Menopause Anyone???

Hot flashes are a sure sign.
Peri-menopause can go on for 10 or so years.
Estroven helps me with managing the hot flashes and night sweats.
My cycle can be anywhere from 14 - 45 days long and the bleeding can be heavy or light or long or short. The only clue I have that a period is coming is I'll break out a day or so beforehand.
I'm getting to the point where I wish it would just quit already but I've probably got about 4-5 more years to go.
If I ever meet God in person I want to ask him what the heck was he thinking when he invented this reproductive system.

I agree with the women who say it can take awhile--like a decade. I'm 48 and my periods are still very normal but a few years back they were kind of skipping around then...back to normal.
Get a book on peri-menopause and you might be surprised at some symptoms you might be having but haven't realized yet.
Wait til you get the urge to rip the faces right off of the people you know & love best! Fun times.

When you find out let me know! I'm going to be 52 in two months and I've had various degrees of these symptoms since about 45. They would come in waves. I'd have hot flahses for a while, wierd cycles, really light or really heavy (and I'm normally heavy - since I was a teen). Then everything would get normal for a while - sometimes for years. Then the hot flashes and weirdness would start again.

So for about the last 2 - 3 years I had nothing abnormal. My usual heavy cycle each month - a little more close together than it had ever been (I used to cycle in 33 days - then it became 30 days - almost exactly). Then this past December things changed. Very light periods, drenching night sweats, hot flashes that would absolutely melt me down - that would come and go 20 times a day. I attended client meetings with suit-jackets and sleeveless blouses so I could disrobe as needed. I didn't get my period for a couple of months - then a few days of light spotting. Sometimes black/dried looking - sometimes bright red. The only consistent thing is the inconsistency. The hot flashes have now subsided but now I have tender, swollen boobs. If I didn't have tied tubes I'd think I was PG again.

They say this perimenopausal time can go on for up to 10 years. I'm in about my 7th year now - but it has not been constant. Over the 7 years I've had about 12 months of symptoms - 3 months here, 2 months there, etc. They say you've completed menopause when you haven't had your cycle in a full year - so I've still got a year to go - minimum! Grrrrrrr.

it sucks! I'm still considered peri-menopausal....which means that I am still having periods.

Have your thyroid & glucose levels checked. Both will cause hot flashes & disruptions to your cycle.

It can go on a very long time, but there are some herbal remedies that can temper things.

It can take up to around 13 years. I get different things from the health food store because I become pissy fast when I don't get enough sleep and that was my first sign. I took bio-identical hormones and loved them. If I had insurance I would go back on them in a heart beat. My ob/gyn said that 10 years is quite a long time.

I'm 47 and for the last year or so my period has been spotty, hot flashes, basically the "crazy train" is based at my house. Finally got it today after 2 months. Surprise!!! It beats the "other" surprise!!! I also have a thyroid problem. Lucky me! I'm told that I could go through this for the next 10 years. Oh goodie!! So to answer your question, get ready for the "menopause crazy train ride" and be sure to carry extra pads or tampons. I love being a girl!!! :)

I know how you feel. I am 45 yrs old and have felt those symptoms start when I turned 42. I have learned much since then. Now I have none of those symptoms anymore and my periods come regular and without mood swings or cramps. It is awesome to feel normal again! What I learned is that women in these modern days have far less estrogen production than women had three generations ago. The medical field has now adapted "new" normal levels for estrogen. I had my blood tested for all my hormone levels. The results I got were borderline low progesterone and high estrogen. But what was causing my symptoms was low progesterone in comparison to my estrogen. In reality, both were low. The first thing i did was started taking natural progesterone. ( Never do the synthetic hormone replacement therapies!) I felt better right away. But not completely. So I found out that certain essential oils can raise your estrogen levels. Now I take twenty drops (internally) every day of a combination of essential oils together with my progesterone (topically) and I am doing great! It has been life changing and I wish all women could know about this. Another very important thing when it comes to hormones is the thyroid. Many women have low thyroid and do not know it. This will affect your hormones and you can also have this checked in a blood test. I also take a natural supplement to support my thyroid. So that is my story. I hope it helps you. If you want to know about the essential oils and my source for progesterone, please email me and I will be happy to share. ____@____.com

Good luck to you!
C

Years, for me. I finally went on hormones. Couldn't hack it any more.