does the menopause ever end?

welsh_worrier

Had my last monthly 10 yrs ago at age 46.I still have terrible hot flushes and sweats.

noonesperfect

Horace wrote: »

Hi - my chap has decided that I am menopausal because he claims that I roast when I am asleep:eek: I always get hot at night so that's not a new thing for me. I admit to putting on a bit of weight lately but put that down to the change of contraceptive - am now on mini-pill (never had the weight problem with the combined pill at all). I am 46 (47 this year) and feel hunky dory. How will I be able to tell whether I am menopausal or not?

Hi Horace,
Apparently I get hot in my sleep too. Only twice so far woken with a sweaty neck :eek: , months apart though. Many a time in the day I find my cheeks glowing, though that only seems to start if I'm in a house/building that is over-heated in the first place.

Having used both the combined and mini pill and can only tell you what my experience is, not offer advice.
On the pill (stopped at 27 in favour of a cap :eek: )I had a period roughly every 31 days, I was always still bleeding when I started a new pack.
From the ages of 32-39 and 41-44 I used the mini pill and bled reguarly with a cycle of 25-31 days.

I've since been sterilised and have kept to the same cycle since I came off the mini pill - till February this year!

My experience is that the mini pill doesn't dictate when you have a period (or not, if that's what you would use as an indicator of the start of menopause). If you're unsure I would check with your GP or FPC

Hardup_Hester

Hi
I'm 57, I had my last period when I was in my early 40's. Dr said I wasn't menopausal, it was just stress caused by nursing my terminally ill mother. Still never had another period, I get panic attacks & hot flushes & most of the other symptoms, but according to the Doc it's all caused by my weight & lack of exercise, I walk 5 miles a day & can walk & talk at the same time, I'm about half a stone over weight. Funnily enough I don't bother going to the Dr's anymore.
Hester

Pollycat

Just to update on my earlier post (aged 54 & recently had a full period after nothing for 21 months).
Went to docs who referred me to Gynaecology consultant at hospital - appointment this morning.
The consultant told me that they (presumably at my particular hospital) "agressively investigate abnormal bleeding" and that given my age and length of time since my last period I fell into that category.
I had an internal examination (which was 10 times worse than a smear test) and have to go for a Hysteroscopy in a couple of weeks time, although the consultant said from what he saw today :eek: everything looks fine.

renegade

I started the menopause when I was 48 I am now 68 and have started with the hot flushes, loss of short term memory, knee and calf muscle pains. I know that we all get these symptoms eventually due to wear and tear but the hot flushes I can really do without,I thought I had seen the last of them years ago. When will it all end? I dont have the answer but I do know a lady in her 80th year who still gets hot flushes!

vet8

I don't like to appear smug, but I have always thought that a lot of the symptoms of the menopause are psychosomatic. Before it started I knew nothing about it apart from the fact that your periods stopped Yeahhhhhh:T Having had appalling periods for the last 5 years or so I could not wait. The only other thing I had ever heard was that you had hot flushes and I was always amazed to read stuff like "the menopause is dreadful", "women need to take drugs to go through it" etc. I always thought that it was a perfectly natural change in your life like puberty

So when it happened to me, it started about 3 or 4 years ago and I have found it to be a breeze. I had lots of hot flushes at the start, but they were only a slight nuisance nothing more. I have not had any other symptoms because I do not know what sort of symptoms I am supposed to have. I reckon that if I don't know what to expect it will not happen.

The only long term "problem" has been night sweats and I sweat like a pig at night, but I have always been a poor sleeper so that makes no difference to me and I always sleep naked in an unheated bedroom with a window open so all I do is throw off the duvet if I start to get hot and I soon cool down.

I think that telling women how awful it all is just makes it worse for them.

cwp500

Pollycat wrote: »

I'm very interested in this thread.

I'm 55 later this year and thought I was menopausal (rather than peri-menopausal) as my last period was mid July 2006!
A whopping 21 months ago!
Before that one it was a 7 month gap.
Until yesterday - I just can't believe it - I really thought I'd done with all that.
I've been doubled up with pain too (my periods were always painful).

Sorry if this is not OK to post as it's a medical sort of issue.
Thanks
Polly

You cant rely on the end of menopause in the same way you could rely upon regular periods during your fertile years. There are many factors that come into consideration; diet, lifestyle, sexual activity, psychological influences.

Echoing the views of other posters though, it is really well worth going to see your GP and discussing this again.

Are you certain that the bleeding was typical of a period and not due to some other unexplained cause?

It is worth getting a check up just to be on the safe side.

cwp500

Pollycat wrote: »

Just to update on my earlier post (aged 54 & recently had a full period after nothing for 21 months).
Went to docs who referred me to Gynaecology consultant at hospital - appointment this morning.
The consultant told me that they (presumably at my particular hospital) "agressively investigate abnormal bleeding" and that given my age and length of time since my last period I fell into that category.
I had an internal examination (which was 10 times worse than a smear test) and have to go for a Hysteroscopy in a couple of weeks time, although the consultant said from what he saw today :eek: everything looks fine.

Best wishes for good news. dont fret in the meantime - there are as many innocent reasons why this bleeding has ocurred.