Menopause/peri-menopause?

What can I do about it? How can I tell if it's starting?

I was about 54yrs when I started to become extremely emotional(off the charts for me), night sweats followed. I had a mild case of it as I have talked with other women who had hot flashes that would happen at anytime during the day or night, where you become flushed with a warm or hot feeling and your face turns red, usually. andthen break out in a sweat. I understand it happens about the same age as our mother's did. It lasted for a couple of months for me, I think everyone is different in how long it last's.
My mom passed away when she was 56yrs old and never had a conversation about menopause so I had to endure it without knowing that much about it. Hope this helps.
warm thoughts.

How can you tell menopause/peri-menopause is starting? Generally, changes in your period, hot flashes, moody, etc. Sometimes you can get bloodwork- but someone I work with said she is getting hot flashes and her bloodwork results showed she was not in menopause, even though she knows she is. Anyway, it's different for everyone. I agree that your experience will probably be similar to your mother's.

What can you do about it? According to my doctor, he can prescribe hormone therapy, but I do not want to do that. Over the years (I won't tell you how many- don't want you to get discouraged!) I have tried to mentally adjust to the daily, many times a day & night hot flashes that make me want to jump out of my skin, and that has helped- I try to go with the flow, know it will be over in a minute and then go on with my day. I just did not want to be one of those women that makes everyone as miserable as they are during the hot flashes. I do take over the counter Estroven, which has soy isoflavones and black cohash root, and this helps me too. Information helps- there's plenty of books/articles about it. Like I said, it is different for everyone, so you have to find what works best for you.

Good luck! And warm thoughts! (tee hee!)

Thanks for the post and the information. I believe I am peri-menopausal and it is a challenge. I think I'll look into the supplements you suggested and do my best to keep it positive. At present my symptoms are worse right before a menstrual cycle.

I've already had a couple of periods that didn't come on time. They got here eventually, but one was over two weeks late (then otherwise normal). I'm not sleeping as well. OK, I sleep fine once I get there, but I have trouble getting to sleep. I'm not sure about hot flashes...but probably yeah, a little. My poor husband - I keep coming up to him and asking if I have a fever.
*sigh*
According to my mom, she didn't get really bad hot flashes, but her periods were irregular for YEARS. Grreeeaaattt. The one symptom I do not want to deal with.

I'll look into the supplements and talk to my doctor at my next physical.
Thank you!

Go to your gynecologist and get him/her to have you go get a blood test. They will test your hormones and can tell you if you're peri-menopausal or menopausal or not.

I did not have an understanding of menopause until I was through. I thought menopause was actually what peri is, that there'd be this several year period of time when I would be going "through" menopause. But going through menopause turned out to be just the last year, the period of time when you have to have no periods to know you are "finished". I'd not have a period for 3-4 months, then have one, then another, then miss for 6 months, then have one. When you get older they ask when was your last period, so don't "memorize" the date you were finally through (a year later) but the date of your last period. It gets confusing :-)

My peri I realized was there in my mid-40's when I got slightly depressed and my emotions did a few things that I took note of where I hadn't before. I likened it to how it was when I first got my period, you know those early teen to 20-something years where you are getting use to how you respond now as a woman? In my mid-20's I was always hit hard a day or two before my period emotionally, would get almost suicidal, etc. and the pain would be the worst the first day, etc. Well, this "came back" but in a much much lesser degree in my mid-40's. My mid-40's was like an echo of my mid-20's.

My periods started when I was 13 and my last period was when I was 49. I had maybe 3 night sweats in the time between 39 and 49 and I don't recall many hot flashes either. My biggest problem, I guess was the emotions and how they are "you" and what you live with and you can't know they are different from your "normal" unless you think about it and plot your periods/emotions relative to them, etc. I had a funny response, I'd crave beer a night or two before my period would start :-) and that was not fun, often being hung over a bit the same day I got my period. But most of my signs and signals were subtle and took quite a bit of detective work to figure out patterns and prepare for them better, know when it was "just" my period coming, etc. But your sleep might get disturbed or you might sleep "harder" or all sorts of shifts as your hormones shift. Everyone is individual so you'll be the only one to know what might be going on that is related versus what is your previous "normal". Remember being a teen and what was "different" from when you were a kid? It's like that.

Irregular periods

I started my peri-menopause around age 37, and I still am, I'm 50. However, everyone will have their own unique experience. I have been told that if you watched your Mom go through it then you can bet you will have the same experience. I can say that it isnt true for me. My Mom had a horrible time of it. I am doing good. Got my first hot flash several weeks ago, lasted all of a couple of minutes. I have had mood swings and crying episodes but they go as fast as they come. I go with the flow of them now.

There are all kinds of websites that explain things better than me, and I have read that exercise, diet, and vitamins do help with the symptoms. I have also read that meditation and yoga help keep things balanced too.

I like to think of it as going through puberty again I am just wiser and more experienced. [laughing]

Here are some great web sites that I troll for information:

WebMD Menopause Center: Symptoms, Hot Flashes, Age, Treatments, Tests, and Causes

Menopause - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North American Menopause Society (NAMS) - Focused on Providing Physicians, Practitioners & Women Menopause Information, Help & Treatment Insights

Menopause - MayoClinic.com

Menopause | womenshealth.gov

Menopause | National Institute on Aging