Menopause??

[Kaleigh]

For those that are going through it, what were the signs?? I know, I need to see my GYN. My periods have been regular, like damn too regular.

BUT the last year they have gotten heavier. I have hot flashes, but also get chills... Go figure.

Periods are long, always have been. Just that the flow is different...

BUT am late for my period... ( NO not preggo!!! )

So when you miss a period does that happen all of a sudden?? Does it continue or do you have some one month and then go for times you don't have it??

I know the definition is that you are period free for a year....

I am 48.

I know you all are much younger, so are far away from any of this. But if anyone is going through it, I'd love to hear from you.

TIA...
Lisa

 

[mayachel]

Hi Kaleigh, the symptoms you are describing very well could be the start of menopause. However they could also be the result of other issues. When your periods suddenly seem to be heavier each month it is worth finding out why. Your health care provider will likely want to see the lining of your uterus via sonography to see if something is causing an overgrowth in the lining such as fibroids.

Also, many women entering peri-menopause find that their cycles come more frequently before spacing out.

 

[lyra]

This is a timely subject. I just turned 48 this year and have started missing periods. Once in January, and now again in April/May. I am not having hot flashes as far as I know, but I don''t know what to expect. I often overheat, but I don''t know if that counts. My sleep is very on/off, either too much or way too little. (I was up until 5 am this morning for instance.) I''m having some minor mood issues and some major cognitive problems. I started writing it down though, to take to the appropriate doctor. I am not a candidate for any type of HRT, so I guess I just go through this sans medicinal intervention, although I think I might drive my family insane along the way...

I''d like to hear from others too. I don''t know what to expect. Every woman in my family had a hysterectomy and did not go through menopause naturally at all.

 

[PinkTower]

This sounds quite familiar. Once the sweats began, I had to begin taking the HRT, in a low dose. I know all about family history, etc. However, as my doctor said, quality of life is also a consideration. I do not think I could have continued to work if I did not begin HRT. However, in the stage you may be entering now, I found relief for about four years by only taking Prometrium. I also found it helped me sleep. I took it at suppertime. If you can sleep, everything else is so much less menacing.

HTH,
Mel

 

[VRBeauty]

Kaleigh and Lyra: Menopause sounds like a possibility for both of you. To me it seems like it''s worth getting the hormone levels checked -- forewarned is forearmed -- but I have no idea what''s generally accepted practice in the medical field. Lyra, apparently not everyone has hot flashes, but I did have sleep issues and cognitive issues when I went through (a very early) menopause years ago. I won''t bore you with the details, but it was very easy for me to determine which "quirks" were hormone-related because of the sequence of events I went through. For me, a sudden, deep spiral into depression was a companion to the sleep issues and cognitive impairment. Depression may be one of the less common symptoms of menopause, but it for me it was definitely part of the package, so you might want to be aware that it is a possibility.

The New York Times recently published an extensive article on the use of estrogen during menopause that''s worth reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18estrogen-t.html

And there are comments representing a wide variety of viewpoints on a related NYT blog:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/the-mental-chaos-of-menopause/

If you go the non-HRT route, you might want to check out some of the Wise Woman books on herbal medicines by Susun Weed.

Good luck!

 

[soocool]

I was on the pill until I turned 48 or 49 (the week I was off the pill I was getting bad migraines). As soon as I went off the pill I never got a period again. I never had a hot flash or any symptoms assocaited with menopause (thank goodness) I am 53 now.

My sister was another story. She had extremely heavy periods lasting sometimes 10 days and they were very irregular. The doctor was concerned that her flow was so heavy that he put her on hormone therapy to reduce the blood loss. But first I know she had an ultrasound done to make sure there were no other problems. She was on the hormone therapy for a short time and when she stopped is when her hot flashes started and no more periods.

 

[PinkTower]

Lisa,

One other thing--you may want to go ahead and get a Dexa scan. I had my first one at age 51, and already had several areas in my spine that had deteriorated. I was nowhere near menopause yet, so I am glad I went ahead and got on a treatment plan. They are given every other year, and I will be getting my second one this week, so I am hoping my bone density is improved. Certain women are more prone to this, and now I recognize that my mother''s build was a red flag for me.

-Mel

 

[Kaleigh]

Thanks to all. I get regular Dexa scans, and do have bone loss. Thanks to my Mom''s genes.. But I do take a monthly pill which is helping.

I was freaking so bought a digital Pregnancy test...

It said PREGNANT!!!!

OK that was a bad joke!!!

 

[mayachel]

Ha! I laughed. My first thought was, wow! I hear those stories frequently enough, to not have been too surprised. Of course if you didn''t reallly buy the test, you still could be!

 

[lyra]

Well, since we last spoke, I have now started having hot flashes.

It''s like I''m on the fast train here... I cannot take HRT because I''ve had a pulmonary embolism. Man, I hate this new development. Is there no relief then? You just feel like you''re burning up for hours on end? I''m on meds for diabetes so I probably can''t take anything herbal. Anyone have any other ideas?

 

[PinkTower]

I would discuss this with an excellent doctor, perhaps one who has bioidentical hormones made at a compounding pharmacy. My thought is that they would be more up to date on alternatives that fit your medical history.

Also, not every night sweat is menopause. In my late 40''s, early 50''s I began having night sweats, and everyone joked that it was part of getting older. Eventually, I became quite ill and was diagnosed with Crohn''s Disease. Once I went into remission, the night sweats ceased.

 

[ksinger]

All sounds about right. Turning 48 this year. For the last year everything''s been irregular - 21 days....OR 32 days....warning, NO warning, hot, cold, MOOOOODY, depressed, or unable to focus. None of it normal for mel at any time prior. None of it terribly bad or impossible to deal with, but a general low-level PITA.

If I need HRT, I will take it without a whimper.

If you guys have not read this, or don''t already know about the new news regarding HRT (sounds like some of you do), then take this link, which contains a another - working - link, to the NYTimes article entitled "The Estrogen Dilemma". It is truly required reading. However, condensed, it basically tells everyone that the danger of HRT is not at all as great as it was made out to be years ago when those studies were stopped so suddenly, and we all went "Whoa!!" and thought HRT was going to give every woman breast cancer.

For those of us getting ready to go through this process in earnest, this article and perhaps others, needs to be in our hands when we go to the dr''s to discuss the issue. I saved it off and will do a bit more research before the day I feel it''s time to head in.

 

[PinkTower]

Date: 6/12/2010 5:35:40 AM
Author: ksinger
All sounds about right. Turning 48 this year. For the last year everything''s been irregular - 21 days....OR 32 days....warning, NO warning, hot, cold, MOOOOODY, depressed, or unable to focus. None of it normal for mel at any time prior. None of it terribly bad or impossible to deal with, but a general low-level PITA.


If I need HRT, I will take it without a whimper.


If you guys have not read this, or don''t already know about the new news regarding HRT (sounds like some of you do), then take this link, which contains a another - working - link, to the NYTimes article entitled ''The Estrogen Dilemma''. It is truly required reading. However, condensed, it basically tells everyone that the danger of HRT is not at all as great as it was made out to be years ago when those studies were stopped so suddenly, and we all went ''Whoa!!'' and thought HRT was going to give every woman breast cancer.


For those of us getting ready to go through this process in earnest, this article and perhaps others, needs to be in our hands when we go to the dr''s to discuss the issue. I saved it off and will do a bit more research before the day I feel it''s time to head in.

Thanks for sharing that link. I had read the article. I did not understand how difficult it would be to be professional on my job without sleep. I was sleep deprived with infants, but not hormone deprived, plus I was 25 years younger. As my doctor summed it up, "quality of life has to be weighed in with all the other factors." For me, it came down to whether I wanted to quit my job or take the hormones, and the freedom to go to work every day was not a privilege I wanted to give up. I have had some uterine biopsies in the past and I still feel the benefits of the HRT outweigh the risks for me.

My MIL says she breezed through menopause. Everyone is different.

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 6/11/2010 9:28:05 PM
Author: lyra
Well, since we last spoke, I have now started having hot flashes.

It''s like I''m on the fast train here... I cannot take HRT because I''ve had a pulmonary embolism. Man, I hate this new development. Is there no relief then? You just feel like you''re burning up for hours on end? I''m on meds for diabetes so I probably can''t take anything herbal. Anyone have any other ideas?

Lyra - you might want to check out some of Susun Weed''s herbal medicine books. There''s one specific to women''s health and/or menopause.

 

[Kaleigh]

The hot flashes suck.

I go between being hot, and then cold, but then again have the AC cranked... I am glad hubby and kids aren''t here. I am a hot mess!!!