Okay, I'm 46...periods are becoming irregular...but my biggest problem is the mood swings! I mean I become an instant, irrational BITCH! From out of nowhere! Today it was about having to drive my teenager to and fro...coupled with my vacation break being almost over PLUS I'm trying to drop some weight, so I can't get the food fix I want. Now mind you I just got over my period, so what feels to me like PREmenstrual syndrome is I guess POSTMS. Weird. Does this sound familiar? I mean, i'ts unpredictable...is there anything I can do to get myself on an even keel?

Welcome to Power Surge! You're in very good company here. There's a lot of us who experience "pre-menstral symptoms" the week after our periods. Yes, it is strange, but it seems like everything is during this time of our lives.
I hope you find lots of great information on these boards to help you out. I don't know what I did before I found this site. Suffer alone, I guess.....Well, please know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Find some way to vent your anger,power walking-or my new favorite-target shooting.No kidding it gets rid of frustration!Also just coming on here and venting really helps.GODbless

I'm 47 and have been going through this for about 3 years now. I lost an ovary 3 years ago and even though my PMS symptoms were more than a week b/f that surgery, it got steadily worse after the ovary came out. The other one kicked in but not all the time. Anyway, the bad mood swings were the first very noticeable symptom for me. I didn't really do anything about them for awhile. But I did eventually start researching and I finally found some things that have helped. First I went to weight watchers and attended a meeting every week and lost all the weight I gained being depressed and angry and that was very important. Eating better and taking vitamins/minerals and herbs and some exercise and quiet time and letting stuff go has also helped. I read many menopause/perimenopause books for vitamin/mineral/herb recommendations and you can also find some of that information on this site as well.

The one thing I believe has helped my moods is oona1. I started taking that back in November and after a month or so I noticed my moods were much better. It contains cohosh and vitex. Also I take Rhodiola Rosasin for a few weeks and stop for a few and that helps too.

If I'm feeling very stressed and irritated I take a Happy Camper (you can find those at Vitamin Shoppe) or some L-Theanine and within 30 minutes to an hour I'm much calmer.

I was so relieved to find the Happy Campers, Rhodiola and L-Theanine b/c I have no reactions from them and the Rhodiola and L-Theanine are actually good for the body. Google that. The Happy Campers have Kava Kava and you have to not take that regularly, so those are like for extreme stressful times and I take them very rarely. The oona and Rhodiola are keeping me more even keeled. Give them a try.

Also I just let stuff go. If I'm feeling tired I let the house fall where it wants and I get to it later. If someone is irking me, I go to my room and read or take a ride and sit at my local park and just listen to music and relax. I think learning to lets stuff go and taking quiet time is one of the best things and most of us are so trained to go, go go and get stuff done.

Lose any weight you don't want. Eat healthy. Take vitamins/minerals/herbs. Exercise. Meditate. Read. Do fun things. Relax.

JB-boy do I know what you mean-the things that just fly out of my mouth sometimes! It's like what I used to just think now just pops out and I find myself daily apologizing to someone.Oh well-we do the best we can with what we have to deal with-just so we don't start smacking anyone I think we're o.k.! Keep posting girl-we're all in this together Mochombo

Thanks SOOO much for your reply...I'll definitely check out your suggestions! It's great to know I'm not really crazy...though I do think others (i.e., my family, friends and colleagues) may begin to suspect!! I'm afraid of embarrassing myself with my unusually short fuse and overly judgemental, self-righteous attitude--got to get help! Thanks again!

Is 46 the magic age? I'm also 46 and experiencing the same thing. I tried AD's, but they made it worse. I am irritable and don't mind telling anyone exactly what's on my mind. This is a 360 for me, because I was always so soft spoken and a "good" girl. I think a lot of mine has to do with being fed up with being taken for granted - by my husband and kids and everyone. I know that's my fault, but I'm so mad at myself for letting it get to this point and the hormones don't help matters.

I think that we are way too hard on ourselves. We have to remember that it's not our fault! None of it. And it doesn't matter if we've always done everything. It's time for the family to pitch in and help before we blow them all up! Okay - I feel better now. This isn;t some kind of illness. It's a part of life and our family needs to get on board. But I have found that I really need to speak my mind and be real with them. It's hard enough for US to understand, we need understanding and kindness right now. Our hormones are constantly fluctuating and we don't know if we're coming or going. The estrogen, progesterone and androgens are all changing and these hormones control the seratonin levels in our brain, which is the chemical that manipulates mood. If the seratonin drops - so does our mood, and visa versa. I have found that eating small meals, getting exercise, doing some yoga when possible to help with stress have all helped me along with 5-HTP, Turmeric and other natural herbs. If we could just get our hormones balanced.
Thanx for listening and I hope this helps - Bobbi

LOL - I just posted somewhere else where I spend my "good" days doing damage control and feeling guilty and lousy about myself. I don't want to lose my relationship but I don't think it is strong enough to sustain the coming storm. He is an avoider and until recently that didn't bother me. Now I have become needy and his avoidance ENRAGES me (I have never used that word about me before but now...). Should I just hide out? He probably wouldn't mind since he never knows what to expect. Well, neither do I !!!

Ruskaya-I thought they were all avoiders! Just do the best you can-I've spent the last two days trying to rise above the fact that one of my kids didn't call me on Mothers Day-I go back and forth with being totally hurt and telling myself he just forgot. It seems like I am always upset about something and never sure if I should be.This is a very confusing time of life but we know we are not alone and that it will pass. I know what you mean though-you just never know what to expect! It's pretty sad when you can't even predict your own reactions. I guess we just need to be patient with ourselves and hope those around us can be too. Mochombo

Thanks, all, for your replies and discussion...we're clearly all on the same page (chapter??!!)
Are any of you feeling something like, I don't know...embarrassment??! I mean, with my unpredictable moods it's getting to the point where I just know it's obvious (or will be soon) to some people in my life that "...gee, she's going through the change...", you know? Which, from their point of view, really invalidates anything I might be experiencing/expressing...which INFURIATES me and embarrasses me because sometimes I sort of feel I've lost control over what I'm feeling/saying. (Did I mention I'm a control freak? Nice, huh?) This is why I feel like a crazy person...and I just want to be taken seriously (when I want to be taken seriously!)