38 felt like way too young to be googling 'am I dying or is this perimenopause at 3am with my heart banging and no sleep for four nights running. I was genuinely frightened. Like properly scared in a way I hadn't been since I was a teenager and didn't know what was happening to my body. I'm posting this because I remember scrolling through forums in that state and desperately wanting someone to say it gets less terrifying. So. It got less terrifying for me. Eight weeks on from starting HRT I've been keeping rough notes, nothing fancy, just a note on my phone most mornings saying how I slept and what my mood was doing. The pattern that emerged surprised me. Sleep came back first. Then mood started to follow. Not perfectly, not in a straight line, but the jagged awful edges have softened. I've also noticed that if I do any kind of strength work I feel genuinely better the next morning if I eat something with protein after rather than just collapsing on the sofa. That's just me, just what I've clocked. Got a follow-up appointment booked and I've written down what's improved so I can actually say it clearly instead of just crying with relief in the chair. Progress to report. That's new. If you're in the frightened bit right now, I see you. I was there eight weeks ago x