Menopause?

Hi everyone!
I am wondering if I am starting to go into menopause. I am 45, and almost every night I wake up almost dripping with sweat. It only happens at night. I can feel sweat running down my legs! This has never happened to me before. So I am suspecting menopause. Which really is not the end of the world though.
But I am a bit concerned about what that it will do to my hormones considering that I am bipolar and take meds for that. Have anyone any experience with changes as far as menopause and having mental illness/taking meds?

IMO it does sound like peri-menopause. I had night sweats like you describe, but very few hot flashes otherwise.

Some psych meds can positively affect menopausal symptoms, as your emotions and hormones and mental functioning are all interconnected. Be sure to tell your doctors about your symptoms.

This has dawned on me lately... even though the sweating has gone on for several months! I have just ignored it. And yes, I have to mention it to my psychiatrist. And if the psych meds will improve symptoms of menopause, that would be great.
My mother and my oldest sister did not have a lot of symptoms when they went through menopause, so I am hoping for the best.

Night sweats can be part of menopause, but can also be caused by other things. Why not talk to your PCP?

Yes I have to. I am a procrastinator. I hope the combo meds + bipolar + peri-/menopause is not going to be too tricky. I have enough hormones doing things they are not supposed to do in my brain already

Hello. I am going to be 45 this year too and am experiencing the same thing. Anyone know how long this goes? Is there a test that can tell us? Also, I wonder if that is what is making my anxiety way worse? One last thing, my periods are coming every 2-3 weeks and heavier, is that also normal?

My anxiety is seems to become worse as well. Maybe it is something to do with peri-menopause. I really hope it is not going to make things worse. But at least I know why in that case. I found some articles on the internet about it, and there seems to be little conclusive science on that subject. It was mostly surveys and such, and they were not really all that optimistic. But I hesitate to take something that is not conclusive science for truth, and I guess we are all different and will have sligthly different symptoms.

I didn't deal with menopause until I was in my 50's (on lucky me).....I had gone through a trauma when my mother was dying of cancer (with the home care person) which in turn triggered anorexia which in turn stopped my periods (like it hadn't the first time in my 40's when I was an an even dangerously lower weight)....but anyway, so my body didn't know whether it was coming or going & neither did I. Ended up with PTSD because of the trauma & really messed me up......once I finally got my mom's house sold, I used the money to LEAVE my bad marriage of 33 years....& moved 2100 miles away to a hot humid state from the hot dry desert of Calif I had lived in all my life.

All of a sudden I was getting these horrible sweating things hitting me but they sort of felt like when I'd had a fever that lasted for almost a year & would keep breaking so I had no idea what was going on....thought maybe the humidity....because my temp was normal.....then it dawned on me that it had to be menopause (sometimes I can be slow about these things).....the hot flashes only lasted about a year & then they were over & done with. I still sweat from the massive humidity here at times but the hot flashes are over with.

However after my oral surgery in March, I would end up going to bed & about 4 in the morning I would wake up drenched.....so I think the anesthetic was playing games with my body because there was no infection. My friend who is a physician's assistant said that the body can sometimes react like that when something so major has been done surgically......at least it wasn't hot flashes again...but I did the same thing I did with the hot flashes......take a HOT shower. It always seems like when I get that sweaty, no matter how hot I feel I get the chills so the hot shower is the only thing that helps even if I end up drenched right after the shower.

So I did a little research about it on the internet...
Miche31;
Menopause is likely if you haven’t had a period in six months or longer. It’s clinically confirmed after 12 full months without a period.
If you decide to see a doctor ab it, you should track any symptoms you’re experiencing, how many times a day or week they occur, and their severity. Be sure to note when you had your last period and any irregularities that might have occurred.
Also, make a list of medications and supplements you’re currently taking. Mood swings, trouble sleeping, or sexual problems can be part of the picture as well, so probably keep track of that also. Consulting with your doctor will confirm a diagnosis and help you identify ways to reduce negative symptoms.
Vaginal pH levels can also help confirm menopause. During reproductive years, vaginal pH is about 4.5. During menopause, pH rises to about 6. Your doctor can swab the vagina to test the pH levels.Your doctor may order tests to rule out other health problems such as ovarian failure or a thyroid condition.
Your doctor may also decide to do a blood test to check your hormone levels. Specifically, they’ll look at the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen. During menopause, your FSH levels increase, and estrogen levels decrease.
This test can detect signs of certain pituitary disorders. Your doctor might order an additional blood test to check your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) because hypothyroidism can cause symptoms that are similar to menopause.
I got this information from this website: Diagnosis and Tests for Menopause. There was a bit more in the article than what I have written here, so if you are interested, you should probably look there
And then it is the thing with peri-menopause. I intend to look it up as well, but I don't have the head for it right now. Brainpower needs recharge, or coffee...

I am 54 and still getting my period. I do notice that my cycle is heavier and shorter than what it used to be. I am not bothered by night sweats but I have severe mood swings before my period. I have had a FSH level done and I am in perimenopause.

I cannot wait until I enter menopause, nothing could be worse than this.