Originally Posted by pjrufus

I second the Estroven!!! I don't know who came up with the name hot "flash", if it only "flashed" it wouldn't be so bad. My flashes could last for hours.

Yeah, flash my arse!!! I wish that's all it was!

My latest discovery has been that we also have cold flashes!!! I thought I was going crazy b/c it would be 72 degrees in here and I'd literally start shivering and pile on sweaters. I did some research and it turns out that we DO have "cold" flashes! Not as often or as annoying, but it's all part of the hormonal adjustments going on.

Well, it saves on the air conditioning bill a little which is good, since it's usually working over time to kill the hot flashes.

I was doing really well health-wise till I hit 50 and it's been downhill ever since. Mysterious symptoms, osteoarthritis, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, rosacea, etc. One dr. said I have fibromyalgia.

I was on ERT which meant NO hot flashes. Then they discovered I have a factor in my blood that increases my blood clot risk 8-fold. 33-fold if I'm on hormones! So the dr. immediately stopped the ERT and the hot flashes began. That was 10 years ago and tho they are less frequent, I still get them, probably till I die.

Weight goes on way too fast over 50 and sticks like glue!

Originally Posted by Prada Psycho

I have a sister that turned 50 last year. She intentionally stays on birth control pills so she WILL have (what she thinks are) periods. I keep telling her that "bleeding" once a month doth not a period make, but she's having a hard time (emotionally) with the idea of getting older. She figures as long as she's bleeding once a month, she's not "old" but it just doesn't work that way. I suspect she's already menopausal, but she'd have to ditch the pills to find that out and she hasn't done it yet. I'm wearing her down with my lectures though, so time will tell.

That's funny!

I didn't do anything to keep my periods going for so many years, long after everyone in my age range stopped theirs... I was just happy that I naturally had them for so long, because I knew what was coming (hormone changes, more wrinkles, hair texture changes, hot flashes) when they stopped.

Originally Posted by boxermom

I was doing really well health-wise till I hit 50 and it's been downhill ever since. Mysterious symptoms, osteoarthritis, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, rosacea, etc. One dr. said I have fibromyalgia. I was on ERT which meant NO hot flashes. Then they discovered I have a factor in my blood that increases my blood clot risk 8-fold. 33-fold if I'm on hormones! So the dr. immediately stopped the ERT and the hot flashes began. That was 10 years ago and tho they are less frequent, I still get them, probably till I die. Weight goes on way too fast over 50 and sticks like glue!

We're Cyber Sisters!

Originally Posted by piperlu

Thanks for starting this Elaine. However, I don't even know where to begin. I just turned 52 and I am nearing my one year mark for not having a period. This with my thryoid problems really has me not sure what to do anymore. I feel like such a mess all the time. I'll save the rest of my health issues for another post. LOL I have to attend a HIPAA/OSHA class, so I'll post again later. LOL Bye girls!

Jeez, you and I are twins. Cept I'm a bit older.

OK don't shoot me..I'm 43..just wondering what perimenaopause is..is it when your hormones start to change? I have no symptoms yet..at what age do you start 'changing'.......I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not looking forward to this.....

Can I join in

I'm 30... had a partial hysterectomy due to cancer 3yrs ago... then had my ovaries removed shortly thereafter.

Between the surgery and the chemo (both the first time 3yrs ago, and the chemo I'm going through now) I am most definitely in full blown menopause at an age where my friends are still debating having children.

The hot flashes in the middle of the night. Not losing weight as easily as I use to. Terrible memory. Moodiness.

Am I the only one that feels like Target should have a menopausal hour? You know, like Costco opens early for the VIP members... Target should open early for menopausal members. I am never in the mood to deal with other shoppers' bs... and am walking through the store throwing dirty looks. At least if it was during menopausal hour, we'd all understand why we're so bitchy

I can't believe I'm going to have to deal with this for many decades to come. I'll never be able to go on HRT... isn't there some sort of natural remedy I can take?

Originally Posted by piperlu

Thanks for starting this Elaine. However, I don't even know where to begin. I just turned 52 and I am nearing my one year mark for not having a period. This with my thryoid problems really has me not sure what to do anymore. I feel like such a mess all the time. I'll save the rest of my health issues for another post. LOL I have to attend a HIPAA/OSHA class, so I'll post again later. LOL Bye girls!

Oh yeah... have that too... :(

YAY!! Love this thread! Thanks PP!! By the way, I had my last period at 44. Evidently the stress I was going through regarding my mom's ovarian cancer treatment prompted my menopause to kick in early (don't know if that's true, but my md seems to think so). Either way........love being period-free!!!

Well, I didn't mind the sore boobies much. Rather be sore than saggy. lol

Ok, last May I had a cyst on my ovary and my Dr decided the cyst needed to go and since I had not had periods, we planned on just removing both ovaries and the uterine lining. All well and good as it took my worry about a couple of cancers away. During the minor surgery, the good ovary started bleeding and I had to be opened up and now all is ok. So, I take Estratest and Cymbalta and Savella for my Fibro that has been going on for a couple of years. The estratest and cymbalta, my DH says I can't do without, cus I am a happy woman. There's my story and wow, when I was receovering, I would have been lost without TPF.

On another note, have any of you done a chemical peel. I ask because I am off work this week and need to decide quickly if I am going to have one. I am so nervous, but was hoping it would help with some discolorations and a little sun damage. Don't have the clarisonic, but am getting one next month for my bday.

Sorry to be so long winded!!

Purse addict - great idea about a menopausal shopping hour and if they could crank the air up, that would be good, too.

Kroquet, it will all depend on the type of peel you have - TCA or glycolic and if you have a light peel or a really strong one. Are you planning to have it done by a derm or at a spa? A deep TCA peel will make you red and then you will start peeling and that will be noticeable and you won't want to go out.

Originally Posted by EMMY

OK don't shoot me..I'm 43..just wondering what perimenaopause is..is it when your hormones start to change? I have no symptoms yet..at what age do you start 'changing'.......I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not looking forward to this.....

Any woman over 40 is pretty much guaranteed to be "peri-menopausal" though you may not be noticing anything specific yet. Peri-menopause can last as long as TEN YEARS!!

Funny thing with me was that I was never regular with my periods my entire life. That's ironically what tipped me on that I was becoming peri-menopausal: I started having periods every 28 days like clockwork!

I love this website: 34 Menopause Symptoms It has great info for peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopausal stages.

Originally Posted by PurseAddict79

Can I join in I'm 30... had a partial hysterectomy due to cancer 3yrs ago... then had my ovaries removed shortly thereafter.

Of course! Any woman of any age is welcome, but when you're menopausal due to surgery, you get to go to the head of the class, IMHO!

My sister had a complete hysterectomy around your age. She's 47 now, so she's got a 17 year head start on me, even though I'm 7 years older than her.

My mother also had a hysterectomy in her late 30's, as have most of the women in my family. I'm the first to go though menopause au naturel, so I never had anyone in my family to talk to about what to expect. This is why I have been a mad researcher on the subject.

Welcome PurseAddict79. Have you tried Estroven? Probably good idea to check with your Dr. first, even though it is a natural product.

Quote:

OK don't shoot me..I'm 43..just wondering what perimenaopause is..is it when your hormones start to change? I have no symptoms yet..at what age do you start 'changing'.......I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not looking forward to this.....

Emmy, everyone is different, as you can see by our age differences. I had a partial hysty (kept ovaries), mid forties. The only way I knew I was menopausal, I went completely nuts about age 50! Seriously, got through it finally...but it was the lowest and roughest point in my life. The flashes and physical markers didn't appear until a few years later.

I should add, I'm 60 now.