I just turned 41 this last March, and my periods have been fairly light (3 days... With the usual Horrible Cramps, Tiredness, Sadness, Irritability, Cravings etc. forever now.) I just got over my last cycle about a week ago, and it was completely different this time. I had a heavy flow for 5 days, and spotted for like 3 days afterwards!!! The usual Breast Tenderness, Tired, Extremely Irritable this time, Bad Cramps, etc... I am now suffering from MAJOR Breast Tenderness on Both Sides, mainly on the sides where the top of my arms hit. I am so completely swollen on both sides here, that it actually feels and looks like I just had Breast Enhancement surgery... I am quite Busty anyway, so this isn't real welcoming!!! My Nipples are enlarged and just as painful as well!!! I've never been pregnant, and there is absolutely no chance that I am now. I've been completely Exhausted, and having major cravings for such unusual random things... Once Again... 100% sure that there is no Pregnancy!!! Where I am swollen, it's extremely firm and Lumpy!!!! This last period was so unusual this time, I'm wondering if I'm beginning Pre-Menopause, and what I should be expecting, and how to calm my Breasts down??? My Mom doesn't really remember going through anything like this while experiencing Menopause, so I'm glad that I located this Forum!!! I would appreciate any advice and Tips that you all may have.... Thank You!!!!

I began loosing my hair in my middle 40's and my hairdresser gave me a piece of advice straight from a dermotologist and it has worked wonderfully. Make sure you are taking enough folic acid (if you take a multivitamin, it has enough) and then add a pill/tablet of the B vitamin, Biotin. It took about 3 months for it to begin working on me but after that 3 months, my hair started thickening up again. I have been taking this for 7 years now and my hair is almost as thick as it was when I was a teen. I was told that this works for most people but not all. Dermotologists will give you the same combo in an injection but it will cost about $150 a shot. I'm a newbie here. So hello to all. Stephanie

If the situation is the way you describe it, you should go to an Emergency Room now! Put on some maxi-pads if you have them, and take a taxi if there's no one to drive you. If they give you flack about insurance at the ER, tell them that you are having a hemorrhage, not just menstrual blood, and are in terrible pain. (Personally I would also cry, but then I know how to turn on the tears.) I would also give them my doctor's name and then refuse to leave the ER. What you are describing is not normal. Much good luck, and I hope that you get this problem solved asap.

Hi linnea, It's a little disconcerting to hear that your gyne doc didn't have much to say to you. She should have told you that when our progesterone starts getting low, our uterine linings keep building up, which leads to more bleeding. Sometimes they give women progesterone pills to help. That's how my periods started going when I was in my late 40's. I refused the progesterone, and my bleeding got out of control. I ended up losing alot of blood and needing a D&C, and was put on hormones for awhile, to keep from bleeding again. It seems like your doc might want to do an endometrial biopsy or a transvaginal ultrasound, so she can understand why you're bleeding. Lots of women just put up with this bleeding during perimenopause. In some women, it just works itself out. For me, I think I would have bled to death. The biopsy of my lining showed that I had cells growing in a weird fashion.....which caused my bleeding. Plus, sometimes, the lining can actually get so thin that it bleeds constantly... But the cause of the bleeding needs to be determined. Are you getting tired easily from the blood loss? If not, I'd say give it a few more months, but don't overlook it too long. Once your hemoglobin gets low, it takes awhile to build it back up. Is there another gyne you could see?? Did she say anything at all about your heavy bleeding?