# I am so sick of perimenopause!



## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

I have been going through this hormonal business for at least five years and wish it would get done already. Another round of hot flashes have started this past week! Hair is thinning above the temples, ugh. Between this and IBS my waistline is history.Seems like just yesterday I was healthy cute young thing out having a good time. Phooey!







No wonder my mother was a raving maniac at my age.Just felt like venting. Anybody else?


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## ShyOne (Feb 17, 2000)

Gasgirl,I know how you feel.I'm 44 & for me its about 3yrs now,and its just awful having those darn hot flashes,night sweats,& the cold flashes. I can take the thinning of the hair,but what I'm loosing on my head I'm getting on my face.I too was once a very pretty,happy girl,who is turning into a raving idiot somedays(from what my hubby says).Just like our maniac moms,we too will get through this.Your not alone..LOL!


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## mazzy (Feb 20, 1999)

I understand how you feel. All of it IS aggravating. I turned 53 years old today (happy b'day to me







) and I think I'm finally at the end. My last period was Dec 3rd of 2001, tho I know I'm not considered post menopausal until I've gone a year without it. I have to say though, since my period stopped so has the intense hot flashes, and I have a brand new calm that I haven't experienced since I was knee high to a grasshopper lol. Hang in there, there truly is light at the end of the tunnel


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Mazzy--







I'm 48 and have had very few periods in the last couple of years. My last one was last July, so I may be done too.I've had flashes off and on for several years, but after 2-3 weeks on black cohosh they go away and if I keep taking it for awhile they'll go away for 3-4 months.I saw a Gyn doc recently but she's not keen on HRT, if you can control your symptoms other ways. I'm not sure whether it would affect my IBS, good or bad, either. Have either of you tried hormones?


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Sorry, double post.


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## mazzy (Feb 20, 1999)

Hi gasgirl... (thanks for b'day wishes







, & also thanks ShyOne for b'day email toooo). I haven't tried hormones & my doc hasn't pushed it. There's a lot of breast cancer on my mom's side of family & seems to be pros/cons with HRT. The hot flashes have about subsided & I really did try to take them with a grain of salt. I remembered my grandma's story of "the change" & I guess I just tried to view it as a natural process for we women. I know I sure feel better since my periods stopped. My older sister (she's 62) is on HRT & she has said it has many advantages, like for your skin, the vaginal dryness, etc... the usual drawbacks of getting older I guess. I've had some problems with my mammograms for the past 18 months & they've had me coming back for repeats twice every 6 months (a spot in my left breast they are watching closely they say, tho I refuse to let this make me crazy). I'm not really sure how this whole menopause thing has affected my IBS, but at least I don't get the awful flare-ups I always had right before my period started....so I guess that's a good thing







Of course, after eatting manicotti yesterday for my b'day, I think I will be in the bathroom a LOT today







I'm IBS-D & it did flare up terribly just prior to my periods.Is the black cohosh primarily for the flashes? I'm seriously considering trying some natural remedies for a host of my problems. I'm also disabled by polio, & have tried glucosamine for my joint pain. They're so dang big though (I did try cutting them smaller), & I have some trouble with swallowing so I didn't stick with it (probably should have). I've had bad reactions to so many medications they've had me on that I'm afraid to try anymore. They've either played havoc with my IBS or cause me more problems than I've had with the pain from my disability, yet I'm still searching for ways to deal with all this.I'm glad I'm not the only one who no longer has the thin waistline







I thought mine was from having to use a powerchair these past few years, but maybe it's just the natural course of things for we women huh?


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## BethL. (Mar 29, 2002)

Well, at least it's comforting to know that some people believe that perimenopause even EXISTS. I am in my mid-forties, and dealing with both (a) perimenopause and (







a husband who says that I am too young for such symptoms. Well, denial works for him, but I'm just not cut out for it. Frankly, I've never seen how people can deal with symptoms of ANYTHING if they don't first acknowledge their existence.Sure, getting old stinks. But what's the alternative? Dying.From that perspective, I think I can deal with menopause.


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Hi, all.Mazzy, black cohosh is for flashes and works very well for many women. There are also other products out there which include other herbs to balance your hormonal system, such as soy isoflavones and dong quai (I think I have those spellings right--too lazy to go dig out the bottles), but I have found the cohosh alone to be more effective for me. The dose is higher in the single supplement. You do have to take it for awhile though, it doesn't work overnight.I HATE the waistline thing. I have so much distention from my IBS already that any little pound I put on makes a difference. It is so hard to find pants I can wear that don't irritate my intestines and that can accommodate my changes in girth throughout the day! I used to be able to control my weight with a low-carb diet, but I find this year that it just is not coming off.







Beth L, I started having shorter periods by my mid-thirties and other menopausal symptoms by my early forties. You are definitely not too young! Your doctor's office or GYN should have some literature about this process that might help your husband understand that it can take place for as long as a decade!


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Oh, yeah, Mazzy, about the joint pain--I had decent results with glucosamine and chondroitin a few years ago (I have arthitis in my fingers and work with my hands, so I needed to deal with it!) After some time it stopped helping me. Then I was trying evening primrose oil for the IBS, and lo and behold, my joint pain went away! (It didn't help the IBS). I have had very little problem since. I also tried SAMe with no result. MSM cream seemed to help with my wrist tendonitis, and may have helped the finger joints a little, but the oil was the best thing for me. Trial and error is all you can do, I guess.


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## mazzy (Feb 20, 1999)

Thank you gasgirl..I will look into the primrose oil for my joints. I will be happy if it just works for a little while to get some relief. Now if we could just find something for our waistlines huh?


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## crispy (Apr 21, 2002)

Hi guys! I can relate kinda to your situations. My big problemo is that I can get frickin' prego!! God that sucks!! I'm 36 and I feel like the clock is ticking. I'm wondering if my IBS has played havoc with my reproductive system. Anybody have any info/opinion on this?ps my mom was a raving lunatic too. But I also know there wsn't nearly the meds and alternative treatments available to her as if there will be for our generation.


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## BethL. (Mar 29, 2002)

Dear Crispybangs,Oh, how my heart goes out to you, in your hopes of getting preg-O! Of course IBS can affect your reproductive system, as can just about anything else. Our endocrine systems are so very complex, and so very intricately involved with every other system in the body.My husband and I had to try for many years before we finally had a successful pregnancy. I was 38 when my one-and-only little darling finally came along. (I had numerous miscarriages along the way, so the doctor had me take extra progesterone during the first trimester, just to play it safe.) Believe me, this little kid was worth the wait! The joy of having him here with us is something that I would wish for everyone!And always remember that even if it doesn't work out biologically, you can still have a wonderful baby through adoption. And the joy of an adopted baby is every bit as great as if the stork came directly to your door.


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

I just turned 42 in April. I guess I will know when all this stuff starts or maybe it has already started. I have noticed that my periods are getting lighter and lighter. I hope they will just go away. I haven't had the other symptoms. With a hot flash is it where you feel extremely hot for a short period of time? I haven't had these yet. Do any of you eat tofu or take soy in anyway? I have heard that the soy is suppose to help with hot flashes. I have also heard that the herbs are good also. They are good for PMS and for menopause. The yam extracts are suppose to be especially good. I did the Evening or Primrose Oil for years for PMS and it definitely helped. It is good for women.


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

Early menopause is alot more common than people realize. 45 is NOT too young to start menopause symptoms.! I'm 46 and on HRT for menopause and it's made me feel like a different person! www.earlymenopause.com is a great website for all kinds of perimenopause and menopause information!


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Tiss,Looks like a great site! Thanks for the posting.


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## CaseyL (Jul 23, 2001)

This older post caught my attention and so I dragged it back out. I am 37 and have been diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. Over the last two months my periods have become much lighter and intermittent, being very scanty at times. I have been incredibly moody and depressed with occasional hot flashes. When I asked my dr if this is perimenopause he said no. I wonder what the difference is? I do have elevated FSH levels. The saddest part about all of this is that I desperately want to have a baby and was told, even with injectible fertility drugs, that my chance of getting pregnant is 2%.







My options are very limited right now. I am so depressed. I feel like a failure as a woman. How can you give up on a dream that you've had for over half of your life???


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

I think I've only had one or two hot flashes. My problem doesn't seem to be too little estrogen these days - but possibly quite the opposite. Things have never been heavier and rougher for me. I mean, I went from 1-1/2 days a couple years ago (when I was really thin and, I think, had lost my stores of hormones) to perfect to 7-14 days currently, which I can't stand. Much of the problem, for me, is probably due to my suspected adenomyosis (similar to endo., except that you can't laser it out). I am thinking of giving myself an early menopause with a little surgery.


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## Sdove (Jan 13, 2002)

Hi I can relate. I have been going through perimenopause since 99. I am 43 now. It is some better but I started taking HRT. I debated about it but decided it was better than the symptoms.It has helped alot but I have noticed my IBS acts up more when I am about to start each month. I know how it feels to be so frustrated. Big hugs, snowdove


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