Out of all the perimenopause symptoms, the one where I have a permanently stuffed nose is the one that took me by surprise.

Peri came to me in my mid-40s, but I didn’t know it then. I started to develop most of the (now, to me,) classic symptoms: depression, anxiety, body aches, brain fog, and, perhaps the most annoying — wild periods that either showed up every three weeks or went on for DAYS (28 days was my most insane menstruation. Let’s call it #28daygate).

I remember going to the gyno then (#28daygate), and she reported I had fibroids, but she never once uttered the word perimenopause. Perimenopause wouldn’t take the internet by storm for a few more years, and when it did, I was ready to get help. I began my hormone replacement therapy treatment two years ago, and I am grateful. I really am feeling so much better; my period is just hanging in there like a champ, albeit now for a regular number of days!

But let’s talk about how symptoms keep evolving. And this year’s most awful one is the joint and tendon pain that has come on strongly. Tennis elbow felt the worst, as I am a communications professional who does A TON on her laptop and mobile phone.

Yet the most annoying part is that, around 3 pm every day, I can’t breathe through my nose. This has been going on for six months now. Who knew a drop in estrogen could lead to a permanently stuffed nose?

I manage this condition with a nasal congestion spray, constantly clearing snot from my nose, and Aquaphor to treat my raw, inflamed nostrils. My ability to sleep, much better now than before HRT (progesterone, in particular), has been impacted by the stuffed nose and postnasal drip at night.

But we carry on. What about perimenopause has taken you by surprise?