When do you start menopause?

[Seafog]

My mum had regular periods until 58, and sporadic ones until 60 (last one started on 60th b-day).
I had an ablation in 2013 so no period since, but have begun spotting, in a regular cycle over the last few months.
I'm 43, and hoped I'd just slip into the menopause before my uterus decided to reboot...

I was 40 when the night sweats & hot flushes began & was confirmed as menopausal at 46 & started HRT then.
I'm the first of my female friends to start this & they've been watching with great interest!
I think my Mum was early 50s - certainly at 52 she was on HRT (she also had a lover nearly 30yrs her junior so it worked better for her than me!).
There's an old wives tale that the earlier you start your periods the later you will go into menopause. My periods didn't start til I was 16!

Perimenipause from 42 last period was 54. Hardly any hot flushes but had some truly awful periods in my 40s so menopause was a relief. Never bothered with HRT, i dont trust the menopause boa4ds on here as they are a bit of a dictatorship by one poster with an agenda. Ive seen here posts on other subjects and they are poorly researched so i really dont trust jt. She is a bit of a sounding board for private clinics who make money from hrt

Average age 51/52? That the age you are when you haven't had periods for a year

10% still not there at age ( from memory ) 58

Under 45 , unusually young and you should. Seek medical support to prevent bone loss and heart problems

Peri menopausal symptoms can be several years before

Menopause board very useful

Agree Bruffin, it's shame, and often the thread gets derailed.

25% of women experience no problems and 25% only mild problems and 25% really bad problems

Age of menopause partially genetic but better diet can make it later ( I now regret not having a diet based on white pasta and cheese )

@bruffin

Perimenipause from 42 last period was 54. Hardly any hot flushes but had some truly awful periods in my 40s so menopause was a relief. Never bothered with HRT, i dont trust the menopause boa4ds on here as they are a bit of a dictatorship by one poster with an agenda. Ive seen here posts on other subjects and they are poorly researched so i really dont trust jt. She is a bit of a sounding board for private clinics who make money from hrt

I know who you mean and I think some of her posts are really important and valid. And if you mean Louise Newsons clinic, the Newson Health clinic, a lot of her work is not for profit and her website - which I’ve linked to earlier - has lots of free fact based resources which women can use to approach their own doctors and get HRT prescribed through the NHS. (As I do). I think it’s really important to have balanced discussions about these things and unfortunately there is a real gap in understanding and funding in the NHS when it comes to the menopause.

Bageksandbrie
But that discussion is not allowed on menopause boards its full of sycophants, who close it down and misquote the nice guidelines
If anyone queries it there is a big flounce so the sycophants all start the please don't go nonsense. No board on MN should be allowed to operate like that, especially something important as menopause

Peri menopausal age 46 with night sweats and hot flushes and infrequent very light periods every 2- 3 months .Had my very last period age 48.Still get night sweats
Had a hysterectomy age 54 ,but still have my ovaries.

I think I have peri menopause symptoms the worse being brain fog

Periods are still regular and I still feel when I ovulate and get symptoms but what I no longer get is that feeling of being a sex goddess I just feel grumpy

My last few periods have been heavier than usual and I feel wiped out like I did when I first started my periods (I’ve been lucky never been heavy or painful)

I just think that people who had a very bad time turned around naturally become strong advocates and it must be frustrating to see people suffer when you have an idea what might help

The internet says 50+ but I work with several women who are mid 40s and they don't hold back about their hot flushes, so in my personal world it definitely earlier than 50. One colleague is is 58 told me she'd been going through the menopause for the past 11 years.

I am 49 and been peri-menopausal for probably a couple of years already. Mid-40s onwards seems to be common, although it can also be younger.

@midgeswithnofingernails

25% of women experience no problems and 25% only mild problems and 25% really bad problems

Age of menopause partially genetic but better diet can make it later ( I now regret not having a diet based on white pasta and cheese )

What happens tobtge other 25%!?

*to the (posted with panic!)

@Donatella

Has anyone been through menopause who didnt have periods beforehand? I have a mirena and don't really get periods (I might have a bit of brown or pink on wiping but I haven't had to use sanitary products for years). My mother had a very easy menopause so I'm wondering how, without periods, I'll know when it is happening?

I wonder that too! I hope it will just happen with out me noticing 🤣 My mum was 53 and I'm 52 in a few weeks. So I guess it's wait and see....

We don't talk about the other 25%....

Just been speaking to my OH about this and according to him I've been suffering with the side effects for years....he's now hoping one day I'll wake up and just be nice....arsehole....!

47 for noticeable peri-m, I had an ovary removed at 46 which perhaps brought it forward a bit - am nearly 49 and no period for 6 months, no other symptoms than a few hot flushes, so think it will be over within the year. Need to get my arse in gear for HRT.

Need to get my arse in gear for HRT.
Why if you have no symptoms?

@Donatella

Has anyone been through menopause who didnt have periods beforehand? I have a mirena and don't really get periods (I might have a bit of brown or pink on wiping but I haven't had to use sanitary products for years). My mother had a very easy menopause so I'm wondering how, without periods, I'll know when it is happening?

Migraines, overly emotional, anxious. And then the problems sleeping - which is the only symptom to have continued

Good point..,The missing 25% typically experience quite bad problems and tend to be more reluctant to seek medical help

Those who get truly desperate get HRT but many struggle through , perhaps unnecessarily, as it can result in them leaving work and such

You don't have to be 'desperate' to benefit from HRT.

It has other lasting health benefits too, and studies show it actually improves life expectancy.

I didn't suffer from hot flushes but I feel much better on HRT now. I'm 57 and started when I was about 52.

Exactly, sorry if I was unclear , but it seems many women struggle silently and unnecessarily

This is all so helpful, thank you!

My ablation was a total success, I was told if it didn't work I'd need a hysterectomy at that point.
I had just turned 36, but my periods were insane.
If my uterus does do the whole reboot thing, I will have to have a hysterectomy.

I agree bruffin have given up looking at the menopause topic on here because it is so skewed and so much pressure to take HRT, to the extent where you're not even able to question it or say you don't want it.