Hi there everyone. Aside from the Introduce Yourself section, this is my first post so I thought this was a good place to start being that the tile is Am I Starting Perimenopause. I read the 34 symptoms and I have most of them. It was a relief to see them in print. So far doctors haven't been that supportive really.

I just turned 44. Two years ago, I started skipping my period occassionally. I also had this horrific itching on the outside of my vagina and if you'll pardon my bluntness, "in the clitoral area." Just all around down there. I also started having minor hot flashes, but only in the morning. After about 6 months of having my period every other month, it started back every month. Not real regular, but kind of regular. Sometimes 21 days, sometimes 28, sometimes 18. Once I had it two weeks apart. Then, the hot flashes became unbearable. I mean all the time and really bad. I did a lot of reading and read about the benefits of phytoestrogens..which I started taking. In 3 weeks, the hot flashes stopped. Completely. So did my periods. I haven't had a period in 4 months. I've taken 3 pregnancy tests - luckily all negative. I sometimes have tingly fingers and rapid heartbeat. Oh - I forgot one important thing. I started waking up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. When I finally did go back to sleep, I only slept an hour before waking up again. It was like I was sleeping in shifts. My doctor gave me Trazadone to help with sleeping - and it does so that problem is cured.

That's my story - I wonder if any of you can relate? Just kidding I'm sure I'm not alone. Has anyone gone as many as 4 months with no period at my age? I feel like I'm too young for this. I don't feel depressed at all. I'm kind of really looking forward to NO MORE PERIODS EVER! I just don't like the other symptoms. I will say the phytoestrogen supplement (I think it has B vitamins and black cohosh) has helped and I increased soy in my diet. The hot flashes were driving me crazy.

It makes me nervous not having a period. I know that sounds weird. You go 30 years having them every month and then all of a sudden...BAM. I thought I had cancer but my pap smear is always fine and supposedly everything is "normal" in there. I haven't had any blood tests to confirm that it's perimenopause.

The scariest thing to me is the missed period. Certainly it's sort of the "best part" of all of this. So why does it scare me so much? I'd really like to know if anyone else has skipped as many as 4 months.

Sorry for the long post. I welcome any and all comments. I look forward to exploring this site.

colby

Hi Colby,
As you can see I am a newbie too, but this place is awesome for support and understanding. I am going through perimenopause and for the longest time did not know what was happening to me. I have not missed any periods yet, but they do decide to come when they want and I am finding that I am having to endure more when they are here. It is hard to grasp it when it does happen, I know. When we are young girls we hope for our menstral cycle so we can become "women". When they do come all we do is complain, endure the pain and put up with them thinking that they will never end. When we hit this stage in our lives, we think that we are going crazy because of the perimenopause and menopause symptoms. But we endure. I, like you am having trouble sleeping. I go to bed and I am up about 4 hours later. After that it seems to be every hour for a minute or so. Then when it is time to get up I just want to stay in bed. I admit that I have my morning nap because if I don't I am dogged for the rest of the day and I feel like I am going to pass out.

I am sorry that I cannot help you with the missed period questions, but this forum is great and you will get responses that will help and make you feel better!

Take Care,
Kathy

Hi Colby,

I'll be 44 in July and didn't have a period since last December. It was just over 4 months when I started bleeding and it's now been almost 2 weeks. I was told in January I was postmenopausal although a year had not passed. Just yesterday I went for a complete blood check and should find out tomorrow what all my levels are at. My doctor seems convinced that this bleeding I'm having right now will be minimal and is just my body trying to have one. Although it has been almost two weeks, it's been very light. So far I seem to be handling the transition ok, but I did have a serious bout of depression a few weeks back. The only thing that kept me sane was the responses from this board. I have added flaxseed and evening primrose to my diet and I now wonder if it has made a difference. I actually feel pretty good, but I wonder if I am going to jinx myself by saying it. Anyways, welcome to power surge.

Greetings everyone. I just turned 48 years old and am new to posting and in some respects, the industrial strength phase of perimenopause. As I look back, I think the perimenopause process started years ago but the symptoms were much more subtle. I experienced slightly shorter cycles with periods that would start and stop after a few days and then start again and seemed to last longer than usual-sometimes 13 days. A powerful headache usually occured a day or two before my period and then inexplicably on the 6-8 th day of my cycle. I got used to it, and as women we tend to roll with things, anyway, don't we?

I had an ultrasound last year for DUB and thankfully, it turned up nothing. In the last two months, I feel like I have jumped off the abyss. My last period was 61 days ago. Twice I have felt it was coming (cramps and headache) but then nothing. I did begin to have spotting on the 55 day-woke up with a killer headache and some rather feeble attempt at spotting. No, I am not pregnant. I do miss the assurance of my period each month as strange as that sounds. I am still spotting (if you could even call it that) but nothing significant. I have gained 6 pounds in two months. I wake up at 2 or 3 p.m. in a sweat. A normally easygoing person, I often feel irritable and/or blue. My fingers tingle and my heart races and I say to myself, "hang on-this too shall pass". Let's see, anything else? Dry skin. Limited bouts of acne. Little or no sex drive. I think I had my first full tilt hot flash last week. Lasted only a minute or so.

It is comforting to know that I am part of a larger sisterhood experiencing much of the same. But at present I am in the midst of what can only be termed a rather frightening and confusing new world in which I have little, if any control.

I welcome your stories and thank you for 'listening".

Take good care!
Margo

Thanks everyone - obviously I'm not alone. Mariann, seems like we are just about in-sync. No period since December. But, of course, you finally got yours. I haven't yet but it sure feels like I'm going to. Today I had a lot of tenderness in the area. Not just tender - it actually hurt. I had a hot flash this a.m. - haven't had those in awhile. I haven't been depressed, and I hope that symptom doesn't rear it's ugly head.

I'm so glad I found these boards! Thanks to you all. I'll keep exploring and learning. And, hopefully one day I'll be back to "normal." So to speak.

Colby

Hi colby - I just turned 44 too. My journey started around 37/38 years old. My doctor at the time said my skipped periods/palps/fatigue/weight gain, etc "were caused by stress" and "I was too young for meno". Needless to say, she is not my doctor anymore. My peri symptoms really moved up a notch 2 1/2 years ago. Now I can go 3-4 months without a period. Believe me I feel great when I don't have a period. I feel normal again. The minute my body tries to ovulate and/or have a period all hell breaks loose once again then I suffer for weeks, NOT days, but several weeks of over the top symptoms. Right now, I've been messed up since March of this year. I've been suffering from heart palps/anxiety/depression/fatigue like I'm dying/muscle aches/.irritability/lack of sleep,etc. I want this to be OVER! The good thing is my sister was in full on meno at 45 my mom at the age of 40, so I think I have about two years of this before it all ends.

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Hi Colby, I can sure understand what you are going through. I myself am 37 years old and have been experiencing perimenopause symptoms now for about the last year or so. There are days when, I just cannot even stand my on self. I've been one to have panic attacks before, but now, they have gotten worse. The main problems I face are the night sweats, hot flashes and the insomnia.

To me it seems like most days are a crisis situation. Then there are days where I cry at the drop of a hat. One of my main deals I've been faced with here lately is the "empty nest syndrome". This has been a hard fact of life for me to accept, though I knew would day it would happen, but just not so soon, like it has. It just seems like this and the perimenopause symptoms have hit all at once , like being run over by a Mack truck. I had my hysterectomy back almost 3 years ago, the Dr left my ovaries, I don't have my periods anymore (which is a GOOD thing ) !!!! But, I still can tell when my body would be getting ready to start and that is when these symptoms I have already really flare up.

This is my first post other than the introducing myself to the group. I hope that us newbies can get to know one another.

Hi Colby & Everyone in this thread,

I understand what you're all going through!
I'm 44 and for the past couple of years I've had various perimenopausal symptoms.
fatigue, heart palpitations, hot/cold flushes, night sweats, irregular periods, mood swings
just to name a few. I'm sure there's more I've forgotten to mention.

My periods were normal, then a couple of years ago they started getting lighter & for a shorter time.
Then last year I started missing the odd one here & there, and the next would be normal.
Then one time after I'd missed a couple, I had a really heavy period for 6 weeks!
That kind of freaked me out, so I had scans done (when it was finished) and another pap smear,
and all was okay. The dr said it was just part of the perimenopause.
Everything was okay again for awhile, then I started getting periods every 3 weeks, instead of four,
but I still missed a few in between.
Now, this year, I've missed a couple of months, then had a few spots, and missed a few more,
then had a normal period. Now it's light to a little heavy-ish but has been going for 3 weeks!
When it finally stops this time, I'm due for my pap smear & probably will have another scan just to
make sure all is still okay.
But my Mum had no problems like this at all.
So I didnt' know any of this would happen!

I'm taking remifemin at the moment to see if that helps any.
I've been on it a month, and it's helping my sleep.
So that's good.

This is my 2nd other post other than the introduction.
So I hope to talk to others & learn a lot about this.
I actually typed all this out before & went to post it & it just disappeared!

take care everyone,

Shiloh

Hi everyone

Does everyone experience hot flashes? I haven't yet and perhaps that means I'm not going through peri yet...

Thanks.
tina

Tina, hot flashes are only one of the many possible symptoms of peri. I only get them occasionally, but do get lots of other symptoms. Take a look at the 34 symptoms of peri that Dearest put together. You many only get a few or all of them.

Hello All,

It really is good to hear that all this crazyness with peri is not just a figment of my imagination.

I am 47 and had a partial hyst 2 years ago. Since then, there has been increasing anxiety and internal jitteryness. I don't recognize the person I have become. Went again to the gyno to ask about natural hormone supplements and all he wants to do is prescribe bc pills and lexapro. Isn't there another way to balance the ovaries besides birth control pills.? Does anyone use vivelle patches for balancing the ovaries? Are there better birth control pills for pms vs contraception help.?

I too am facing the empty nest this fall with my daughter going away to school. It doesn't seem far somehow that all this stuff descends at the same time.


Kars