Early Menopause

[hu*singing*mom]

Anyone experience early menopause or Estrogen Overload? What were the symptoms? Did they last all month? How did you cope?

[turtlewomyn]

:
Just sort of bumping/subbing.
I have a copy of the Wise Women's Herbal for the childbearing years at home, and I think it has some suggestions for herbal remedies to deal with symptoms of menopause.
Both my mom and grandma were in menopause between 38 and 40 years old. They both had an experience where they thought they were pregnant again, and then realized that their periods just stopped. Since I am 32, and still wanting one (maybe two) more children and we can't TTC until next year, I am very paranoid about symptoms that I am in perimenopause. Every time I get hot, I worry if it is a hotflash. I chart, and I am always looking at my chart for potential signs.

[hu*singing*mom]

Originally Posted by turtlewomyn

:
Just sort of bumping/subbing.
I have a copy of the Wise Women's Herbal for the childbearing years at home, .....Both my mom and grandma were in menopause between 38 and 40 years old. They both had an experience where they thought they were pregnant again, .

I am going through a similar experience with lots of pg symptoms but no +hpt and I suspect it to be connected to a hormonal shift of getting closer to menopause. My Mom had a hysterectomy at 27 after 3 dc and a prolapsed uterus; she had severe miagranes in her 30's that happened on a regular cycle but then went through the typical hot flashes etc. in her 50's.... so not a real clear picture to me. I requested the same book you mentioned from the library. I also have an appt with my midwife on the 20th.

I hope you are able to "hold off" until you are ready for that next dc.

[turtlewomyn]

Well, I looked through the book "Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year" and it doesnt have anything on menopause (makes sense). I think they put out another wise woman herbal book though that does deal with that. I just looked it up and it appears to be Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way

I also think there is good information in Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It talks about what your chart looks like as you are entering into perimenopause and menopause.

[hu*singing*mom]

Opps.. I was thinking of the 2nd Wise Woman book...I have the Childbearing too but I am waiting on the other from the library. I checked out some other books like Our Bodies Ourselves Menopause version and some other on Balancing Hormones. I have the TCOYF book too. Research, research.... amazing how complicated our own bodies can be.

[turtlewomyn]

Yeah, it is frustrating too, trying to find information. I have been thinking about this a lot, and the more I think about it, I think my charts are showing that I am in perimenopause. I am getting several sets of fertile CM interspersed with non fertile, before I actually ovulate. I wonder though if I could be getting this same pattern from breastfeeding though. This month so far seems pretty pronounced, after I get done with this chart I think I will look at my last few charts and evaluate if we want to move up TTC or not. My mom did have a baby at 34, and my grandma at 38, so I probably do have some time.

[hu*singing*mom]

Hmmm. Well in TCOYF Weschler says that when you are BF "it may take awhile to get back into its usual pattern of fertility". Even if you had a cycle with O I imagine that the hormones could still be a bit wonky.

Did your Mom and grandma experience other symptoms when they thought they were pg? Did they have to deal with pg feelings for awhile even though they knew it was menopause? I worry about having to feel this way every month. Ugggg.

[kblackstone444]

I'm in. Long story short (because I have to leave and go back to work), my Gramma, my Aunt and my Mother had the same problem and I'm currently trying to talk my Hubby into trying for another before it's too late, but he's not interested...

[hu*singing*mom]

Originally Posted by harleyhalfmoon

my Gramma, my Aunt and my Mother had the same problem ...

What was there experience like? Are you anticipating an early hormonal shift since it happened early for them or are you already noticing signs?

[kblackstone444]

My Gramma had her children very young, but went through menopause at 40. My Mother had her first three children very young, and the had my youngest brother when she was 31, after trying to get pregnant for many years and bleeding issues- no period for months and months on end, then one big one that lasted two months, things like that. She had a hysterectomy a few years after my brother was born, for other reasons, but had pretty much stopped her period by then. My Aunt waited until she was 35 to try to have children, but by then, her period was almost nonexistant. They needed help making their two daughters. I started noticing some changes when I was 25 and when I was 27, my doctor told me if I wanted more kids, I should probably start then or I probably won't happen- that was 6 years ago. I haven't gotten much worse and hopefully I won't, at least for the next few years. On the other hand, my sister is two years younger than me and hasn't had a single prroblem. She's currently pregnant with her third child. (Trying to figure out whether to put a happy smilie or a sad smilie here...) My Gramma's sister's supposedly had some problems, but I'm not sure exactly what they were- that covers all the adult females on my Mother's side.

[turtlewomyn]

Hu*singing*mom: I will ask my mom the next time I talk to her about what it was like. From past conversations it was just that she thought she was pregnant around the age of 40, then realized her periods had stopped completely. She never had a lot of problems with hot flashes, at least not like my aunt (dad's sister) who starts sweating like crazy (she is also surviving breast cancer and is taking medications for that).
Have you thought about getting your thyroid checked? One of my former coworkers announced that his wife was pregnant again, and then later it turned out that her thyroid was wonky, it was creating pregnancy symptoms (nausea, missed period, etc). She even had a positive pregnancy test. However, the doctor determined that it was her thyroid.

[hu*singing*mom]

Originally Posted by turtlewomyn

Have you thought about getting your thyroid checked? One of my former coworkers announced that his wife was pregnant again, and then later it turned out that her thyroid was wonky, it was creating pregnancy symptoms (nausea, missed period, etc). She even had a positive pregnancy test. However, the doctor determined that it was her thyroid.

I'll mention it when I have my appt. on the 20th. Wow... even a positive test! I bet that was a shock when they discovered it wasn't a baby.

And Harleyhalfmoon, sounds like you have a definite family history.

I feel really yucky tonight but I did get the books I've been waiting on from the library so I'll have plenty to look at over the weekend.

[turtlewomyn]

Originally Posted by hu*singing*mom

I'll mention it when I have my appt. on the 20th. Wow... even a positive test! I bet that was a shock when they discovered it wasn't a baby.

Uh, yeah. Although my coworker got in trouble with his wife because he was like "oh well, no big deal, you weren't pregnant anyway." until I reminded him that it was essentially (emotionally anyway) like an early miscarriage, and that is what she was going through, because as far as she knew, she was pregnant.

[kblackstone444]

Originally Posted by hu*singing*mom

And Harleyhalfmoon, sounds like you have a definite family history.

Yeah. :

Originally Posted by turtlewomyn

Uh, yeah. Although my coworker got in trouble with his wife because he was like "oh well, no big deal, you weren't pregnant anyway." until I reminded him that it was essentially (emotionally anyway) like an early miscarriage, and that is what she was going through, because as far as she knew, she was pregnant.

Exactly.

[Rockies5]

subbing. I've had signs since 24. Mom had her last AF at 33, GMa a few yeasr later. I'm 30 now and AF has begun to get wiggy since #5was born. I haven't nursed in like 6months (but had af return at it's usual time for me, which is 6mos pp)

Overfertility and multiple ovulation per cycle are common in the family, so I guess we simply run of ouf eggs sooner??

I'm watching cycles, and (duh) will pop my BBT under my pillow to start chating again. I haven't considered it since dh is "altered" and pregnancy isn't a consideration.

I'm relieved and happy to find this thread. Hopefully we can share ideas and figure this all out. I'm planning to give it 2-3months and then get teated. FYI yu can get OTC POAS type tests for menopause. But I don't know how accurate they are in the early stages.

[hu*singing*mom]

Originally Posted by Rockies5

. FYI yu can get OTC POAS type tests for menopause. But I don't know how accurate they are in the early stages.

Interesting; I had not heard of these. I did a lot of reading this weekend. The Susan Weed book on Menopausal years is very helpful in both perspective as well as practical strategies. The thing that still bugs me is the unpredictable factors; with pms I think well these uncomfortable symptoms are here for a week as my body lets me know that it's not pg. And with pg symptoms, I said well these uncomfotable aspects and changes are here for these months so that I can create a healthy baby. But with menopause, it is so open ... the symptoms have been with me for what feels like forever and there is no indication as to when they will end. I read that other women sometimes have this same experience of a seemingly endless pms. And while I logically know that is a part of life... it feels so pointless... no baby at the end as a reward... no AF as a reminder of the cyclic nature and the new potential, a clean start. It just seems like this huge uncomfortable time of life that you deal with because you have to.:


AF would usually come this week... I range 23 to 28 days. Today was 23. Maybe that will bring some physical relief and also a sort of closure so that I can once again feel the cyclic nature.

[hu*singing*mom]

Question: If you develop a thyroid issue would the symptoms appear gradually or just wham, there they are?

[turtlewomyn]

Well, I spoke to my mom about what her early menopause was like, and she didn't remember any other symptoms, just the missed period. She also didn't remember having many hotflashes. I was reading up on hotflashes, and it seems like they can be mild (and I wonder if that is what I have been having).

I am no longer completely convinced that my cycle weirdness is from premenopause. I have been ovulating on day 18 of my cycle, with several peaks in the fertile CM (watery or eggwhite) interspersed with non-fertile. Last week I had a couple of girls night outs where DH put DD in bed so I only nursed her once or twice those days. Well, this cycle I only had two peaks (with non fertile in between) and ovulated on day 14 (at least I think, my temp started to rise yesterday and continued to rise today). So, I am thinking that my cycle weirdness is related to breastfeeding.
I am still watching for signs of premenopause though, since if I follow mom and grandma at all I am less than eight years away from my periods coming to a halt.

I also learned some other interesting information (for me, anyway). My mom is a recovering alcoholic. During one of her stints in treatment (there were several before she stopped for any length of time) she had to determine when her drinking went from social drinking to problem drinking. It happened when I was about 3 and a half. Now, one of my friends suggested that her early menopause was caused by her drinking. However, in talking to my mom this weekend, she thinks that her premenopause caused depression, which lead to drinking to self medicate, which lead to the alcoholism. It makes sense because she had me when she was 34 going on 35, she started drinking heavily when she was 38, and was in menopause by 40. She said that many of the women in her "Women for Sobriety" group (an alternative to AA) were post menopausal and had started drinking during menopause. I already have a history of depression and PPD and PTSD, so I think that I should watch for potential hormone changes causing problems for me (I am doing really good right now though!!!)

Oh, and regarding thyroid, I think for my coworkers wife the symptoms were pretty quick to show up. She did have a history of lymphoma and radiation and chemo (and was told she was in early menopause after all of that, but they ended up having a son later) so I wonder if that didn't affect her thyroid or cause it to go caput later. My brother also has hypothyroid, and I think his symptoms were gradual (weight gain, depression, lethargy). It can run in families, and I have been meaning to get mine checked.

[hu*singing*mom]

Thanks for all the information. I know I can't really self-diagnose what is going on; I need to just be patient (so hard!!!!!) until next week when I have an appt.

Finding out about the alcohol link sounds like a good thing to know in terms of prevention... I stopped having my evening glass of wine 5 weeks ago when all of this started (in case of pg but also so it would not made the hormonal reactions that much worse) but I can easily imagine how feeling this way could lead to substance abuse. I feel so frustrated and if I had to feel this way month after month I think I'd really lose it.

[hu*singing*mom]

Well I finally did get AF (day 27) and despite the (normal for me) deep cramps I felt better than I had all month! I had more energy and no nausea although the breast tenderness continued. But now that I am at the end of day 3 of AF I am starting to feel bad again (back to the mild, burny cramps, nausea, and of course breast tenderness). My checkup is 5 days from now so all I can do is wait.