doing it correctly - I'm responding to the original message, but perhaps I should be responding to the last message instead. I just wanted to comment as I saw several people here talking about autistic menopause, and that the OP Allfunktup and SallyCinnamon  mentioned they were struggling  Apologies if this message comes through twice - I got a message saying it was deleted as spam... 

I am not yet perimenopausal, but I'm probably not too far away from it! I am an autistic autism researcher. Over the past few years, myself and my colleagues have been doing some research on autistic experiences of menopause. If they are of interest to anyone, you can find the two studies on my site: Menopause and autism | Scienceonthespectrum  (the link is to the first study, where you can download the paper, read the plain English summary and watch the explanatory video if you so wanted. At the bottom of the page, you'll find a link to the second study). 

I am so sorry that people are struggling - from this research, I have heard from a number of people that they found life more difficult during the menopause, including experiencing heightened sensory sensitivities and 'seeming more autistic'. I hope that reading these studies may help you feel slightly less alone and slightly more informed about why it's so hard - I think menopause is made so much more difficult by the fact that many people struggle alone and not being sure about what is happening to them.  For the same reason, I want to link you to some supportive communities: if you go to the resources page on my site (Resources and support | Science On The Spectrum), you can scroll down to 'neurodivergent menopause'. If you join any of these groups, you absolutely do not need to be socially-active; there is no pressure to post or join in any discussions, but you may just find some comfort in hearing from others who are sharing support and consolation around all the difficult facets of the menopause, and sharing relevant news/articles/online content and advice.    

    

Finally, I wanted to let you know, in case you are interested, that me and my colleagues are running a new study exploring autistic experiences of menopause. We are a team of researchers (autistic and non-autistic), and autistic community advocates  If you might be interested in learning more about it, you can find all the information about our study at: AutisticMenopause.com 

  

I really wish you all the best as you navigate this time. It seems that some people are not strongly affected by the menopause, but some people ARE affected strongly and find it very challenging.  I really hope you can get some help and support on the ground where you are.

Definitely worse as I've gotten older! The 'Flo' app has helped to keep a check on the emotional disregulation and I have a very high tolerance to pain so I'm not really sure how bad that side of it is. 

I'm also perimenopausal (47) and I am really struggling with the anger, low mood and overwhelming anxiety. Have a GP phone call Monday so I am hoping I get HRT. It really isn't nice for me or my family I'm a nightmare! 

I took natural supplements for years (Womens Best Friend / Crystal Star) which helped with hormone balance.  Drinking less helps, moderating sugars and inflammation help (100% cranberry / grapefruit seed extract - both of these can interfere with other medications tho, so double check if need be). 

I have moments I forget about biological things. But I also have so many other health related issues to be mindful of. I try to make reminders in my calendar.