Before starting, i have dr’s appointment tomorrow.
When menopause hits, does your period just stop? Have missed July. Hopefully, not pregnant at 47. Did a home pregnancy test, negative results, phew. Although not 100% accurate, hopfully will be in our case.
Perhaps that’s the end of the monthly’s for me? Compared to some stories I’ve heard, it seems kinda too easy.
My mom is a the tail end of menopause. She’s alternating between months and months without a period and month long periods. The gist I’ve gotten from her is that its mostly just a lot less regular.
No, generally not. Most (but not all) women experience at least a year of perimenopause , when periods become more irregular until everything finally peters out for good.
One thing to watch out for: fertility can actually RISE during perimenopause (although not reliably so). It’s as if your body realizes time is running out and it starts frantically trying to squeeze one last pregnancy in before the end. You also have higher chances of ovulating more than one egg a month, meaning multiples are more likely for women about to enter menopause. So, if that’s not in your plans, do have one last discussion with your Gyn about birth control. There’s a lot of new methods out there since you probably chose yours, and maybe something that you want to try. (My favorite, FAM, is NOT a good choice if you’ve begun the irregularity of perimenopause.)
Menopause itself is declared when you’ve been 1 year without a period. Technically, the first year of no periods is perimenopause.
While every woman experiences menopause differently, there are other things that can cause your monthly to not show up.
When I was too young too be menopausal (way), and no chance I was preggers, I missed a period and became alarmed. One call to the Dr.'s office revealed that something as simple as dental surgery involving a general anesthetic was the cause.
Three delightful months with no period, I loved it once I realized it was nothing to worry about.
Have you had any anesthetic lately?
One skipped period is just a skipped period. Could be start of perimenopause, or it could be stress, or it could be a bunch of things. I’ve been in perimenopasue for three or four years now – it started with shorter cycles (23 days there for a while, grr), then moved to skipping a month now and then – at this point, it’s more like having a period now and then (4 in the last 15 months). I was hoping I was actually menopausal (1 years without a period) when I went from January to June without one … but no …
I had some very heavy periods (and one uterine hemmorage), then my periods just stopped for five months. I had one more in September of 2005 and none since.
It’s been fairly regular in that it’s showed up within the month…varying a week or two either way.
I definitely did not want to read that fertility is increased…over the ten years we have been married, we have been using birth control however, there was one night with some wine…I got the cold sweats just now.
At 52, I’ve missed three in the past 13 months. The rest are just like they’ve always been, regular and, for the last several years, very heavy. I’ve just gone back on the pill so I won’t know what’s going on for a while. The PA tells me this is the average age for menopause, so I shouldn’t get too impatient. Seems I’m to be at the long end of average.
Haven’t been through it, but my mom has. She was really irregular for a long time before it actually stopped (sometime around age 60). Get ready for some messy surprises! She would sometimes go a year without it, and then she’d have another period.
Does it matter if you are taking birth control pills? If I remember correctly, the “periods” you get on birth control are not the same as natural ones.
Eh, not always. After the first time Mom went a year with no period, she went to the doctor and asked, “I’m in menopause now, right?” The doctor did a hormone test and said, “No, you still have too many girly hormones.” (I’m paraphrasing.) Mom got her period again later that month, and didn’t actually enter menopause for another 8 years or so.
So it’s not always that clear-cut.
Mine just stopped for like 11 months, if I remember correctly. Of course you need a 12-month ‘no-show’ for them to consider you in menopause. That was the only one I got…then nothing since.
I had a 10 day late one last year, I’m usually pretty regular so I thought it was either pregnancy or perimenopause. The doctor seemed to think it was just a late period, no big deal. Then a few months ago I had a 2 week late period that lasted 7 days (mine are usually 4 days tops) and then went a couple days sans period then had another one that lasted about 5 days. Since this coincided with my yearly gyno visit she still didn’t think it was a big deal, I may be entering perimenopause or I might not. She said if the irregular periods are too frequent and upsetting I could go on the pill. She also tested my thyroid to make sure it wasn’t another issue. Since then though my periods are back on track. My doctor didn’t seem to think I really need to worry about it yet with just one wacky month and may have a year or two left before it really gets going … or stopping.
I expect September’s to come 2 weeks early though since I will be at Dragon*Con and the previous 2 times I have gone my period always came early in order to make the trip that much more fun. Although the previous times it was only a few days to a week early, I am sure it will make that extra effort to be 2 weeks early this time. :rolleyes:
How young is too young for menopause? I’m 38 and haven’t had a period for several months. In 2006 I had several extremely heavy ones - one where I was changing tampons like several times an hour for like a day. Then I was fine for several months, and then another heavy one (though not AS heavy).
I took a preggers test - negative - which makes sense since Dewey D is snipped.
Back in February, I found out I had celiac’s disease and have since gone gluten-free, and have had several huge changes in my life.
I’ve had a couple days of spotting, but no definitive periods.
I would go to the doctor, but my new job hasn’t gone FT with benes yet. I’ve been writing it off as chemical changes and stress, but it’s not the first time that I wondered if I was perimenopausal.
My mom had a hysterectomy when she was 30, and she doesn’t talk to her sister enough to ask her about hers.
I have maybe a half a day of spotting with the YAZ birth control pills. I’m 41. What little spotting I do get was late one month, enough to make me worry that somehow my husband’s over 20-year-old vasectomy had reversed itself (ha!). Those pills are wild!
Why do I take bcp’s when my husband’s been snipped? YAZ are the ones that help with PMS symptoms. Of course, with the way they affect my period, I’m never going to know when I’m hitting menopause.
38 is young, but not newsarticle worthy young. At that age, it’s still worth talking to a doc about what else might be going on (PCOS, endometriosis, etc.), but it’s *probably *not urgent enough to make an appointment today or anything.
Who are you, me? I’m going through the same thing, but I’m 45.
I’m 47. Hot flashes, crabby times for the last couple of years…I kinda hope this is it. But i’m not usually that lucky.
Thank you - that’s what I’m thinking too.
And Wile E - I’m going to Dragon*Con too - want me to pack some extra fem products for ya?
My periods had been getting progressively heavier and more painful. A trip to the gyno and an ultrasound found a polyp in my uterus. I had a Novasure ablation in May, followed by 3 1/2 weeks of bleeding, and nothing since. Keeping my fingers crossed that I’m done! I’m 50.