Hello everyone my name is debbie and I am 39. I was just wondering if I am actually in perimenopause? What sort of age were any of you showing symptoms?
I have read the 34 classic symptoms and at some point I've had 26 of them.
I am still having regular periods but they are very heavy and painful with lots of other symptoms. To name a few, migraines, palpitations, stress and anxiety.

My doctor will not have it that I am in perimenopause because I am having periods, he says it is PMS. I have been to him with a few problems over the past couple of years, (then I was 37) which I now believe to be perimenopause symptoms, but he just can't seem to be bothered. Yes maybe I should get another doctor, or be more assertive and ask to be referred to a specialist. Am I too young for Perimenopause, is it PMS ?

Look forward to reading some of your ages for Peripenopause.

Nope, your not too young!! That is when I started also. And my doc told me the same thing...as a matter of fact..keep reading these boards and you will see most Doc's have told most of us that same thing. LOL You will learn more from this website than from any Doctor. So read & learn!! Empower yourself..so you can enlighten your Doc next time you see him or her. LOL
By the way...Welcome To Power- Surge..you will love it here...all the women are GREAT!!!

Peace
AA

Hi Debbie,
Welcome to Power Surge. As AA said - your not to young to be perimeno. Alot of woman start in their mid to late 30's for the peri.meno., meno tunnel...and like most tunnels - there is light at the END of the tunnel ...

It seems like you know more then your Dr. has...sometimes they read books that say peri. starts at a particular age and sad to say they aren't flexable enough to realize that they may be wrong ...

Keep reading the boards, transcripts and listen to the experiences of your new meno. sisters...more important - what your body is telling you.

Blessings,
Stacy

Hi Debbie. I am 38 and I started symptoms about 2 + years ago. I also was smoking. I have been smokeless for a year now. But I did read that smoking can lower the age that it starts. But that is just me. And maybe that is why I started so soon. My adopted mom I think she started in her 50's.
As they say, keep reading!
Welcome aboard!

Hello debow,

I was 38 when it started for me. I still have periods, they are just goofy...my mother was 36 and my grandmother( moms mom) was 39.

I dont know if the smoking thing does have anything to do with it or not...grandmother has never smoked a cig in her life and wasnt exposed that much to second hand smoke. hmmm

Today while out shopping, i had such horrible hot flashes, I ran into the restroom and was splashing cold water on my face and arms..a couple of older gals came in and asked if i needed a dr or someone..just told them "I hate going through the "changed" they both giggled and said they knew what I was talking about. To find out they both stated they started in the late 30's as well. ( they had said they went through it..one 16 years before she was done and the other 20 years..!!! my gawd..I dont think I can handle that...well guess just one day at a time eh?

Hello- I was diagnosed at age 42, but it began when I was approximately 40. I just did not realize the symptoms and thought that I did not get my period because I had lost 15 pounds.

OH GOD.... Kill me now!!!!!! I hope its not that LOOOOOONG!!!
Mine started at 39! Im 44 now so ..55 or 59!! YUK!! LOL

Peace
AA

Funny you should mention smoking. I used to smoke from the age of 14 years and gave up when I fell pregnant in 1994 (when I was 29). Although I have not smoked for over 11 years, maybe the damage was already done, maybe it does lower the age of perimenopause? It certainly makes you think???

Debbie

I started this roller coaster at 36. It took me until I was about 40 to recognize what it was. My doctor laughed at me. Now at 46, I haven't had a period for months. After some recent blood tests, my doctor tells me I'm in menopause. DUH!! The scary thing is my doctor is a 50 year old WOMAN!!

Hello Debbie, I'm the same age as you and going through the exact problem. My symtoms started right after my 39th b-day (happy b-day to me : ) ) The usual pms +++ anxiety, shortness of breath, chest palpatations, etc. after a few trips to the er, my doctor with no answers I started to feel like I was NUTS! One doc (female cardiologist) mentioned perimenopause and since finding articles and this group I've been convinced that is it! I've back tracked every symptom since it started (I have a very long journal) including how late my periods starts, every little cramp etc.
My GYN said it would be too difficult to do blood work to find any hormone change since there is no telling exactly when it happens. I was a smoker until 1 MONTH AGO (today) so she wouldn't even discuss hormones (mild dose of birth control) until I quit. I've been on the patch so until I no longer need it I'm still at risk. but I insisted on discussing everything with her .... I left the office with "continue keeping track of your cycle" & "Call me in 3 months" while she inched her way toward the door???
It's been an extremely frustrating few months! I've trusted my gyn for a long time now, but I can't seem to get perimenopause through! they just seem to push it to the back burner and continue "business as usual"
I have no idea where to take this now?? Yesterday I had a mild shaking episode while shopping with a friend and nausea today and all I can do is write it down??? Is there a specialist gyn for something like this? Another specialty doc?

I'm 38 and after having every test under the sun ran on me with nothing but good results I have no doubt that this is Peri. I have been told that "I'm to young", "The FSH was normal". I am now trying to find a gyno that handles mostly older patients. I figure with a doc that mainly deals with birth and delivery how much does she keep up on the other end of the process.

As everyone else has said KEEP READING. These borads have been a blessing in helping me not feel alone or that I had droped off the deep end.

Hang in there!

Bonnie

I turned 39 last month and have been having all kinds of wacky symptoms for about 6 months. I saw a GYN in August and described my symptoms and he said I was not in menopause since menopause means you've stopped having periods. I still have mine and they are very regular, so he said the symptoms I'm having are normal hormonal fluctuations for a woman my age. He said I probably won't go into menopause for another 10 years or so.

SInce then though, I'm having even more symptoms--now I have joint pains all over and am tired. I see that a lot of people on this board have had that too so I'm guessing it's just the hormonal thing again, but I went to my GP today just to rule out some of the scarier diseases (lyme, lupus, arthritis, etc.) He did a blood test so we'll see. If it comes back OK, then I think I'll go back to my GYN and see what he says.

Thank GOD for Power Surge!

My symptoms hit me like a TON of bricks one month before my 38th birthday. After several doctor visits I have a diagnosis of perimenopause. I figured that was what it was because my mom and two of her sisters where through menopause by the time they were 40 - 41 years old. My mom knew right away what was wrong with me. I had/have the same symptoms she did. So your not too young. My hormone levels were all low ... really low. Now my periods are different one month I am a week early then the next month I will be a week late. One month it will last 1-2 days and the next month it will last 7 days. I have no doubts that it is peri and I wont' be 39 until April. I am hoping by the time I am 40 I will be done with all of this mess. Another odd thing I never had any kind of PMS no bloating, no headaches, no cramps nothing. Now for the last 2-3 months I have symptoms right before and during my period such as awful headaches and cramps etc. Anyone else have the same experience that PMS symptoms were worse since you came into peri.

Thanks,
Jill~

Polly...I was 38 when I was "bonified" peri..and Im now 42.

My periods became closer together (one of the first signs of peri, my gyn said) at 38. But I didn't get a hot flash until 42. By 43, I had hot flashes every day, but thankfully got rid of them with Progest cream. All of the other symptoms became really bad in my later 40's.

I am now 50 and my FSH level is still normal (!), even though I haven't had a period in two months (this happens off and on), and my estradiol level is post-menopause. So the FSH test is essentially worthless.

Hi Jill,

I definitely have noticed more PMS symptoms since my hormone levels started dipping. For two weeks before my period I'll have breast tenderness. I'll also get dull aches like cramps, and just general PMS-y anxiety. Never, ever had breast tenderness before. I take a supplement that contains flax, borage and fish oils, and that helps some. It takes a few months to take hold though. I also take a calcium supplement.

I hope it is over soon for you!

Styli

Wow, I'm going to sound like a broken record here but I'm so glad I found this site. I'm 41 and about 6 months ago I started having some anxiety issues around mood swings, tougher period cramps and occasional bouts of heart palpitations and shortness of breath but I was in the middle of a major launch at work and just attributed it to work stress. But two months ago, I suffered an accident (not sure if anxiety caused it or the other way around) where I spasmed my esophagus by choking on too many vitamins at once and that triggered two weeks of random, full blown panic attacks, three trips to the ER and serious feelings like I couldn't breath and chest pain. Since then, I've had a ton of tests -- thyroid, Endoscopy, EKG, Echocardiogram (they thought I may have had Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrom which luckily I didn't) CT Scan, and blood panel but I've been told I'm healthy as a "British Bardog"

However, this last Sunday, I had my first official bout of hot flashes -- I thought I was getting the flu -- nausia, intense sweating followed later by cold shivers and feeling like I was going to faint. It happened twice on Sunday and I know I was run down from holiday shopping so that probably triggered it and now it all makes sense... the moodiness, intolerance to cold/heat, phantom chest pain, bouts of breathlessness, mid cycle cramps, longer periods, occasional nausia, even growing facial hair (yuck!). I told this to my mom and while she was surprised I am "so young" she said I'm a classic pre-menopause case...

I still get nervous about the chest pain and breathlessness (I think we are all programmed to think heart attack with any chest pain) but when I relax it seems to be easier to handle. The other stuff, while not fun, I can deal with as I understand it.

Easy long runs in fresh air, giving up caffeine, less sugar and alcohol, and this message board are helping a ton. I'll keep you posted,

cheers
TriMom

i have no idea how old i was when i started peri-
34/35-ish.
somewhere around there.

My son was 6 months old. now he's eight years old.
I went to work one morning fine.
I sat down and the room spun around like I put my forehead on a baseball bat.
I held on to the table, and got rid of what I had for breakfast and dinner the night before.
an ambulance was called.
I was in the emergency room with all kinds of tubes, strings, and things coming out of me.

Nothing. I was fine. (So the doctor said.)
I persisted for two years and finally doc says I have Mitral Valve Prolapse.
I looked it up and found out I wouldnt die from it and life went on.

In March 05. a co-worker looked at me and said "YOU LOOK GREEN" so she drove me to the doctor. I had had a cycle for 47 days.

doc drew some blood and said my platelets were low and that I could hemmorage to death if this keeps going on the put me on BCP to stop the bleeding.

I can Exhale.
So, from the age of 34/35 to now 42(?) I have had
dizzy spells
nausea
irritability/moodiness/down right mean-nes
bloating and floating away
tenderness everywhere
joint pain
headaches
migraines twice a month sometimes every week.
short cycles (7 day)
long cycles (49 days) im up to hundred and some'en.
light sensitive
sound sensitive
oh, i could go on.
Im peri- hopefully meno then i'll just have to deal with the mental stuff.

so i went to a different doc after i stopped bleeding and he saw me every month for three months. he took me off BCP and my cycle STOPPED. new doc told me i was peri. i havent been back.

I just wanted it confirmed by a doctor, a male doctor at that. I wanted it documented in my file so it is acknowledged as something is "changing" in me and im not just "looney"

Doc prescribed Premarin. I have not filled the prescription (its in my purse somewhere) I looked up what Premarin was..
It is PREMATURE HORSE URINE. Forget it. I aint taking that mess. Let me chew on a tree bark. there has got to be a natural way to get through this so Ima find out what works for me.
Thanks power-surge.

Cynt...hun, its pregnant mare urine...

heck,
whatever it is


i aint takin' it

I started perimenopausal symptoms about 1 year ago - I am 43 now (soon to be 44)! Before I was regular like rain (every 28 days every month) - no hot flashes, no insomnia, no monster PMS. I have always exercised and eaten very well, and none of that has changed. I don't enjoy this phase at all! I feel so out of control of my body.

Donna

I don't think their's not a symptom on here I haven't had except the loss of periods because of a hysterectomy when I was 24. But does anyone have breast soreness?? Sometimes mine are so sore that I can't stand my bra or anything else on,they'll even feel full (if that's the right word) Every time something new starts happening I come on line and someone else is talking about it too

sthrnstar1 oh yeah...breast soreness is very common, and sometime like getting engorge is too. mine even leak colostrom from time to time as well.

I hardly ever wear a bra now, unless I go out of the house,..and its the first thing off when I come in the door before my shoes even!

I know theres a forum and topics that speak more of breast soreness..dont recall off the top of my head now though..I will try to find it and post it to you,..this topic is average age for peri..so we should move the discussion there Hun..

Oooooh......the shower somedays.....just the water spray is enough to send me over the edge.......I actually cup my boobs so the water wont hit them it hurts so bad.

Jadie

Found it!!!!

The sore breasts topic is in the "Cancer:Breasts, ovary and other cancers" . Click on that then scroll down to the sore breasts...

Hi all:

I was around 39/40 when I started peri but I had no idea as it started out so slow. It started with just awful migraines with my period every month and then more symptoms started showing up. I am now 45 and my periods are getting wacky but still I usually have one every month (not always though) So my doctor just said (this is the guy doc) that there are no symptoms of meno until you stop bleeding. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. I went out and found a new gyn and she is wonderful. She knows all about the gradual or not so gradual onset of peri. My Mom didn't get done with all this month until she was 56 but my Grandmother was done at 42. Maybe I will be done soon????? PLEASE.

Hi everyone, I am 43 and looking back started with sleep issues and night sweats maybe 18 months ago. Over the last 5-6 months I feel like a train wreck! I went through a couple of months of severe nausua. The MD put me on Nexium which seems to help even though I never had any kind of acid-reflux that I was aware of. Now it seems like everyday it's something new! having inpout from all of you really does make me feel much better. I'm inclined to try and ride this out "au natural" (aside from vitamins) but as a friend of mine said "don't be a hero, they make pharmacuticals for a resaon!!"

I am 41 and i say that i started peri a year ago.But i was cleaning out my sock drawer and i found a phamphlet about peri and meno that a doctor gave me back when i was 29 yrs. old.I had forgot that when i was 29 i was having all sorts of problems and was going to the doctors office quite often.I was put on birth control pills for 3 months to straighten out my periods and was told that it was just perimenopause and normal to be having the problems i was experiencing.I remember now that skimmed through the phamphlet,kinda laughed to myself over it all and tucked it in my sock drawer.At the time,i though of menopause as something old women go through and that the doctors were nuts for telling me that.Now that i am older and look back,i believe i was starting peri then and just didn't understand what it was or that you don't have to be old.I realize now that i had alot of the symptoms but being younger i just thought it was stress and lack of sleep from taking care of 3 little boys(they were 3,6 & 9 at the time).So i have to correct myself and say that i started peri around 29 yrs. old but things just really got bad a year ago.It's been 12 years now,shouldn't i be completely done with this soon?My sister was about 44 when she stopped having periods and my mom was the age i am now,so hopefully i will be done soon too.

Moonlight, how old were you when you stopped taking BCP though?

And there isnt anyway for sure to be able to tell how long its gonna take? Are you periods all messed up still..and how long have ya been without out one?

All of these can play into the duration as well...

The dr. only had me take the bcp's for 3 months to straighten my periods out.I never took them after that.
My periods are all messed up,but i haven't even missed any yet.(as long as there is SOME blood or at least spotting,it's considered a period,right?)
It was just a little upsetting to realize i have been going through peri for 12 years now and i am not through it yet.But i have read that the worse your symptoms get the closer you are getting to actual menopause,does anyone know if that's true?

Moonlight Hun, thats one of the BIG issues with peri/menopause...its an individual situation to many degrees...

One may experience only 3 symptoms and it, periods, completely stops...where as someone, like myself, I have had ALL of the symptoms minus the low libido and dryness so far, and sometimes it may just be 1 thing while other times i have had as many as 7 going on at the same time. My periods as of now, are all over the calendar with no rhyme nor reason and the durations are whatever too.

Then theres Tots, shes been at this for 16 years!!!...maybe she will see this and post to you too Hun...

Then there SugarGrove and Angel05 where they have been getting symptoms AFTER being in Meno hun.

As far as it being a period Hun, I cant tell you for sure what the "scientific explanation of a period is"... Now I am going to say something to you, not to panic you nor cause more stress to you hun...there are some situations where there can be "bleeding" and it could be cancer, but there are tests Drs. can do to determine whether or not this could be the case..and a pap doesnt detect uterine cancer...

I would, go ahead with the ultrasounds and tests, just to have a peace with it...I did and with the anxiety and depression I need all the peace of mind i can get!

hugs hun...

well,that scared me so i am gonna stick my head in the sand and pretend like i didn't read it.
I just had a complete exam recently and everything turned out fine,so i am not too worried about anything serious.I just think that the months where i have slight bleeding or spotting instead of a regular period is just part of peri.I don't know whether to consider them periods or not since some months it only lasts like an hour.Other months i have heavy bleeding and clots and a ~long~ period.But from what i have read on here,alot of women experience the same thing.I am just looking forward to the day they stop completely.

There was a comment in here about breast soreness...
I've been using evening prim rose oil..it takes several days to work, but by gosh..it does work! I'm quite the sceptic for trying new things. It doesn't lessen the 'gorge' feeling tho. (can't have everything but heck..if the girls are not sore and tender, that's good enough for me).
I'm probably the odd one out here (commenting about bras) but I actually feel better with one one...I don't want them tugging down...and heck, I don't need them hanging any lower than they already are....
June

I know what you mean about bras now. In my 20's, I could not wear a bra and feel just fine. Now, it is a must as I don't want my breasts to feel like they are down to my navel.

Mopsy

On the bra subject...I buy the cheap $6.00 ones at Walmart..they are all stretch. Me being...um...er...ok ok...flat chested...ok I said it --I can get by with the cheap bras. I like this stretchy one cuz if the girls are behaving and not swollen, the bra fits..but if they're 'squabbling' (big and sore) then the stretchy bra still fits. June

Hi DaMomma and Moonlight,

Right, but I do I feel much better now overall. I don't have the awful insomnia all the time like I had in peri. I went through about two years of really bad insomnia, and then it went away pretty soon after my periods stopped. I'd have about six or seven continuously bad nights of little or no sleep. Now, it might be one night here and there, but never six or seven. Same for all the other symptoms. I had all 34 and now some have gone away, never to return, while others are still around but not as bad.

Once you get to the first full year with no period, it starts to improve very gradually. By the second year, you have never seen some of the symptoms come back. Others stick around, but are not as bad.

I still have hot flashes, but they aren't like they were. I'd get dizzy and sick when I had a flash. Now, it's just a feeling of warmth.

Hi Debow,

Let me tell you that when I was your age I was having some problems with my period... irregularity, pains etc. My boss at that time, told me that I might have been in peri-menopause... I went to the doctor immediately, because in fact, I was trying to get pregnant at that point - see I got married a little late -. So when I went to the doctor and I told her what my boss said, she looked at me and she said "That's a horrible thing to say". She said not to worry and that I was "too young to be peri-menopause-. In my particular case, she was right, I happened to be okay and everything turned out well for me. BUT looking back, what strike me, is my doctor's reaction: 1) immediately discarded the possibility (which is fairly posssible... especially after reading all these messges) and 2) she referred at that stage as horrible... she took my boss comment as an insult. I wonder if at some point, physicians will start referring to menopause and all its different stages as normal phases from female life. I have to confess that I was angry at my boss for saying "such a thing" to me... but I actually am good friend with her and we both laugh about that episode... because I know she meant well... she just wanted me to be informed. And that's the advice I give to you... perhaps you'd like to consider to go to an endocronologist and get a real picture of you stage.

Love,

Michelle

Sugs

Jberries....hehehehe the girls are squabblin! I like it .. i like it!!!!

I was 34 when I thought I was at the end of my rope...then I found out it was peri. I think the symptoms actually started a few years earlier though.

Mik

HI,
I'm 38( 39 next mo.) and I am thinking I probably started feeling symptoms and just didn't know what they were or they weren't bad enough for me to pay attn. in my early to mid 30's. I have so many symptoms now I sware some days I feel like I may lose my mind. I have been complaining to my Dr. over the last 3 or so yrs. of odd symptoms with really no connection to anything till the past yr. or so when my body really went haywire, and often. Finally a visit to a new Dr. and she said my age alone signifies peri. My mom had her last period at 44 or 45 so it is no telling when each of us will enter this time.

I haven't seen anything on Progesterone....has anyone tried it for their symptoms? I am 31 this year and my periods have always been a little on the heavy side. Just recently though, I have been experiencing bloating, extremely heavy periods (change every hour) with clotting and migraines. I go to a colon hydrotherapist and she suggested progesterone cream because she believes that most of us are too high in estrogen from all the estrogen that's in our environment and the food we eat. I also took birth control for over 10yrs. I am not sure if I am in perimenopause or what...maybe I am still adjusting from the birth of my son...I dunno. But my periods have always been quite heavy, just not THIS heavy. I think I may try the cream. If anyone has any information on natural Progesterone cream I would be happy to hear it! NIce to meet you all!

Hi all:

I have been on the over the counter progest cream for a number of years now. I started taking it due to menstrual migraines. My doctor and I tried everything first and when nothing worked, I decided to try the progest cream. Well, the migraines are 85% gone. I love it and it does help with the other symptoms I was having (like anxiety, hot flashes, dryness etc.) I actuallly feel like I did in my 30's again (I am 47) I know it can affect everyone differently but at this point in time, I love using it and would recommend trying it.

Mosy

I am beginning to feel much better after reading all the posts about entering peri which what I though was way too early. I am 42 years old and my period is 2 weeks late. I have had several cycles in the past 5 years which were off, but have never been this late. I had my tubes tied after my third child when I was 31 and have had no problems. I have been scared to death that I might be pregnant and I can't bring myself to take a pregnancy test yet. I have suffered for years with dizzy spells, lightheadedness and 3 years ago I had about 5 attacks of severe vertigo and vomiting which landed me in the ER. Until today, I never thought that might be related to peri-menopause, but I'm beginning to wonder if I was already in it and didn't realize it. Anyway, did anyone have mostly normal cycles and then one day just miss one completely? Also, I quit smoking 6 months ago (I had been a smoker for 23 years) and noticed that about 2-3 months after I quit, I had extreme moodiness and irritability which I though was odd since the first 2 months after quitting smoking I nad none of those symtoms. Maybe it was another symptom of Peri-menopause? Anyway, any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.

I was talking to my sister the other day..she just turned 32 in feb......she has spells with depression..anxiety...migraines and nervousness...weight gain..hot flashes...night sweats....still has a reg period...but she has had a few that were late from time to time......she's always been lucky about having light periods that only lasted 3 days...now there heavier...longer....and when there late she goes crazy...she takes no b irth control...hubby had vasectomy.......but then again so did his dad and still had 2 more kids...lol.....she told me "I know i'm too young for all this" but i told her 30's was when your hormones just start to change right?...it may not be peri but she's on her way i feel....dr's told her it was just pms too........but she's had her thyroid and other tests run and they all come back normal....hmmm...makes ya wonder don't it?

I'm 39 and have several of the symptoms. When I was 38, I had my last gyno appt. and told the dr. that my periods were very different than before. They used to be every 28 days and lasted about 5 days. Now, they last about a day or two, stop, spot, stop, reappear a week later, and so on. He told me that my body was beginning the "change". He asked if I wanted to go on the bcp to ease any symptoms and regulate my periods. I passed on it because I didn't have any other symptoms at the time and prefer not to take any pills.

Well, a year later, at 39, I began the internal shaking, the dreaded insomnia, a few "warm flashes", fullness in my ears, anxiety (for no reason I can think of), pounding heart when I wake up, a couple of panic attacks, etc.. I wondered what on earth happened to me. I made an appointment with my primary dr. who told me peri doesn't happen until late 40's and that I should see a shrink. That made me feel down, but I just figured he is a man who may know little about peri. I went to my ob/gyn who reasured me that I may very well be in peri and prescribed the bcp. Within a month after starting the pill, the anxiety is almost gone, no more flashes, very little tingling and my sleeping is improving, although I'm not satisfied yet. My sleep record is 3 great nights in a row. The insomnia has been around for about 6 weeks and am really hoping it will end soon. I'm trying to be optimistic - but it's hard, especially when it's 4am and I'm still awake. I love to sleep! If my ob/gyn had told me that insomnia was going to be in my future, I would have taken the bcp the moment he recommended them last year. By, the way, I did visit a psychologist, since I figured it wouldn't hurt. The first thing she said to me was "I really think you are in peri and your primary dr. is a man who has never experienced this. I've seen people with mental illnesses and you don't fit in". She's about 50 and knows all about it. I felt so relieved! But, she did warn me that this was going to last about 10 years and that I was going to have to adapt to the symptoms so that they don't ruin my life. She is so right.

Hang in there ladies...we can get through this!

Well, hun I was 39 when mine started, I'm 40 now. My periods were normal from age 13 until I turned 39, 3 months before I turned 39 one of the first things I noticed was this I could be doing the easiest task around the house with A.C. up full blast and my clothes would be drenched with sweat to the point I had to change clothes. well then the month of my birthday 39, my period was a week and a half late, then when it did start I spotted 2 days not even enough to wear anything. Then 7 days after that bang I broke out into a full bleed very heavy in the morning hours and would lighten up toward evening, and same thing morning after morning for 19 days straight went to gyn. done a full vaginal ultrasound could not find anything. Said I could or could not be having peripause, but he said he would not rule it out completely, he but me on b.c. pills to regulate me and it did, but now I'm dealing with panic and anxiety attacks so Dr had to put me on Clonzipam for my nerves, hate taking it but I don't like the panic and anxiety either. However after this month I'm stopping the b.c. pills don't like b.c. pills never did, going to a natural creme for hormones, wish me luck.
But you are not alone, we are here for you, you will notice alot of changes but if it gets too over-bearing go to your family doctor and ask for meds to help you, I know some take what I take and anti-depressants. Its like my family doctor which is a man by the way said this "you are going through a transition in your life and during this you need a little help" I'm thinking a little help, how about a whole lot, but at least he recognized it was the hormonal thing.
Keep us up-dated

Thanks for replying. It's a relief to know that someone my age is going through this too. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good except for the insomnia. It's really bad. I don't take sleeping pills because of the addictiveness. Right now, I get one full night of sleep every other night. The off nights, I'm lucky to get 3 hours if I fall asleep at all. It's been tough on the sleepless nights since I know I can't totally blame peri for it. For some reason my brain won't shut down even though I'm doing everything right - totally relaxed... until 5am when I hear the birds chirp and I realized I had a sleepness night. I'm trying to keep my chin up. I just wish I had my old life back.

Good luck on the creme. I hope it works out for you. The anxiety is tough I know. I find exercise helped out with that. I don't have anymore anxiety, except in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I bought a hypnosis cd and listen to it when I feel the anxiety starting. It really calms my nerves. I don't take any anxiety meds - I tried Xanax a couple of times but didn't like taking it. It's highly addictive. I think I had more anxiety taking it, knowing the addictive potential.

Take care of yourself!