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Post by momstime on Jul 13, 2014 13:05:11 GMT
My quick story: After the birth of my last child (18 years ago), my periods were off the chart heavy for at least a 24 hour span each month. My cycles were also on the long side (7 days of dot, 32 day cycle) There was nothing physically wrong with me, just dumb luck I suppose. Then, about a year ago, my periods became more normal...27 days apart, no homicide day (as I called it).
This month I have yet to get a period. I have been as regular as time for over a year, and so I'm starting to wonder....By the way, I'm 48. I read online that menopause happens between 48-55yrs, typically.
So tell me, what can I expect? I've had the night sweats for a few years, my hair is more brittle and dry lately, my skin is thinning on my hands.
I find myself feeling depressed that I've served my time as a woman and am now being put out to pasture waiting to die. (Yes, I'm that dramatic! lol)
PS. My sil told me she didn't get a dot for 3-4 months and then she would. This went on for a year or more. Wonderful! How can you prepare for that? Talk to me!
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Post by cindosha on Jul 13, 2014 13:14:01 GMT
the night sweats suck the big one. and for me, they aren't just night sweats, they are every day all day and night long sweats. and my metabolism is non-existent. i've gained weight like a effing cow. like 20 lbs in the last year weight gain.....
blows....
cindy
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Post by momstime on Jul 13, 2014 13:19:58 GMT
the night sweats suck the big one. and for me, they aren't just night sweats, they are every day all day and night long sweats. and my metabolism is non-existent. i've gained weight like a effing cow. like 20 lbs in the last year weight gain..... blows.... cindy I'm sure this wasn't meant to be funny, but I laughed out loud...and then I cried huge crocodile tears of the overwhelmingly anguished variety. |
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oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828 
Location: Ontario,Canada
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Post by oldcrow on Jul 13, 2014 13:24:35 GMT
My period never failed to come. Instead it got heavier and longer. The first day I would go through at least one package of pads - the big industrial size.
I had to cover my mattress with plastic to protect it. Every time I stood there was a flood. I was lucky if I had a week and a half without it each month. This went on for over two years.
I work in health care and at that time we were only allowed to wear white uniforms. Such fun.
Then it quit. Just like that. That was ten years ago. Thank you Lord.
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Post by njinkerbelle on Jul 13, 2014 13:31:10 GMT
I had very irregular periods at age 47 then they stopped at age 48. Never had night sweats, but moods were up and down. Eventually the mood swings stopped. At age 56 I had a hysterectomy because of uterine cancer. I was lucky and caught it early in stage one. I'm good now and have never felt better at age 60.
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conchita
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,141
Jul 1, 2014 11:25:58 GMT
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Post by conchita on Jul 13, 2014 13:41:37 GMT
I had severe endometriosis, huge cysts on my ovaries, the pain was constant, there really wasn't any choice for me but a hysterectomy several years ago. So I didn't have a gradual, long suffering intro to menopause. It was immediate and took me a while to get used to my new self. I turned into a recluse for a few months at first because the hot flashes were just too overwhelming; especially in 110 degree summer heat. Right now my main concern is thinning hair! I used to have to shave my legs everyday. Not so much anymore. But I consider that a plus. It's the hair on my head and my eyebrows that I'm starting to lose.  |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jul 13, 2014 13:47:03 GMT
At least you have a sense of humor about it!
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Post by christine58 on Jul 13, 2014 13:47:37 GMT
My quick story: After the birth of my last child (18 years ago), my periods were off the chart heavy for at least a 24 hour span each month. My cycles were also on the long side (7 days of dot, 32 day cycle) There was nothing physically wrong with me, just dumb luck I suppose. Then, about a year ago, my periods became more normal...27 days apart, no homicide day (as I called it). This month I have yet to get a period. I have been as regular as time for over a year, and so I'm starting to wonder....By the way, I'm 48. I read online that menopause happens between 48-55yrs, typically. So tell me, what can I expect? I've had the night sweats for a few years, my hair is more brittle and dry lately, my skin is thinning on my hands. I find myself feeling depressed that I've served my time as a woman and am now being put out to pasture waiting to die. (Yes, I'm that dramatic! lol) PS. My sil told me she didn't get a dot for 3-4 months and then she would. This went on for a year or more. Wonderful! How can you prepare for that? Talk to me! I'm 55...and for the last 18 months my period that was like clockwork my entire life became very unpredictable. Lighter---shorter---every three months. Then I actually got to 6 without one...yeah that didn't last...3 months later (June)...came again. No night sweats but I get overheated fast. I have the yearly exam in about 10 days...hoping for advice on the hot flashes and help with some weight loss...sucks..so welcome to perimenopause |
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Post by dualmaestra on Jul 13, 2014 14:44:58 GMT
I don't know where I am anymore, perimenopausal or into menopause. I was perimenopausal at 36. I have never been regular, but I did have light, 7 days of painful periods. At 36 I had one so painful that i thought I was gonna die (no children, so have no idea about birth pains). I saw dr and she told me i was perimenopausal. After that my periods changed, shorter but heavier and not as much pain. Then i started to skip months at a time. I am now 46 and haven't had one in over a year. Do not miss it at all!
hot flashes are another story. I have a hard time wearing my hair down, I cannot sleep through the night (even in winter) because I wake up hot. I am ready for this part to be over, but so far it has only gotten worse, day and night
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,955
Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Jul 13, 2014 16:09:39 GMT
I'm 49 and my periods have been sporadic for the last four years. Twice I've gone 11 mos. without one then they came back and were regular for a few months. Now I get one every 4 or 5 months. Some heavy some barely noticeable but never lasting more than a day or two. I've gained 20 lbs and despite my best efforts I can't get it off.
I get the night sweats like crazy, which if you knew me you'd find that crazy in itself since I usually run way cold blooded. I'm over it already and I'm afraid it's only just begun.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Post by MadamG2U on Jul 13, 2014 17:33:35 GMT
Cindy that is exactly how I would explain it. Except I would add the massive explosion! Starts at my head and my feet and meet in the middle! Someone told me it does get better.
MadamG2U
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suzastampin
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,587
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Post by suzastampin on Jul 13, 2014 18:02:46 GMT
Please, please, please...somebody help me find menopause. 59 1/2 and no sign of it yet! I'm so sick of waiting.  |
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Sue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,240
Location: SE of Portland, Oregon
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Post by Sue on Jul 13, 2014 18:16:25 GMT
My periods stopped at age 42 with no warning... just stopped. That sounds fine but I then had a 3 month long migraine headache and terrible hot flashes. I was determined to get by naturally but finally went to the Dr. when I couldn't stand it anymore and did HRT for about one year. The headaches didn't come back after I stopped the hormones but my hot flashes lasted for 20 years, gradually decreasing in intensity. At age 67 I'm thankful all that is finally over. Just an observation that we're all so individual it's hard to base one woman's experience on anothers.
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oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828
Location: Ontario,Canada
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Post by oldcrow on Jul 13, 2014 18:17:30 GMT
Please, please, please...somebody help me find menopause. 59 1/2 and no sign of it yet! I'm so sick of waiting. Now that sucks big time.  |
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Post by Pahina722 on Jul 13, 2014 18:24:21 GMT
My period got much heavier for a couple of years; then, it skipped for 3 months (I was terrified that I was pregnant at 49), restarted for 6 normal months, then just quit. For 2.5 years, I was without a period, then got an absolutely normal one this March and since then . . . . nothing. The hot flashes are still with me. Because of my mother's cancer history, I'm not a candidate for HRT, which really sucks. And that weight gain SUCKS. I've gained 25 pounds in 2 years on a 5'3" frame. I keep wondering who the fat chick is in the mirror.
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Post by momstime on Jul 13, 2014 18:34:36 GMT
I can totally handle being finished with aunt flo, but the rest of this crap is for the birds...plus I'm not too hip on having my periods start and stop at random. I'm a teacher, and the horror of starting unexpectedly just might send my anxiety off the charts. There is nothing like being stuck in a classroom when that warm gush feeling hits ya. (sorry for the visual)
Still can't believe my periods just stopped. I honestly feel like I did when I came home from basketball practice, ran to the bathroom and noticed my "special gift" that I never ordered had arrived. That shock and awe feeling of the power of our bodies was overwhelming. Likewise, having it just stop is equally, but differently, overwhelming.
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Post by zoeybug on Jul 13, 2014 18:36:26 GMT
My periods started getting erratic at about 47 but I never have gotten night sweats. I started having hot flashes about 18 months ago and those have been HELL-I literally feel like I'm self-igniting for about 20 seconds and then I'm fine . I also was getting extremely moody (and I'm already a moody person  ) and depressed but I was determined to not do any kind of hormones (I know three women who developed breast cancer within a year of starting hormone therapy; one has no history of breast cancer in her family). So finally, in June when I went for my annual I broke down (literally) because I was so miserable . And the weight gain, I've gained 15 pounds in about ten months and I got the "come to Jesus" with my GYN about this on the same visit. So...I'm on a combination of estrogen and progesterone that my dr's been using (she's now on staff at UTSouthwestern Medical and is pretty up to date on the studies) that has a virtually nonexistent cancer rate and told me she would order mammograms twice a year if I was that paranoid. I feel 100% better and I've had very few hot flashes. I haven't noticed brittle hair (yet) but I already do fish oil and flaxseed oil for my autoimmune diseases. Oh joy, more things to "look forward" to! ETA: oh and I'll be fifty in December! |
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Post by traceys on Jul 13, 2014 18:42:39 GMT
I had my last child at 36, and had my tubes tied at the same time. So I went off the pill for the first time since I was 18 (except for when TTC). I started having the heavier, long periods the OP described.
When I was 42, I had a regular period in December. Nothing else except one more light period the following May. Probably that summer, I started having night sweats and what I *thought* were hot flashes...about six years later I started having major make-you-want-to-rip-off-all-your-clothes-and-roll-in-the-snow hot flashes. My doctor put me on PremPro, which I still take today. The first month I alternated between sobbing uncontrollably and literally wanting to smash my fist into the face of anyone who looked at me sideways! It was horrible and I almost didn't refill the RX, but the hot flashes were beyond awful, and the night sweats had gotten so bad that I would have to change the tshirt I slept in during the night, and put a cotton blanket on the bed to have a dry spot to lay down and go back to sleep. I kept taking the meds and two weeks into the second month all of a sudden I was "normal" again. It was like a light switch had flipped on.
Now the only problem I have is that it is much more difficult for me to lose weight....which is partly the way I've always been, but just more so now.
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conchita
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,141
Jul 1, 2014 11:25:58 GMT
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Post by conchita on Jul 13, 2014 18:48:52 GMT
I had my last child at 36, and had my tubes tied at the same time. So I went off the pill for the first time since I was 18 (except for when TTC). I started having the heavier, long periods the OP described. When I was 42, I had a regular period in December. Nothing else except one more light period the following May. Probably that summer, I started having night sweats and what I *thought* were hot flashes...about six years later I started having major make-you-want-to-rip-off-all-your-clothes-and-roll-in-the-snow hot flashes. My doctor put me on PremPro, which I still take today. The first month I alternated between sobbing uncontrollably and literally wanting to smash my fist into the face of anyone who looked at me sideways! It was horrible and I almost didn't refill the RX, but the hot flashes were beyond awful, and the night sweats had gotten so bad that I would have to change the tshirt I slept in during the night, and put a cotton blanket on the bed to have a dry spot to lay down and go back to sleep. I kept taking the meds and two weeks into the second month all of a sudden I was "normal" again. It was like a light switch had flipped on. Now the only problem I have is that it is much more difficult for me to lose weight....which is partly the way I've always been, but just more so now. LOL! I also went back and forth between an uncontrollable, humiliating ugly cry and the next minute wanting to punch someone in the throat. Mainly men and young skinny women in the prime of their youth!   |
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Post by Kelly_MR on Jul 13, 2014 19:52:47 GMT
All I know is it seems for every hotflash I have I gain a 1/2 pound. That bothers me more than anything else. I have never had to watch what I eat luckily and now I have to watch every bite.
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suzastampin
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,587
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Post by suzastampin on Jul 14, 2014 11:49:55 GMT
Please, please, please...somebody help me find menopause. 59 1/2 and no sign of it yet! I'm so sick of waiting. Now that sucks big time. Yup! Sucks pond water! |
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Post by LAM88 on Jul 14, 2014 14:06:33 GMT
UGH! You all are scaring me! At 47 I've gone from being regular like clockwork to being somewhat less predictable. It's been going on for about a year now where I'll be regular 28-day cycle for a few months, and then I'll be a few weeks late or a few weeks early. Some of my periods have been a bit heavier, but nothing like what you all are describing. Although now that I think about it, DH and I were having an intimate moment recently when out of nowhere I started gushing.  That was a bit of a mood killer for me. I haven't really had any problems with night sweats or hot flashes yet. Not looking forward to that at all! |
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Post by deshacrafts on Jul 14, 2014 14:19:51 GMT
My quick story: After the birth of my last child (18 years ago), my periods were off the chart heavy for at least a 24 hour span each month. My cycles were also on the long side (7 days of dot, 32 day cycle) There was nothing physically wrong with me, just dumb luck I suppose. Then, about a year ago, my periods became more normal...27 days apart, no homicide day (as I called it). This month I have yet to get a period. I have been as regular as time for over a year, and so I'm starting to wonder....By the way, I'm 48. I read online that menopause happens between 48-55yrs, typically. So tell me, what can I expect? I've had the night sweats for a few years, my hair is more brittle and dry lately, my skin is thinning on my hands. I find myself feeling depressed that I've served my time as a woman and am now being put out to pasture waiting to die. (Yes, I'm that dramatic! lol) PS. My sil told me she didn't get a dot for 3-4 months and then she would. This went on for a year or more. Wonderful! How can you prepare for that? Talk to me! I hear you. I finally had a hysterectomy (they didn't take my ovaries) in March. I was in ER at the hospital in January with anemia because of a 3 week long heavy period. I was so excited to not have periods anymore, they have ruined more vacations that I can tell. However, I was not prepared for the fact that my already mostly gray hair would go completely gray and be coarse and curly. I agree with the feeling old, and I am sick to death of sweating. I swear that I woke up and changed position 30 times last night. First I was hot then I was cold. I am tired of being tired. So you have my total sympathy. This is the first time in my 56 (57 in Oct.) years that I feel like an old lady. |
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) and depressed but I was determined to not do any kind of hormones (I know three women who developed breast cancer within a year of starting hormone therapy; one has no history of breast cancer in her family). 
That was a bit of a mood killer for me.