<p>I suffered from hot flashes and very heavy and long periods for about five years until everything just stopped a month after my 50th birthday. The heavy periods were awful, like a super tampon about every half hour. I once got a prescription for something that was to make them lighter, but when I read the side effects, I decided just to deal with it. I am so happy to be done with it all.</p>
<p>Ready to call my doctor here. After years of HEAVY periods, I now have had bleeding every day for about a month (not heavy…but always there). I have had all the tests and a d&C, - and my last step will be an ablation (I had a failed ablation about 8 years ago…doc was worried she was going to puncture my uterus). The ablation will be done by a balloon so no worries about punctures. Hope it works.
My sis went into menopause at age 60 - that’s too many years for me to wait. I want to be done with this!!</p>
<p>toneranger - run don’t walk. Your life will change for the better.
I started getting awful, heavy periods with clotting and gushing when my youngest was about 5. It went on for years, went on depo, I had the D&C (worked for about 2 months) and finally my gyn suggested the ablation. I had it about 5 years ago. The ablation was quick and easy.
I have some spotting a couple of times a year and that is it. I wish I had been about to have it when I was 35.</p>
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<p>I don’t think an airplane ride is long enough for that - the logic of the phermone interaction means several cycles at least, plus not every other female up there has her period. I’d love to see a double blind study on this, but can’t figure out how one would set it up. I never had the experience, but my vote would be on the atmospheric pressure changes.<br>
PhD students looking for a project?</p>
<p>Can you get pregnant after an ablation? I know a younger woman with terrible periods and I’m wondering if this would help her – but she’s not done with her childbearing years.</p>
<p>mimk6 - I remember hearing that it was not for women who still wanted to have children.</p>
<p>I’m still getting regular, fairly normal periods, at 50, but I’ve started to notice that my “mood” cycle has changed. I used to be the most interested -cough- in my H during the last 2 weeks of my cycle, but now I seem to feel that interest immediately after my period ends. For about 5 days, I’m like a teenager. Sorry for oversharing, but with all this glee for being finished with periods and done with menopause, I’m curious how it impacts on your sex life after. Anybody care to share?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I’m still PMS-ing the same old way – binging on potato chips for a week before my period. I’ll be so glad when that part’s over.</p>
<p>Yea, I had noticed that I can be without periods for months and BAM, when I’m ready to or actually in flight, it often happens. My last period was in connection with a flight in March. Fortunately, nothing happened with my flights in May or June, so maybe, I’ve finished perimenopause? One can only hope! When D is home, we sometimes have periods in synch (but yeah, it didn’t happen this summer). Keeping my fingers crossed that things don’t start up again when I fly in Oct/Nov, but we shall see. Guess I’ll prepare, “just in case.”</p>
<p>I have a hard time with docs who get defensive & offensive when we ask about the necessity of a particular procedure or test. That is a reasonable question and deserved a reasonable answer.</p>
<p>My cycles have been wacky for the last year or two. I am too young for menopause according to all the women in my family. It seems they don’t begin the change until nearly a decade older than I am now. </p>
<p>I used to have normal cycles. Not so, anymore. I need to go in for my well woman exam and get checked out. I am sure it is “normal”. Normal…but annoying.</p>
<p>I have had heavy periods with clotting for years also. I saw my gyn in March to try to fix this. Found out I was anemic (no wonder I felt so bad and out of shape!). Then, I got my period in May and it kept going and kept going. We tried to stop it with bc pills of all kinds. Eventually scheduled an ablation at the beginning of Aug. Well, I ended up with a D and C instead as my uterus was the wrong shape for an ablation to work. Had two weeks where I wasn’t bleeding (Yeah!) and I just got my period again last week. The Dr. says a hysterectomy is the solution. Anyone have any experience with them? I am not afraid of the surgery (laproscopic), but I am worried about the long term effects…dryness, loss of sex drive…anything else? How quick is the recovery? So sorry if its TMI!</p>
<p>Oh, and the ablation is not for anyone who wants to get pregnant. It’s very dangerous both for the Mom and the baby if you do.</p>
<p>Muppetmom - I had the SAME thing happen to me 8 years ago, and was told that my uterus was tipped - which made the roller ball ablation impossible. Very frustrating! Do some research to try to find a doc who does balloon ablation in your area - with a balloon, it doesn’t matter what size or shape your uterus is. Google “thermachoice balloon” - they have a doctor finder on their website. I remember reading that this procedure is just as safe and possibly more effective than other methods. </p>
<p>And yes, no childbearing after an ablation! But your doc will tell you that you still need contraceptives…</p>
<p>Ablation does not sterilze you but you should only have one after you are finished childbearing. In my case I had already had my tubes tied (when the baby was 10 weeks old).</p>
<p>Muppetmom - don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. Some serious training is required for an ablation and perhaps you can find another doc. That said - if you need a hysterectomy find a doc who will do it vaginally. You will only go into menopause if they take your ovaries.
In my case, after my ablation my sex drive increased.</p>
<p>Helpful information. I am 61 and up until a year ago was having regular periods. Last summer, I had a regular check-up with a new dr. She wasn’t concerned about the lack of menopausal symptoms at my age but did say that if I continued much longer, she would refer me to a specialist. This past spring I skipped a month and then had the heavy, extended period described by others. The specialist had an ultrasound done and found uterine polyps which she wasn’t too concerned about. She suggested the ablation but I chose to wait until after S’s graduation. I haven’t had a period since May but I am not throwing away all of the supplies that I stocked up on after the 28 day period of last April. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weight gain, shredding fingernails, interrupted sleep, and moodiness will not return.</p>
<p>Thinking about menopause whilst people watching:</p>
<p>I was at a major airport twice last week and in people watching noticed that about 75% of the 50-65 year old women walking past were overweight and of those, 90% of that was apple shapes. Chunky middle bodies with normal or even skinny legs. What happened to all the women worried about having big hips? The few women who had big hips also had big middles.</p>
<p>Is that just what happens after menopause? No way to avoid weight around the middle?</p>
<p>“the logic of the phermone interaction means several cycles at least”</p>
<p>That’s not true. It might take several cycles for a whole dorm full of women to match up with one another. But it can happen very quickly when a woman with “dominant” pheromones interacts with a woman with a very submissive system (that would be me returning to my dorm at Bryn Mawr).</p>
<p>somemom…women can avoid weight around the middle…it just gets harder. Much harder. You have to eat less and kick up the activity. Many women aren’t willing to do this…or don’t have the time or energy - IMO</p>
<p>TR- it’s not just the weight gain, it’s the new distribution…and I would like to avoid it ;)</p>
<p>somemom…me too! And I know for me…no matter how active I get… I know it means less food…and less wine too :(</p>
<p>Reducing carbohydrates in your diet can help with the ballooning middle. Or so I’ve heard. The one time I was able to do that, I did see an immediate reduction in my waistline (which is where I tend to put on weight).</p>
<p>I have been on a desperate quest to lose weight for the last six months. So far, twelve pounds. My observations: my weekly weight loss is directly proportional to how much white carbohydrate I eat; more bread, less weight loss. It is also directly proportional to the amount of vegetables I eat; more vegetables, more weight loss. I also have observed that, when I’m really hungry, I eat the first thing I see in the refrigerator. Thus… carrots are at the front, peanut butter at the back.</p>