I think I am perimenopausal. Can anyone relate?

[cybrkitn]

If a woman is going to hit menopause at 40, then her perimenopause symptoms can strike at age 30! When I talked to my neighbor yesterday, she said that she is concerned that she is experiencing perimenopause; she is 31. Well, her mom had menopause at 42, so based on what this doctor said, it makes sense.

I was talking to my mom last night about me. She told me that she hit menopause at age 40. Which has me wondering since I will be 40 next year.

If I had AF last month I would have been due last week. So far, I haven't gotten it yet. My gyn's office told me if I miss March, then they want to see me. Three pregnancy tests last month were negative and I do have prolasp (sp?). We are trying for a second child so this is really putting a monkey wrench into our plans right now.

On another note though, DH has finally gotten his sugar levels under control woohoo: ) so that should help us out a lot.

 

[TLHB70]

On another note though, DH has finally gotten his sugar levels under control woohoo: ) so that should help us out a lot.

Great news!

 

[Tosie]

OP - I can surely relate. I am 43 and it started when I was 41.

Hot flashes - face only.

Heart palpitations -scary sometimes - no pain, just palpitations. I find they get more frequent when I'm stressed out.

Bouts of insomnia. Blech.

Crazy cycles - 25 days, 28 days, 21 days, this time we went all the way to 34 days. Even though my husband had a vasectomy 4 years ago, Clearblue Easy now has my $13.

Emotional - UGH!!!! I cry at the sappiest things - so embarrassing!!!

When I googled "perimenopause symptoms" I was SHOCKED at how many things I had experienced and never connected.

 

[drag n' fly]

You are so not too old!!! I also didn't start until I was 38---trust me, it's the best way to do it.

(Except when you are 44 with a 5 and 6 year old, premenopausal and grouchy. )

I am getting headaches more often. And feel so hormonal.

I thought that I had a few more years before this started, but...

Hey I have a 7 year old and I will be 44 in June. I did not seem to have as much energy as the first two who are 16 and 14 but I had a lot more patience and I was a way more relaxed parent. My symptoms are I miss a cycle now every 2-3 months or so. I am moody, achey, forgetful, headachey etc. I take a multivitamin, calcium/magnesium, vitamin d, and b 100 supplement every day. Apparently omega 3's are supposed to help but I am allergic to fish so I am not sure. I may start taking flax oil capsules to compensate for it. To offset symptoms I have found Swiss Natural Sources Natural HRT http://well.ca/products/swiss-natural-sources-hrt-menopause_1800.html capsules very beneficial. It has black cohosh, soy, chaste tree berry, wild yam, and burdock root. I bought the extra strength since well I am extra cranky

 

[Piglet4Ever]

OP - I can surely relate. I am 43 and it started when I was 41.

Hot flashes - face only.

Heart palpitations -scary sometimes - no pain, just palpitations. I find they get more frequent when I'm stressed out.

Bouts of insomnia. Blech.

Crazy cycles - 25 days, 28 days, 21 days, this time we went all the way to 34 days. Even though my husband had a vasectomy 4 years ago, Clearblue Easy now has my $13.

Emotional - UGH!!!! I cry at the sappiest things - so embarrassing!!!

When I googled "perimenopause symptoms" I was SHOCKED at how many things I had experienced and never connected.

I can totally relate with the emotional bit. I can be sitting down watching a regualr old comedy on tv all of a sudden I will hear a song or see some random image and I just cry, two seconds later, I am totally fine

I also googled "perimenopause symptoms" kind of on a lark, and when I could relate to most of them that is what really got me seriously thinking about it.

 

[DebbieB]

I started at 9 and just turned 50, still going......although I have been irregular the past couple of years. No hot flashes or anything. My mom was 48 when she went into menopause and really didn't have any symptoms. Both her sisters and her mom were 48 also. So I expected to be done when I was 48...................no.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I started this phase when I was 32 and just had my daughter. I didn't know what was going on for about a year and thought it was just tied to having a baby. Hot flashes, insomnia, moodiness, irregular periods that were all over the place and finally I asked my doctor and she told me what it was and confirmed it with a blood test. It lasted in varying stages until very recently (I am 45). Now it appears full menopause has hit and things are settled down and just fine at long last. Although I went about this long in 2003 when I was 38 without a period and then they started up again. But its seven years later and I am about two months longer thus far. Frankly, I'll be very disappointed if anything starts up again!

Good luck ladies, just another "women have all the fun" example!

 

[kirstenb1]

I am sorry that I did not have time to get to my computer yesterday after my appointment. I saw a new doctor. My neighbor sees this doctor, and she goes on and on about how great this lady doctor is. Since my doctor seemed to dismiss my concerns about perimenopause, I decided to switch and see this new lady doctor yesterday. I am so glad that I did! She is GREAT! She really listened to me and acknowledged that I CAN be in perimenopause. She said that the average age for menopause in women in the US is 50 years and 2 months (I think it was 2 months, maybe 4 months). She said that perimenopause symptoms generally hit 8 to 10 years before menopause. She pointed out that 50 years is the average age for menopause; that means that women can experience it earlier or later, like age 40 to 60, or later. If a woman is going to hit menopause at 40, then her perimenopause symptoms can strike at age 30! When I talked to my neighbor yesterday, she said that she is concerned that she is experiencing perimenopause; she is 31. Well, her mom had menopause at 42, so based on what this doctor said, it makes sense. The doctor did not do a hormone blood test on me, though, because I am still on the pill. She said that my pill is giving me hormones so any hormone test would be skewed. She also said that I could go through menopause on the pill and not even know it. She said that many women stay on the pill until just before 50. Then they get off of the pill and their periods never come. They realize that menopause has happened and because of the pills they did not even know. She said that she would do lab work on me if I were to get off of the pill. I told her I will stay on the pill rather than do that blood test. She did test my thyroid again, though. She did a complete CBC just to look at things.
Does that help anyone? It made me feel better; she did not think I was crazy for asking at all. She said that I very well could be in perimenopause, but until I am off of the pill, there is no way to verify with blood work.

Thanks for sharing this info. I'm 43 and still on the pill, but have suspected I'm in perimenopause for the last couple of years. I had suspected I'd have to go off the pill for testing. FWIW, I take the white pills only, continuously. I started to get very bad headaches a couple of years ago, just after finishing a pack of white pills. The NP said there was no reason to not take them continuously, and my headaches have cleared up.

 

[dnikas]

Hello everyone-
I am so happy I found this site and can definitely relate to what everyone is talking about!! I am 45 now and started back in January with several nights waking up drenched (wet bed and clothes). Then I started with itchy skin in February and little random red bumps appeared on my stomach and breasts that went away. Now I'm getting itchy again and have 3 little red bumps on inside of left breast. Totally scared I have Breast Cancer, etc. Thinking every little thing is going to kill me. Never had feelings like this before...so crazy! Has anyone been through this too?? I never heard of itchiness and red bumps as premenopause symptoms before! hoping this is common and I'm not going crazy!!! thanks

 

[crz4mm2]

I started with symptoms about 10 years ago. I THINK I might actually be getting near the real thing. I HOPE anyway. I am 50+