want your opinion - Women's Health Message Board

susgan · 03-05-2003, 03:59 PM

I was age 39 the first time that my periods became irregular. I went from every 28 days and legnth of 7 days to 2 times at age 39 where they were almost 75 days apart. Called the doc. and they said their famous words to me..."it's your age". I felt like that was the worst thing you could tell a women approaching the big 4 0!

So I let it go. By age 40 they were going from 30-35 days apart and 2 times that they were 75 days apart. Duration was getting longer, sometimes up to 16 days.

To shorten this story, by age 42 I am having a period every other month, maybe a little longer. Legnth is back to normal. Along with this I am now having hot flashes, night sweats,lack of libido,& insomnia. I was told to take prometrium if I went more than 10-12 weeks w/o a period.

Now for my question for which I would love to hear your opinions. I feel I am entering into menopause, so why if in the end you know your periods are coming to an end, why if this is a natural process, would I "want" to take a med. to jump start my body into having one? Is there a reason?

I feel my body is doing something it is suppose to do...shouldn't I let it do it? Should I insist on having a blood test to see where my hormone levels are, or is that a waste of time/money?

I have been keeping a "period journal" for my sake, and it seems that they are as regular as before but just spaced out ALOT more now.

Any opinions? Any suggestions?

mlgable · 03-05-2003, 09:20 PM

They may suggest hormones to help your body keep producing estrogen to help lessen your chance for bone loss which can lead to osteoporosis. As we enter menopause our estrogen levels decrease which as you know can lead to bone loss and ultimately lead to osteoporosis. Whether or not you decide to use medication or not is up to you and your doc but you do need to start taking calcium twice a day to help keep your bones healthy.

RareEndo · 03-07-2003, 06:38 AM

I would think the best thing to do before going on hormones or meds would be to see what your levels are and see where you are on the way to menopause.

My StepMother just was going in to have a uterine ablation after years of hormones, no hormones, bleeding problems, skipping periods etc....They told her she was perimenopausal.

Before the procedure she had an infection and had to delay the procedure. Then when the antibiotics were finished and they checked her levels again she is NOW in menopause.

In other words if they were not checked the procedure which is somewhat invasive in my opinion would have been done unnecessarily.

Wish you the best and God Bless
JEssica

LeisaH · 03-07-2003, 09:04 AM

susgan..... there are some great sites outhere to help answer your question. I am 35 now, and started throught the menopause at the age of 33. I tried BCP to help regulate, and all it did was drive up my blood pressure. I used for about a year a progestrone cream that the doctor prescribed, and it did reduce my hotflashes and night sweats. I also stopped that last august. Now, I am trying to deal with the symptoms naturally. I can not take the black cohosh or st john's wart, but I dress now in layers wearing 100% cotton, I tend to carry water with me, and whenever I get a hotflash I drink water, it tends to flush my system. Also I keep the house a bit cooler in the day, and at night, allowing my body to compensate for itself.

I would not go back on the meds, unless my mood swings got so horrible that I was yelling all day long to the kids.

Good Luck and keep in touch
Leisa