How many years have you had a period?

[skibum]

You can actually start perimenopause at a fairly young age. I started having symptoms in my late 30's. Even I thought I was too young and was imagining things so I didn't mention it to my doctor until about a year ago (I'm 42 now). She agreed that I am indeed in perimenopause. I later talked to my mother about it. I had assumed that since she had a hysterectomy due to cervical cancer at age 38 that I couldn't use her as a reference point. It turns out she hit menopause at age 36!

I was talking to my younger sister a few weeks ago and she mentioned all the symptoms she is having. She is having a hard time convincing her doctor that she is entering perimenopause. He thinks she's crazy and that she's too young (she's about to turn 38). I told her to go back and tell him about me and about mom so maybe he will believe her.

So, while it's not common, it can happen. Like Bad JuJu said, doctors are human and they may not recognize it because it is outside of what is considered normal.

[suzieqtwa]

I was 36 ,and full blown by 40 when I went into menopause . I was in denial. Couldn't believe this was happening to me so young. I'm 52 now ,and have ben on HRT since I was 40. I know there are risks ,but I felt was soooooo awful,Ill take my chances. I was very depressed when I found out. My daughter started her period when she was 11 ,the same day I found out I was post menopausal. If I went off the HRT I would still have hot flashes ,and mood swings. I tried before. I was sad not having a period. It was like loosing my youth. I used to gage my life ,and moods by my period. Now I'm consistent (usually happy) ,and I don't really think about it much. I also couldn't use my Mom or my grand ma as a reference point, as my mom had a hysterectomy at the age of 40 ,and my grandma died when she was 38 from breast cancer.

[Nokomis]

Anyone NOT remember when they started? I remember being self-conscious in middle school because those jumbo pads must have shown thru the little nylon gym uniforms but I have zero recollection of when I actually started.

It's been pretty miserable ~ pre-cramping that focuses either in my lower back or down the front of my thighs. (Took an acupuncturist asking before I realized that it was related to my cycles.) Heated Seats in cars should be available by perscription to any woman who asks!
The 'real' part of my cycle is less bleeding than passing massive clots that made for many embarassing and near-disaster situations in school -- and are my excuse to work from home certain days of the month. PMS comes & goes - sometimes I'm a raging and other times just sad or overwhelmed. On top of all this - I've got mid cycle spotting that won't go away, and I have yet to find a doctor that can figure out what or why or how to stop it. PMS also overwhelms me with a desire to binge eat - especially sweets - but even the smallest bite makes me nauseous.

I'm almost 32, and I have some form of bleeding over 50% of the days per cycle - pill or no pill - for as long as I can remember. We've very nearly given up on having kids ~ and I'm working with a doc that I've tasked with finding out what is wrong and how to resolve it, will be in her office this afternoon.

[short cut sally]

How long have I had mine? WAYYY TOOO LONG..Started at age 11, just about to turn 40. I am ready any day now for it to stop. No chance of that. Mom stopped mid to late 50's, dear god don't let me follow in her footsteps, PLEASE. I am some what regular, am blessed with a short flow, usually. And yes, I am glad to get mine monthly, DH had a vasectomy years ago, never went back to get checked..swears if I get pregnant, it's not his..DUH....somehow it's all my fault? My $0.02 and a little off topic about the hormone therapies that don't allow a cycle for 3-4 months at a time, I tend to not believe in that. We were given this "curse" for a reason, and yes, it would be convenient, but I think those hormones can't be doing us any good either. I had to take estrogen for 10 days after a procedure..stopped at about day 5, was an insomniac and couldn't take it any more..and took a few days to get out of my system. I couldn't imagine life on HRT..

[mary9761]

Overweight causes too much estrogen to be stored in your body, so if you're overweight and having problems with your periods, (polycystic ovaries, for instance), getting rid of lots of weight will help.


Karen

Ah but the catch 22 to PCOS is that it makes it difficult to lose and maintain weight loss so you have to fight harder to lose the weight to try to make the PCOS better to make it easier to lose the weight, etc, etc... not an excuse but PCOS isn't as simple as losing weight. I have had massive blood clots like others have described off an on all of my life as well. Turns out at one point I had polyps that needed to be removed and there's a chance the could return. I have had female problems ever since I BLOSSOMED so I think I'd be glad to be done completely. I told the doctor if I end up needing a hysterectomy to take it all since the ovaries aren't working right either. One of the last ultrasounds showed my left ovary nearly as big as my uterus if what I saw was correct. They could barely find my right ovary.

[pyxichick]

I used to think I didn't want to mess with my hormones, so I never took birth control pills. I just suffered with awful cramps, yucky IBS (in addition to my regular digestive issues) and crabby crabby moods. Somehow I never seemed to plan ahead properly when I had my period and always found myself out somewhere with friends or family having to say "uh, could we stop somewhere so I can get a tampon?" And it always overflowed because I bled so much.

Then my gastroenterologist suggested that I definitely not get pregnant because of the medication I was on. No problem, I don't want to have kids anyway. This, combined with my chronic anemia convinced me to finally go on the pill.

So at the age of 31, I went in to get a prescription and my (female) doctor says to me "you've never been on the pill before? How have you managed to not get pregnant?"

HUH?

Anyway, Seasonale is a girl's best friend. I don't miss the flow. I no longer care that it's "not natural" because the benefits make my life so much better.

[chickwhorips]

Anyway, Seasonale is a girl's best friend. I don't miss the flow. I no longer care that it's "not natural" because the benefits make my life so much better.

you said it sister! that's why i love it!!!!

[Tuckervill]

Ah but the catch 22 to PCOS is that it makes it difficult to lose and maintain weight loss so you have to fight harder to lose the weight to try to make the PCOS better to make it easier to lose the weight, etc, etc... not an excuse but PCOS isn't as simple as losing weight.

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that it was easy. Just that weight is a factor. I want to get my weight off before menopause because of the same vicious cycle.

Karen

[light_sabe_r]

While We're on the subject. (thread hijack) Has anyone had endometriosis??

I started VERY late compared to the rest of you. I was almost 15!!! Been coming like clockwork eversince. 1 entire week of bleed through every month until I was 19. That's when I found out I've got full blown endometriosis.

There were days before I saw my gyno that I'd crumple to the floor in pain, couldn't go to work, vomitting and other nasty stuff. I've been on the pill since then and have been purposely SKIPPING periods to avoid these "attacks" (which were pretty mild to begin with, but Doctor saw a pattern emerging) Usually only softens the blow a bit...

I know I'm young, But I'm looking forward to either getting pregnant and having nine months of relief or getting a freaking hysterectomy!!!

[margo49]

Pregnancy *does* give the raging hormones something to organise themselves around.
Infuriating to realise as a feminist of course but can't argue with my own personal experience.

[HipGnosis6]

Overweight causes too much estrogen to be stored in your body, so if you're overweight and having problems with your periods, (polycystic ovaries, for instance), getting rid of lots of weight will help.

Ah but the catch 22 to PCOS is that it makes it difficult to lose and maintain weight loss so you have to fight harder to lose the weight to try to make the PCOS better to make it easier to lose the weight, etc, etc... not an excuse but PCOS isn't as simple as losing weight.

Yeah, I didn't mean to imply that it was easy. Just that weight is a factor.

Weight isn't a factor in PCOS. You can be slender and still have it. Unexplained weight gain and difficulty losing weight is a symptom but not a cause of the disease. Saying so is ignorant, but don't take it personally - a lot of health care providers are deeply misinformed about PCO.

Mary is right when she says that PCOS makes it harder to lose weight - it can be downright impossible. On the reccomendation that i do exactly that, I had to find a combination of excercise and diet that would actually cause weight loss. In doing so, I wound up exercising at a level that created a calorie burn in excess of what I was eating daily - not even considering calories used for day to day functioning. I lost my alreay irregular menstual cycle to overtraining and was technically anorexic - and STILL was only losing half a pound a week.

Once doctors stopped trying to diagnose me as being too fat and started considering the actual hormonal issue at hand, the treatment changed (I was prescribed a pretty sturdy dose of Metformin and spironolactone, an antiandrogen that was supposed to help with the hirstutism and hair loss) and lo and behold, my periods became regular. This was made possible not by my OBGYN; in fact, the people at planned parenthood literally refused to talk to me about it. My regular doctor referred me to see an endocrinologist and she was utterly shocked that my previous doctor had had nothing more to say about it than "Lose some weight, you're too fat."

As for the thread topic.... I started my period when I was 12. I still have it at 31 but it's irregular again after I had to drop the treatment for PCOS when my health insurance ended.

[Tuckervill]

Weight isn't a factor in PCOS. You can be slender and still have it. Unexplained weight gain and difficulty losing weight is a symptom but not a cause of the disease. Saying so is ignorant, but don't take it personally - a lot of health care providers are deeply misinformed about PCO.

I don't take it personally. When my friend was diagnosed with it I read up on the topic, and I recall reading that obesity was a factor in PCOS. Therefore, I don't think I was speaking out of ignorance. If you say otherwise, so be it. I don't even talk to that friend much anymore!

I'm glad you found something that worked.

Karen

[Melstar]

How many years? hmm started at age 13. Went on the pill when i was 17 on and off due to nausea problems and breakthrough bleeding issues.

Had a bout of irregular periods due to losing too much weight a short time back, but that has now been resolved. Been prescribed a new formulation and now back on the pill.

And yes i'm now much healthier, eating well and having my bike rides and walks and even started playing basketball again.

Now to quit smoking for the umpteenth time... that last remaining vice.

LIsa PM'ed me asking me how old i was. Yep i'm 24.

I was young and foolish. I have now gone over to the healthy side... almost.

[hellosunshine]

kinda related,when i was 12 my mum said to me,just before a holiday,"WATCH OUT!your sister started her periods in an aeroplane,it was the air pressure"so i had a total nightmare few hoildays following having to fly,.....i started on dry land............mums a bit old!!!!!!

[GulfCoastSwim]

I don't take it personally. When my friend was diagnosed with it I read up on the topic, and I recall reading that obesity was a factor in PCOS. Therefore, I don't think I was speaking out of ignorance. If you say otherwise, so be it. I don't even talk to that friend much anymore!

I'm glad you found something that worked.

Karen

I was diagnosed a while back...gaining weight while training for a marathon! I'm lucky in that I'm not overweight but I have read that excess weight makes the insulin resistance worse, and that losing it can even improve hirsutism and lessen the need for drug therapy. Don't worry, overweight people aren't the only ones who are treated badly because of weight. I kept insisting that I was gaining when the numbers said I should be losing weight, and nobody really seemed to care. I seemed to get the vibe that they were pissed at me for complaining about 5-10 lbs when their average patient is way more overweight.