menopause - have you been through?

Question

I am 36 and would like to hear from any thirty-somethings who are going through the change and the side effects.

Answer 1

Ugh. Me!
I'm 35, and am showing many signs.

Annoying, isn't it!


35 Possible Symptoms Of Premenopause

1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
2. Bouts of rapid heart beat
3. Irritability
4. Mood swings, sudden tears
5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
6. Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles
7. Loss of libido (see note)
8. Dry vagina, a general drying out that can include eyes, mouth, joints and skin. (see note)
9. Crashing fatigue
10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom (see note)
12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
13. Disturbing memory lapses
14. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence (see note)
15. Itchy, crawly skin (see note)
16. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons (see note)
17. Increased tension in muscles
18. Breast tenderness
19. Headache change: increase or decrease
20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
21. Sudden bouts of bloat
22. Depression (see note)
23. Exacerbation of existing conditions
24. Increase in allergies
25. Weight gain (see note)
26. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
27. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
28. Changes in body odor
29. Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head (see note)
30. Tingling in the extremities, (see note)
31. Gum problems, increased bleeding
32. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, change in breath odor
33. Osteoporosis (after several years)
34. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
35. Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing' buzzing etc.

NOTES:
Symptom 1 (hot flashes)
Hot flashes are due to the hypothalamic response to declining ovarian estrogen production. The declining estrogen state induces hypophysiotropic neurons in the arcuate nucleas of the hypothalamus to release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in a pulsatile fashion, which in turn stimulates release of luteinizing hormone (LH). Extremely high pulses of LH occur during the period of declining estrogen production. The LH has vasodilatory effects, which leads to flushing.

Symptom 7 (loss of libido)
For some women the loss is so great that they actually find sex repulsive, in much the same way as they felt before puberty. What hormones give, loss of hormones can take away.

Symptom 8 (dry vagina)
results in painful intercourse

Symptom 11 (doom thoughts)
includes thoughts of death, picturing one's own death

Symptom 14 (incontinence)
reflects a general loss of smooth muscle tone

Symptom 15 (itchy, crawly skin)
feeling of ants crawling under the skin, not just dry itchy skin

Symptom 16 (aching sore joints)
may include such problems as carpal tunnel syndrome

Symptom 22 (depression)
different from other depression, the inability to cope is overwhelming. There is a feeling of loss of self. Hormone therapy ameliorates the depression dramatically.

Symptom 25 (weight gain)
often around the waist and thighs, resulting in the disappearing waistline

Symptom 29 (shock sensation)
"the feeling of a rubber band snapping in the layer of tissue between skin and muscle. It is a precursor to a hot flash"

Symptom 30 (tingling in extremities)
can also be a symptom of B-12 deficiency, diabetes, alterations in the flexibility of blood vessels, or a depletion of potassium or calcium

Some of the 34 signs may also be symptoms of one of the following:
* hypothyroidism
* diabetes
* depression with another etiology
* Multiple Sclerosis
* other medical conditions
If you have reason to believe you may have one of these conditions, please see your doctor for treatment.

Answer 2

Well maybe if you tell us your age we can tell you..... But here is something I found on the net for you... The average age of menopause is 51 years old. But there is no way to predict when an individual woman will enter menopause. The age at which a woman starts having menstrual periods is also not related to the age of menopause onset. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but menopause may occur as earlier as the 30s or 40s or may not occur until a woman reaches her 60s. As a rough "rule of thumb," women tend to undergo menopause at an age similar to that of their mothers. Perimenopause, often accompanied by irregularities in the menstrual cycle along with the typical symptoms of early menopause, can begin up to 10 years prior to the last menstrual period.

Answer 3

Hi there,
If Excessive sweating is your problem you'll find here vert good tips: http://hyperhidrosis.toptips.org



About 2% to 3% of the general population experience excessive sweating a condition called hyperhidrosis which can occur with or without a trigger. The most common type is called primary (or focal) hyperhidrosis and it has no known cause, although it seems to run in families. You may have a different type of excessive sweating called secondary (or generalized) hyperhidrosis.
This means that your symptoms may be due to an underlying medical condition or disease (e.g., nerve damage or a hormone disorder), or due to a side effect of a medication you are taking. Talk to your doctor.
Good Bye

Answer 4

i started with menopause at 38, side effects were feeling dizzy, mood swings, i would be ok one minute and the next, for no apparent reason i would feel really miserable and irritable or feel like crying, very tired, lots of sleepless nights and oh those awful hot sweats wich lasted about 2 years, heavy periods, then no periods for about 3 months then 2 in one month or one really long one, the list goes on, just hang on in there it does eventually pass, with some women it maybe takes a couple of years, my periods eventually stopped 4 years ago i'm 51 now, good luck

Answer 5

I went through the menopause at 36, but I sought medical advise, there is help out there if you ask.. Like HRT or even Evening Primrose this does help..

Answer 6

i would,nt wish it on my worsed enemy,,i suffered all the symptoms ,especialy the sweating which almost had me housebund for years , it started when i was 39,and after many years of trying all sorts of hrt in many forms ie, patches tablets ,nasal sprays etc, i finaly got it sorted by having the coil an implants fitted ,i,m now 48 and that was only a year ago, but dont dispair it affects all women differently ,some just sail through it ,,,,

Answer 7

MY cousin started at 35 and went for several years . So she says. SHE flipped out mentally but she is ok now. SHE also said she was bleeding a lot towards the end. AND at one time it wouldnt stop bleeding. She was in the emergency room a couple of times.SHE HAD lots of hot flashes.

Answer 8

Yes, and it's OK. No need to worry if I got stain. But of course, my worries now are the hot flashes, shortened sleeping habits, eating a lot but decline in weight, and mood swings.

Answer 9

Its the hot flushes and the night sweats that are the worst thing...if you can get those sorted ...then you're laughing..oh yeah and then you have to remember to sort out the mood swings, the change in condition of skin and hair...and not to mention the dreaded vaginal dryness....but we won;'t go there...what fun we girls go thru!

Answer 10

1