Possibly silly question but....early menopause?

[Suddengeekgirl]

I'm 32 and was diagnosed with PCOS pre dc. Back in those days I was going 60-75 days between cycles.
However since the dc (dd is 2.5yo now) my cycles have been every 35 ish days.

Until last month which was 38 days and this month I clocked up 43 days.

I've also been feeling weirdly itchy on my face and arms and have woken up with a damp tshirt at night a few times.

Could this be early menopause?

It could be early menopause, although 32 is very young. Experts do say though that fertility does decline gradually after age 30 and more rapidly after 35. I'm having an early menopause at the moment, i'm 38. I believe mine started when i was about 35 as that is when my cycles started going slightly haywire. I always had very regular cycles, every 28 days. Then i started to go to 30 days and then 35 and so on. The last couple of years they have got more irregular, sometimes 40 days or more and others just 20! Also my periods are now shorter and lighter athan before. Are your periods like this or are they longer and heavier ? These are signs of early menopause. PCOS can make your cycles irregular, so could it be that do you think ? I also wake up some nights where my chest is damp a nd sweaty and i feel quite hot. Stress can also cause night sweats though, are you stressed at all ? My advice would be to make an appointment with your doctor and ask for hormone blood tests. The test which indicates menopause is the Day 3 FSH. Blood has to be taken between days 2 and 4 of your period. If your FSH is found to be high then it's a good indicator of menopause. I had mine taken last year when i was 37 and my FSH was 20 which the doctor said was borderline menopausal and advised that i take HRT! Basically, the lower the FSH in the blood the better. Hope i have been of some help x

Erilou - thank you so much for all of that! :)

My cycles haven't seemed much heavier but they are over a week long now. Probably getting on for 8-9 days.

It could be the PCOS again I suppose - just not sure why things have changed now though.
The itchiness and sweats are what made me think of Menopause.

Might leave it another cycle before I see the dr - they're not very helpful at our practice.

Actually I've just realised I'm only on day 5!
Seems to be slowing down too.

I've been really short with the kids lately too - don't know if that's because we've had a run of poorly children then half term and I'm a little worn out by them

And anxious - not unmanageable- just more stressed about things that wouldn't normally worry me. Like the strong winds here this evening.

Do I sound like I'm losing it?

Since iv'e been in menopause my mind has been in turmoil, i'm a right nutcase! I just don't feel like 'me' anymore, it's awful. I suffer really badly from anxiety these days and have panic attacks at night which are symptoms of menopause. I get very tearful and cry a lot on random days throughout the month and am irritable and snappy with my husband and kids. As you say you are on day 5 of your cycle it's too late this cycle to have your FSH tested but you should make an appointment with doctor next month. As you are only 32 they will probably try to tell you that it's not early menopause, they will most likely say you are far too young. That happened to me. I first went to the doctor when i was 35 and asked if my symptoms were due to an early menopause and the doctor actually laughed at me!! I saw 4 different doctors before i was taken seriously and given hormone blood tests. It took over 2 years of nagging to get a menopause diagnosis! Go to your doctor next month and tell them how concerned you are x

Erilou - that sounds awful! :(
Does the HRT help with that - or are all your symptoms with HRT?

I might ask the dr to have a look at all my hormone levels - at least then they'll be able to tell if its the PCOS back again or early menopause.

HRT should help with vaginal dryness and hot flushes, although i'm not sure about anxiety and mood swings etc. I actually took a months supply of HRT this summer. The doctor wanted me to take it for 3 months to feel the full benefits. It stopped my dryness problem and panic attacks within a few days and my boobs grew two cup sizes bigger which I and my husband loved!! Trouble is i stopped taking it after a month as i have been trying for a baby for over a year. I know it sounds really silly but i went on the HRT in a desperate attempt to try and get my hormones back in balance again so hopefully i could get pregnant. Still not pregnant, so the HRT didn't work!! Iv'e given up on having a baby now, i'm 38 so not getting any younger and i'm in early menopause. The doctor told me my chances of getting pregnant now are very remote. I'm totally gutted but i already have children so i count myself lucky. I plan to go back on HRT when my next period starts. My doctor says loads of women love it and swear by it so i'm gonna give it another go for a few months and see what happens x

I was 38 when my blood test came back "consistent with menopause"

Im now 41 I have just started hrt and feel loads better. I really didnt realise how rough I'd been feeling!

Can i ask how high your FSH level was when you got diagnosed with earlymenopause ? Last year my FSH came back at 20 which the doctor told me was borderline menopausal. Also, which HRT are you taking ? Mine was called Climagest 1mg.

Hi I didn't ask - I was too shocked to speak ha ha. I guess it must have been pretty conclusive with a consistent with menopause result. I did think it may be a false positive, after all people say to have two tests, but I had just one and I didn't know whereabouts I was in my cycle either.

I'm taking prempak c 0.625

No problems so far....

Hmmm
Been making a list of my symptoms as I've now got a dr appointment for the end of the month. Do they seem consistent with perimenopause?

Menopause/ PCOS

Periods gettung more irregular (further appart) and slightly heavier
Light pink spotting on CD17
Sweaty at night - occasionally
Really hot at night & heart racing - happened last night and freaked me out totally! I then got terribly cold and took ages to warm up
Irritability
Mood swings, sudden tears, depressed almost
Trouble sleeping through night - even though Dd is sleeping better
Tired - probably due to poor sleep
Anxiety - feel nervous/ worried about things that wouldn't normally - like weather or minor issues at ds' school
Itchy skin
Headaches - some don't shift with ibuprofen-lysine
IBS changed
Spotty - raised itchy spots on face, neck, chest and arms
Restless legs

Feel a bit like I'm falling apart!

Suddengeekgirl...your symptoms do sound like perimenopause, almost identical to mine. The only difference is that my period have got lighter. How old are you ? I'm 38

Sorry, i see that you are 32. Get to see your doctor asap and ask for a cycle day 3 FSH test x

Erilou - thanks. :) I've got an appointment for the end of the month. If my cycles are 'normal' again I should be having my period. If not then I will be able to get the blood test sorted for when it does start. (As long as the dr doesn't laugh me out of the office for being too young for perimenopause)

Good luck

Well my appointment is tomorrow.
I have my list of symptoms - 16 out of the 35 menopause symptoms!

Still not sure what I think - could be PCOS or menopause or something else. Really hoping the dr is open and helpful.

Dr was pretty good - didn't dismiss me out of hand. She wants me to have a whole load of blood tests including FSH and a fasting glucose one.
Would have been nice to know what the possibilities were but tbh I've probably considered most of them already!

She also suggested dh got the snip!

Actually feeling a bit lousy about it all now. In some ways it would have been nice if the dr had said "don't be daft, it's just x, y or z".

The possibility of early menopause being a reality is making me feel really upset. :( I don't even want to have any more children. I just don't want to be old!

Aww don't be sad! See what the bloods come back as and take it from there. I had a range of tests too but not a fasting one, perhaps because I was 38 not 32.

Don't worry. I feel loads better now than before hrt (apart from sore breasts reminiscent off my pill days) and you will too.

This is a really interesting thread. My Mum reckons I'm starting the menopause but she's purely basing that on me having night sweats. I am 44 though so it is quite possible.
What other symptoms should I be looking out for?

fuckynell - thanks! :)
It's daft as I don't even need my reproductive capabilities - or even want them! But it feels weird thinking I might be menopausal at 32!

Will have to wait another 3 weeks for bloods and results.

Oh and I appear to me having some spotting which may/ may not be my period - which was due today.

Keep us posted op and you can pm me for tmi advice if u like

Sudden yes it could be. I used to blame hubby though!!

Irregular/missed/different periods
Inability to make decisions
Stressy about non stressy stuff
Panic attacks
Brain fog
Hot flushes (hot red face for me not all over like some ladies)
Sad
Poor sleep. I think that was the worst for me. I'd fall asleep no problem but I'd literally force myself awake, many many times per night.

Obviously you don't get all of the above at the same time (well maye you can but jees, I hope not)

The best thing to do is keep a diary. I found that during months when my periods were regular I didnt have flushes for example. When I missed one then I got them.

Diary is a good idea fucky :)
I might be able to spot a pattern.

Whether this is menopause or not it's bloody irritating!

When are you having yourbloods taken Suddengeekgirl ? They should be on day 3 of your next cycle. Iv'e been getting night sweats almost every night for the last few weeks which is worrying me. It could be stress which i hope to god it is! Stressing about not being able to fall pregnant. Oh i wish my family was complete. Am startingClomid in December and i will be monitored with scans which should tellme if i'm in perimeno or not by the amount of follicles i produce.Just want one more baby so my lovely husband can experience being a daddy.

Erilou - not till 12th. I have no idea where that will be in my cycle. I should have asked if it mattered but it went out of my head. I guess it's also very hard to plan blood tests when your cycle is so erratic - it's normally a 3+ wk wait for blood tests at our drs!
I really hope you get lucky soon - infertility/ trouble conceiving is always hard no matter what the cause! I do feel blessed that I have had my dc already and that my family is complete.

Sudden my bloods were taken on a non specific date, as you say it's impossible with an erratic cycle.

Erilou I'm hoping for you that you get to have another baby. I've heard stories of ladies on hrt get a bfp so you never know!

Life has a habit of turning on a sixpence so they say