I have these symptoms and my belief is that they are associated with stress as it relates to this time of life, in addition to all the physical changes our bodies continue to go through. Confused, forgetful, cannot think straight -- yes, I've been experiencing these things...in addition to having difficulty focusing, feeling foggy and as though I've lost my edge. I truly believe that stress plays a large role in all of this. What have I been doing about it? Clearly not enough because I continue to feel like my memory isn't as sharp as it should be and my confidence isn't what it was. Take heart in the fact that you are far from being alone in your symptoms. In addition to meeting with your doctor to discuss your concerns, I recommend that you go easy on yourself, and know that things will get better. To believe otherwise is to fuel the anxiety that may be contributing to the sense of hopelessness. p.s. My doctor advised against using HRT, though many times I almost went against her advice. Be good to yourself in as many ways as you can. You deserve it!!

Maureen57 I know exactly how you feel. I joined this forum 4 years ago and it saved my sanity. I haven't had a period for 3 years and before it stopped I had had at least 7 years of awful menopause symptoms. I thought I was beginning to get back to normal but in the past month I've been having nausea, dizziness, irritability, mood swings and sweats again! When I see how many others this is happening to I feel like just giving up. As I type this now I am in tears. I have never taken anything the doctor prescribed and only gone down the natural route. I have spent thousands of pounds on vitamins(which I regularly take)and hormone creams. I watch what I eat.What else can I/we do? I said to my husband just the other day that I preferred having periods to this! I'm 53 and don't want the rest of my life to be like this. Its a truly depressing thought. Once again, this forum will be my saving grace as I know I'm not the only one.

Hi gusser, First of all, I know what you're going through, and I feel your pain. I'm a woman, 53, my BF is 43, and we've been together for over two years. I have been going through the same problems as your Fiance', but my first concern is WHY would a Dr. prescribe HRT when she's still having periods, that is totally wrong, they usually don't give you HRT, until you're done w/ having periods. I was having periods every two weeks and bleeding heavily, this went on for a year, and finally after seeing numerous Dr. I found an OB/GYN that preformed an Endometrial Ablation, and my perods have gone back to normal, and I have one, then skip a month, etc. She really needs to have a thorough exam,ultrasound and get to the bottom of these problems.Usually the heavy bleeding is caused by Fibroids, and having the procedure will, get rid of them, but, they do grow back, unless they are removed surgically. I know this is very frustrating for both of you. Now, about the not seeming interested, that I believe is due to a Hormonal Imbalance, she needs to have her hormones checked, that can be done with bloodwork. Women's Sex drive comes from Testastrone(spelling?)and she could be low in that hormone and/or producing too much estrogen. Urge your Fiance to go and seek a Good OB/GYN and have her write down all the problems she's having, they'll get to the bottom of this, there's no reason for her to suffer like this. Good Luck!

Hi ladies! Glad to see I'm not alone. I had an endometrial ablation July, '07. (stopped my periods) I'm 49 now and for the past month I have been having what I think are hot flashes. All of a sudden I'll feel very warm from my chest up. My face and neck get red to the point that people have been asking me what's wrong. I just laugh and tell them it's a hot flash! I average one per hour. I noticed when I had my physical a few months back that my blood pressure has increased also. I'm usually a very, very, good low. Now, I have prehypertension. It never hit me, but I have suffered from migraines the last ten years. (never had a headache in my life) My dr. thought they were just menstrual migraines, but now I think they were due to perimenopause. Good Grief!! Anymore, my skin is so dry (my hands snag clothing), I can't concentrate, I'm forgetful. I take Lexapro for PMDD, (guess I really don't have that anymore either!) which could be why I am not experiencing severe mood swings. My appetite seems to have lessened in the past six months also. I've lost about 15 lbs., and am now down to 132 lbs., which I am very proud of. lol Here it goes! I'm having a hot flash as I'm typing this!!!! Does this sound like Menopause to anyone other than me? (I have no one in my family to compare to. My mom went through an extremely early menopause at 35. Weird. My sister had a hysterectomy at 32 and has been on hormones since. She is now 52.) Thanks!