Ok, so i am 42, and still getting periods-they differ every month, but i am still getting them-
After my hospital incident- I called my gyn and wanted her to give me a script to check mylevels of estrogen, testost and whatever hormonal work i can get done
My gyn insists that I do not need estrogen testing....i insisted she include it cause I am not sure why I read one thing but she tells me another-

So, if I am still getting a period then there is nothing "official" that can tell me that I am in peri menopause??? I am soo FRUSTRATED

Well basically all of us that are not meno are considered peri anyways. Some of us however suffer worse than others. Sadly most doctors don't see "peri" as a conditions and not to mention your age "you are young". What you do is demand one more time that your hormones be tested with a full hormone panel done via serum testing (blood). If she still will not do it, find another Doctor! Keep in mind that sometimes the testing will still not show you are having hormone problems depending on the day of the month it is. I went through three doctors before I finally found one that I pay out of pocket for to get answers. You may call Pete at Bellevue and ask for a recommendation for a doctor in your area.

When I was in my late 30's and asked for testing, I had to pay for it myself. The doctor would not order it, therefore it was done by MY request and my insurance wouldn't pay for it!! ARGHHHH!!

The thing about testing is it can be unreliable. You may test okay on one day, but the next day show dips. Horomones fluctuate so it's hard to pin down!! Plus the "normal ranges" might not be YOUR normal. You may have been consistantly high/normal in one hormone, and the test will show low/normal, so Dr. says all is okay, but in reality for YOU it's not. It's a tricky thing. FOR ME... only when I bottomed out, periods stopped, did they confirm menopause. DUH... I knew that 15 years before!!

Good Luck!! It can be VERY frustrating!!!

I'm no expert by any means, but my understanding of perimenopause is that it's a time of "fluctuating hormones." I've read several books and articles, seen shows on tv talking of how these fluctuations take place.... throughout the day. One hour hormone levels can be normal, then 2-3 hours later, abnormal (in either direction).

I also understand that saliva testing is far more accurate than blood testing, because while you still need it done on day 21 of your cycle, you test several times throughout that day. This is supposed to give a more accurate reading.

Unfortunately for me, I had NO idea about the day 21 thing, and my dr (gyno) was so convinced that all my symptoms couldn't possibly be from peri... that he just ordered the blood work, and I wasn't anywhere NEAR day 21 of my cycle. All came back 'normal,' though my progesterone was slightly elevated.

Yet.. the symptoms persist in a huge, HUGE way. Luckily for me, my dr (gyno) is more for treating symptoms than lab values. THANK GOD for him!

Oprah had a wonderful couple of shows regarding this issue, and you may be able to find it on her site to view. One was with Suzanne Somers, and the other was with Dr. Phil's wife. BOTH had excellent information, and both also addressed the issue of... when a dr tells you your labs were normal, how the question that follows should be... "Normal for WHO?"

As for my situation, which I will post about at some point... I have the 'nearly-never-ending-period' thing going on. *sigh* Yay. NOT!

Ella

I've been thru the the whole testing argument too (not sure if I ever won)....and eventually happened upon a Naturopathic doc who mentioned the saliva tests. Regular docs don't seem to like them and my husband thinks its due to who gets paid from insurance (or not). I do have to pay out of pocket for the saliva tests, but they make so much sense to me. They test for several hormones throughout your entire cycle, and your are testing many times on a specified schedule through the cycle. And...all you have to do is spit! I'm also all for minimally invasive!

Dear Roberta,

You really have to insist on the testing because of your age. You have got to point out the symptoms that you are having and demand the testing or as others have suggested seek out another doctor who might be more receptive and that may not be an OBGYN. Again, make sure that the testing is done in the follicular phase (1-3 of cycle) and the luteal phase (19-21) because this is when your hormones will be fluctuating the most...


Best Wishes,

TJ

Thanks everyone- I did get some blood work done- and they said everything was normal- but i know things are not normal-
I am usually pretty regular, between 27-29 days and sometimes an odd month, i will get my period on day 30- this is day 34 with nothing but cramps, bloating, and overall misery-

I am keeping my eyes and ears open for a new gyn- and will keep what you told me in mind about the times for testing...

I know this is not normal-

here, here! JDog....I believe in the saliva testing too...but if you read my thread about my recent testing (yesterdays post for 'my post menopausal tests') you
can see it causes a lot of controversy between ladies here....didn't mean that to happen...OOps!

Caz

My suggestion would be to look for an "anti-aging specialist/doctor" in your area, because they are the ones who already know that labs do not tell all. What I did, and this is before I discovered my gyno was actually going to work with me on this, is contact a local compounding pharmacy and ask for a referral to a dr that is good with bioidentical hrt, etc. They're a great place to start.

Also, there is another pharmacy that can also give you referrals to the closest anti-aging doctor or other doctor who is willing to help. I can't recall the TOS here so I won't give the pharmacy name. BUT... I've seen their little ad banner on this site.

Best of luck. I believe finding the right doctor is the hardest part of this.

Ella