Earl Y Menopause or No??

Hi L., I had the same symptoms, not so much the weight gain, but I was not on any kind of birth control, but the mood swings, feeling tired. and more. I was in my early 40's when I started pre menopause, I started taking flaxseed for my symptoms, my daughter in law mom took flaxseed for her symptoms and told me about it and I've been taking them ever sense with great success. J.

Hi L.,

Yes it is possible for it to be peri-menopause. I went off my birth control in August 2009, hoping to try for our second child. I was 34 at this time. I got my August period like normal. Then I was sitting at work one day, and I got a hot flash (I've been calling them power surges). Then September came and went without a period (which wasn't abnormal for me because I have always been irregular). But the power surges were getting more frequent and then the night sweats started. And to top it all off, I was gaining weight, even though I was eating right and exercising. Plus I was having horrible mood swings.

So mid- Oct I went to see my Family Dr. She checked my Thyroid levels and they were fine. I already have an underactive thyroid and I'm on Levothyroxine for that. She checked my Vitamin D levels and they were low again, so I'm back on Vit D once a week. And lastly, she checked my hormone levels more specifically my FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) levels. Well mine came back really high. So she referred me to my OB/GYN Dr that helped me get pregnant with my son, Ryan (3). So I saw her and she explained my FSH levels to me. My FSH was at 103.8, which is in the range of a POST- menopausal woman. That range is between 84.8-134.8. POST-menopause...I'm like WHAT!!! So what does this all mean? Well I have been diagnosed with having Premature Ovarian Failure and more than likely, Ryan will be our only child. POF is the stage before Peri-menopause because I'm under 40 years of age. I can't believe this is happening to me. Dr C. went on to say that maybe I was starting to have these issues a few years ago and that's why it was so hard to get pregnant with Ryan. It took us 2 years to conceive him with the help of chlomid the last 2 months of trying. So maybe I only had a couple eggs left and we just got lucky. So I'm calling Ryan our miracle baby.

Dr C. said it will be a grieving process and just to take it slow. She gave me some information and a website for POF support (www.pofsupport.org). She started me on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and I started taking Prempro (estrogen/progesterone combo) in November 2009 so I didn't have to suffer the horrible power surges, but I'm hoping I can get off of it and try something else soon, since they say not to be on HRT for more than 5 years and I'm only 34. Other women with POF have a 5-10% chance of having a baby, but they tend to have lower FSH levels.

I think the hardest part is knowing it wasn't my decision. If I had been the one who decided that Ryan was enough, it wouldn't be so hard. But because Mother Nature is telling me no, I'm having a hard time with it.

I hope you figure things out soon. Please email me (____@____.com) if you have any questions or just to talk. I recently found out that my dentist who is also 35, has been diagnosed with POF. So we are each other's support, because our friends just don't get what we're going thru.

Good Luck,
A.

Deerfield, WI

L.,
You didn't mention your age, but some women go into perimenopause as early as 35. I have a great cd on women's health. If you would like to listen to it, let me know and I will send you a copy. I followed the program and my pms went away and I have sailed through menopause while all the other women in my family have had to have hysterectomies.
Good luck and God bless.
Victoria

My first guess would be the Loestrin 24. I am on that pill too and I have been thinking about going to my OBGYN and switching to a different brand. I have been on it for close to 2 years and the past 6-8 months have been horrible. I have experienced crazy pms and mood swings. Some months it is 2 weeks before period, some months 1 week before period. The past 2 months my breasts get really big and sore around the beginning of the 2nd week. I feel run down, really bloated, and just not right. I even did some research on the pill because I wanted to see if others were feeling this way. The symptoms make me feel like I am pregnant every month. The thing I like though... those super short and light periods. mine are usually 1 day and maybe 1 or 2 tampons only :) That is why I have hung in there so long.

Hey L.,
After my husband and I were married I went off BC and suddenly started to experience the symptoms you described including night sweats. I was identified with perimenopause at 37.There are things you can do to help your hormones rebalance on their own such as supplementation and accupuncture/accupressure. However, I was to the point where neither worked and so I was put on bioidentical hormones. I just had our son at 40, so if you are wanting to have children in can be a challenge, but it is still possible, but I would not wait too long if this is the case.

I went through something similar last winter - exhausted, irritable, weight gain, body aches, hot flashes. I had numerous tests, thyroid blood test and ultrasound, a huge spectrum of blood tests. One test showed some anomilies and I was finally referred to a rheumatologist who finally diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Did your doctors consider that? It has a lot of similar symptoms to peri-menopause. Best of luck. Its a nightmare when you can't find out what is wrong!

There is a blood test to measure hormone levels which will be an indication of whether or not you're entering menopause. I don't know how being on hormone birth control affects the test. If the endocrinologist didn't discuss this with you, I'd ask about it.

Yes, I've had those symptoms and the blood test revealed that I was not entering menopause. I was in my 40's and had had a hysterectomy but still had one ovary. In my 50's the test indicated I was in the midst of menopause.

If you went to the Endocrinologist today how did he check your thyroid?? Was it done by a blood test by the Endo?? From my experience this is the only way to get a correct reading. What were your levels?? I have Hypothyroidism so I am just curious.

If you are on the pill and are getting so many side effects is there something else you can get or use.

I do not know how old you are but I have heard of women going thru menopause as early as late 20s.

Good luck and I would to hear what your thyroid levels are.

How do your FSH levels go up so fast. I can't believe that this could happen so fast and just stay up. That must be very scarry. I have heard that when you are young, sometimes your FSH levels can go up and down or change each month.