to ask you how the menopause happened for you?

[user1490123259]

45, last three periods have only been half as heavy as the previous 30 years....

Can I start celebrating and throwing my sanpro away?? STop counting days on the calendar when planning holidays? take out the £8 a month out of my shopping budget???

Is it going to be a blessed release or a path of thorns??

What should I worry about or be prepared for?

[bobthebuddha]

Well your post just goes to show it comes in all forms - my periods have just got heavier and heavier since I turned 40!

[user1490123259]

o no Bob! You have my sympathy.

I'm so happy mine are getting lighter now, I'd be really depressed to go back to the bad old days just when I've started getting my hopes up that the worst might be behind me.

[Eatingcheeseontoast]

Basically as euphemia, but add in The Rage, anxiety and depression.

[Blogwoman]

There are some very good blogs on evidentlycochrane.net including some where women share their experiences & some on evidence around HRT, sex etc www.evidentlycochrane.net/?s=Menopause+

[Brighteyes27]

Always had regular period but around mid i40's they went haywire. Less heavy and less painful thankfully. Now aged 51 had no periods for 7 months but just got one last week previous to this I went 10/ 11 months without one on two occasions.

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

I had a hysterectomy and went straight into a surgical menopause, I also refused HRT.

I had occasional hot flushes at night but that was it. No rage, irrational mood swings, night sweats or 'owt else. I think I was very lucky.

[1nsanityscatching]

For me I was regular as clockwork, at 47 I had three heavy periods, hot flushes on a few days each month and then no periods at all. No flushes, no other symptoms since and no periods for more than two years. A breeze for me, wasn't expecting it to be so quick or so easy tbh.

[ExcuseMyEyebrows]

I was very lucky, just having frequent periods for about six months then nothing.

It was all over by the time I was just over 40 - no hot flushes or anything.

[junebirthdaygirl]

For 3 years after my periods stopped l had a period on holidays.. Everytime. Spent first day dashing around lokking for a chemist. Weird. But dont give up just yet.

[FuzzyCustard]

Periods went haywire in terms of cycle length. Then had a period that lasted 5 months (aged 46). The nothing at all...ever. (A Good Thing)
Apart from 15 years (so far) of hot flushes, the crawling skin issue, the feelings of worthlessness, the weight gain and different fat distribution, the dry skin...
Anyway, I'm still alive and upright so it can't be all bad!

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Mine was a breeze I'm happy to say.

Periods started being a bit sketchy, with longer between them, similar to when they started when I was 11. That lasted a couple of years until they stopped altogether.

Had quite a bit of anxiety.
Had a lot of night sweats.
Had various aches and pains.

At 51 it mainly stopped. Now loving life at 52. No periods is great.

[OwooenBled]

I'm 55.No period for 2 years.A few hot flushes in the daytime and got a bit toasty at night.Itchy legs in early 50s.All a bit weird, very non-eventful.Keep thinking was/is that it?

[terrylene]

For me, I was on the pill, and for the last 4 years, my period dwindled to almost nothing, night sweats got worse, my nipples shrank, and I got itchy privates.

Then I had to come off it and thought it was probably all over. For 5 months nothing, then some eggwhite mucus a couple of times, then periods every 15 -23 days. Loads of it. Periods that suddenly got painful and heavy on day 3. And crushing aches and pains - waking up one morning stiff as a board and it taking days to wear off. Waking up with my teeth clenched each morning. Frequent vaginal infections that weren't, with every period, ovulation mucus, sex, condoms and swollen privates. Knicker wetting.

No hot flushes though

[user1490123259]

Thank you so much for all your stories, sorry for those who have had a rough time. I have no female relatives I can chat to, so very grateful for any input from real women.

[Bluntness100]

47 I get night sweats, but my periods are regular as clockwork. They are much heavier though now in the first day or so. So I reckon it's on it's way...

[Doyouwantabrew]

Very very heavy periods from 48 and they went on for 6 months. merena coil took another 6 months to work and Now all good.

No flushes but anxiety and aches are hard. Thinking of HRT now at 50. Hope you keep well op.

[ivykaty44]

Periods stopped at around 46/47 and after three years i feel hot sometimes. Sex is great, tbh started a new relationship just at the start so the ending of periods was an added bonus

[MiddlingMum]

In my early 50s and as normal and like clockwork as ever. No sign of the menopause on the horizon for me. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. At least I'm still collecting lots of Boots points

[noeffingidea]

Had about 8 years of period gradually getting heavier and longer. I sometimes had a period that would stop after 6 or 7 days, then get another one straight away afterwards. Can't remember what my last one was like. I do remember missing the odd one as well, thinking that was it, then they would start up again.
Once my periods stopped I got hot flushes for a couple of years, particularly bad in hot weather. Not drinking alcohol or caffeine in the summer helped with these. Still get the odd one now, 3 years later, but not too bad.
If you have any issues with your weight I would advise you to try and lose some now., as it is harder (though not impossible) to lose weight after menopause. Also exercise is important to increase bone density.

[Rufus27]

Started peri menopause age 39. Symptoms were: heartburn, tingling extremities, dizziness, sudden crushing fatigue (fine one minute, eyes closed the next) cold flushes, palpitations, severe pain in ankle and mid back, feeling like I wasn't in a room when I was. It was hideous. Due to my age and less common symptoms, saw endless specialists before anyone suggested hormones were to blame. Periods became erratic and symptoms were always worse before I came on. Now 45, and things are generally a lot better, thanks to HRT.(Didn't want to take it, but consultant said the risks were greater without it due to my age). I really recommend the website Menopause Matters.

[dontcallmelen]

I had a hysterectomy in my early forties, but left the ovaries intact early fifties started with hot flushes throughout the day & night then they stopped as suddenly as they started, now late fifties hot flushes back but usually only at night, itchy skin & brain fog occasionally.
I don't take hrt due to other medication. I would advise getting a fan bloody lifesaver when the weather is warm.

[dontcallmelen]

Yy palpitations forgot about those😳

[user1490123259]

If you have any issues with your weight I would advise you to try and lose some now., as it is harder (though not impossible) to lose weight after menopause. Also exercise is important to increase bone density.

yes I do, so thanks for that information

[inaclearingstandsaboxer]

I had a TCRE 14 years ago so my periods are light

I had a period last June then nothing until this February .... The period I had before June was the previous January so it looks like I am going approx 6 months

That doesn't bother me

What bothers me is the rage, the emotional roller coaster, the aching joints, the insomnia and the loss of memory .... And inability to find the right ... What's the fucking .... Sausage ...... Oh balls... The writey saying things....

I have had a few hot flushes but I don't find them too much of a thingy...