Has anybody gone through early menopause and how old were you?

[Khanny]

Just curious really. I have recently turned 43 and my periods started to change as soon as I had my copper coil out when I was 39 4 years ago to try for a baby with my now husband (we wanted to start trying before I was 40 and have been unsuccessful). I now totally believe I am peri-menopausal due to my cycles. I have no other symptoms others than my cycles have been so long and irregular and really heavy with huge clots. My last proper period was November 23 and I just started to brown spot on Friday which has turned into ever so slightly pinky red mucus. That cycle was 112 days.

I'm just wondering what to expect moving forwards and if this is starting to be the end for me. I'm devastated if truth be told, I'm not ready for this stage, I really wanted another baby and I don't feel old enough to be going through this.

I am also 43.

All of this. I started in my late 30s and began HRT in my early 40s. I don’t much like it but my consultant made it clear that I need to be on it until at least my early 50s to protect my bones, heart and brain.

I'm on HRT at 37 but it's taken me 3 years to get anyone to believe me that I'm in perimenopause.

At 38 i started getting awful joint pain, for about 18mths, then that stopped. Then really heavy frequent periods for a couple of years, then light and 30plus day cycles, now at 45yrs and last period was 135 days ago, so maybe done, maybe not!
Had a couple of weeks of night sweats, 6 months or so ago, but thats stopped too.
I’ve read if the mean average of last 10 periods is 42 days or more, you are in your last year of perimenopause.

Had a baby when I was 36, and didn't really get back to normal. We tried for another dc but nothing doing, and by the time I was 39 my periods were very erratic. My gp referred me for fertility investigation at the local hospital and a gynaecologist diagnosed early menopause. So that was that.

And I found out it was premature menopause rather than just irregular periods when I had private fertility tests because we were desperately trying for another baby.

Same @citrinetrilogy - I was also 36 when I had DS and my periods never really came back properly. 💐

There's a lot of it about. I was concerned it would happen to me, as I already knew it did to my mum. She had an early menopause as well. I worry for my dd.

I was around 34 when I noticed my cycle was all over the place, got it checked out and after a year of hormone treatment t and a laparoscopy, was told id gone into menopause. I was put straight on HRT to protect my bones, was told I’d be on it until I was at least 59, I’m late 50’s now and stopped taking HRT several years ago as a gradual process. Natural menopause, still had all my reproductive organs but I’d been sterilised age 33.

Started peri at 41, finished at 46.
Chose not to use HRT as symptoms were relatively minor, manageable and stopped after my periods stopped.
I’m already on Calcium / Vit D for another condition and I’m relatively fit as I run and horseride.

Menopause is definitely a ‘you do you’ phase of life. None of my friends are on HRT but I know many people need it, so if you do, use it.

I thought I was really ill at about 41/42 spent ages going backwards and forwards to see the GP... no one picked up on the fact that it was peri-menopause. Post menopause at 45. Only put on HRT at 49 when I asked about it. Diagnosed with osteoporosis at 51 after a DEXA scan.

Luckily I had my DC relatively early as struggled to conceive DC3 between the ages of 27-29. Peri symptoms age 34 - told I was too young and clearly depressed. Saw a different GP after 18 months of anti depressants and feeling like I was losing my mind (plus severe hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, weight wouldn’t move etc, they suggested running bloods as periods were non existent and they concluded I was menopausal and I began HRT the following day - I was 36.

I will be on HRT until I am 55 minimum, and now after 4.5 years on it I can’t imagine being without it, I feel better at 40 than I did in my early 30’s.

www.daisynetwork.org

Symptoms started at 38 but really ramped up at 40 and thankfully had an excellent GP who put me on HRT.

It runs in my family so I knew it was a risk thankfully. I had my kids earlier than I would have otherwise which I’m very grateful for. We’ll be warning my daughter when the time is right.

it’s still a complete shit show through, I find it very difficult to cope with the fluctuations sometimes, even on a relatively high dose of HRT.

Literally had my 2nd child and then boom straight into menopause. By 42, my thyroid packed up too and the whole gamut of endocrine bloods revealed I was post menopausal. At the endocrinologist's insistence I took HRT. Took it for about 10years. Been off it 2 years now.

I started menopause in my early 20s, but it wasn’t diagnosed until my mid 30s. This was about 15 years ago now and there wasn’t a lot of information/help on the net at the time like there is now so it was hard to get my head around it all at first. I remember my GP wanting to start me on HRT straightaway but I left it for 6-12 months or so as I didn’t fully believe the diagnosis at the time (I just thought I was stressed out and my periods would come back!). Well they never did, so I started on HRT a year afterwards which worked for me (think it was Premarin - it was the old type HRT made from mare’s urine, it was withdrawn years ago for health fears) and then I went on Elleste duet where I put weight on. I find HRT is a lucky dip, works for some/not for others. I’ve been off HRT a couple of years now & im doing ok. It’s important to get a DEXA scan too as others have mentioned & take a high dose calcium tablet every day to prevent bone loss. I had a DEXA scan when I was diagnosed in my mid 30s and was told I’ve got osteopenia so I’ll likely get osteoporosis at some point. I’m nearly 50 so I’m trying to look after myself by exercising more & eating better. I would urge anyone suffering with any menopause symptoms to get them checked out as premature menopause does seem to be on the increase. To this day I (& my dr) dont know what caused my premature menopause, I had a scan at the time to see if it was anything to do with PCOS but my reproductive ‘equipment’ seemed to be fine.

Exactly the same thing happened to me, but younger. Came off the implant at 36, was out the other side by 40. wasn't diagnosed until 18m ago. The gynae said we can do IVF with egg donation so currently waiting to get the money together for the first try, but I'm 43 now so it probably won't happen.

My fertility clinic think I am probably in the early stages of perimenopause. I was 34 when I found out, 35 now. Currently doing IVF so not worrying about HRT right now but will do if IVF doesn’t work.

Good luck to you. I have just requested my GP refer me to a private fertility clinic but in all honestly I don't know where we will get the money from, I'm just desperate for some answers and one last chance at having a baby x

Thanks, GL to you too. We will be going to Alicante I think, there is a really good clinic there apparently. My DH has looked into it, I haven't, and I won't until the money is there.

Good luck with getting referred, it took 18m for the GP to refer us, after going at 6m in to ttc due to age. Then we had a few visits, they didn't pick up on meno, then covid hit so that was that.

Until 18m ago we thought it was something that could be fixed as no one had ever mentioned meno 😔

Exactly the same for me, all dome by 46. Periods started to be irregular from 43/44.

Thank you @MartinaMorningstar , we were already referred to the local hospital fertility clinic last year and were both discharged after 2 appointments with no reason for not conceiving BUT my periods seemed a bit more regular then, and now my absent periods are screaming to me that I am too old and I should just accept it as not ovulating will not get me pregnant. I'm just not happy accepting it though, I am not ready for this stage of my life, I don't look or feel my age and I hate my body for changing like this (I know its out of my hands but still...)

@Khanny I hear that. The fertility Dr gave my provera and clomid, and I kept going with that until they ran out, all useless mostly. We had 4 losses but I think that was obvously down to bad eggs probably.

I do wonder what would have happened if they had caught it all early enough and we could have goneprovate then and took all the IVF hormones etc, maybe things would have been different.

But yeah, I don't feel my age at all, and am not ready for middle age lol. I do feel better for taking HRT, as I had bad brain fog, but now I feel like this can't be real and I'm not this old and gonna end up old and alone 😂