[Mintrofet]

I am 48 years old so have been expecting menopause any day but I was menstruating with perfect regularity for five days every month until recently.

About three months ago I had a very rude shock in my divorce when my husband's new partner introduced herself. I didn't know he had even begun to look at other women. I have posted about this elsewhere. Somehow despite our strained relationship it knocked me to pieces and for some weeks I couldn't eat, sleep or stand to be alone. I really thought I was going mad.

I have moved on now, begun to sleep and eat again and to wonder what threw me into what seems now like a fit of real insanity. But with the return to my senses has come a whole lot of uncomfortable physical symptoms including something that feels like the contractions of early pregnancy with the same onset, the same uterine tightenings but instead of intensifying into cramps they intensify into heat and heart palpitations. Does this match people's experience of hot flashes? They are much worse if I drink tea or coffee and sometimes wake me from sleep. If I get stressed in any way at all they start up.

The biggest thing is that my perfectly regular periods have completely stopped. I am just now missing the third one in a row. There is no way I am pregnant so that isn't it. I am a bit anaemic and in the past that has stopped me from menstruating but I don't feel drained enough for that.

Everything I am reading online suggests that in menopause periods don't do this sudden halt but kind of wind down.

So I'm wondering if anyone experienced something like this? I will certainly go to a doctor when I can afford it, I'm just hoping for peace of mind in the meantime .

[*Laurie*]

In my experience, menopause can do just about anything. But so can stress. Extreme stress can definitely affect the menstrual cycle.

[RubyRae]

Hi Mintrofet.

When I have a hot flash I feel like I'm cooking from the inside out,my hands and face turn bright red and I start sweating profusely,mostly in my chest area and the back and top of my head.It makes me want to tear all my clothes off to cool down.I get anxiety and heart palpitations with them too and then after a couple of minutes it all goes away and then I usually get cold chills.Hot flashes can be experienced in different ways though.

Although you have missed 3 periods it's possible they could start up again.Before mine completely stopped at age 45,they were very erratic,I would skip them for awhile,then have them every 2 weeks for awhile,skip one here and there,there was no rhyme or reason to them,sometimes light,sometimes flooding,sometimes just spotting.Then they just completely stopped.My hot flashes have been worse since then actually.

You could also be one of the lucky ones that just have them stop altogether,but don't get your hopes up on that.I was so uncomfortable during all of it that I hoped for periods because they brought relief from all the symptoms.