Hi everyone.... i was just wondering if there is a correlation between when we start our periods ( age ) and when perimenopause starts? I had my first period at seventeen and was not regular untill eighteen. Back then and for about ten years my period was nothing but a few spots of blood three days a month, hardly any problems... no cramping, nothing. then in my mid thirties I had my first cramps and I thought about how i used to think people who complained about their periods were wimps ... I am sorry now! I am forty five now, still having three day light periods, but tons and I mean tons of symptoms of hormonal stuff!!! big ones are: extreme anxiety ,hot flashes, joint ache, preoccupation with health, angry all the time, weight gain, hair loss, skin changes, vertigo, gastritis, yikes!!!!!!!! So you guys..... when did your periods start? how were they? and how are they now? or when did they go? MyScience experiment this is........ Oh my symptoms started at 38 ,with horrible palpitaions and anxiety.

I started my periods at 11,now at 31 I am in peri!I hope it ends early as well.

I was about one month shy of 15 when I started my periods. They were kind of light, not much discomfort til I was in my 20s. Took BC pills for 15 years, then had my tubes tied after my second child. In my early 40s, periods were still regular, but the cramps were awful. My doctor said she found women who had their tubes tied tended to have more cramps in their 40s. Great.

I'm now 54, will be 55 next month. Started irregular perids a couple years ago, and full blown peri last November. Anxiety, etc. I now don't use caffeine at all, makes me very anxious. Went back on a low dose of BCs to regulate everything. It has helped a lot. Periods are about a day shorter than they used to be, but still have one or two days that are quite heavy. Can't wait for periods to be over!

Except for some anxiety and sometimes feeling too warm, peri symptoms haven't been too bad. But, I do have high blood pressure now and it's hard to lose weight. I work out 30 minutes a day, try to eat less, and still can't lose weight. I'm having my thyroid re-checked next month. I've been on thyroid meds for about 6 years.

I always wondered, too, if you started periods later would you start peri later.

I started my period 4 mon shy of my 11th birthday. I am 44 now have terrible peri symptoms ..Hot flashes ,night sweats and severe anxiety started in Jan.. I have wondered too if starting my period younger would I go through menopause earlier.

Does anyone have statistics?

Pamela

No statistics,but I know how you feel.

I read somewhere that if you start your periods later, you go through peri/meno earlier. To me that doesn't make much sense and reading some of these replies, it doesn't add up either.
I started my period when I was about 15 1/2. I had horrible cramps that would make me so ill I would miss school sometimes. My periods would last about a week back then. I started peri around 39 or so with terrible monthly migraines and that was it until I hit the age of 45 and then things really slapped me in the face ( I am now 47). My periods are really getting strange and very light now so I am hoping they will be done in a few years (if not before) We will see.

Mopsy

I started mine when I was 13, now I am starting menopause at 39.

Interesting to see if there's a connection-

I don't remember for sure, i think mine started around around 12 or 13. I used to get a few hours of moderate cramps on the first day until my daughter was born. Never had another cramp or PMS or anything.

Some form of peri began for me around 44 when I began having prolonged heavy bleeding, big clots, etc. But nothing else really - perhaps in hindsight some slight mood changes - until about a year ago at age 51. Haven't had a period now in 7 mos and before that , I went 5 mos.

I have lots of anxiety, persistent muscle tension, very poor sleep(difficulty getting to sleep, fragmented sleep, too little sleep) occasional mild hot flash in bed and over the past 10 months a succession of bizarre stuff including a month of itchy and prickling skin, a (different) month of tension type headache, sore soles (feet) . But I honestly don't know if anything but the hot flashes is peri or just the result of several very stressful years as well as a bad experience with ativan last year. Or something more sinister I haven't determined yet. I even got myself tested for lyme because of all the weird stuff and took antiobiotics for three months.

To me it does make sense that if your periods started late in life ( like mine at 17) you would have menopause earlier, because it might be lack of enough hormones is why you started your period late and lack of enough hormones why meno came early. Most doctors say i am too young for menopause..... try telling that to my hotflashes!!

My former gynocologist (he was great but sadly retired a few years ago) always told me that if you start earlier, you will become menopausal later. I don't have any statistics from him but I would trust him with my life--

For what it's worth,

Riv