Hi oldermom, Not sure if everyone would agree, but from what I gather, it's hard to determine your stage of menopause based on the monthly cycle, if that's what you're asking. It definitely sounds like you're peri, but yes irregular periods is very much a part of peri. For me, I skipped 3 in a row earlier this year (got hot flashes and night sweats too) and a couple of years before that, I skipped one. They were closer together one year, then farther apart the next, then they were regular, now they're trying to be closer together again. It went from a clotty heavy flow to lighter and darker in color for awhile and now it goes from bright red to watery. Not sure if HRT affects any of this, but I've been on a few different kinds for short intervals thru all of this, so maybe mine is not a good example. I've heard some women's flow just stops and that's it for them, they're done. Well, they are the lucky ones!
Did anyone catch the episode of Sex and the City where Kim Catrall's character misses her period and she suspects menopause and gets very depressed, then she ends up in bed with some guy and he says "Either you're a very old virgin or your flow just came!" ... then she got very excited because she wasn't old and dried up after all. He was mad because the sheets were very expensive. It was funny and it made me feel a little better about all of this, even if just for a moment!
Laura
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