Menopause questions

[luvflorida]

You ladies are all "young 'uns"! I'm 51 and I want to know when they will end! I STILL get my periods like clockwork. The only difference in the past few years is that they're 25-27 days apart instead of my usual 28-30 days, and they last for 3-4 days instead of 5-6. It's just annoying. I don't need them anymore and I don't want them anymore.

My husband and I have been married for almost 28 years and he knows "the look". All I have to do is look at him a certain way, and he backs down. He's knows just how far he can push with the menopause and hormone jokes. He knows when to let me have my alone time, which I crave more frequently lately.

DS is 25 and has moved back home after a short stint at living on his own. A friend of his is driving across country to Arizona next week and DS is going along with her to help her with the driving. I've asked him if he plans on spending some time out there visiting with his married sister. I'm hopeful that he'll stay awhile, but I don't want to appear too eager for him to leave or he's going to think he's missing something here and want to stay.

I love my husband and kids dearly, but you know sometimes you just want to make them all disappear for a short time. I LIKE spending time with just me!

 

[Tiggeroo]

The one that bugs me the most is the one who is the least problem, sort of. My 22 yo dd who is home for the fifth year of hs drives me nuts. You can't really have two women sharing a house. Her standard of house keeping is much, much lower then mine. I can fight with her all the time about it and keep making her come back and clean up or I can clean it up myself. Both choices suck. She will look at a mess and just not see it and her bedroom smells. She likes to cook but she burns almost everything and then leaves the burnt pot soaking for an eternity. Every time she breaks out a cookbook I cringe. All of her friends except her bf went away to grad school this year so she's home way too much. We argue, dh says I'm too hard on his princess and then dh and I spat about it. Aargh. This is why I started cocktail hour in my 40's.

 

[JunieJay]

I'm 43 and have been in peri menopause for close to 10 years. The end seems nowhere in sight.

Hate to tell you that, but it could go on for a few more years, especially if your periods are still regular.

Hang in there. And tell your hubby to hush. Tell him Junie Jay said so.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My DH never had much tact (thanks to his mother, who he takes after), but he doesn't even know how to give a compliment now. I have lost about 15 pounds in the last year because of medicine I'm on as a migraine preventative that decreases my appetite. That's great since it's a time in my life that gaining weight is easy to do and hard to take off. Well, my DH saw a picture of me that was taken about 1 1/2 years ago, looked at it and said, "yeah, you look a lot better now". I looked at him, shook my head and laughed. He didn't know why I wasn't thrilled with the compliment. Talk about a backhanded compliment. So I looked terrible then? At least I was able to laugh--it's not as if I was really overweight and I really shouldn't lose much more weight now--just need to tone up and lose my belly.

 

[Tiggeroo]

yeah the weight loss thing. dh and i are both working pretty hard on this and walking every day. He's doing much, much better then i am and likes to crow about it. Plus if he gets in my car and sees a chocolate wrapper he'll comment. I'll want to smack him and say sometimes you just need chocolate. I'm getting the dark kind that has wonderful antioxidants aren't i.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The good thing about me losing weight is that it prompted my DH to lose weight. He weighs more than me and has already lost as much, but it doesn't show as much since it's a smaller percentage. At the high school back to school night one mom commented to me that I looked real good and my DH said, "what about me?" in a joking voice and she said that he looks the same. I about started laughing. If she had of mentioned that I lost weight, I might have mentioned that my DH lost weight, but it's not as if she spelled it out to that degree. It was kind of humorous.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Hmmm, maybe I'm peri-menopausal too! I'm 43, and while your cycles were getting shorter, mine were getting longer and heavier and closer together.

Due to several other uterine issues, I was eagerly awaiting a hysterectomy...just had to wean the baby first!

I had the surgery in May, and asked the doc, "So how will I know when I begin menopause with no cycle?" and she said, "Well, you may notice symptoms, and if so we'll deal with them as they come. If you don't notice symptoms, then no worries, right?"

As far as I know, no real moodiness yet. I suppose I should ask DH though...

 

[Tiggeroo]

i don't think i'm moody, really. I think dh is the cranky one. He's recently taken a really good job but it requires alot less time and is alot less stressfull and physical. This is a great thing but he has no hobbies. He's bored. This is the first time in his life when he's had some free time and a bit of money to spend and somehow for him this is a hard transition.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

You ladies are all "young 'uns"! I'm 51 and I want to know when they will end! I STILL get my periods like clockwork. The only difference in the past few years is that they're 25-27 days apart instead of my usual 28-30 days, and they last for 3-4 days instead of 5-6. It's just annoying. I don't need them anymore and I don't want them anymore.

My husband and I have been married for almost 28 years and he knows "the look". All I have to do is look at him a certain way, and he backs down. He's knows just how far he can push with the menopause and hormone jokes. He knows when to let me have my alone time, which I crave more frequently lately.

DS is 25 and has moved back home after a short stint at living on his own. A friend of his is driving across country to Arizona next week and DS is going along with her to help her with the driving. I've asked him if he plans on spending some time out there visiting with his married sister. I'm hopeful that he'll stay awhile, but I don't want to appear too eager for him to leave or he's going to think he's missing something here and want to stay.

I love my husband and kids dearly, but you know sometimes you just want to make them all disappear for a short time. I LIKE spending time with just me!

My periods have also gotten much closer. I seem to go about every three weeks, forget that 28-30 day thing. But, mine do seem to be a bit lighter now, especially since the dr. did a D&C on me last year to thin out the uterine walls.
I don't have the hot flashes now like I did a few years ago, before my gastric bypass surgery, but have a lot of the other symptoms.
And, yes sometimes the DH, really, really needs to spend a lot more time not making me mad! That really should be a required course for men when we reach our forties.
Kim

 

[tigercat]

Now that I am 50 I know that I have started but have been fortunate so far with most of the symptoms. I don't get hot flashes or overly warm. I have had 3 periods so far this year but last year I had a hard time. The Dr. said that if I hemeraged(sp) then she would be doing a hysterectomy, which I really don't want. I have had so many surgerys and so many problems after each one. The last visit I had though was while I was camping in a tent trailer. I started and it was really really bad. My dh didn't want to take me to the hospital because it was an hour away. I also had cramps from heck. I have always had bad ones but these took the cake. I was ready for a shot of something. We are going on an extended vacation (4 weeks) in Jan. and now he is wondering if we should go at all because it will be really difficult to get medical help (it will waste our time and I am a difficult person to treat because of allergies). I went to the Dr. right after I got back and she just gave me some advice about using extra strength stuff, and ordered a blood test. The blood test was in someone elses name though so I had to take it back and get the right name on it. No mention of a hysterectomy.
tigercat

 

[Tiggeroo]

tigercat,
couldn't you go on birth control pills for a month before and during the trip. You could take ones that you don't stop for your period. That might assure a comfortable trip. In the past when it was very bad this is what I did.

 

[RitaZ.]

Mine are also very heavy for two days and I have clots (sorry for the TMI). In fact, since July I have had two blood test that indicated low red blood cell counts. My doctor attributes this to my periods. Honestly, they don't seem "too" heavy to me, but maybe I am just used to them.

I'm having this problem as well. I started taking a daily multi-vitamin with iron, B12 and folic acid, but I don't know if it's making a difference. I have an appointment with my doctor soon and will address this again. Last time I saw him, I asked if I should take iron tablets and he said that my low hemoglobin would probably regulate itself. Did you doctor suggest anything that may help?

 

[Mskanga]

I don't know where this places me but I haven't had a period since April and it was extremely light and it lasted one day.
I am on birth control for estrogen , I have hot flashes like you wouldn't believe and while everyone else is freezing , I am hot.
I'm 42 years old and I started with this almost 3 years ago.

 

[Christine]

I'm having this problem as well. I started taking a daily multi-vitamin with iron, B12 and folic acid, but I don't know if it's making a difference. I have an appointment with my doctor soon and will address this again. Last time I saw him, I asked if I should take iron tablets and he said that my low hemoglobin would probably regulate itself. Did you doctor suggest anything that may help?

Rita, I PM'd you!

 

[tigercat]

Tigeroo I wish I could but I have far too many problems with drugs. I am the .01% of the population with the reaction to all drugs it seems. My own Dr. will not give me any drugs at all unless she has researched it and knows that I will be at home so that if there is a problem I have help.
tigercat

 

[Kitty 34]

Studies have shown that when a women is ovulating, she is attracted to the rugged, handsome, outdoor type of man. When a woman is not ovulating she is attracted to the sensitive man who is a good listener. When a woman is menopausal, she is attracted to a man with scissors crammed into his temple.

I'm 52 and a blood test last year confirmed I'm menopausal......like I needed a blood test to confirm!


.....hmmm, so I'm attracted to a man with scissors crammed into his temple. Must be why my DH has been spending a LOT more time in the barn!!!

 

[Donald is #1]

I am also 42 and peri-menopausal. I have been having symptoms for over a year. I definitely have a lot less energy that I used to have. Thank-you to the posters that said that whenever this ends ( ) I will get the lack of energy back. I have been having hot flashes and been extremely sensitive to heat and humidity for over a year. I have also noticed that I am more irritable that I normally am and I am having problems sleeping. On the positive note my periods (still regular) are much shorter than they used to be. I have also noticed some bouts of short term memory loss. I think that when I visit my doctor later this month I am going to ask for suggestions on vitamin/herbal supplements that may help since I don't want to do hormone replacement. Thanks again everyone, you have really helped me feel better!