I am 48 years old and have had pain in my neck, upper back, shoulders and also pain radiating into my arms for a few months now. I am also having nausea at different time and breast pain, along with unrefreshing sleep. I have been to four different doctors and they can't seem to make up their minds between perimenopause and fibromyalgia. Can you shed any light on my situation please?

It sounds to us as if your menopause is approaching. The symptoms you describe are typical and you are in the age range of 45-55. Are your periods becoming erratic, sometimes heavy and short, sometimes lighter and further apart?

While you were on the fibromyalgia section, you may have seen the 'trigger points' illustration. If not, do have a look and you'll see that one of the requirements for a diagnosis is that the pain is felt in at least 11 of the 18 locations and that all 4 quadrants of the body are affected. Your description doesn't really match that but they are typical of the menopause.

For more expert advice from someone who speaks to 100s of women with the menopause, please have a chat to Eileen via our menopause pages.That's not to pass you on, just to get you an empathetic ear from someone who's familiar with every weird and wonderful symptom under the sun.

In the meantime, if you're more confident it's the menopause approaching, you might want to consider trying our Menoforce Menopause Support product, as it's designed to address that variety of symptoms that our Menosan Sage tablets can't touch (they're best for hot flushes alone).

One thing I always keep in mind is this: don't leave it to a blood test based on an average to tell you what's wrong. You're a person, so pay attention to your symptoms.

Best wishes

Earle

PS: Eileen is fantastic, so do make the effort.