<p>It’s so not fair…my mother and my maternal grandmother were solidly in menopause at 45. I’m 48 and still going strong. And yes, OP, I joke that whenever I travel, the red-headed stranger says ‘where you going? Sounds like fun!’ and comes along. Bugs the flipping Heck out of me!</p>
<p>I just had a TVH with posterier wall repair. If anybody has questions, I will answer them.</p>
<p>Apologies if it came up already but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book:</p>
<p>Estrogen’s Storm Season, by Dr. Jerilyn Prior.</p>
<p>This link also takes you to a fabulous research center website on the topic of perimenopause, by the same author:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/[/url]”>http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/</a></p>
<p>starbright, thanks for the website info. I found it very interesting and forwarded it to some of my girlfriends who think they’re experiencing some of the symptoms of perimenopause.</p>
<p>I’m so glad. I have found this site and the book so ridiculously valuable! It’s like why didn’t they tell us all this! I wish I had known years ago.</p>
<p>This is interesting. I was have been in perimenopause for some time now. I would stop having periods & then my young adult D would come back into the household & they’d start up again. Also, it would be fine until I went on an airplane & then it would start up again (for me & D–she’s pretty consistent). I was curious about whether it would start up again this winter vacation with her home, since my last one was March (in connection with a flight). </p>
<p>I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is really it (when they did a blood test, the numbers indicated that I was in perimenopause a few years back but have had several periods since then anyway). My cousin had a “bonus” baby when she was in perimenopause, so I prefer to err on the side of caution, no matter what the blood tests show. I can’t imagine having an infant to raise now in my 50s (tho I know some moms who are excited & happy to raise a new crop. :)</p>
<p>I had never heard of anyone who stopped for 2 years & then started up again. Wow, sounds like how sometimes people end up getting a bonus baby like my cousin.</p>
<p>For the last few years before stopping altogether, I had periods almost exclusively when my daughter was home from college. And before that, I was very irregular for almost ten years. My daughter was also irregular in her first few years, and I wonder whether having a perimenopausal woman with irregular periods in the same house was responsible for that.</p>
<p>I think I’m really done now, though. I haven’t had a period in 13 months now, and nothing has happened even though my daughter has been home for Winter Break for 3 weeks and we have spent a lot of time together. I have been waiting to see what would happen during this break. She spent almost the entire summer elsewhere and didn’t come home for Fall Break or Thanksgiving, so this is my first opportunity to see whether I’m truly postmenopausal (at 55).</p>
<p>I never worried much about the unpredictability of perimenopausal periods. I just stopped buying white pants.</p>
<p>I started a new job this week. One of the first things my new boss mentioned is that it tends to get cold in the offices on my side of the corridor. I restrained myself from saying, “How wonderful!” She’s about 35. She wouldn’t understand.</p>
<p>^^ Weird. My last one came on (after several months off) after my daughter told me she was having bad cramps with hers – she wasn’t even here. I joked that I caught it from her. Maybe it’s no joke.</p>
<p>Many thanks to those who responded and shared their experiences. I would not have know that an ablation was a possible solution to my heavy, painful periods had I not read this thread. </p>
<p>I had the Novasure procedure under general anesthesia on Nov. 23. There was pain from cramping the first 24 hours but it was tolerable with meds. The mild cramping subsided over the following week. I was back in an advanced spin class by the 29th and flew 5 hours to visit our son on Dec. 3. I had the normal discharge & spotting that I was told to expect but no “flying flood!” </p>
<p>I wish I had realized that it isn’t normal to lose several days a year to one’s menstrual cycle, and that a hysterectomy or hormones are not the only solutions. </p>
<p>While an ablation may not be the solution for everyone, I would at least recommend starting the discussion with your doctor if you suffer from heavy, painful periods.</p>
<p>Thanks again to those who started and responded to this thread. This one was a life- changer.</p>
<p>pianomom - I am so happy the ablation has worked for you! Enjoy your newfound freedom and go buy (and wear!!) some white pants!</p>
<p>HiMOM - have you spoke to your gyn? I don’t know if mine is overly aggressive but mine gets suspicious with any abnormal bleeding.</p>
<p>I had an ablation back in 2006 and it was wonderful. My periods completely stopped after the first 6 months or so.<br>
Over the past year I have had 3 ‘periods’. Two were many days of spotting. My gyn is not happy. I had an ultrasound which shows an enlarged uterus (been that way for years) and a thickening of my endometrium but no fibroids.</p>
<p>I need to go back for another endometrial biopsy. ugh.</p>
<p>That was a good link-</p>
<p>I don’t need a ablation, but I had asked my Dr about the possibility of my low progesterone count and anovulatory periods having anything to do with having full blown osteoporosis, despite good diet & exercise habits ( & being pre-menopausal) & she said * nope*, yet didn’t have any other ideas.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>starbright, thanks for posting the link to :</p>
<p>[CeMCOR</a> | The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research](<a href=“http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/]CeMCOR”>http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/)</p>
<p>I read on this site that perimenopausal / menopausal women burn 300 fewer calories a day than those still having their periods! This is significant and I am taking note of it!</p>
<p>emeraldkty – Second opinion time, methinks.</p>
<p>I am bumping this thread- for those who might have missed it- or forgot to bookmark it like me.</p>
<p>My OB/GYN practice has changed over the years…when I was having babies they were all men, somewhat older than me. Now they are mostly women, younger than me. I liked the docs who delivered my babies but I like these women!</p>
<p>Some of the male docs went into such things as liposuction and facial peels as their clientele aged and had other needs. I didn’t mind them having a certificate on the wall stating they were certified in whatever cosmetic miracle was out there, but I really resented it when one of them suggested I might want work done on my face! Um, what?</p>
<p>Excuse me for the rant.</p>
<p>Glad to be done with all that, except for the annual pap smear. :)</p>
<p>MY OB/GYN is a middle aged male…and is in practice with his wife who does laser peels and wrinkle treatments. She also doubles as a nurse in the office. Funny.
He specializes in menopause and does in-office ablations. I think I’m signing up. I’ve had it…really. No more hot flashes though. Started wearing a magnet from the UK…for a about a month…they went away…and now I don’t wear it at all but they haven’t come back. Very weird! I don’t miss them though…what a horrid thing to have to put up with. I’m back to being cold again all the time…normal state for me.</p>
<p>I wish I’d had the Novasure at least two years before I had it, which was seven years ago. Such an incredibly helpful, minimal procedure, and I’m no longer supporting the tampon industry singlehandedly. </p>
<p>But too funny to hear that others still have periods triggered by daughters being home. I’ve had that happen several times, but my Gyn insists that it really isn’t D’s influence, and each time I’ve had to come in and have an ultrasound and blood work to make sure that there isn’t a serious problem. I didn’t trigger one with D home this past summer, so perhaps I am finally done…I swear that I’m going to end up being the oldest woman not yet in full menopause in her practice.</p>
<p>Bumping this back up because my gyn has recommended a d&c and ablation to deal with my very heavy periods that are causing anemia. I (of course) have researched the procedure and found many negative reviews of the procedure from women who have experienced ongoing hip and leg pain, as well as debilitating cramps on an ongoing basis. Will I be exchanging one set of problems for another? The reality is I’m almost 56, but have still been having regular periods and would be very happy to put an end to this, for the most part. To deal with the immediate issues right now she put me on Provera for 5 days since she’s pretty sure my problem is being caused by an excess of estrogen and lack of progesterone. It’s been like erecting a dam - the bleeding has all but stopped, though I don’t know what will happen after the 5 day course and I do not want to be on hormones for a host of other reasons.
Has anyone had these type of negative experiences? Reading this thread it seems like everyone who has had the procedure is happy that they did it. May I ask if you had the laser, thermal or ice procedure - they are apparently all ablation procedures.</p>
<p>I had a D&C followed by the thermal procedure. I really didn’t want the D&C but my doctor insisted that he got the best results if he did it in that manner. I was back to my normal routine the next day. I never had another period and that was 4.5 years ago. None of the women I know who have had the Novasure procedure have complained of the repercussions you described. All, including me, feel it was a life changing procedure.</p>
<p>^^runnersmom…</p>
<p>I had the laser ablation in 1997- no problems at all. Loved the lack of periods and felt great. In 2004, I started getting cramps- massive ones. I was taking about 6-8 advils every 6 hours just to take the edge off the pain…and I have a very high tolerance for pain. After trying different things and having been diagnosed with FAP (colon cancer predisposition), my GI doctor did a two for one surgery- created my J-pouch after removing my large intestine and removed everything but one ovary in the female parts.</p>
<p>Since then, things have been great. I would still do the ablation today knowing what I know and having gone through everything else. If you’re done having kids, why suffer with a period?</p>