How early?

What was the earliest someone began menopause? Does this reflect the length of time the symptoms will last? Women can tell when it is starting quicker than the clinical test don't you think? Anybody with some answers?

Lynn,
I will try and answer some of your questions referring to my own experience. I started my sympthoms around 39ish. From talking with my Mother, so did she, and my grandmother as well. I had hot flashes right off the bat, dizzy spells, weakness, and a type of mental confusion. I am sure that part of it is like someone with dementia. But anyway, those sympthoms were partly (according to the doc) from the onset of menopause, and partly from the lack of estrogen. An increase in my estrogen dosage helped quiet a bit. Oh yeah, and I looked for fresh meat sometimes too. Raw.

I'm 52 and still occasionally have hot flashes...especially if my blood or estrogen is low. I am not a nurse, don't know what that means or why (don't want to know) but all I can tell you is how I feel BEFORE and AFTER my estrogen is increased. I can almost tell you when my blood is low by how I feel, or estrogen for that matter. The flashes start. I think each person is different. But it has been 12 years for me and I am still going thru it. By the way, I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not, but I start going thru it immediately after having all my parts taken out.

Twelve years?! That gives me something to look forward to.

It doesn't sound much different from when we started menstrating-we had 30+ years to look forward to.

Geesh! My doc says all this heavy clotting period crap has nothing to do with menopause but I find it ironic that it all started with age. This is occurring along with sporadic start dates, they keep creeping up sooner and sooner.

I am 45 and my Mom said she was through with menopause by 48. Sounds like we are on the early side. My sister, 47 has started. She had her parts removed years ago.

Thanks for your info.

jawjaw dearest, I oughtta get you a book on plumbing...

Of course if your parts are removed, you go through menopause.

Me? Chemotherapy-induced at 48, no prior symptoms before that. Current medication (Tamoxifen) guarantees that it won't come back, not at this stage in life (53).

Y'all are gonna hate me, but I never had a hot flash.

Oh girl don't bother...by now I'm sure everything has either grown together or produced new ones...

Besides...as I said in the post "I don't want to know!"

ewwwww

Lynn, this is something I'm surious about too since I'm not there yet. But, believe me I'm not anxious.

Mine are getting closer together and the doctor said it's probably peri-menopause.

I think we're going through this at a good time because there seems to be more and more information all the time. I think it's because we baby boomers make a difference.

I'd say ask another doctor because I thik it could be perimenopausal...but what do I really know about these things...only what other women have told me...and I think that is sometimes just as helpful.

Lynn, "the heavy clotting period crap" my doctor has told me is a symptom of peri-menopause - along with more cramping now.

"Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom" by Christianne Northrup is a good reference book, she has one on menopause too, also good.

Evie, ahhh, the joys of aging!

I think I'm either going through it or getting ready but when I told my doctor, the conversation went pretty much like this -
"Well, why do you think you might be starting?"
"Because...(thinking)...on any given day, I could line people up and slap them... or in the next five minutes... feed them soup."
He said "Oh"
"But then, it could be because most people just piss me off."

That was pretty much the end of the appointment.

Oh, I forgot about the hot flashes. I had pretty much determind that THAT wouldn't happen to me. Yeah well, when you wake up in the middle of the night and your head's hot, and your neck is even hotter and if that's not pleasant enough your cleavage (my cleavage) feels like a Slip and Slide. But I haven't had that for a little bit.

I went to Santa Barbara this summer, on my annual 'girl trip.' It was 108 here (Central California) so the coast was a wonderful idea. Well, HELLO, they were having a hot spell, 98 degrees, the whole time we were there... and there's NO air conditioning... I had to find a fan and direct it at my head at night, thought I was going to kill someone, anyone, in Rite-Aid one night and finally grabbed my girlfriend (who is also my Pastor's wife) and told her that she'd just better get her butt in the car and turn the air conditioner on full blast or they'd be bailing out me out of the crazy ward because I was gonna have a fit.

But when it passes...you're sweet as pie.

I have 2 girlfriends who carry around those little electric fans. Or if you really want to get extravagant, put ice all over the bottom of your bathtub and get in.

You've got me laughing out-loud again.

My periods are getting closer which I can't stand, but the hot flashes haven't hit yet.

Anyone in here seen Menopause The Musical? I saw it several months ago and it was hysterical from beginning to end. Check it out if it comes near you. Make it a Girl's NIght Out. YOu won't be sorry!

Menopause, The Musical? I hadn't heard of that but I bet you're right. I bet it's a scream!

Even with all that... the hot flashes, the periods, the swinging moods... I'd still rather endure them and all of the emotions that go along with them than not. I think emotion is a wonderful thing. Bad ones aren't good, but in contrast, the good ones are so much better.

Although, up to this point I hadn't noticed my periods getting closer together. I thought I was missing them for a couple of months and then every once in a while have a couple close together. Crap! Is this something NEW I have to look forward to?

Well, just WHERE am I in this process then?

gee DK, I don't know what phase you are in...Have you killed anyone yet? When you get there, let's talk.

Nope, haven't killed anyone yet. Mostly I just get disgruntled.

Hi

I'm a registered nurse somewhere around or past menoopause. Hysterectomy at age 30 with ovaries left intact and no hormone therapy. Seems like some hormone crisis is always going on. I've been flashing hot and cold since puberty and most of the time I'm irritable so who knows?

I hear more about menopause lately, but I'm not sure anyone really knows more. Most of what I hear has an economic slant and pharmaceutical company inspiration. Usually the underlying message is, "Wonderful new pill, (on which drug co. can make zillions), replaces cheaper generic on which the patent, (and profit) has expired" and the new "experts" simply restate a lot of stuff about which we've never written a book, but all know.

Now they've given us the lovely "perimenopause" word to define our existence. "Peri" meaning "around" could mean a whole lifetime spent circling around menopause either before, during, or after. (great for the sale of hormone pills, but definitely not something we want to use to define ourselves).

smil

P.S. Where can I see the meonpause musical? Sounds fun. I have a musical called "Hormones, Hormones, Hormones" filmed by NBC about the various hormonal insanities of women.

Somebody turn on the Air Conditioner!!

Do a search for Menopause The Musical on Yahoo and you'll get their homepage. It's worth seeing when it's near your town.