I really appreciate this board. I've been reading the many posts and they have helped me so much. This is the first time I've posted. I'm 48 and wondering if I am entering perimenopause. For the past 3 months my cycles have been off. In March it was one week late, in April it came right on schedule (28 days), then in May I got it twice! Here we are in July and it has not come yet. Is this what usually happens? I don't have a problem (thus far) with hot flashes. Mainly the irregular cycles and the depression which has gotten worse in the past 6 months or so.

Thanks for reading this.

I think irregular periods are the first sign of perimenopause. I never knew so many people also suffered from dizziness and feeling unsteady when walking. I think people don't want to admit it or don't even realize it is going on. I find it very comforting to know all of you are experiencing this same thing. Why don't women want to talk about this stuff? I am always trying to find someone who has all these symptoms but no one admits it, or else they are just doing fine.

Hi Ladies,

From my experience irregular periods wasn't my first symtom, but came fairly close after a couple of others (I had my face break out, digestive problems, muscle twitching and then my periods started acting up). Irregular periods are definitely a sign and Kittycat you are at the right age for it (I'm 46 and am in peri). I've learned that peri is definitely a unique process for each individual and while many of us share symptoms some of us have different symptoms as well. I have however, found women here on PS who have every symptom I am experiencing (which has been reassuring for me since I've had a couple of strange ones). Most of the information you get from doctors about menopause give the universal symptoms and don't list the others, and many doctors won't acknowledge the others. I think that they definitely downplay how difficult peri can be. I guess for some women it's a piece of cake but for me it has been the hardest time of my life and trust me I'm a strong woman who's handled a lot, but I've found the peri has hit my nervous system hard.

Hang in there you're not alone and from what I've heard it gets easier and some of the symptoms may even go totally away after awhile.

I had symptoms for two years, with no changes in my periods.

I agree that, on average, irregular periods aren't generally the first sign of perimenopause. Then again, every woman is different. Kittycat is 48 and maybe her only symptom will be irregular periods. Of course, if this is the case, we're going to have to get the Power Surge Patrol to take her out and shoot her

Seriously, in my 11 year experience with Power Surge, what seems to be one of the first indicators that things are a changin' is sleep problems, often insomnia. That's how it started for me as well. I've heard so many women complain about this before anything else. Many women also start feeling more anxious than usual. Hot flashes don't seem to appear until one's periods become erratic, although one can experience hot flashes and all sorts of symptoms and still be cycling normally. Somewhere around this time when a woman's progesterone and estrogen levels are declining, along come all those fun symptoms such as vaginal dryness, palpitations, skipped heart beats, migraine headaches, feelings of depression, general mood swings, oftentimes panic attacks -- frequently associated with hot flashes. Then, there are the night & day sweats (no, Cole Porter didn't write that one), internal shaking, buzzing sensations, formication (feeling like ants are crawling all over your body), dry, itchy skin, bouts with incontinence - the list goes on and on. You can read all the signs of menopause here.

There's also an excellent meno primer in the Educate Your Body Library. I'd recommend any newcomers to the experience of menopause read this article, An Introduction To Menopause: Signs, Symptoms and Treatments

Another good article is What IS A Hot Flash?

There are many good articles. You'll have to look at the menu of articles on the left side of each page (on the green panel) and you'll find something about almost everything menopause-related.

Dearest

You all are great! I appreciate your responses and you have me crackin' up over here (lol). The weird menstrual cycles are the first thing I noticed; however, I'm also dealing with insomnia and depression. I just got my period yesterday. It was 2 weeks late. I guess it is different for each of us. I can remember my mom in her late 40's saying stuff like..."I've been on my cycle for 2 weeks, etc." Now I know what she was talking about.

Hey KittyCat! I hope that irregular periods are all you have to deal with...but sorry about the depression. That is bad enough in inself and I hope you find a way to take care of that. It is not something to take lightly, for sure.

For me, when I first started Peri, my periods became as regular as clockwork...my PMS did too. I had horrible PMS. It got to the point where I realized that I had only two weeks out of every month to be normal...and there was nothing to do about it -- at least that's what the doctors said after I brought them complaints. One doctor, a WOMAN, even, said to me when I was 32, "Well you're just getting older."

I began to have night sweats for 3 or 4 nights in a row, but only once or twice a year. Insomnia was the same. This lasted for the past 10 years before having a total hysterectomy.

Now I have more symptoms, like hot flashes, more night sweats, lots of insomnia. I was using an estrogen only patch per my doctor after the surgery for six months, but after discovering that my mood went from reasonable to horribly unreasonable after putting a new one on, I stopped twomonths ago. I've felt better since, but a lot of women feel better using the patch.

So basically I'm reitrating what everyone else has already said, I guess!

I'm finding that I'm talking with my girlfriends a lot more about stuff like this since I've found this site. Every one of them have most of the same symptoms, but at different times of their lives and in different sequences. Also, different things work for different women. It's like we have to be our own lab rats until we find what works.

At least there is now more info on where to start...thank goodness.

Welcome and I wish you the best!