I will be 40 in September. In the past few weeks, I have been "spotting." Very annoying. Also, I have been having quite a few panic attacks (some w/ really good reason), but others for no good reason, as well as being quite cranky. I asked my mom how old she was at the time, and she said she was 43, and that I was way too young. She actually suggested that I might be pregnant-yeah, that's all I need, especially when DH was fixed 8 yrs. ago. So please share your stories of "Going through the change." Any helpful hints?

I'd see your doctor. 40 is very young. Maybe something else is going on -- like a thyroid problem. Hyperthyroidism can make you irritable, cause anxiety, a racing heart, and spotting.

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It could be Perimenopause, which basically is the beginning of menopause. It can start as early as your 30's according to this article.
Perimenopause << Frequently Asked Questions << womenshealth.gov


What are some of the signs and symptoms?

Menopause affects every woman differently. Your only symptom may be your period stopping. You may have other symptoms, too. Many symptoms at this time of life are because of just getting older. But some are due to approaching menopause. Menopause-related symptoms you might have during perimenopause include:

* Changes in pattern of periods (can be shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, more or less time between periods)
* Hot flashes (sudden rush of heat in upper body)
* Night sweats (hot flashes that happen while you sleep), often followed by a chill
* Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
* Vaginal dryness
* Mood changes, feeling crabby (probably because of lack of sleep)
* Trouble focusing, feeling mixed-up or confused
* Hair loss or thinning on your head, more hair growth on your face

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50 is a far more common age. You're not too young for perimenopause though. And, you could be pregnant. Crankiness could certainly be a symptom of perimenopause.

I was lucky. I had no hot flashes or any other symptoms. I just quit having periods.

See a doctor.

I am going through perimenopause too. I vomit regularly for one or two nights anywhere from two weeks to the night before I am due. The doctor said it's perfectly normal and one of those annoying side effects that not everybody gets but is perfectly "normal".

I am freezing then boiling hot at night.

There is no "age" for perimenopause. It could last anywhere from one year to ten years.

Menopause by the way is something that you don't know you have experienced until it is over. Menopause means you have gone a whole calendar year with no periods.

For someone to just quit having periods is very unusual and not "normal" so most of us will not experience this. Most of us will have all kinds of symptoms and side effects.



Yes I am experiencing that..and that..and that. gee thanks for reminding me LOL!

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Perimenopause.......all the symptoms of menopause but you still get your period!! It's really a double whammy......

My ob/gyn suggested I take bc pills to regulate my periods, I was having 2 a month, then skipping 2 months, etc etc.....well, I tried them, even though I am
fixed. The hormones made ALL the symptoms worse!!!

Finally, I stopped in at the Health Food store where a wonderful lady sold me some Progesterone cream and a healthy sleep aid. You apply the cream on the 12th day of your period to your chest/neck and inner arm areas for 21 days. Then you stop for your cycle, then restart on day 12. It has made a Huge difference in my life!!! The mood swings, crying, crabbies have all calmed down!! My body was producing too much estrogen and not enough progestrin, that is why the bc pills gave me Turbo PMS. It wasn't cheap, about $25 per bottle, but Well Worth It!!!!

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I have been in perimenopause for 8 years now!! You could well be there because a woman usually follows her mothers history. If your mom quit at 43 you may not have too many years to go. Spotting was one of my first symptoms. I had panic attacks all throughout my adult life and same with hot flashes so it was hard to tell when the hot flashes truly began. Panic attacks can start or get worse duing this time. If I go two months without a period I have to take a hormone pill. I am nearing the end of my periods as I am 52 1/2. The doc said it will start a period if you aren't done and they want you to have that period because it can lead to endometrial cancer if you don't. That's the latest anyway. I have only had to take the hormone pills once and it did bring on my period.
Joke for the day. How do you make a "hormone" (say it slowly)? Don't pay her! lol lol lol

hmm....I appreciate the info even though I am not the OP. I have been having some of the perimenopause symptoms and am only 34. I hadn't heard of it until now so I guess I should check with my doc

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I was starting to wonder the same thing. I'll be 40 in August and my Dh was also "fixed" a few years ago. Having another is not something I'd like to do. I feel like I have major PMS some days. It doesnt even matter what time of the month it is. I want to rip somebody's head off some days. Then cry two minutes later. My hair has been thinning too. Crap getting old sucks! Im going to have to try the Progesterone cream

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Well, I'm not sure if I'm in Perimenopause or not! I had an endometrial ablation about a year ago and haven't had a period since. I'm experiencing some of the symptoms, but I have no period to gauge it with or without! LOL

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I am not sure if I'm in Perimenopause either, but if I think it is a possiblility. I often get night sweats, and my periods are pretty bad. They are still very regular, but are very heavy and also I experience bad cramps and body aches. I am sure my anemia is because of my heavy periods. I did get a sonorgram done to make sure there were no other issues, and everything looked fine. I just have to live with it...sooner or later, it will end!

If you get your iron levels back up it might lighten those periods a little.

My mom went through menopause early and I followed her. I was under 50 when I was all through and I started in my early 40`s. Its great because i`m done and I never took any medication, just cried alot. Good luck. Go to the Dr. there are tests to tell you. nancy

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Definitely go get tested. When I was going through my gallbladder/anemia/we-don't-know-what's-wrong-with-you crap, they tested me for perimenopause, and I'm not there yet. I'm 43, but I know some women can start in there 30's. Another thing that hasn't been brought up is magnesium defeciency. . .very common in the US and can cause some of these symptoms. I just learned that one of the best ways to help that is by taking epsom salts bath. . your body actually absorbs more magnesium that way than just taking supplements. Anyhoo. . .get tested and then you will know for sure.

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There is an OTC test to find out your levels of fsh (can't remember the name), give that a try and it may help you when you go to your doc. I got one at a local drugstore years ago.
I was in peri-meno at age 38 (and had 2 - 2 yos at the time, yikes!), was fully menopausal by age 50, which I later learned was when my own mom went through it (but not by her own admission, from other fam members who helped piece it together for moi-self)
I felt like I had the longest peri period in history but my gyn assured me I was not unusual.
Every year when I went for my yearly gyn exam she kept assuring me I was not a freak, it *would* eventually ease up. My pcp kept attributing my difficulties to a serious family trauma, and I kept getting prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-depressant meds which didn't do squat for me. Thank goodness I finally found a great gyn. I'd always been a very upbeat type B person previously, didn't think the fam trauma coulda been what was making me nutso, and she confirmed it.
There are many types of natural (herbal and otherwise) supplements out there to help, red clover helped me the best, though it's different for everyone. If you have a history of breast cancer in your fam I have learned to avoid soy supplements as they feed that crud
The night sweats were, and continue to be, the worst part for me even though it's been years since my last period. They are much less severe now, but continue to create the need for me to change sheets more often than I'd like to have to do so.
An older woman once told me, after I begged her for an answer, that all the icky symptoms would eventually get better.
I believe her *now*, though the past several years have been rough. Please G*d, make it so ;-)
The hot flashes and emotional roller coaster have eased up but I still have the night sweats and still continue to feel irrationally b*tchy at times, though not as severe as they have been in the past. I used to sleep on 2 layers of thick towels and still needed to change my nightclothes *at least* twice a night or I woulda been sleeping soaking wet. The chills after the hot periods of night sweats were the worst. I'd sleep starkers, but still had to have 3 layers of quilts to compensate for the chills after the heat, It was the worst sleep I'd ever had, constantly throwing off covers, sleeping in sub zero temps with an open window, and then bundling up like and Eskimo afterwards. It didn't matter what sorts of sleep meds my pcp would prescribe, so I eventually gave up on those sorts of things.
I have had to bite my tongue more times than I can count in the past 5+ years as I've tried to discern whether or not I really was (or had a reason to be) po'd at DH.
And I still do ;-)
I keep asking myself if my irritation is real or not, have had to keep reminding myself of all the reasons I loved DH ;-) And I have gotten much better at holding my tongue than I ever was in the past. DH has learned to accept my unusual (for moi-self) silent times as periods when I am trying to work things out vs. tearing him a new a**hole. Communication twixt us has improved once I filled him in on often I hated his guts but couldn't discern *why* ;-) Because DH and I have been talking it all through it has helped immensely and he doesn't feel attacked if I go through brief but whacko periods. As well, our sons have learned what to expect.
Aging isn't for sissies, I've heard that in the past and I believe it. Especially for women.
My salvation, other than praying like a monk, has been a fabulous gyn, even though she is decades younger than moi-self.
Find out your fsh levels and then find yourself a gyn you can be 100% honest with when discussing it all. In my case, it was has kept dh and I married for 32 years and has kept all the kids at home from becoming Jerry Springer headliners ;-)