March will mark 10 years since I had my very first hotflash. I'll be 46 in a couple weeks. I can go for months with zero hotflashes, then they kick in for a short period of time before going away again..
Plus, I experience what I prefer to call "neurological flatulence". LOL What the heck did I come into this room for? I cont. to menstruate every month. Plus, having hypothyroidism, I've heard we tend to enter menopause earlier. I joke that I'm "hormonally challenged" experiencing both PMS and some perimenopausal symptoms. I was also a late bloomer when I reached puberty at age 15. (because of hypothyroidism since birth)

Neurological Flatulence!!!!! OMG!:drinker:

The PC way to say brain fart LOL I get them all the time!

I'm 45. I don't know. I'm bipolar so hard to tell. I have mood swings all the time. I am starting to have hot flashes though. I am told I have fibroids and it is recommended I have a hysterectomy but my periods aren't extremely heavy. I'm just going to follow this thread.

No hot flashes here but have been premenopausal for some time now. Night sweats sometimes but I am finding I am cold all the time. Kids think I am crazy because I wear layers around the house always. Weird. Was on BC for estrogen/progesterone last year and not sure whether or not it helped; but insurance was cancelled so stopped regardless. I find more frustration in the weight gain and/or weight maintenance. I am resting at 12 pounds above last year and no matter what I do the pudge won't budge. Has me so miserable some days. I eat very healthy and workout all the time - its a form of keeping my sanity for me as I am a single Mom with three children who works three jobs to barely keep things going. It's crazy and though I have a few close girlfriends who say they get it, I think unless you are going through it you can't get it. I just need to figure out the weight end because I can't afford new clothes. I look forward to seeing what works for others here..

Hi everyone.

I'm 48 and convinced I am starting. In the last 12 months my periods have gone really unpredictable - from being steady and regular every 4 weeks to anything from 2 to 9 weeks and lasting just a few days or two weeks the longest one :frown: I haven't really suffered from the hot flushes or night sweats but my sleep is more restless and I get a really bad headache on the day I start. They've also gone really heavy, especially around the second day to the extent I pray that's on a weekend coz I find it difficult to cope with in work. Spoken to the GP recently but she said it was likely to be pre-menopause and "see how I go" and put me on iron tablets as I was anaemic. My Mum was very vague when I asked her about it and my sister is younger so I've found this group really useful. Interested in the comments about exercise to help......usually that's the last thing I want to do. Not tried any supplements yet.....any recommendations?

I've been skipping my periods a month here and there. Now I haven't had a period since December. Last Friday, I wanted to cry at work just because I couldn't get a mail merge to work. My skin is breaking out like crazy and it doesn't help that my generic antibiotic I've been on for my acne for 10+ years is now $192/month and I haven't renewed it. The thing that's got me so crazy is that I seem to be able to gain 10 pounds WHILE dieting. Last Oct. I gained 10 pounds in a month, then it disappeared by December. Now January through February, I've put on 13 pounds :explode: I wonder if the weight gain is caused by skipping the period that month. No idea. I'm ready to give up trying to lose weight although I know where I'll end up. Thanks for letting me vent. This peri-menopause is no picnic. :sad:

guess I belong in this group.....I haven't had any hot flashes yet, but periods are very irregular, and heavy sometimes, and then only spotting some months. I gain weight just opening the refrigerator!!! I am doing the venus workout/diet, and into my 3 rd week. I am also a certified fitness trainer, which is really frustrating, because all that I have learned and have done over the past, suddenly doesn't work, for me at least

Just turned 47 and I'm fairly sure I'm at the start of all this. Periods are pretty regular still most of the time although I think they are a little lighter now. For me the thing that seems the most obvious change is my lack of tolerance leading up to my period and also total irrationality, tears, emotional upset from time to time.

Last Saturday it was like someone flipped a switch in me at 3pm exactly, I turned into a crying emotional wreck. It eventually passed and I returned to my relatively rational self again.

Oh well. As others have said, it's good to hear from women in similar situations and know that you are not just going insane. :bigsmile:

Hi, I'm Karen and I'm 49.

I've started putting the pieces of the puzzle together and peri-m is the common denominator.

I have only had night sweats occasionally and now the pattern seems to be 2 - 3 nights before my period starts. As for my period, I stopped taking BCP 1 year ago upon the suggestion of my Dr. The last few months my periods are very heavy, last longer and seem to be getting closer and closer together. Today is day 8 and my last cycle only ended 16 days before this one started!

I have been tired, gaining weight, moody, restless sleep and fatigue to name a few. I went to a Dr. a couple of weeks ago, my Dr. has just relocated and this was the interim Dr. I told him I am hypothyroid and I also fight depression, I listed off the reasons that brought me in and his suggestion was that I go and see a psychiatrist!!! Can you imagine? I left so insulted and still at a loss of what was going on with me. I realized why I prefer women Dr.'s. It also reminded me why it is so important for us to take charge of our own health.

The only good that came out of the appointment was that I was more determined than ever to fight back and prove the quack wrong.

I have been reading books on peri-m and I just added zinc, magnesium and flaxseed oil to my diet to see if this helps. I know that when I eat well and exercise regularly and avoid flour and sugar my body and mind work much better. It's just learning to stay on track that is the hard thing.

I have been napping excessively and the highlight of my day was to get home after work and nap! I'm almost 50 and I can't afford to lose anymore of my life than required to sleeping. I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night which is more than enough.

It's good to read and find other women going through the same issues.

I am always looking to learn and grow and I'm always open to new friends.

Karen

Been a year since my last period YEAH!! but the mood swings are ridiculous. I have gain about 20 ponds and not happy about it. I started working out to help my moods. I cant wait for the night sweats to stop they are disgusting. I am taking this one day at a time.

I went to my GP yesterday and he prescribed me Paxil for the hot flashes (I can't do hormone replacement). I read up on Paxil and it sounds downright FRIGHTENING! I'm not going to take it. That said, anyone having success with any herbal remedies? I'm going to try Rhodiola for the anxiety.

I took Paxil for a while for anxiety. It made me sick (physically and mentally) and I gained a whopping 45 lbs in 13 months. I know this is harsh but if it were up to me, it wouldn't even be on the market.

Out of general curiosity, what does Paxil do for hot flashes?

scared to get off birth control (progesterone only) because it levels my my mood swings. Newest fright is water retention/facial swelling response a a few salty meals, my eyes were unable to open and I thought it was because I was angry but I was just having a salt hangover. 50 and haven't used more than a single tampon per period in over two years. My doctor would like me to get off the pill just to see what would happen but I am terrified of the blunt angry pregnant raving person I could become!

scared to get off birth control (progesterone only) because it levels my my mood swings. Newest fright is water retention/facial swelling response a a few salty meals, my eyes were unable to open and I thought it was because I was angry but I was just having a salt hangover. 50 and haven't used more than a single tampon per period in over two years. My doctor would like me to get off the pill just to see what would happen but I am terrified of the blunt angry pregnant raving person I could become!

If you DO go off the pill you may also become pretty weepy. Good luck, it's a tough decision.
When I removed my mirena I CRASHED (this was before perimenopause). It sucked. I ended up adding bioidentical progesterone and tweaking it as my body began making progesterone. Now I'm using it again for menopause.

Hi, I was diagnosed as premenopausal last year and after struggling with the depression and crashing fatigue for about six months I was put on HRT patches to help with the symptoms. Anger is much better, irritability worse, hot flushes and fatigue practically gone. But from being diagnosed I put on 21lbs which I am really struggling to lose.

Tried the protein only diets and everything else but nothing works for me anymore. MFP and starting insanity next week as a last ditch attempt. Getting married in 7 months and would love to be back to my fighting weight on my wedding day.

It's just calories in, calories out, right? :laugh: Sorry, couldn't resist. Doesn't it make you nuts when folks on the boards say that?
I feel your pain. This blows.
I read A LOT on the subjects of nutrition, diet, etc. I've actually read some of the diet books folks (who clearly have never read them) mock on the main boards.
Anyway, I read Gary Taubes: why we get fat and what to do about it. He has an interesting theory that suggests something to the effect of: our various hormones (including insulin etc.) actually cause the weight gain. He suggests that when your hormones are jacked, your body will respond by changing your weight.
Or something to that effect (it was a library book, so I don't have it with me). He says that it's not that we overeat when we go on the pill etc. but rather our body responds to the hormonal situation it's in (thinking it's pregnant, in this case).
If we also believe (I do) that the shift in hormones at menopause can cause a kind of insulin resistance, then it makes sense that we gain weight like ladies with PCOS and diabetics do.
And that pretty much blows.
I'm just trying to figure out how to undo it!
I'm not saying this well, at all, from memory, but that's the gist: we KNOW it's not calories in/calories out.
I wish I could have predicted when peri would hit and gotten really skinny first lol.

scared to get off birth control (progesterone only) because it levels my my mood swings. Newest fright is water retention/facial swelling response a a few salty meals, my eyes were unable to open and I thought it was because I was angry but I was just having a salt hangover. 50 and haven't used more than a single tampon per period in over two years. My doctor would like me to get off the pill just to see what would happen but I am terrified of the blunt angry pregnant raving person I could become!

I stopped the Progesterone only pill and my period stopped too. No mood swings, although I never have had that lovely side effect, but you never know! I had headaches on the PG so not sure if that changed. One big effect is that I wake up at 4:00 am EVERY DAY on fire!

It's just calories in, calories out, right? :laugh: Sorry, couldn't resist. Doesn't it make you nuts when folks on the boards say that?
I feel your pain. This blows.
I read A LOT on the subjects of nutrition, diet, etc. I've actually read some of the diet books folks (who clearly have never read them) mock on the main boards.
Anyway, I read Gary Taubes: why we get fat and what to do about it. He has an interesting theory that suggests something to the effect of: our various hormones (including insulin etc.) actually cause the weight gain. He suggests that when your hormones are jacked, your body will respond by changing your weight.
Or something to that effect (it was a library book, so I don't have it with me). He says that it's not that we overeat when we go on the pill etc. but rather our body responds to the hormonal situation it's in (thinking it's pregnant, in this case).
If we also believe (I do) that the shift in hormones at menopause can cause a kind of insulin resistance, then it makes sense that we gain weight like ladies with PCOS and diabetics do.
And that pretty much blows.
I'm just trying to figure out how to undo it!
I'm not saying this well, at all, from memory, but that's the gist: we KNOW it's not calories in/calories out.
I wish I could have predicted when peri would hit and gotten really skinny first lol.

Couldn't agree more. It's just SO not calories in and out. I got to my ideal weight last year and now that I look back on it, I was starting to have the peri-menopause symptoms then, but I didn't realise.

This year I've put on weight, been SUPER exhausted (I thought it was over-training at first), been sick, not sleeping, going to the toilet all the time, periods got closer to 21 days and then started getting longer, haven't had one for about 3 months now. Anyway, went to the doctor and had a gazillion blood tests and my hormones are just all over the place.

"It's all part of life" my doctor tells me... Well it sux!! LOL!!

Anyway, I've read a lot too, and now deciding to go down the predominately grain free /gluten free route and keep my diet to mostly fresh food and see if I can get back on track.

The worst part is not sleeping. Sleep deprivation is a nightmare and without sleep all good intentions go out the window.

So to EVERYONE in this group - hang in there! We will find a way through!!