[ocdchick]

Hello all-hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I've been feeling hot and cranky this afternoon-I believe I'm going into the big M(menopause) after MANY YEARS of perimenopause. My nipples hurt!

Thoughts appreciated!

ocd chick

[bebop]

sure it can. your hormones are being thrown off big time. time to get hrt!

[sunrise]

hi ocdchick, how can you tell when you have passed from perimenopause to menopause? I always thought menopause was just when you had stopped having your period for 1 year. (I am interested to know because I am of that age.)

[Perna]

Yes, sunrise, that's what I had happen. There's not much difference between the symptoms of peri and the real "year" other than your periods start going haywire and you try to count a year without only to have a period in month 8 or something and have to start all over :-) It's very frustrating. But even after the year things are still "settling" so you don't have your period but you can still have some of the symptoms and "new" stuff from being through and not having the same body anymore.

Here's 34 symptoms, chick, notice #22 :-)

http://34-menopause-symptoms.com/

[Rhapsody]

Menopause occurs when menstruation ceases for a period of one year - the ten to fifteen years prior to menopause is called perimenopause (and) Mood Swings "crankiness" is one of the symptoms you may suffer from during this time........ along with:

Hot Flashes - hormonal fluctuation
Cold Flashes
Irregular Cycles
Mood Changes - irritable, sad, worry, emotionally detached, anxiety
Sleep disturbance
Memory Changes - forgetting more "brain fog"
Urinary Difficulties - going more often, urge to go
Sexual Changes - Low sex drive, spotting after sex, dryness
Skin Problems - skin feels tingling, dry or burning sensation
Joint & Muscle Pains / Aches
Digestive Problems - heart burn
Heart - pounding or racing feeling
Ovaries - Benign Cyst

The average age of women whose menstrual periods have completely stopped is 52.