Peri-menopause :/

[nikkiARNGwife]

Yep I officially joined the club today according to my doc. I've been having irregular cycles and even skipped a cycle completely in December. So I went in today for my yearly and had an ultrasound to check everything out...nothing major..just some cysts on my ovaries which I always have and my endo is worse..he says I'll probably have to have a hysterectomy within the next 5 years...I was all like..um can you do it tomorrow? lol

I'm only 37..that's not old yet..right??

[TeriBeary]

I feel like I'm there too. I'm 36 so how is that possible?! I'm on the pill so that's probably the main reason why it's not as easy to say, but I've been having issues (heart palpitations, hairs growing, always hot, etc., etc.) - I suppose it's a good thing I'm not having anymore kids!

[seatrout]

welcome to the club - it's loads of fun !!!

[*Celeste*]

you are not old nikki! you are five years younger than me!

[mariewilcox]

Welcome to the club! I've been a member since I was about 37 or 38 - so 11 years or so now and I still haven't hit full-blown menopause. Such fun

[Darcy Baldwin]

Nope - and you could be in this phase for years (yeah, Darcy, thanks for that support!) ... so you're definitely not an old, dried up prune, yet, Nikki

[nikkiARNGwife]

Yeah he said it could go on for years...but with my history of endo and it getting worse..he said at my age within the next few years he'd recommend to just have a hysterectomy rather than deal with it coming back over and over again. I'm all for that b/c I'm tired of dealing with it lol.

[maryinaz]

Sorry to hear that Nikki! It sucks - I'm on 7 years now with nothing much getting better. In fact, TODAY I got a period, and I'm on the pill with no placebos so I am not supposed to even have one. Sorry, TMI...but it was oh so relevant. But I'm like WTH??

[jessica31876]

I think I am too. I am only 35 (36 in a month and a few days). It seems way to early

[Darcy Baldwin]

Jessica - you can really begin the symptoms of peri-menopause pretty early...but you might not get full blown issues for awhile. I'm on year 4 off the full-blown stuff and I hate it and am SO ready for it to be over. I want a hysterectomy so badly......and am ready to be a dried up old prune lol I think DH is ready to because that means I might stop complaining about it.

[Stacey42]

Technically I am in it as well but due to my endo I have had a Mirena IUD for 5 years & the hormones from it suppress the peri symptoms as well as the endo symptoms. I'm almost 45 but since I had kids at 35 & 36, followed by me endo getting worse and then getting an IUD at 39 it's impossible to say for sure what symptoms are related to what. Fortunately I have another 3-4 years on this IUD.

They talked about the hysterectomy for endo with me 8 months ago when the IUD I had stopped working a year before the 5 year time was up. But in the end we went with another IUD. They might even give me one more when this one stops working, assuming it lasts as long as the last one, after that I'll probably be in full on menopause which ought to to solve the problem. Maybe. Apparently you can still have endo develop even after you uterus is removed.

[Penny Springmann]

Nikki, I hear ya. :/
I do have a question, though, in case anyone knows or has been told the same thing by your doctor...
My Dr. said that she recommends I go back on the pill (low dose) to help my body get through peri-menopause. She's on the pill and will be until she's through menopause and said it really helps with the symptoms. IDK...after reading the pill packet, it scares me because of all of the warnings for people over 35. However, I don't smoke, have a clotting disorder or any of that stuff, so she said the risk was quite minimal for someone like me.

Have any of your doctors said the same thing? Just curious - sorry about the hijack but it is really on my mind.

[Darcy Baldwin]

Penny - it was mentioned as an option for me instead of the hysterectomy (heavy, heavy bleeding issues), but we said no. Besides the risks, it's still putting hormones into your body when your body is trying to stop. And how will you know you're in menopause (which is technically the year anniversary of your last period), if you're still 'forced' in some ways. I'm sure she knows the best time to stop, so I'd talk to her about that, as well.

The risks are minimal if you aren't in that high risk group. I'm just choosing to let nature run its course this way, let DH pamper me on the bad days (he's REALLY good at that!), and deal.

[maryinaz]

Originally Posted by Penny Springmann

Nikki, I hear ya. :/
I do have a question, though, in case anyone knows or has been told the same thing by your doctor...
My Dr. said that she recommends I go back on the pill (low dose) to help my body get through peri-menopause. She's on the pill and will be until she's through menopause and said it really helps with the symptoms. IDK...after reading the pill packet, it scares me because of all of the warnings for people over 35. However, I don't smoke, have a clotting disorder or any of that stuff, so she said the risk was quite minimal for someone like me.

Have any of your doctors said the same thing? Just curious - sorry about the hijack but it is really on my mind.

Penny, this is exactly what I'm doing - I had my tubes tied when I had the twins, so I'm only taking the pill for hormone regulation. My doctor said only about 5-10% of women have peri-menopause symptoms as bad as I do so it was a quality of life issue for me. I don't have any other risks and don't smoke so it was the right choice.

However, next month at my yearly exam, she will be taking me off of them because of my age. I'm scared to death. My symptoms are still really bad because I've tried backing off the pill on my own and within a week it's horrible. We'll be talking about bioidentical hormones at that time to see if that is an option.

If the symptoms you have are not too bad, you might just want to see if you can handle them without hormones. But don't let it affect your life too much - it's just not worth it when your risk factor is low.

[nikkiARNGwife]

Yeah he recommended the pill to help regulate my period as an option today and I said no..one of the main reasons for my tubal is b/c I didn't want to worry with the pill..right now my symptoms are mild to moderate...so I just opted to let nature take it's course and just deal with irregular periods. And hey..skipping one completely was actually pretty nice lol

[Julie Billingsley]

I'm 41 and have wondered if I'm starting menopause. Is being tired all the time a sign of menopause? I don't really know if I have any other symptoms. I have an IUD so I haven't had my period in a million years, so that doesn't give me any indication. My moods have been fine. Besides being tired, I do seem to fluctuate between hot and cold quite a bit, so maybe I'm having hot flashes. All I know is that I don't want to become the terror that my mom was when she went through menopause. LOL

[kim21673]

I wish I would skip a period! LOL Mine are getting longer and longer and heavier and heavier....and sooner and sooner. I used to be a 28 day girl but now I have the honor of being a 21-23 day girl....sigh....and they last about 10 days!

I am actually going in next month for a D&C and going to have the ablation done. I am pretty scared b/c I have never had anything done before. I am having it done at the hospital b/c of insurance (and the D&C has to be done there, doesn't it). We are done having kiddos (DH had a V last February) and I did NOT want to go back on the pill....my periods were getting just as bad on the pill, which is why we have little Derek now...I went off (and hoped I would get pregnant) and didn't want an IUD.

We are going to give the ablation 6 months and if I don't notice a difference then we'll discuss a partial hysterectomy. I wish they would just do it now. My mom and Grandma both had uterine cancer and my aunt had fibroid tumors really bad. I would just assume get it all taken out now so I don't have to worry about it as much but given my age they want to wait. GRRRRRRR

[Susan Bartolini]

I think I am in this boat as well. I am 42 and my periods are getting really erratic, heavy and LOOOONG. I have been checked by my doc and everything is fine....but if quality of life becomes an issue, we may discuss ablation and such. She also told me that this phase could go on for years before actual menopause hits. Fun times ahead!

[Melissa Bennett]

Count me in for this too. I have an appointment tomorrow to discuss options. I thought I was really sold on an ablation until I read up on it and now I am not so sure I want to go that route. I just found out a few months ago that I have fibroids so we will see what her recommendation will be. I think I may actually be open to a partial hysterectomy. I about cried when they told me that peri-menopause could last for 5 - 10 years or longer.

[MissKim]

I've been on the pill for maybe 10 years or so due to entering peri-menopause early (I'm 41 now). I was having constant bleeding... like I'd just finish and 2 days later, here I'd be again. I was cranky and hormonal and I'd had enough. After 2 years or so on the pill, I stopped having periods. At first, I'd have cramping and some light bleeding for a day or so, but I haven't had any real bleeding in years. I did switch to the mini pill a few years ago and my period came back, but my PMS put me in a really bad place so I went back on full hormones. I have no idea how I'll tell when I'm through menopause since I'm not even having periods, but I don't want to go off it due to my PMS and depression issues that are hormonal related. I have a dr's appt next week. I guess I'll be talking to my doctor about it.

[maryinaz]

Originally Posted by Melissa Bennett

I about cried when they told me that peri-menopause could last for 5 - 10 years or longer.

My sister had severe hot flashes for SIXTEEN YEARS!! Yeah, I'm scared.

[kristijoy]

Originally Posted by kim21673

I wish I would skip a period! LOL Mine are getting longer and longer and heavier and heavier....and sooner and sooner. I used to be a 28 day girl but now I have the honor of being a 21-23 day girl....sigh....and they last about 10 days!

I am actually going in next month for a D&C and going to have the ablation done. I am pretty scared b/c I have never had anything done before. I am having it done at the hospital b/c of insurance (and the D&C has to be done there, doesn't it). We are done having kiddos (DH had a V last February) and I did NOT want to go back on the pill....my periods were getting just as bad on the pill, which is why we have little Derek now...I went off (and hoped I would get pregnant) and didn't want an IUD.

We are going to give the ablation 6 months and if I don't notice a difference then we'll discuss a partial hysterectomy. I wish they would just do it now. My mom and Grandma both had uterine cancer and my aunt had fibroid tumors really bad. I would just assume get it all taken out now so I don't have to worry about it as much but given my age they want to wait. GRRRRRRR

I had the ablation done in June. It REALLY made a HUGE difference. I haven't had a period since I had it done. I totally recommend doing it in the hospital. I did as an outpatient in the Dr. office and it was mighty intense. I wish I had been under. Good luck!

[Sherri Tierney]

My poor MIL dealt with Peri-menopause for about 15 years. It started when she was around 40 and didn't end until she finally hit menopause at nearly 56 years old. She really had a rough time with it.

My doctor thought I may have been Peri-menopausal but it turned out to be a hormone imbalance, thankfully. After I got my hormones regulated (first through progesterone cream and then through weight loss) things leveled out and the symptoms went away.

[Milmomma]

I'm not old enough for menopause that's why I kept my ovaries, but the pill wasn't enough for my periods. I would bleed for 9 months straight then have a week of spotting then back to bleeding. The cramping was unbelievable. The doc said that we were beyond the pill, patch, or shot helping. The D&C did nothing but make me bleed more.
So last fall I had a hysterectomy. It was the greatest thing ever! I did have a period of time that I tried Lupron which puts you into a chemical menopause(before my hyster). It was horrible, since I still had pain and bleeding. And after my hyster my ovaries went into shock and had another breif time of hot flashes and mood swings. Luckly they kicked back in. I'm only 26 and don't want to deal with those for another 20 years hopefully! The hot flashes were not nearly as bad as the mood swings were. I'm hoping to never go back on hormones though.

[mariewilcox]

Penny - I've been on a low dose pill since Cheyanne was born (11 years) for a couple reasons - one being to help with peri symptoms and another for its protective value against ovarian cancer (sister, mom, and grandma had it). My doc told me she has no qualms about having me on it until I hit flow blown menopause and that I would definitely still know when it happens. It doesn't stop the hot flashes or the hairs on the chin or the extra dry skin and hair, but it does regulate my cycle and makes it predictable and not so erratic, heavy, etc.

I've had no issues with the pill at all - no headaches, no weight gain, etc. It's worth it for me mostly because I will do anything to help protect against the ovarian cancer that seems to run in my family

[Sharon Kay]

Seems strange reading this thread and the ages you all are ... are you sure you're in this stage?? Maybe it is different for me because I was on the depo shot for years (too many according to a doctor that came to the practice and noticed how long I had been on it). It did cause osteopenia ... according to a doctor (blood test) about 2-3 years ago ... I was just beginning menopause ... and I'm fifty-three (hate seeing the actual number!) ...

I started missing periods here and there just in the last year and a half or two years ... where there were multiple months in a row missed ... my problem is when I start, it doesn't want to stop so the previous doctor gave me some BC pills to help it stop (3 days of a higher dose 3/2/1)...then save the pills for the next time it happens (haven't finished off a single month's yet).

the doctor didn't want to put me on BC after the depo because I was having headaches that sometimes got pretty bad (not migraine but still bad...I have allergies and I believe they are allergy driven) because she said the pill would increase my headaches ... so finally dh got the V done after promising it for like 13 years ... sure changed things around here! (wink wink say no more)

All I have had is a few episodes in the car where I got really hot/claustophobic type feeling and putting on the air or lowering the window immediately relieved that. That was a really strange feeling! ...it was upper body/head type ... almost like not enough air ... kind of panic like ... but the cooler air totally stopped the feeling.

... so to me it doesn't feel like I am going through anything ... but the doctor said the blood results say otherwise ... wouldn't it be wonderful if this was really all it was? ... so NOT betting on that one! ... seems strange with a 10 year difference between some of us ...

I do have one freaky thing that happens to me and no one has been able to explain ... if I take pain relievers for several days in a row (dosage recommended), I will start a period. It seems to really happen if it is a pain reliever with Tylenol in it. Does anyone else ever have this happen?? ...so many times if my back is out of alignment or whatever and I'm hurting ... I won't take anything for fear that it will start a period ...

[LenaGardner]

Oh, wow! Yes, I can relate to ALL of this except I skipped the peri altogether. What I am going through is called surgical menopause. Don't rush things...no matter how bad you think it is now, being thrown into surgical menopause is worse

It has been 26 months since my complete hysterectomy. They took everything but my appendix. (Sometimes they do, but my Dr. wanted to leave mine).

These are all the joys I now live with:

A scar from my navel down. (this would be only if you couldn't have laprascopic or intrauterine surgery)
A terribly long recovery time. I didn't feel well for 3 months following surgery.
I still get PMS. Sure, there's no menstruating, but I still get extra crabby and crave chocolate one week a month.
I'm on the highest dose of HRT there is because of my young age.
With that HRT, there comes a side effect of high triglycerides so I have to monitor my diet carefully now.
The option for not having the high triglycerides is to not use oral HRT but use a patch. However, my skin is too sensitive for the patch and I break out from the adhesive.
My skin has always been dry but OMGWTH. It's like the Sahara now.
My hair is dryer than ever before.
My nails are brittle.
In addition to my HRT I have to take Vitamin D and calcium, because Vitamin D is actually a hormone based vitamin and my levels are ridiculously low.
Because of the low Vitamin D, I'm lethargic and depressed. Yes, depressed. For the first time in my life I'm on antidepressant that isn't related to PPD. I had PPD with 2 of my 3 kids and took an antidepressant for a few months postpartum but never have had to take an antidepressant unless I was in the few months postpartum-- until after the hysterectomy.
I crave sweets more than I ever did before, and go through spurts where I am starving and can't get full.
My sweat is stinky, where it really didn't used to be. I'm not saying I smelled like roses before but now I have to put deoderant on twice a day in the summer.
I get more migraines now.
My sleep patterns are more irregular.
I get bloated easier, retain water easier. I walked 7 miles one day last week and my ankles swelled!
I have more anxiety than I ever have had in my life. And I'm anxious about dumber things. As a friend put it, "You could worry the balls off a pool table."
My mood swings are frequent and frustrating.
My appearance...my face is aging right before my eyes. And fast. I have aged 4 years in the last 2, easily.
And the most debilitating one of them all....the hot flashes. Flash is such a misnomer because it makes it sound like it comes and goes. WELL NOT FOR ME! What I have is called "ember flashes" because they last longer. Mine usually last 2 hours or so. I have them a few times a week (sometimes daily). If it were just about being hot I could handle it. But that's not what it's like. When a hot flash washes over me I have a general feeling of malaise. It's terrible. I can't describe it unless you've really had one. Sometimes people have them during pregnancy. (I had a few)
I'm now lucky enough to also get cold flashes. Those are weird feeling.
We had to try 5 different HRT's before we found one that helped me.
And they are EXPENSIVE!
The *one* aspect that hasn't affected me (thank goodness) is libido. My libido never changed, rawr.

Anyway, as you can guess, it hasn't been pleasant. My hysterectomy wasn't because of endometriosis, though I did have mild endo. But if you have a hysterectomy due to endometriosis, most doctors won't even put you on HRT for the first 6 months. It can cause the endo to grow on your bowels and other remaining organs instead, because the hormones just feed the endo. The women on my hysterectomy board who had to endure 6 months of a hormone crash like that were even more miserable than I was/have been/am.

The fact is, my hysterectomy wasn't elective surgery, after 10 years of watching my cells be increasing degrees of abnormal, they were mutating at a faster and faster rate. My doctor said I would have had cervical cancer in 3-5 years without the hysterectomy. So I didn't have much choice. But if I DID have a choice, it's NEVER something I'd have. Our bodies are a pain but I don't think people understand how unfun and unnatural the alternative is. The periods I no longer have? Well yes, those are nice. But truth be told I'd still rather have them if I could ditch all these other symptoms. I just want to paint a picture of what menopause is REALLY like. It's not pretty.

I read the book, Sudden Menopause, and I recommend it. Other than that, I can just say that if it's a route you go down, it does get easier after the first 6-9 months, but it still sucks. Every day. A lot.