Low blood pressure question for the ladies

I have a question about low blood pressure symptoms. (I should start calling these threads "Marge's Menstrual Madness"!)

I really think I'm peri-menopausal, and have been for the past 6 years.  You may remember that I recently posted that my period was AWOL for 5 months. Well, she ain't now!  Such fun.  I've been missing it off and on for the past few years, then it comes back, and is normal.  I did have a very heavy one last February--the first time I've ever taken a sick day for that.  I think the problem is that I've been VERY anemic for the past 12-15 years (I was diagnosed as such back then).  I can't take iron pills (they give me horrible stomach pains--enough that I get dizzy), but I do eat iron-rich cereal every day. In fact, my hemoglobin was up to the normal minimum of 12.5 in 11/10, when I had it tested. (It used to be 4, yes, FOUR!).  I do eat red meat a lot more, on orders from my doctor years ago.  Anyway, I'm having a heavy one the past few days, and I noticed some interesting things when these heavies happen. I think it's severe anemia, due to heavy blood loss. Yesterday and today, I felt COLD, enough to shiver.  I felt out of it, and the weird symptom I'd like to ask you about is:

I just want to rip people's heads off. I get REALLY foul-tempered; while I do have a temper, this is different. I rarely go off on someone; even then, it's due to an isolated incident with them, not a general feeling that I wake up with that day. The funny thing is, I don't feel a rising, boiling, raise-my-blood pressure angry, just snappy.  I've always had rather low blood pressure. My question is: does low blood pressure, caused by blood loss, make one feel like this? I never get PMS; and this feeling ony happens after a day of severe menstrual bleeding, when the other symptoms kick in.  When the bleeding slows down, I start to feel normal again, and much better physically and mentally (such as now). 

The past 2 days have been ghastly.  Work has been super-busy, and I was dealing with light-headeness, exhaustion, chills, a bad mood, a headache, and mess. The only good thing is that I don't have any pain at all (which is unusual for me)!  I'm feeling almost back to normal now, though. And, the next periods will return to normal, and not be any trouble, as before.

Yeah, I know I should go to the doctor...:-)

Yeah, you do need to be checked-out by a doctor. It might not be your BP that's causing the symptoms and it's best to make sure. I think dizziness and light-headedness can be symptoms of low BP, but not exhaustion or chills. Those can be symptoms of anemia, however, and the same goes with your headache, although that could be simply caused by stress. You need to see your doctor. Hope you can get in soon to be seen. Once you know what's going on, you can deal with it better.

I guess I should add that I had a total hysterectomy when I was 24, including uterus, cervix, everything. So I don't remember much about periods and such anymore, only that, for me, they were very painful and heavy. I had endometriosis and, back then, there wasn't much in the way of meds to handle it. You know, I've really never regretted having that operation either. I didn't want any more kids (we already had our son) and had had my tubes tied when I was 19, so it was really no big deal.

I agree with Pam---you really need to see a dr.  I went thru peri-menopause for 11 years (oh, lucky me!) and I had strange symptoms, too.  The chills and exhaustion you're experiencing don't sound right (just my opinion, obviously).  Write down all your symptoms so you don't forget anything once you're in the dr.'s office and get yourself checked out.

I hope you're feeling better soon!

I agree, go see your gynecologist and have a PAP and a pelvic ultra sound done.

It could be perimenopause, but it could be something else such as Polycystic Ovary, or even cancer of the uterus.  I was polycystic ovary which caused me to miss periods for months at a time, and at other times have normal periods, and at others hemorrhage ones to the point my hemaglobin dropped from the 130's to low 80's in 2 days!

I had the same problem with being snappy, irritable, and even angry when I was perimenopausal.  I would even regret a lot of things while I was saying them.  I too took a long time to get through, about 10 years.  I think I am in menopause now, it's been 7 months without a period, and the anger problem is certainly much better.  I would get checked by a doctor and he can also check your hormones to see if you are perimenopausal.