Am I Going Thru Memopaus Need to Know

You do sound like you are going through menopause. On the other hand, the doctors had been telling me for years that I was going through early menopause and all those same symptoms were happening with me because my body can not produce enough progesterone. I found the right doctor who was willing to test each individual hormone and I decided to go on bio-identical hormones. There are several options at the health food store that can help you transition also.

The best thing you can do is to educate yourself on the symptoms but still have a conversation with your OB/GYN to be sure. Most of the time, you can ask to speak with a nurse at an office who can tell if you need to be seen or not. Here's what Mayo Clinic says about perimenopause - it's worth reading through all of it:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/perimenopause/DS00554

Night sweats and irregular periods may be signs of estrogen deficiencies (menopause is marked by considerable drops in estrogen levels), but they can also be indicators of more serious conditions such as certain cancers, so I'd always recommend calling your OB/GYN's office just to be sure.

I don't want to scare you, but I've been on the receiving end of a devastating diagnosis, and if I'd not been my own health advocate and pressed when my physician (coincidentally my OB/GYN because I was a few weeks postpartum) wasn't concerned, I'd been diagnosed with a much worse prognosis.

Good luck!

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I am 48 too, just starting to feel like I am entering perimenopause. Hot and cold at night, some nite sweats, and my periods are different in length, and closer together or further appart here and there. I would take a pregnancy test if you think you could be pregnant, and see your OB if you are having troubles that you feel you need help with. I plan to speak to my doctor in a few months at my regular checkup, but the issues are not anything to severe to send me any sooner.

M.

Unless you have a total hysterectomy (ovaries and uterus removed), menopause doesn't happen over night. You are considered to be in total menopause when you have gone a complete year with no period. Leading up to that time is what they call peri menopause. It can go on for 10 or more years (length varies quite a bit for different women) with the average age of full menopause happening around 55 yrs old. As long as you still have periods it is possible for you to get pregnant. (It's harder to get pregnant, but it's still possible.) Estroven helps keep my hot flashes (power surges) and night sweats under control. I will have normal periods for several months, then I'll get one or two that will go 42 days between bleeding. A few times I had a period 2 weeks after the last one. And then it goes back to normal for awhile. I'm 48, too, and I've had intermittent symptoms for about about 6 yrs now.

L.,
I'm 46 so I can relate to what you're going through. The best thing to do is to schedule and appointment with your gynie and discuss.
I know it can take several years to get to the point where your periods stop altogether. Mine are just starting to get irregular now, but I have a friend, 49, that hasn't had a period in 3 years.
How do you feel emotionally? I know I needed to get some medication for anxiety b/c the week before my period (for about the last year or two) I felt like a complete snap out and things drove me crazy...that is also a symptom of peri-menopause so be aware also of changes in mood, emotion, etc. Good luck!

I started menopause early, at age 37. They call it "premature ovarian failure" (POF) when it happens before age 40. The first symptom I had was terrible hot flashes that came on suddenly. We were trying to get pregnant w/ baby #2 and my periods were regular. I went to the doc about a month after the flashes started and he told me I had POF. Have your FSH level tested. That will tell you if you are in menopause. I am 42 now and my periods are irregular like a previous poster said. I will have regular ones for three months, then go three months without one. Or they are spaced close together or further apart. The hot flashes come and go. I will get them for a month, and then they go away for several months. I would also have your thyroid tested (TSH level) as that can cause similar symptoms to menopause if there is an imbalance there.
Good luck!

Sounds like menopause to me. Make SURE you're eating habits are steallar AND you exercise. You can't believe how much better you'll get thru this! I gained only 3-4# (which I've now lost) and did NOT go thru alot of the things most women do. I exercised consistenly and learned how my body processed things differently, etc. so that I could maintain control.

I've been deemed the "MENOPAUSE CONSULTANT" at the gym. I did NOT take hormones, etc. The only thing I took was PHYTOESTROGEN (herbal) and periodically took Black Cohosh for any hot flashes - VERY minimal. Make SURE you're getting adequate CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM and stay hydrated!

It could be peri-menopause - as the first responder stated - you are not in menopause until you have had the cessation of your menstrual cycle for a full year!

Hormonal imbalances are common at this age - it would be best to have a complete physical. No mom on this board will be able to "diagnose" whether you are going through peri-menopause or not - see your doctor - and if you think you could be pregnant - take a test. Remember you can still get pregnant if you are still having cycles...