It’s really not early at all, considering that when people speak of “going through menopause” , they usually mean perimenopause ( the time before menopause with hot flashes, night sweats and menstrual changes) which can last for years.
Edith Bunker dealt with it too - she was terrified of being “all dried up”
eta:
Actually, it’s fairly common side effect of chemo and some other medical therapies. It happened to my sister, too, and she was only 35 at the time
I’m 41 and have been slowly going through the big M for about five years now. It hit me early, probably because 1) my mom went through it fairly early (mid 40’s), and 2) I lost an ovary due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.
I’m actually not doing too bad, all things considered. Well, except for those times my head spins around and fire shoots from my eyes (why, yes, I do tend to get a bit angry from time to time, what makes you ask?). But, hey, YOU try going through it while your oldest daughter is in the middle of puberty, with a side order of PMS each month!
I hear ya, Chanteuse! I’ll be 49 in two months, and I’ve been dealing with it since I was 42. I wish it would just hurry up and be over with!
Wanna get icked? One medical problem that the Spanish doctors are encountering now for the first time is kids with their age in single figures already having their period. Immigrants from Latin America :eek:
Laura was pregnant at the time, so they were so excited that they were both pregnant.
When Ma went to the Doctor because she thought “it’s the end of my cycles” it turned out she was pregnant with Grace, who apparently was a change of life baby.
Poor kid!
I remember her saying that it pushed her into early menopause, though. And so does this wikhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_Girl_in_Paris,_Part_Une i article:
Or does she not mean that literally?
I was agreeing with you, adding my sister’s case as a confirming example
Ohhh, sorry. I thought you were saying it wasn’t actually menopause, but just symptoms that looked like it. Get what you were saying now.
I also wanted to post about how it is nicer when characters find themselves in menopause instead of having a late in life baby. It seems like whenever a sitcom is slowing down, they throw a baby into the mix (who they then age about five years). Are women with their eldest kid in college really that eager to raise a new infant?
That is nothing compared with the soaps. Another World’s Rachel had a ten year old GRANDSON when she gave birth to twins. A grandson that was the result of her son Jamie’s SECOND marriage, which would have made Rachel in her mid-50’s!!!
Archie’s reactions to Edith’s “mental-pause” are priceless. On doctor’s orders and the insistence of Mike & Gloria, Archie’s doing his best to show extraordinary patience and kindness towards a hormonal, mood-swinging, hilariously overemotional Edith. Of course, Edith sees his altered behavior as proof that he thinks she’s turned into an old lady, so she’s even more upset.
Here’s a bit of a scene where Archie finally blows up, brought on by Edith’s stubborn insistence that their trip to Disenyworld change to a visit to Edith’s cousin in Scranton:
Carroll O’Connor’s performance is classic.