Menopause

I'm going to watch along with interest, shewolf. At 49 I came off the pill this month to 'see how things go'. I went back on it at 41 to help regulate my goofed up cycles. I haven't really had any symptoms yet because the last eight years were hormonally regulated.

I do know that emotionally some women feel like they're losing their minds. I was a menopause baby and my mother told me that having a baby to focus on was the only thing that kept her sane. She said she packed a suitcase and kept it in her closet because she was sure she was losing her mind and they would come and take her away at some point. I also recall from my hospital employment days that the census reports of our psychiatric inpatients would have a cluster of adolescents, a cluster of elderly, and a cluster of menopausal aged women.

Would she feel comfortable talking to a mental health provider to get some independent assessment of her emotional state? There are a number of books on the subject. I think they might be listed in littlek's thread up above. I'll see if I can find them. The one I have is, "The Silent Passage", by Gail Sheehey

I haven't had many of the characteristics of menopause that have been described in text books, however, I do get a little depressed from time to time and exercise seems to whisk it away. It is great not to have a period anymore and the PMS mood swings they create. It's been almost two years for me and I'm wondering if in time, I will eventually get the hot flashes and/ or mood swings, or any other symptoms related to menopausal behavior.

I exercise almost daily and I think that plays a huge roll in keeping my body out from under the grips of the "dreaded menopausal" part of life.

Susan Love is a well respected MD; I bet that's a worthwhile book.

That's a very good book to read; I bought me a copy of it about 10 years ago. It's not just about menopause, it covers PMS, HRT, and just about any other issues concerning women's health.

She has her own website

http://www.susanlovemd.com/

shewolf, In your case, it will be mini-paws

My son told me that in my situation, the hot flashes were simply the ovaries giving a last gasp. That was an excellent diagnosis, I think.

Really, the only thing that concerned me was the unpredictability of the monthly cycle. I didn't have any depression, etc.

I started having menopausal symptoms at 43. Depression was the biggie. (Family & personal history made me a prime candidate...) My doctor said that depression is the second most common symptom of menopause after hot flashes. I've been on antidepressants since...they have helped a lot, but leave me somewhat lethargic. Hope I won't have to take them too much longer, but lethargic is much better than anxious/depressed.

I miss a month, then have a period, then miss two months, then have three in a row. Very unpredictable. I need to get one of those books and read up, actually.

No particular depression or mood swings to speak of for me. My biggest gripe is the insomnia. I never had problems sleeping until last year. Night after night after night I'd wake up around 3 or 4am and never get back to sleep. That was maddening. And the unpredictability of my period, which was now heavier than ever before. But then they stopped, for almost a whole year, started again for a few months and now they've stopped again. It's been several months since the last one and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's over and done with for good.

Wow.. having MONTHS go by between periods would ruffle my feathers! That alone would contribute to anyones insanity. :-)

Depression is common. When your body stops producing the normal or regular amounts of estrogen, seratonin levels drop also. Seratonin is the hormone that causes us to ' fell good' and is a natural mood stabilizer.
( but.. im sure I am preaching to the choir here.. )
Anti depressants are a good thing. My mother was smart in getting her doctors approval for those BEFORE this started and is currently taking them.

I didnt know that insomnia would also be an effect of menopause? Interesting tid-bit there.

Thank you for the link colorbook. I am going to see if i can find that book at the half price book store later today.
That sounds like a good book for women of any age.

I'm 45 and more regular than ever. I'm looking forward to menopause! I just wonder when it might happen.

Keep "preaching to the choir", shewolf. You obviously know the medical side of things, and though I've read articles, it's good to hear the scientific explanations again.

Susan Love was a well regarded breast surgeon at UCLA when I lived in LA. She also wrote the Breast book (or some simple name like that.) My surgeon (I had bc a while ago) is listed as a consultant in that book's forward.

Susan was first or among the first of those who moved breast cancer surgery away from always-mastectomies to lumpectomies when appropriate.

I did not have that much trouble with menopause, though I can look back to pre-menopause as difficult. But then I had a tough job too, and a lot of the stress was also related to that.

However - that was back before hormone therapy wasn't looked on as warily; with the hormone therapy my moods evened out (without taking away emotion - but making me not flame when I otherwise would have equanimity). In the beginning of all that I did have hot flashes, which were sort of in the way at work, but the HRT calmed those down.

I've had a lot of insomnia in my life, but it has usually been work related or money problem related, and I guess I've gotten more phlegmatic about both of those as time goes by.

I think one of the earliest things I noticed in perimenopause was the need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I drink lots of water during the day but I try to stop by about 4:00 pm. Then I might sip something later but if I do I'll be up in the nighttime getting rid of it :wink:

The new thing I'm struggling with is my metabolism. I have always been thin. I was model thin as a teen and remained thin to normal until I turned 40. For the first time ever my weight started to go up. I started walking and learning/implementing good eating habits and everything was fine. Each year for the past three years I've enjoyed and then recovered from the holidays. This year I'm stuck. I weigh the exact same thing today that I weighed on January 3rd even though I've been working out and following a low cal food plan. I've never been stuck before and it's very frustrating. I've gone down a few and up a few from my January 3rd start point but fluctuations aside, I'm stuck.

I've always had insomnia for a few nights before each period. Then, once I started, I'd sleep like a baby. I can see how I might be one of those that has insomnia problems if I stop having periods.

I do have flashes now, have had them in varying degrees for about two years. I've had to change my night clothes a few times but they aren't so, so bad.

Folded Japanese-styled hand fans are lovely and a nice little accessory to have when a flash strikes.

Are you ready...
I started a period yesterday. Last one before now, November of 2004. I'd actually given unused boxes of tampons and napkins to my stepdaughter when she was here for the holidays, certain that after an entire year, I was d-o-n-e.

I am SO disappointed.

This is how you can mess up and find yourself pregnant at 50. That's EXACTLY what happened to the mother of a friend of mine many years ago. She was having herself a casual little fling with a man she'd met in the Bahamas, thought that she was post-menopausal, done with birth control and wham! Found herself pregnant at 53!

Well, at least I know that I'm not pregnant. geez...

Yowser!



I'm nearly where Eva was a year ago, and I am not amused.

Yes or no, I want to know!

I've got to do a little research on this now. I've always read and heard that a full year w/o a period was the official rule of menopause but ****, I guess I'm just a marvel, huh?

I thought that writing about it would help me feel better but I'm just getting more and more pissed about it.

But who am I pissed at???

eoe, that is the official rule I've heard from my doctor. So that makes you a medical marvel for sure.

Yikes!!! I can't imagine getting pregnant at this stage in my life. Holy crap, just shoot me if that happens.

I read my responses from last year. I had just come off the pill to see what would happen. Well, periods happened. Lots of them as a matter of fact. About every 21 to 25 days. I looking forward to missing a few, as long as it's not because I'm pregnant.

an entire YEAR later?

eoe.. i would be pissed too.

but, quite frankly, as long as you have the parts, they can decide to work when ever they damn well please.
( mine are working right now.. can you tell? )