I found a book titled "Perimenopause, Preparing For The Change" "A Guide to the Early Stages of Menopause and Beyond". It was written by Nancy Lee Teaffe, M.D. and Kim Wright Wiley. I have been reading it some and found something that disturbed me immensely.

In chapter 1 on page 19 it says: "Consider the fact that you'll likely be menopausal for decades and ask yourself if you really want to tough it out for 40 years".

EXCUSE ME!!!!!!! 40 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM GOING TO FEEL THIS WAY FOR 40 MORE YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone know anything about this book? I am wondering if it gets any better. Am I overreacting? What the heck is this stuff about 40 more years?

Any help or comments would be much appreciated.

Jeaninne

hehe... I visited my mom the other day (she's in assisted living) and TWO ladies who must've been in their late 70's said this (as I was fanning myself complaining of a hot flash ): "Oooh, the hot flashes never really go away..."

Just lovely, thank you very much.

Everyone is different!
I had my spell of hell and feel much better!
If you go to the thread "Recovery Stories" you'll find other ladies with the same message!!
Remember - you are unique!
Hugs, Jonie

I will be 60 next month. All my 34+ symptoms started when I was 42. Still have the palps, hot flashes are not as bad most of the time as they used to be, brain fog is one of my main symptoms for now, digestive issues continue to be horrendous. All in all, tho, it is better than even two years ago.

Nope, don't go there. The author is generalizing, like Jonie said, everyone is different. Some of the older ladies I've talked to have had a few hot flashes and that was it. Then there are those who don't experience any symptoms but missed periods, have to love them.

Aside from my sister's period stopping abruptly at 46 yo, she had no other "symptoms. NONE! Not before stopping her period nor after.

I, on the other hand, woke up one morning only to realize sometime during the night I had boarded the rollercoaster to h*ll and it's been a long D@MN ride.

I am two years post, and MUCH better. In fact, every single symptoms of peri, except the tendency toward depression, has gotten better.

No more hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, tummy trouble, BLEEDING (hurrah! ), crazy thoughts, brain fog, forgetfulness, dizziness, and on and on and on! Once in awhile I'll get an odd hot flash, or a night or two of not sleeping as well as usual, but THINGS ARE SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!

Where the tendency to depression is concerned, I've just gotten back onto an AD after several attempts in the past few years to cope without one, and I just keep failing. So I'll stay on them for a good while, if not forever.

I think it's horrible that author said a person can go through this for 40 years. It's not true! If it was, our hospitals would be full of women from the ages of 45-85!

The author should have come to Power-Surge to be educated!

(((HUGS)))

JJ

OMG!! PHEW!!!!

I am so glad I wrote about this. I have stopped reading this book. And I certainly wont recommend it to anyone else.

Thank ya'll so much for responding. I feel alot better knowing this is wrong.

Jeaninne

Maybe she meant that YOU WILL BE MENOPAUSAL for 40yrs...and we will be...there is no going back..we will be IN menopause....thats the ending phase. WE cannot bear children anymore....we can bear them and then give them back LOL...but physically we cannot bear them. And as for the asking yourself if you really want to tough if out for 40yrs...maybe she is pushing hormones to keep bringing your period on..Like Suzanne Somers does...and she is trying to tell you that if you take them for the next 40yrs.....youll feel good.

Well, I'd like to believe that we can all get through this and enjoy the rest of our years while feeling good in the process!

I am 60+ days late from my last period - and I seem to be doing alright, so far. I HAVE had various (minor) symptoms, and I know I'm not out of the woods yet - and, I'm still waiting for hot flashes to come. No HRT, either, nor do I really care to take it.

I just hate the thought that as women, we're finished once we get through menopause. NO, we're not! By golly, we have alot of (period-free) life left in us -- and I, for one, don't care a bit that I won't have anymore children. I have five children (a 9-yr.-old still at home), and that's enough. Let the rest of the world have kids. Good for them, but I don't care if I ever change another diaper, etc. - I've had it! (Of course, if I'm ever blessed with grandchildren, I want to be a huge part of their lives and will be more than happy to help out.)

This is our time to not be saddled with the demands that younger women have. I really want to hang onto the thought that we'll have some measure of freedom now.

I have never been in a chat room in my life & have no idea if i'm doing this correctly. But I just read
some of the posted comments & found them very funny & comforting. I just had a visit with my pcp to discuss options to deal w/these god awful flashes & chills. I am getting a series of 3 blood tests
to determine my progression into menopause madness. I don't think I need a blood test to tell me
whats what, but she insists. Picked up some black cohosh on the way home. We'll see.

Hello, binsky! You picked a good place to "chat" ! Everyone here is very supportive, and there is so much information available that can help.

Doctors always want to do tests -- but that's a good thing, when in doubt. The black cohosh is supposed to help. I haven't tried it, so let me know how that goes.