I haven’t missed a period since my 22 year old son was born. Which I suppose means now I can claim my age as “of a certain”. So, women folk, what happens next? Will it show up when I least expect it? Will I just get fewer of them until there are none? If I’m no longer on a calendar for this stuff, how do I plan ahead?
In my case the traditional menopause symptoms of night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings and irritability (plus migraines and massive fluid retention) are most marked when pre-menstrual. There is no risk of me just starting, my body gives me longer and longer notice.
No, it doesn’t really make sense to me either.
Welcome to chaos, keep supplies near just in case your body works in a different fashion. I believe this issue is precisely why so many women are happier to buy continence products than ask for medical help - it is just easier to be padded up in case 
My mom went almost a whole year with no period and then BAM. There’s really just no way to know how it’s going to go.
Always be prepared. Early menopause is an unpredictable period of a woman’s life. Good luck! Hope your hormones behave and don’t give you a hard time.
I had a hysterectomy, so I was sure that I wasn’t going to have any more periods.
However, my female friends who are about my age have bitterly complained that they never know when they will spot, or start a full on period. They just resigned themselves to carrying a pad or two and maybe a couple of tampons in their purses at all times. I know a couple of the women just put a mini pad in each day, as a matter of routine. Naturally you don’t want to wear a tampon or cup every day, but wearing a mini pad every day is a minimal expense, and certainly cheaper than ruining your pants or skirts.
No Mazel Tov for YOU then! 
As others have mentioned, early menopause (perimenopause) can be a right bitch because it’s just so unpredictable. You might miss a period now, then in three months have three weeks of spotting, followed by a six week hiatus then a ‘normal’ period. Or you might have nothing. But you just won’t know will you?? 
Carry pads/tampons or whatever you use. Buy a little personal fan for when the hot flushes drive you mental (that’s if you get them of course…there is no one absolute menu for menopause).
I got lucky with mine (sort of). Periods starting getting further and further apart, until about 4 yrs ago, NOTHING. Hot flushes, sure, but nothing that wasn’t alleviated by sticking my head out a window! No mood changes, weight gain, crazy stuff or anything…
…until about 5 months ago, my boobs got sore for a week, and VOILA…a period! Off to the gynaecologist for some serious investigations, only to be told, “Well, no dramas, shit like this sometimes happens”. Thanks Doc!
You could ask one hundred women about their experiences, and get one hundred different stories. Don’t expect the worst…I am TESTIMONY that menopause can be cruisy (if a little warm at times!)
Miraculous late-in-life baby? Mazel tov!
StG
Mazel tov for menopause! It’s great, once you are through the transition.
For me, my periods just got lighter and lighter until they stopped. After I hadn’t had one for six months, I gave away my menstural supplies. Then, of course, they started up again. Had a few very light ones, and one middle of the night, ruin the mattress gusher, and then that was truly it. I was done, in the course of one year.
I’d had night sweats ten years before my period stopped, but that was no biggie, as I’e tended to be too warm all my life. I’d had premenstrual weepiness, but no mood swings during menopause. It all just tapered off nicely. I wish for you an easy transition, too.
It is so liberating not to have periods anymore, not to have cramps, not to have hormonal moodiness. Welcome to a new phase of freedom in your life. Maxel tov, indeed!
Moved from MPSIMS to IMHO, home of medical threads.
A lot of women have symptoms, mild to extreme, that start years before they reach the point when their periods stop. I was kind of lucky, just (ha! just) really heavy periods for a couple of years. Then, 6 weeks ago, like a switch was flipped, the hot flashes started and my uterus lost all sense of timing and now I just keep supplies on hand at all times. It is all very annoying.
Maybe I haven’t read the thread carefully enough, but are you quite sure you aren’t pregnant?
Unless you are celibate or something, in which case, check for a star in the East. If you don’t see it, you’re golden.
Regards,
Shodan
I hadn’t heard the word “perimenopause” until my gynecologist said it to me about 12 years ago. Now I hear it every time I go to my doctor with (almost) any symptom. Night sweats? Sure! Irregular periods? Got 'em! Moodiness? Just ask my poor family! Insomnia? Ask me about my Ambien! Forgetfulness and general mental fogginess? Yup! The very best thing so far? My doctor tells me that gassiness can be a menopausal symptom!
Welcome to the club. I’ll be sitting over here, next to the open window.
I’m 51. I’ll come sit next to you, but I’ve got sweater handy too.
(And now I understand why women of a certain age wear button or zip front cardigans and such. Pulling layers on and off over your head a humpty times a day is a giant pain in the ass!)
Question: how does menopause affect one’s, er, sex drive? I think that’s the thing I’m most worried about. Don’t take that away from me! 
Like others have said, yep, everyone is unique. I had heavier periods, further apart, and then stopped. After that I started having hot flushes, which over 6 months got progressively more intrusive, especially at night, interfering with my sleep; sorry a35362, sex drive took a big dive. So went to my doctor to discuss options - found a large benign ovarian cyst. Consequently had a bilateral salingo-oophorectomy 5 weeks ago. Now post-op my doctor commenced me on oestrogen/progesterone - **all **better.
I would recommend for any peri-menopausal woman seeing her doctor: medications can help if a woman wants to go that route; my experience shows that other things should be checked for; slim chance of pregnancy should be considered (though you will know if that is at all possible for you).
Just out of curiosity, how old are the people who are posting here?
I’m 45 and starting to wonder about this stuff.
I’m coming up fast on 52, and I started having some symptoms in my early 40s. This is taking far longer than I’d anticipated.
I’m 47 but medicos declared perimenopause season was open 2 years ago, the good news is it it might go on for 10 before the payoff of being able to plan a swimming date without concern - happy happy joy joy
I was very late in hitting puberty, I’m still waiting for the breasts in fact, apparently that likely means an earlier end. Your mother’s experience is supposed to be a good indicator but mine wasn’t the sharing type and has been dead a long while.
I’m 50 and blood work declared me through with menopause three years ago. It really does depend. And for the 10 years before that blood work, I probably didn’t sleep a full night through not once in ten years. I’m glad it’s over.
Ok, well it sounds like I’m gonna be just fine either very soon or in about 10 years or so, big relief there 
FYI I had my 50th birthday a few months ago, and I’ve had some heat in the middle of the night but not much else as far as symptoms go. As far as I can gather, the best part is that menstrual migraines go away with menopause, and that sounds pretty great.