Tohru Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Wow, I can't believe how ignorant I am about this topic. I'll be 40 at the end of this summer. AF came to visit, however it was 4 days later than usual. I was a wicked beast a week before it came too. I've always been regular, so it was a bit of a shock. My thought is that this is the first sign of perimenopause. I've read that menopause was actually an absence of AF for 12 months, but it could take years leading up to it. If you've been through, known some one that has gone through, or are currently going through perimenopause now, can you give me information. I can read about statistics online, but would prefer real stories. Some things that I'm wondering: Is it possible to still conceive and gave birth during this time? How old when the process started? How long does the process take? Does everyone really get hot flashes, heart palpitations, etc. (AKA is it really a miserable ride)? Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'm 44 yrs. old and should really research this more as well. About 6 months ago, my cycle went from a steady 29-day cycle to a 35-day cycle. My mom had a hysterectomy as a young woman so she didn't experience this. My sister was forced into it during her 5-year round of Tamoxifen after chemo for her breast cancer. I'm not sure exactly what forced her into it, but I always got the impression it was the medicine. She had a horrible time. She was extremely moody and had night sweats so bad that she had to change the sheets in the middle of the night. She was amazed her DH continued to sleep in the bed with her. It could have been really bad for her because it wasn't brought on naturally, but who knows. I have no idea what to expect since I don't have anyone else to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Yes, you can still conceive, but as perimenopause goes on it's less likely as the uterine environment changes and is more hostile to a fertilized egg. Perimenopause can last 10 yrs. I think the average age is 50, but that seems a little high. No, not everyone gets hot flashes or palpitations. Vit D, calcium and magnesium supplements can help with PMS type symptoms. Calcium has gotten a bad rap lately. I went off of it for this reason and got unbearibly cranky :tongue_smilie:. Am back on them now and am sane again. Birth control pills can help control symptoms such as irritibility, insomnia etc, but shouldn't be used after menopause is complete. The dosage might need to change several times as your hormone levels change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Yes, it is possible to get pregnant. Other than that everyone differs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I am where you are. 40 in a month and irregular cycles...after years of being very consistent. My cycles will go from 28 days to 37 days back to 33 days, etc. For a few years now I have had very occasional "hot flashes", mostly in the middle of the night (night sweats). A friend of mine is mid-40s and having similar symptoms but add to it crashing fatigue, anxiety, etc. You can still conceive. If you are still getting AF, you are still ovulating. The only difference when you are older, like us, is the umm "conditions" surrounding your ovulation. We have been ttc now for a few months. I am charting and everything. Last month, based on my chart dh and I had relations the day before and the day I ovulated. BUT, we didn't conceive. I'm reading a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility and it does mention that in your late 30s and early 40s your cervical mucous may not be fertile quality enough to allow sperm to reach egg (sorry to be so graphic). In your 20s, for most, it is possible to have many, many days of fertile quality mucous and greater chances of conceiving. For me, now, it's hit or miss. I wouldn't worry to much or stress too much about it. These symptoms you are having could go on for years before you stop your cycle altogether. If you are TTC I would start charting and checking mucous daily (again, sorry so graphic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 :bigear: I'm another who needs to research this topic as a matter of urgency - I'm 48. My cycle has always been around 35 days, but in the past year or so has become more often, anything from 21 to 28 days. I haven't missed a period yet, but I feel constantly exhausted, more so than at any time in my life, even though I'm sure I'm not as busy and active. I also fight a constant battle against irritability. Sorry I'm no help. I think I'll have a look on Amazon for a good book on the subject, then I might be able to report back some time soon with some helpful comments :o. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'm pretty sure I'm in the peri- portion, just turned 45. About age 37 my periods, which were always heavy turned into a raging flood. It was horrible, at least one day a month I could barely go anywhere. It lasted off and on about two years. My cramps had always been bad and were often worse. I never really did get hot flashes, but we also spent 5 years in the deep south where hot is normal, so who knows. In the last 2-3 years my periods have been mostly regular at 3 1/2 weeks (so nice), sometimes 4 weeks, but much lighter and very rarely cramps or other pain. I'm so ready to be done period (no pun intended). My mom was done by this age, so I keep hoping this is the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cshell Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I've read that menopause was actually an absence of AF for 12 months, but it could take years leading up to it. If you've been through, known some one that has gone through, or are currently going through perimenopause now, can you give me information. I can read about statistics online, but would prefer real stories. Some things that I'm wondering: Is it possible to still conceive and gave birth during this time? How old when the process started? How long does the process take? Does everyone really get hot flashes, heart palpitations, etc. (AKA is it really a miserable ride)? Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss it. I've perimenopausal for some twelve years now. I've had irregular cycles and occasional hot flashes since 40. I'm past the average age in the U.S. for menopause. My cycle has been regular at times, irregular at times. I usually have hot flashes a day before and I have trouble sleeping occasionally, but that's about it. Eating well, taking fish oil, and using melatonin for my sleeping problems has worked fine. My one female relative who didn't have her ovaries out early didn't hit menopause until 55, and her experience was the same. It really wasn't a big deal overall. Frankly I don't think about it very often. Other than the unpredictable part, it really doesn't affect my life much. I've been around women who had a horrible time, but I haven't. My doctor tells me that late menopause isn't necessarily a bad thing for cardiac and bone health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'll just let you know that I know a dozen or more women who had babies at age 42 or 43. And your AF is going to jump all over the place. No hot flashes and sweats here. Just hot feet, and the need to get them uncovered in the morning! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Wow, I can't believe how ignorant I am about this topic. I'll be 40 at the end of this summer. AF came to visit, however it was 4 days later than usual. I was a wicked beast a week before it came too. I've always been regular, so it was a bit of a shock. My thought is that this is the first sign of perimenopause. I've read that menopause was actually an absence of AF for 12 months, but it could take years leading up to it. If you've been through, known some one that has gone through, or are currently going through perimenopause now, can you give me information. I can read about statistics online, but would prefer real stories. Some things that I'm wondering: Is it possible to still conceive and gave birth during this time? How old when the process started? How long does the process take? Does everyone really get hot flashes, heart palpitations, etc. (AKA is it really a miserable ride)? Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss it. I think you are a little on the young side for perimenopause, but then I'm well into the 50's and still going strong, though erratically now. My periods did increase in intensity, though not frequency, all the way through my 40s to the point that I really didn't go out for a heavy period of maybe 6 hours on day 2 or 3, where I'd sometimes change a tampon every 30 minutes to an hour. Some of that may have been (TMI HERE) because I had very large babies - last one 10.5 pounds - and I think the opening enlarged a bit so that stuff could get around tampon. Not sure. At any rate, once I hit 51, the periods came very close - like every three weeks - for a period of time and then extended. Now I have one about every month and a half and they are much lighter. Home stretch. Yes, I was pretty easy to enrage the week before my periods throughout my 40s, but I'm not sure that is any different than I have ever been, except while pregnant, when I seemed really calm. Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience in case you are a woman like me, who has no older related woman with whom to share experiences. All the women in my family except one cousin had hysterectomies so I had no idea what a normal cessation would look like. This is what mine looks like. The last couple of years I have what I call "teaser" periods. I have a bit of blood, think I need a tampon, and then stay dry for 2 days. Then the next day I start an actual period. The last couple of months, I've had a period for a day or two, then NOTHING for a couple of days, and then back to the period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 :bigear: I'm another who needs to research this topic as a matter of urgency - I'm 48. My cycle has always been around 35 days, but in the past year or so has become more often, anything from 21 to 28 days. I haven't missed a period yet, but I feel constantly exhausted, more so than at any time in my life, even though I'm sure I'm not as busy and active. So normal! This is exactly how it went for me too. Then they stretched out. Then I missed a couple a year. Now still having erratic periods into my 50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 :grouphug: Wow, I can't believe how ignorant I am about this topic. I think most of us were until we needed to know more. Is it possible to still conceive and gave birth during this time? Absolutely! How old when the process started? early 40's. How long does the process take? More than 10 years for me. :glare: Does everyone really get hot flashes, heart palpitations, etc. (AKA is it really a miserable ride)? I really didn't get hot flashes, but night sweats were one of my first symptoms. I had heart palpitations at times, but I think it was an over the counter something or other I was taking at the time. When I stopped using it, they quit. I belong to a Crop Club with 7 other women all about the same age. All of them had to have some kind of medical procedure, hysterectomy, oblation, etc.. I never did. I won't say it was a breeze, but it doens't have to be completely miserable either. Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 44 and in the midst of it. :tongue_smilie: Went from clockwork every 28 days at age 41, to completely unpredictable at age 42 and literally so close to my birthday that I thought my body actually had a calendar and had been counting off the days! My mom was 52 when she ended and had 10 years of crazy. So, I'm in that decade of nuts. Now it's anywhere from 24 - 40 days....totally unable to make any reasonable predictions from month to month. One month light, one month heavy, one month REALLY LIGHT, one month so heavy dh thinks he's going to take me to the hospital on the first day, round and round. UGH! I have not had hot flashes or increased irritability thank goodness. Some months I can tell that I've ovulated, some months I don't think I do. I'm sure that I could get pregnant though for me, I'm doubtful that the statistical chances are very high. When I ovulate, it has been consistently very, very late in the cycle which means the chances are pretty low. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 So normal! This is exactly how it went for me too. Then they stretched out. Then I missed a couple a year. Now still having erratic periods into my 50s. Thank you for sharing. Like yourself, I have no female relatives I can compare stories with. My mother had a hysterectomy, and she has passed away now anyway. So often on this forum I read of women experiencing perimenopausal symptoms in their late thirties and early forties and I wonder what's normal. It's very reassuring to hear from someone further along the path who's had a similar experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Some things that I'm wondering: Is it possible to still conceive and gave birth during this time? How old when the process started? How long does the process take? Does everyone really get hot flashes, heart palpitations, etc. (AKA is it really a miserable ride)? Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss it. You can still conceive if you are ovulating even if it's irregularly. Age is very variable, some enter MP early, others go into their fifties. Again, the length of the process is very individual Not everyone gets hot flashes or even to the same degree. There are quite a few things one can do to help or avoid them all together It has not been a miserable ride for me, however, I have to say that I knew exactly when it would happen due to surgical MP and could therefore prepare well ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyable Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Yes, it is possible to get pregnant. Other than that everyone differs. :iagree: Here's my story, so far...I've been a pretty "clockwork" kind of girl, a cycle every 25-26 days for years and years, although I had a short luteal phase (the time between ovulation and the start of bleeding) and had low progesterone issues in general and during pregnancy. Last year, when I was 42, I stopped ovulating. I know this because we use NFP and I chart my temperatures, etc -- I completely stopped shifting into higher temps which is a sign of ovulation. I then went 5 months without bleeding, and made up for it big time with one huge and heavy period that lasted me 5+ weeks and left me very anemic. Since then I have been bleeding every two "cycles" or about every 50 days, much lighter than that one time, but a little heavier than my pre-perimenopause normal. Oh, I completely forgot to say that for a few months before all this started, my body seemed to go into "ovulation attempt mode" -- what were my normal symptoms of ovulation would come and go, but no success, until the 2nd or third "try" when finally my temps would stay high and other symptoms would go back to their normal "post - ov" ways. I've been using progesterone cream and I'm going to guess it's helping me have those periods even though I'm not ovulating. They are coming at the normal time, I'm just skipping some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cshell Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 :bigear::bigear::bigear: I still have so much to learn! Please continue to share what this is all about....;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I'm 51 and I can relate to something in every single post here. It's light, it's heavy, it's regular, no, it's irregular. I'm moody- nope, no PMS this month. Sheesh- just settle on something, will you, body????? It feels like when I first started my periods and every month was different. And I just want to be finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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