Oh, and I haven't had a period in 5 months. After a lifetime of every 28 days almost to the HOUR, amazingly, the last 2 years were very weird and irregular with cramps coming back into the picture. I hope the period is gone for good. I'm 50, and I'm not sorry to not be having them anymore. (hopefully!) I have had a few mild hot flashes, and have dealt with anxiety in the past and have the tools to deal with it now. I went through a pretty bad experience this past spring that lasted until the fall, and I came out on top of that one. I think I'm liking this 50 thing, except for the arthritis part, which may be related more to structure than age.