As we age the periods get crazy. I had a period for a whole month at that age, lots of clots also. Everything goes out of whack. Check with your Dr. if you have concerns

I about 55 when they stopped. It should be the beginning of the end. Mine stopped for 3 months when I was 54. I went for my check up with my gyn and said I hoped I was done and it was menopause. She looked at my age and said it was. I said this is too good to be true , what are the chances of my getting another period. Slim. It was too good to be true. A couple of months later I got a period. I hoped it was a fluke. No-another one two weeks later and monthly after that for about 9 months. But then just before I turned 55 they stopped for good. It’s great! No awful effects like some people have. I noticed no difference, just no periods.

There is another possibility beyond the periods becoming erratic. You may want to request a pelvic ultrasound to see if you have fibroids or polyps. Any time you have stopped having periods for a while then start again you should see your doctor as it is a danger sign of several conditions.

Women who live together seem to synchronize there cycles so if they are matching DD's that is a possibility. If your flow is heavier you may want to have it checked out.

My last period was at age 53, and during the year+ before that I had some monthlong ones with incredibly heavy flow, large clots, etc. Finally wound up having a D&C, had one more light period after that and then I was done...except for the hot flashes, which I still get, albeit very mildly, 8 years later.

I never got mine regularly. Sometimes I would have to go on birth control pills so I would get it, We were married 4 years and I still hadn't gotten pregnant without being on birth control. I went to the doctor and he put me on them so I would ovulate. I got pregnant. When I was about 42 I started bleeding and I had huge clots. I told my DH I was going to Bismarck. I told him he could come with me or not. I remember I slept most of the way up there. So it was a good thing he went with me. I went to the doctor the next morning and they told me I had to have a hysterectomy, But first I had to get my Iron up. Mine was on 3 when it was supposed to be on 9 I think. I was given 2 bags of something, whatever it was. Then I had the surgery. All I remember is that I couldn't lift anything heavy for 6 weeks and I never had any hot flashes. I took estrogen for a while and then I quit those. I don't even know what a hot flash feels like.

Could well be perimenopause. If I remember correctly, you can have bloodwork done to confirm it. With luck, you'll have 2 - 3 years of crazy periods (be prepared with plenty of supplies at home, office, anywhere you spend time) and then you'll be free!

I was diagnosed with perimenopause based on blood work in my early 30's last real period was when I was 59. I was 67 when I had what I thought was a period but turned out it was a build up of endometrial tissue. D&C and no problems since but will probably have the problem return later in my life as I have been warned about it.

That can also be a symptom of hypothyroidism while perimenopausal. I bled every 2 weeks for about 10 days at a time for a year at 53. I was started on thyroid medicine and never had another period. Yeah!!!

I had my period till I was 50 and then it stopped. That was it all done. Never had hot flashes or any of the symptoms it just was here today and gone tomorrow. My periods had always being regular and very seldom but occasionally painful.

My mother had horrible periods and had huge flows when she became perimenopausal. They gave her a hysterectomy. I certainly didn't follow in my mother's footsteps.

When my sister was 44 her periods got irregular for a couple of months and then stopped. She thought that was easy and she was finished her periods. Turned out she was pregnant.

Mine stopped without much ado or fuss but the hot flashes were a nuisance,

As of last year, per blood work I was not perimenopausal...we shall see what the blood work show this year. One sister stopped around 50ish, just stopped having them...and the other was induced after breast cancer/chemo in her early to mid 40's. ETA: thank you sharing your experiences.

At 41 my periods had stopped, but hot flashes drove me crazy! Went to doctor, he said he could put me on a low dose birth control and that should help with the hot flashes. Asked if my periods would come back. He said maybe! I said thanks, but no thanks, will deal with the flashing!!!

I was going to say the same thing girlnamedgale did. The only time I experienced anything similar was when I was hyper, not hypo, thyroid. Graves disease. I took PTU thyroid hormone block, some estrogen...never happier. Solved a whole lot of little problems that I had never made connection to ;0) Don't expect a primary care to be able to diagnose thyroid, not all of them can and mine didn't.

Ask your doctor about a uterine ablation. Simple procedure done in the office. Never had a period after that. Truly a dream come true. My periods were terrible with heavy flow and very large clots.

My experience has been like Bookwoman's. I started having hot flashes in 2005 at 56. (Unfortunately, I am still having them 14 years later, but fewer and milder as the years go by.) My flow was very heavy for awhile and I was monitored by the PA at my physician's practice. I had a D & C, which made no difference at all. I was just at the point where they were considering a blood transfusion because of my reaction to the blood loss when the flow slowed down and finally stopped.

Same basic equipment but in the end, our bodies "do what they do". I find it interesting how different all our experiences have been.

At about 50, I had just stopped take the Pill and after that I had a period for a little while but then I had one horrible period that was very painful and very heavy with large clots and that was the very last one I've ever had and that was 6 years ago. I have had hot flashes since the last period...UGH!

I think I went thru menopause at 50. Skipped a period, had one more and that was the end. I never had horribly heavy periods, but did have very painful cramps the first day. I was married 15 years before my daughter was born, and after she was born the cramps weren't so bad. I hated menopause. I would rather have kept on having a period. I didn't feel like myself in many ways....felt flat all of the time. I was on HRT for about 3 years. It made me very irritable. I quit them. By then the hot flashes had slowed down.

My hot flashes are still ongoing...both mom and gramma had them until they died (80s and 90s), so I think I'm in for it. I so enjoy no more periods though! I used to waste so much energy on it, esp when I was traveling. I wasn't that predictable and always had a fear that one would start when I'm in the middle of a lecture or some such thing. I'm glad that part's over. The rest of menopause? Not so much. But I take the bad with the good.

I remember during perimenopause, I had a spell where my cycle was shorter and super regular -- 21 days on the dot, which it had never been. This went on for a couple of month, 4 or 5 maybe.

Other than that, nothing remarkable except the hot flashes which got so bad (feeling faint & sick with each, and at least hourly if not more) that I was forced to start on HRT. I stayed on that for about 2 years, then went off it and found that the flashes were less severe and less frequent although still annoying and I still would often get that faint, sick feeling. I started treating them with Vitex extract, which helped a lot, then transitioned to evening primrose oil which keeps them to one or two mild ones a day -- just will suddenly be very warm -- 14 years I think since perimenopause started.

I had regular, but horrible periods with large clots and heavy flow for 9 months at age 50. Then they just stopped, no spotting, no missed months just done. Only very occasional, very mild hot flashes the next 7 years.

At age 56, I missed my first period and my last period came just before I turned 58.

Now, 5 years post menopause, I still get the odd hot flash, but they never bothered me much. Starting at age 53, I'd begun to have recurring episodes of being very light headed. I'd feel like I was about to faint, but never did. They were random, and unrelated to whether I was on my period or not, how much sleep I'd had, diet, stress level, etc., so I could never predict when a 'light headed day' would occur. I could never drive, or even go out when they occurred, which was sometimes several days a week, so I retired. When they fizzled out 4 years after my last period, I was elated!

But shortly after the light headed episodes abated, heart palpitations began. They were kind of scary, but all medical tests for both the light headed episodes, and heart palpitations always came back, normal. My doctor and I feel that they were both probably driven by hormone fluctuations and the transition into estrogen depletion. I couldn't take replacement hormones though, due to breast and ovarian cancer in the family and herbal remedies did nothing, so I just endured, lol.

My older sister suffered from terribly heavy, lengthy, periods. She had trouble conceiving, and had difficult pregnancies, labors and deliveries. But upon missing her first period, it never resumed, and other than no periods, she 'felt no different.'

I never had a menstrual cramp in my life and had 'easy peasy' pregnancies. My 3 kids were all born within 6 hours (yep, 4hr, 1 hr, and 20 min. labors, from first contraction to birth) with no medication necessary, due to the short labors. I was very, very, blessed in the menstruation, pregnancy and labor/delivery process! But my menopause was much more drawn out, with the lightheaded episodes severely affecting my life, for about 8 years. So everyone's experience truly is different!

It can be h#ll being female.

My menopause was surgical at a fairly young age. I was asked by several people how I felt about that but I was able to reassure them that my Uterus and I had never been friends. I had cramps when I had never even heard of them (so much for learned response theory of the day) and over the years got terrible PMS and very nasty periods. Naturally I got severe hot flashes. I did Hrt for several years which helped but I still had them and when the medical world decided that was bad for you (is it still?) I gave it up and just suffered but not as bad. I still get them 30 years later and don't tolerate heat well. My mother on the other hand never had hot flashes at all nor ever has the slightest menstrual problems. So it goes.

I'm 47 and mine have been getting wonky for the past couple of years. You could practically set a clock by my 32 day cycles. Now they can be 25 days or 50 days between. I seem to struggle with more anxiety if the cycles are short, so obviously love the longer cycles.

I had terrible, terrible hot flashes starting last year. They have all but gone away since I started taking vitex. It seems to help me with other peri symptoms too.

Someone of menopausal age is questioning an average cycle of 28 days and the not unusual irregularity that comes with peri-menopause and so many are already suggesting medical intervention. Why do people always assume that the normal progression of a women's reproductive life cycle is something that needs to be fixed? There are five stages. Puberty, fertility, pregnancy, peri-menopause and menopause. Get to know them. Know your body. Roll with them unless something really seems off. Not everything is a medical crisis.

watchme it may not be just nature that is causing some to have difficulties there may actually be health problems. My starting to have periods after about 9 years at 67 was a clue I had a health problem that was beyond nature. I was lucky so far some women discover that they have cancer when this happens. I was told because I had the skip I have a greater than average chance that I will develop some type of cancer of the reproductive organs.

I check the calendar...it was actually 20 days. This definitely was the shortest cycle I've ever had though. Not sure yet if it will be an average 3-4 day flow but we shall see.

It is always sensible to go to the doctor when anything changes even when it is a normal expectation like menopause. You arent looking for a fix, just confirmation that all is going normally. Since we only have hearsay as to what you should experience and that can be really variable why not see a doctor who has seen it all?

i never took hormones after I stopped. I was told if I didn't I would age faster. Was that true of the rest of you. How many of you took those hormones. I certainly didn’t want to anymore periods. so I did without. I don’t know if they tell people to do that anymore.

maggie200 Never took hormones for menopause. Was irritable (PMSish) for about a year and had occasional hot flashes. In peri-menopause had totally unpredictable periods, clots,water bloat, tender breasts etc. but knew it was normal so didn't fret over it. Just commiserated with close friends going through similar things. Things smoothed out gradually over the year everything stopped. The positive was that was the only winter in my life that I didn't feel cold all the time. LOL

I have known women who have taken hormones from the very first signs of menopause before a single negative symptom appeared. Even without any symptoms that bothered them Never had a hot flash. Started the pills on that then current advice of their doctors.

Them: I've never had a hot flash or negative symptoms because I am on HRT.
Me: If you've never had a hot flash or negative symptoms then how do you know you ever needed HRT?

Aging? I not only look younger and am more active than many of my peers but also many who are years younger than me. I am 68 next month, enjoy life, eat well (what ever I want in moderation) don't fear life, enjoy my grands and ride and do natural horsemanship.

maggie, yes they do still tell people that they age faster. My sister was telling me this just a few years ago when she was going through menopause. She was on HRT for quite a long time.

I didn't go on HRT. I don't remember being told that I would age faster. My doctor told me that if I could get through without it then to do so. It just seems to be one of those things that people either believe in or not, and that there are studies that either say yay or nay.

I just made sure that I ate properly, got lots of sleep, drank lots of water and exercised.

I have one friend who has been on replacement hormones, for about 8 years. She says she will be weaning off them soon, to see if she has less severe symptoms now, so that she no longer feels the need for them. The rest of our circle of lady friends, who are not on any, all complain of dry skin, some have thinning hair, etc. Our friend on HRT does not have dry skin and does seem to be looking younger than us now.

I think for the first few years post menopause, the rest of us didn't really look any older than her. But by about the fourth year, we all seemed to be showing more deep wrinkles around the eyes, 'old lady hands' and crepey neck skin, and she clearly didn't seem to be aging at the same rate as us, physically.

Her own sister, who is 3 years younger than her, but not on HRT, now looks a year or so older than her. So to be perfectly honest, I do believe that being on HRT does keep one looking more youthful. As well, the estrogen we lose through menopause, is what causes women to then have the same rate of cardiovascular disease as men. So clearly, there are great benefits to not being depleted of estrogen, because it keeps our arteries more healthy, just as it does for our hair, skin and nails.

But prolonged use of HRT can of course be risky for some women. On my mother's side, I have cousins who have died of both breast and ovarian cancer. I know that just like birth control pills, HRT has changed through the years. They're always improving the exact science of getting the hormone dosage to not be higher than what it needs to be, to lessen any health risk. If I had no family history with breast and ovarian cancer, I might consider being on them, mostly to stave off the risk of heart disease. Each individual has to weigh the pros and cons.

amicus, I agree with your assessment of HRT. No one size fits all.

When she was going through menopause, my mother chose to go on HRT because she was having miserable symptoms that the HRT erased. Now, years later, she is dealing with a cancer that may be related to that HRT. I'm praying that I can keep any symptoms in check going forward because that's going to be a hard decision to make.

My menopause was easy, but then my GYN prescribed hormones. This was during the time when doctors *thought* that helped prevent heart disease. I took those for about six months, then started to spot. was taken off them. THEN the hot flashes began -- and lasted for about three years. Shortly after this, the medical community discovered that hormones do NOT help protect the heart. Oops!

Yes, women with adequate levels of estrogen (naturally or via pills) have a more youthful appearance. I don't know what science says about side effects of this on women taking estrogen for many years post-menopause. If there's no downside, wouldn't we all prefer to have dewy skin and lustrous hair -- and shave our legs and underarms instead of our chins? (Not to mention being less dry in 'other' parts?)

Until I reached 67-68 I had no easily visible wrinkles. I refused HRT because I did not want to prolong having periods. In seeing the comments above it makes me wonder if removing the endometrial tissue when I started bleeding when I was 67 was the cause of almost overnight developing big wrinkles in my cheeks. The rest of my face has only a few small wrinkles but my cheeks look like deep valleys. Unlike some women I have more and darker hair on my legs than when I was younger.

I am 62 and have not gone through menopause yet. I have not gone a year without a period yet. They are getting less and not every month but I sure get all the symptoms of having one every month

While my situation isn't exactly answering the OP question - I had horrid and painful endrometriosis. Pain meds ceased to help, and that new wonder drug (not) Motrin gave me migraines. I could deal with the migraine pain, but NOT with the blindness that could strike at any time, ie, like maybe while driving? So, anyhow, I had to stick with the nastier drugs, most usually Darvon. Eventually, everything stopped working... I got my cycle about every 3 weeks... so much for the "theory" that women who live together cycle together. Didn't work that way for me in my college dorm. At any rate, bleeding was so heavy for about the first 4-5 days of each cycle I dared seldom make social plans. Pain wasn't much better...

I had one ovary removed when I was 29, it had ruptured in an accident. Surgery had to be postponed a month because I was severely anemic. Post surgery, cyclical pain did not change. The rest of the equipment was removed when I was 31, and good riddance.

Menopause symptoms were only hot flashes, major ones at first, but they diminished fairly rapidly. I did take HRT for about a year.

I seem to have aged a lot less rapidly than a lot of my contemporaries, but people in my family have the same slow response to at least the visible parameters.

Thank you for all your very relatable answers. As for me my periods were so bad I was glad when they stopped at age 47. Some women grieve they cannot have babies any more. I got ovarian cancer at 55. I had 22 years of very bad night sweats. Never thought it had anything to do with hormones. Forgot about not taking the pills. Never took birth control after starting them in 1964 to control my period in highschool. It was the beginning of birth control. 9 months later my eyesight changed to blurred and was told if I stayed on the pills I would be blind. Went off the pills and eyesight got better.

i believe the birth control meds changed thru my experiences and other women. Aged like everyone else.I'm 73.