Anonymous wrote:42 when I noticed I feel off. 43 when I looked into it and verified through testing that I’m in Peri-menopause. Feel great now with what I’m on.

What are you on?

I had a partial hysterectomy (still have ovaries) at 47, and at 53 I can truly say I have no idea! Never had a hot flash, no weight gain, etc.

The surgery was due to very heavy periods (still regular at that time) and extreme cramping which I had always had.

Count my blessings?

41 and my periods are off. Strangely, they’re heavier/more frequent, which is the opposite of what I expected.

Early 40s. Had always slept easily and through the night, now I wake up sweating and feel tired from lack of sleep, and am brain foggy at times.

I'm almost 48 and not yet.

Probably started around 52 for me. 54 1/2 now and it’s been 2 months since my last period. I’m kind of hoping I’m done.

42 when I noticed I feel off. 43 when I looked into it and verified through testing that I’m in Peri-menopause. Feel great now with what I’m on.

It's interesting to hear about how wide the age range is for the onset of these symptoms. When I was in my 40s, my friends were complaining about perimenopausal symptoms, from hot flashes, brain fog, weight gain, and poor sleep, and I was fine. I've always had terribly difficult periods (I have endometriosis), and they were like clockwork until my early 50s. That's when the other stuff started. I hated the hot flashes and brain fog, but the worst symptom for me has been the inability to sleep well. My exhaustion led to weight gain, which I am now at 57, just starting to get a handle on.

To the PP who mentioned having the worst symptoms during the pandemic, mine started before that but certainly didn't improve during the pandemic. My constant exhaustion and cloudy thinking definitely made me highly risk-averse about COVID. I was anxious about the possibility of long COVID, believing that if my overall level of functioning became any more impaired, I could no longer get by at work or in any other facet of my life.

I'm 53 and periods alternate heavy/light, but usually now about 3 weeks apart - although sometimes 4. I've really been easing into this.

No bad hot flashes, although I think I'm getting mild hot flushes once in a while (once or twice a month).

Memory ... hahahaha never really had a good one! I'm a little more anxious and cranky than before, but don't really dwell on it.

Anonymous wrote:How would you know when your period has been reliably perfect and light due to oral birth control for a zillion years and Dr has not suggested going off it (currently age 43)?

You wouldn’t. You’d have to go off the pill to know. Also, why are you getting a period. No need for that! Just skip that week and have your doctor add another pay of pills each quarter.

Started hot flashes at 34. Been on pill ever since my last kid (at 38).

FYI-there is no test to diagnose peri, it's based entirely on symptoms.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you know when your period has been reliably perfect and light due to oral birth control for a zillion years and Dr has not suggested going off it (currently age 43)?

You probably won’t know until you go off the pill. You can also test FSH but I’m not sure if it’s altered by taking the pill.

Anonymous wrote:I’d say it started for me around 42. I started to have noticeable PMS even with an IUD. My whole life I only had mild, short-lived PMS. My periods are extremely light with an IUD but they started to get unpredictable. I started sleeping terribly, gaining weight in my midsection where I’d never carried weight before, I was irritable all the time. I started to feel warm all the time. All of this has gotten more pronounced each year.

I’m 45 now. Still have an IUD. My PMS now lasts about 2.5 weeks (the breast soreness is no joke, worse than when I was pregnant), followed by a week of feeling totally bloated and depleted, and then my period may or may not appear. I’m super hot most nights (but not sweating). The random rage has gotten better. I have to very conscious of what I eat, getting enough sleep, limiting alcohol, and exercising regularly to keep my sanity.

Same here. My periods were more irregular after age 41. Now I’m 45 and the main thing is feeling like a mess before my period, which never happened before.

Anonymous wrote:How would you know when your period has been reliably perfect and light due to oral birth control for a zillion years and Dr has not suggested going off it (currently age 43)?

You probably won’t know until you go off the pill. You can also test FSH but I’m not sure if it’s altered by taking the pill.

Whenever it damn well wants to.
For me it was just before my 48th birthday. I skipped my period completely. Until then I had it like clockwork. A few months later, skipped it again. Then the weight gain, the hot flashes, night sweats… I finally hit full menopause last summer. I’m 56.