How did your menopause start?

[NigellaWannabe1]

I wonder if mine is starting? I've had no symptoms but my period is a month late. I did a pregnancy test when I was two weeks late and it was negative, so it shouldn't be that (or should I test again?).

I haven't really been tracking my periods as I did enough of that when trying to get pregnant! They have been reasonably regular, I think, with the odd late one. The one thing that springs to mind is that about 18 months ago I had two periods in the space of 2 weeks (really odd).

Could I potentially never had a period again, or is it rare to stop suddenly?

My mum had it twice, once in her 40's, once in her 60's.

It's not black and white ( you only have 1 family member- sorry to hear about your mum.)

A lot depends on what YOU want and your quality of life. Some types of HRT are thought to be safer re BC anyway, so if you go down that road, see someone who knows what they are doing.

Thanks Queen. My mum is fine now, after two mastectomies.

It's good to know there are options when I need them, just assumed it was an automatic "no" with regards HRT...

The research now seems to show that HRT does not cause BC. (See a link on the Home page of Menopause Matters , under Blogs.)
It's thought to help grow an existing cancer cell(s).
In other words, the cancer was there already. There has never been any real link ie causation- between BC and HRT and the old research was done on women using old types of synthetic HRT.

You may come across drs who would refuse it for you but equally there will be others- specialists- who say you'd be fine.

Hi,
M menopausekicked in at 43 when i had to have both my ovaries and tubes rmoved because of the brca 1 mutation i had. Now 45 and im on 0.06% estrogel and 100 mg progestrone tablets everyday. The doc has given me 2 pumps of the estrogen which is already a low dose but suggested to try 1 pump if i can tolerate it. Right now only on 1 pump of estrogel. I do fell great withoutmy periods. My hot flashes come and go only whne i dont exercise. Thats what i notice. So daily yoga and evening walks for abot 2 to 3 kms does the trick.

That's really interesting because it shows you are one of the women I've been talking about who can use HRT even with cancer / prevention etc.

Came to have a look as think I'm starting down this road. But I'm not sure.

I'm 46, endo dx at 29, treated/affected with combo of surgery, meds/pill, full term pregnancy, more meds/pill, artificial menopause (prostap). ALWAYS been ludicrously regular until this year. Like you could set your watch by me not just calendar and before this year if I was even half hour late I was pregnant! (Have had 3 pregnancies in total.

Now it's all out the window! I've downloaded a period tracker but only very recently. This is first period/bleed I've had since getting it.

This period I think at least 10 days - 2 weeks late. Don't think I'm pregnant (not had sex for over 2 months and have had a normal-for-me period since as in quite heavy flow for 9 days).

In addition to erratic periods I have noticed I have a warmer body temp than previously (even before weather heated up - I used to be a shivery person now not so much), memory glitches (normally great memory), and...and this is the really annoying one - I seem to be spraining/straining joints at the slightest thing! I know aches & pains are menopause symptom but is it easier to actually injure joints? Anyone else had this? Just lifting a 2 pint of milk I can sprain wrist! Swells straight away, not just pain. Eases within a couple days with rest etc. But still annoying and sore. Also my eczema seems far more sensitive to hormone changes than previously.

So is this it?

@Graphista, did your doc ask you to have vit D everyday. It is super important.

For me it it was the night sweats and as put on another thread waking up like a mearcat! Looking back though I had been very moody for a long period and loss of libido before the sleep issues started (I still had regular bleeding, but the heavyness/length was erratic).

I only really became aware of how bad my moods were after I started HRT and was back to my 'normal' self

My periods got a little lighter & further apart for a few months. Then just stopped.
Hot flushes & joint pain started shortly after...

I was 43.

Reading with interest - starting to think I'm probably perimenopausal but my periods are pretty regular and no hot flushes. Just aches and pains, brain fog, moodswings/the RAGE/low-level meh-ness, crappy sleep... Everyone makes so much of the hot flushes and period changes that it seems they're pretty diagnostic. Anyone been proven (peri-)menopausal without them or am I just a wreck?!

Blood test was negative but I gather that's not exactly conclusive. Thyroid test also negative, all bloods OK. Possibly relevant, I had an ovary removed last year after a 12cm fibroma grew on it, so my egg stash has been cut in half. Consultant didn't mention menopause and it didn't occur to me to ask at the time! I can't find anyone online but figure that might have had an impact?

Oh, and palpitations. How could I forget the palpitations? Every time I lie down

Have always have regular periods in so much as every 28 days but for the last 3-4 years the flow has been irregular. Missed a period for the first time a couple of weeks ago (age 50) and around the time of when period due noticed hot flushes, not the body drenching sort just a mild "I'm feeling rather hot" sort. I'd say I'm symptomless at the moment.

Actually no, my memory is shit - see so shit I forgot to remember to post about it a minute ago!

After having had no issues with periods ever, no PMT, no nothing, I started having very heavy periods in my mid 40s. After 6 months had a mire and coil fitted, and over a 6 month timescale, my periods stopped completely. I've never had it removed even though I know it's not doing anything. I'm 58 now so assume I've had the menopause, with practically no symptoms except I've developed rosacea which needed heavy duty antibiotics for a couple of months but no acne now for a few years, just the redness. Occasional nighttime sweats, but again not too bothersome. I feel like I've got away with it quite symptom free.

I’m so confused. I don’t know If mine has started or not! I’m 50 and have anxiety disorder so sometimes get hot anyway but this seems different. I have hot flashes several times a week but when I get them they seem to be in groups of 5 or 6 one after the other, like it’s about to end but then comes back even hotter till I eventually feel like my head is literally going to combust. Then I’m freezing. I had hormone tests and thyroid about six months ago which didn’t indicate menapause. Thyroid normal. I have had vaginsl dryness for over a year so bad can’t have penetrated sex. Doctor just gave me some gel stuff to insert once every three days but it’s not hormonal. She wouldn’t give me hormone gel because she examined me and said it didn’t look like it was depleted of oestrogen. I have several fibroids which cause me to bleed like I’m dying. I tried esmya to shrink them but when I came off after the first three months I bled so badly I swore not to go back on them. Then they were withdrawn due to causing liver failure in some women. I’ve had a Mirena fitted four months ago but bleed lightly all the time, occasionally there’s a small clot too. My breasts are sore 75% of the time which I can live with but these hot episodes are horrific. I have a gynaecologist appointment on the fifteenth and want to mention HRT but don’t know if I will be fobbed off. I think I might have s hysterectomy because I’m so fed up of bleeding all the time. 🤔

Reading with interest - I'm 48 and until now regular as clockwork (every 26 days, 6 day bleed.) This month, nothing, nil, nada, zilch - 8 days late now. I am going on holiday next week so my first thought was that my body was conspiring to bugger it up for me but apart from a week-long period type pain there's been no sign. I always imagined they'd slow down a bit first, not just stop! Guess I'll know for sure next week...😭