Questions About Hormone Imbalance

by Julie
(California, United States)

I am 40 years old and have been having many different symptoms, which I believe is due to some type of hormone imbalance possibly suggesting perimenopause.

All of the symptoms I experience happen during the 14th to 26th day of my cycle. The symptoms I am having include the following:

breast tenderness (very, very painful),
headaches, acne, weight gain, muscle aches,
fatigue, numbness/tingling, skin crawling sensation,
stomach pain

Every month it seems my symptoms get worse. I recently went into the gynecologist and asked her if it were possible that I had some type of hormone imbalance or if maybe I would go through menopause early.

She basically just told me that as we get older that's what happens and she wrote me a prescription for an antidepressant to take 10 days out of the month. Well, I never took the antidepressant. I'm not depressed.

Just recently, my menstrual cycle has gotten very heavy. I do not even want to go to sleep because I'm afraid of what I'm going to wake up to. I pass very large clots. I am also spotting a week before I'm due and this last month I was a week early.

My mom purchased some bio-identical progesterone balance cream for me to try, but I am not sure if this is the right thing to do. If there is anything you can suggest, I would greatly appreciate it.

I am tired of doctors telling me I have anxiety and I am depressed.

Thanks.