At the age of 30, I, like many women, have struggled to be diagnosed and receive proper medical care for early perimenopause ( the stage leading up to menopause ) GP’s ( AND hormone professionals who work in the NHS and privately, IE Gynaecologists ) either do not know that perimenopause even exists and that it can cause debilitating symptoms until finally you reach full blown menopause, or they are claiming that you " cannot be in perimenopause that young " when under 45 and are turning women away without offering HRT or they are offering an antidepressant or the contraception pill and in some cases, offering them nothing. They are also only diagnosing women via a blood test ( even women 45 + who should be diagnosed & treated via symptoms alone!!!! ) A blood test is a completely unreliable way to diagnose any woman at any age as being in perimenopause due to such fluctuations in hormones and irregular menstruation. A ONE DAY blood test cannot possibly determine perimenopause! Perimenopause is the stage before menopause which for many women brings debilitating symptoms both mentally and physically!!!! It needs to be acknowledged and treated!!! 

Therefore, GP’s need to be educated on the perimenopause stage AND they need to offer women of ALL ages a diagnosis and treatment for it by the symptoms alone, not by a blood test, the expected age of perimenopause needs to be completely dropped as women  are now clearly going into perimenopause before this age, things change every day and this needs to be updated so that women of all ages can go to their GP with their perimenopause symptoms, in confidence that they will be diagnosed and offered treatment via their symptoms! 

GP’s and all professionals working within the female hormone health sector need to be educated on the fact that from the moment a woman’s hormones begin to decline and fluctuate ( 30 years old for me ) she can then start to experience the symptoms of perimenopause and therefore is in the perimenopause stage!! Regardless of age! 

Declining hormones can happen at any age for any reason! Perimenopause can begin from young ages, who knows why, and if that needs to be looked into then fine, but often, we cannot find an answer for these things, so atleast diagnose them and treat them!!

HRT in the form of cream, patch etc, must be offered as an option ( For women who are not at risk of clots ) not just an antidepressant or the contraception pill, which for many, isn’t a successful way to relieve a woman of perimenopause symptoms. Women in perimenopause can also be at risk of various issues such as heart disease, depression and osteoporosis in the future if they do not have the hormones they need replaced. We are talking about women’s physical and mental health here. It is not something that should be taken lightly or seen as something so insignificant. Women are spiralling into depression because of undiagnosed and untreated perimenopause. 

For six long months, I have endured both physical and emotional pain and suffering while being dismissed by healthcare professionals. I believe I went into perimenopause whilst on the contraceptive pill, as I began to experience perimenopause symptoms whilst on the pill and I clearly needed alternative ways to be treated for what I now know to be perimenopause. On quitting the pill and presenting my perimenopause symptoms to my GP, they insisted on relying solely on blood tests, refusing to diagnose and treat me based on the symptoms I presented. Women 45 + are to be diagnosed for perimenopause via symptoms alone, a blood test is not a requirement due to severely fluctuating hormones and irregular monthly menstrual cycles in this age range, therefore women under 45+ who present perimenopause symptoms and have irregular menstrual cycles should be able to be diagnosed and treated via symptoms alone, it should not matter what age you are, if a woman has perimenopause symptoms, irregular menstrual cycles and fluctuating hormones, whether 45 or 25, she should be diagnosed AND treated ( HRT included ) via symptoms ALONE!!! A blood test could show NORMAL hormone levels on that ONE day the blood test was taken because in perimenopause hormones fluctuate so wildly! Therefore, we cannot diagnose perimenopause by a one day blood test!!!! Nor should we have to. Symptoms should be good enough. You do not have to prove depression through an MRI on your brain or be a certain age to get a depression diagnosis & antidepressants, so perimenopause should be diagnosed and treated the same way! 

Perimenopause is just as debilitating as experiencing full blown menopause, infact sometimes worse due to the fluctuating hormones, due to the fact the menstrual cycle is still not completely over. We should be given the option to be treated whilst in the perimenopause stage to prevent future mental health and physical problems too. I have spent the past 6 months in a dark place, trying desperately to be heard! I had to pay to see a private gynaecologist who STILL did not know about the symptoms of the perimenopause stage and still did not diagnose me, after paying good money on the hopes of receiving a diagnosis. Why is it so difficult to understand that the declining levels of hormones in the PERImenopause stage will cause symptoms both mentally and physically, that can for some women, only be relieved by hormones being replaced and can start from any age. 

To further add to this, as a woman with adhd, it has been absolutely mentally debilitating. It is well known that neurodivergent women are effected even more severely when hormone levels decline due to the already deficient brain neurotransmitters ( serotonin/ dopamine etc ) Declining hormone levels declines important brain neurotransmitters in every woman, regardless, but as a neurodivergent woman with ADHD, I can absolutely confirm that my ADHD has been exacerbated and my adhd medication even now fails to work due to needing eastrogen to work to relieve me of adhd symptoms. Perimenopause for many women causes a domino effect in other struggles she already has. Including women with a history of depression, due to the drop in serotonin. 

This rigid and outdated approach has left me feeling unheard, belittled, and frustrated, as if my suffering was insignificant or fabricated. Doctors, gynaecologists etc whether private or nhs must be made aware that perimenopause does exist and can cause debilitating symptoms. There needs to be more education for GPs/ private gynaecologists on this stage and as a whole, perimenopause and menopause must be diagnosed and treated via symptoms only, no matter the age. The age requirement must be dropped and so must the need to prove peri/menopause by blood test. Treatment should include HRT via the patch, sprays, creams etc, not just the contraceptive pill and antidepressants. 

Women across the UK face similar challenges. Perimenopause and menopause are natural and inevitable processes, yet they are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Many women, regardless of age, experience debilitating symptoms such as severe mood swings, fatigue, hot flushes, worsened mental heath struggles, forgetfulness, and joint pain, that’s just to name a few. However, a fixation on normative age ranges and certain diagnostic tests prevent us from receiving the care we need when we need it the most. We simply need to be able to go to our GP, share our symptoms, be heard, listened to and then be offered various treatments including HRT. Give us options! Women are suffering mentally and physically. 

The reality is that perimenopause AND menopause do not adhere to a strict timeline and its onset can vary greatly among individuals. A failure to recognize this variation leaves many women untreated, suffering silently because their symptoms do not align with traditional expectations. Without timely diagnosis and treatment based on experienced symptoms, our quality of life declines rapidly. 

I am calling on healthcare policymakers, medical boards, and professional medical associations to urgently re-evaluate the diagnostic criteria and standards for perimenopause and menopause. We need a system that permits and encourages healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat these conditions based on symptoms alone.

Implementing a symptom-based approach to diagnosing and treating menopause is not just a medicinal necessity, it is a moral obligation to uphold the dignity and well-being of women everywhere. Everyone deserves to have their health concerns taken seriously.

The changes we need are as follows

• GPs and all medical professionals who work in the hormonal field both in NHS and privately MUST be educated on the existence and symptoms of the stage BEFORE menopause ( PERIMENOPAUSE ) 
• Perimenopause / menopause females of ALL ages to be offered HRT in the form of patches, creams, sprays, tablets etc. 
• Women of ALL ages must be diagnosed, without an age restriction or requirement.
• Women of all ages must be diagnosed and treated by symptoms alone, NOT required to have a blood test which is an unreliable way to diagnose perimenopause. 

By signing this petition, you are supporting a critical change in healthcare policy that will ensure women experiencing perimenopause and menopause early or unexpectedly are heard and treated effectively. Let's ensure a compassionate and understanding medical system for women everywhere.