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| Doctor, am I experiencing Perimenopause? | ||
| Question: I
am 53 years old. I have regular periods every 25 - 28 days,
lasting 3 days (since I was 13), but the last two to three months I've
been spotting before and after my menses. I have mood swings and
cry easily, no hot flashes. Any ideas? Answer: Maybe it is perimenopause. The change of your periods could be explained by anovulation. Mood swings are, as you know, often seen during the change. When spotting is disturbing you, this kind of bleeding problems can be cured by a cyclic course of a progestagen on days 14-26 of each cycle. When spotting occurs without any relation to menstruation, a gynecologic investigation is necessary. |
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| Question: Is it possible at 47 and having
menopause but now getting periods back again to conceive?
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| Question: I
was wondering if thyroid levels can change due to perimenopause. And
can thyroid levels fluctuate due to perimenopause? Is breakthrough
bleeding common in mid-cycle? Answer: Thyroid levels are not influenced by perimenopause. Breakthrough bleeding in mid-cycle is uncommon. Sometimes we observe a spotting just before ovulation in midcycle because of the decrease of endogenous estradiol on that time. But that is not breakthrough bleeding. |
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| Question: I'm almost 39 years old,
mother of a 15 year old, and a heavy smoker. I've been
experiencing mood swings and water retention for the past year.
Recently (past 3 months) I've been having "hot flashes"
during the day, about once every other week, which leave me drenched
and then dizzy (and occasionally nauseous). My period came a
week early this month, which is a very unusual event for me, and the
"night sweats" have begun. I've always had problems
with arthritis, but, this too, has been more of a problem lately.
My mother started having similar symptoms at age 40. I had felt
that I was too young to be going through perimenopause, so I've been
ignoring these symptoms. I'm also extremely nervous, especially
before my periods. Should I call my doctor? What kinds of
tests can he do to determine if I'm perimenopausal?
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| Question: I am 39 years old and
have a long history of problems with my periods, prolapsed uterus etc.
I have had hot flashes, night sweats, for years and my period was very
heavy. But for the last 6 months I have had very mild periods, from
5-7 days down to 3 maybe 4 and very light. And the night sweats have
gotten worse, as has the emotional rollercoaster I have been on. My
Dr. doesn't think I am old enough to be in perimenopause, but all the
females in our family had a history of early onset menopause, and most
had a hysterectomy by 40. During my last pap my Dr. thought I had an
enlarged uterus. Although I felt fine. And sent me for an ultrasound
test. They did find some small fibroids. And I feel heavy in the
uterus, similar to being pregnant. I haven't had any midcycle or
severe bleeding. My weight dropped from 156 to 145, my hair is
shedding and that concerns me. Am I entering perimenopause? And should
I go ahead and have a hysterectomy. I don't want to worry about recurrence
and more procedures later on. I've had enough problems with
my female anatomy already! I had gallbladder surgery a year and
a half ago, and have had chronic diarrhea, and take Questran light
every day. Luckily my gyn found colitis and put me on antibiotics that
cleared it up. Now this! Is there any connection to the Questran and
colitis and now fibroids? Thank you so much for this site and
your help. |
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| Question:
I am 47 1/2, have had
normal periods occurring every 21-23 days. I missed a period in dec 99
for the first time. I Jan I had a period that lasted 6 weeks. This
brought me to the gynecologist. He gave me 5 days of Depo-Provera. The
following month was normal then I missed again and had a 3 week period
of various flow and colors. I went back to the gyno who drew fsh and
estridiol levels. The results showed that I was not in menopause (fsh
a little elevated estridiol normal) and he said that there was no need
for hormone therapy. Now I am having another heavy period almost 2
weeks now. Should I worry about this? at least 6 woman I know so far
in my age range have had hysterectomies for heavy bleeding, I prefer
to keep my uterus but am worried about this heavy bleeding. Is it an
expected occurrence in perimenopause? Answer: This kind of bleeding is called dysfunctional bleeding. A shortage of progesterone and not of estradiol is the cause. Because the cycle is anovulatory no progesterone is formed. The condition can be made better (regular cycle, less bleeding) with regular courses of progestagens in sufficient dose. Taking Provera (at least 10 mg, maybe more; in Europe we have a lot of better progestagens for this condition such as norethisterone) monthly from day 15 to 26 (the first day of the bleeding is day 1) will regulate your cycle with a withdrawal bleeding 1-2 days after stopping the progestagens as long as your ovary produces estrogens. When no estrogens are produced (after menopause) no bleeding will occur after the progestagens. |
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| Question: I have been on hormone med.
at least 15 years I am 44 years old, also had complete hysterectomy do I
have to stay on hormone medication for ever? I would like to stop
due to weight gain. Answer: Estrogens do not cause weight gain. During the 40s the basal metabolism needs less calories than earlier (a little bit less). With the same diet and the same amount of exercise you will have a little bit more calories than your needs and weight gain occurs. And many women are not as active during their 40s than before, and usually they consume the same. Without ovaries it is important to continue the use of estrogens at least until the age of 50 i.e. the median age of menopause. Early menopause without estrogens places you in an extra risk for cardiovascular disease. |
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| Question: I am 47 years old who had
a stoke at the age of 40. I am unable to take any estrogen product. I
have just started to experience night sweats, irregular periods, mood
swings and exhaustion. I work 50 - 60 hours a week at 2 different
jobs. I get enough exercise and I eat well, what else can I do
to make this transition more comfortable? Answer: What kind of stroke was here? There are to kinds: thrombotic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. Estrogens can cause thrombosis in women with inheritant coagulation disorders. But otherwise there is no reason to abstain from hormonal therapy. Clonidin can diminish flushes. Also Prozac can be helpful according to some experts but this effect is never published. Regulation of your menstrual cycle by taking progestagens from day 15 to 26 will also diminish climacteric complaints. But there are some doubts to use medroxyprogesteroneacetate (Provera) for that. Other progestagens, like norethisterone or megestrolacetate are excellent in that respect. And progestagens are not blamed for thrombosis. |
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| Question: In May I experienced burning mouth syndrome. Since I was
experiencing
stressful times and conflicts within my family, I began to take
Prozac as I
had done in the past. I had been off Prozac for about a year
and proceeded
to take 40mg/day. I had never dosed this high, as my body
seemed to respond
well to 20mg. Up until this point in time my periods were
sometimes scant
and sometimes heavy with flushing. I never really knew how
each month would
play out. Since the onset of the burning mouth (3 months ago)
my periods
stopped. I am also experiencing a loss
of libido. My
problems with depression and OCD have lessened, although I continue
to
experience thought disturbances and distortions. I am
wondering if this cornucopia of symptoms is indicative of menopause? I am 48
years old and
began periods at 10 years of age. I have three children and
have had
recurrent periods of depression/OCD for the past 20 years.
Thanks very much
for your guidance and expertise. Answer: Burning mouth is a difficult problem. There is a possibility that low estrogen levels have something to do with that. Maybe it can be checked by your doctor. When your estradiol level is low, you can try hormone replacement and determine if it cures your mouth problem. With adequate estradiol level, this cause is ruled out. Burning mouth can also have psychological causes. |
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| Question: I am a 47 year old woman who was recently
diagnosed as being perimenopausal. For months prior to this I have
experienced extreme fatigue, memory loss, slurred speech, memory loss.
My first approach was a neurologist who suggested it was due to stress
and perhaps my cold turkey approach to coming off aspartame after over
25 years of strong addition to diet coke. I am on paxil which
has addressed some of the system and my OB/GYN has put me on a birth
control pill specifically for perimenopause. My question
is about "brain burn". Sometimes my entire brain felt
as it was on fire. The only relief was sitting with a fan at
my head. My entire head was wet with sweat (dripping wet) by was
not I was not sweating anywhere else! This was accompanied by
strong fatigue and a lot of crying for no reason I could determine.
Since then it seems to be just portions of my brain and usually
bilateral, both fronts, or back or sides. This is truly
frightening. Could this be a system of perimenopause and if not,
do you know
of any other leads I could pursue.? Answer: This symptom is quit unusual. It is not on my list of symptoms. And I am afraid that I cannot help you. Perimenopausal problems are usually completely cured by birth control pills as your OBGYN advised. And when that symptom still exist, it is almost certain that it has nothing to do with perimenopause. |
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| Question: Is fatigue a symptom of
pre-menopause? I get about 8 or 9 hours of sleep each night and
I can't seem to get going. My periods have been erratic. I
am 49 years old? Answer: Are you sure that it is not anemia because of heavy bleeding? With good sleep there is no reason to blame perimenopause other than by bleeding problems. There are a lot of causes of fatigue. Consult your doctor. |
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| Question: I am 45 years old. For several months, my periods have grown a
couple of days further apart and lighter. But, this month it grew
heavier and was relentless for days and days. An M.D. gave me Ortho-Novum
to see if my system would respond to birth control bills. He said he
suspects that I am perimenopausal. He advised me to take 4 pills
the first day, 3 the next, then 2, and finally take one pill a day for
three months. He said it should regulate me. The doctor told me that
if the bleeding continued that he would do a biopsy (I had a negative
pap smear less than a year ago). How long should the bleeding last? I
am taking Ibuprofin for Arthritis, Buspar, glaucosamine, and
Furosimide for blood pressure? Answer: This story is typical for anovulatory bleeding and this is seen very often during the forties. The treatment with Ortho-Novum is also a good one and you can expect that it will control the problem. When spotting continues. Stop the Ortho-Novum for a few days. A withdrawal bleed will occur and start again with one pill a day. Either for a month like the normal way for birth control pills or for three months. |
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| Question: I am 52 have been told
that I am in early menopause. I didn't have a period for several
months, then had 2 in one month, next month was a normal period for
me, but this month was 5 days of spotting followed by 7 days so far of
a heavy period. Is this normal? Answer: Yes, this is a normal pattern. You can expect all kinds of bleeding patterns during the climacteric. |
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| Question: I am turning 36 years old
this fall. Though there is no history of perimenopause in my
family I have plagued will irregular cycles recently. I have the
occasional hot flashed and the mood swings. I spotted the entire
month of July, thought I had a normal 5 day cycle in starting August
13th and have just found myself beginning another cycle on August
24th. I have not been tested for perimenopause. Do these sounds
like symptom's or could I just be having a series of irregular cycles? Answer: This pattern is not normal nor perimenopausal. Between 13th and 24th of August there are only 11 days and that is not compatible with a normal cycle. Consult a gynecologist for further diagnosis. |
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| Question: I'm 42 and for the past
two years have had several (10) cases of vertigo. Could this be
related to perimenopause or menopause? I have been to a
neurologist and an ENT and they have found nothing to explain the
dizziness. The other day I had 12 women (ages 36-45) at my house for a
meeting and someone mentioned having a bad case of vertigo the week
before. Once the subject came up there were five of us that had
periodic cases of vertigo and all of us started having the symptoms
sometime after the age of 38. Our cases range from mild to
severe. Until this conversation I thought it was just me - now
I'm wondering about all the other women who are experiencing this and
how much it is related to age and the aging process. Any
thoughts? Answer: No idea. It is not possible to have an idea on an isolated symptom. Especially as a neurologist and a ENT specialist has found nothing at all. And vertigo is absolutely a neurological symptom. |
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