<p>I will be 55 in a few short days. When younger my periods were very irregular. I went on BC pills for several years before first planned child and then back on BC for a few years before and after second child. After H’s vasectomy and going of BC I had regular periods until about 2 years ago. I would skip one here and there but other symptoms were negligible. I just started on bio-identical hormones but it’s a bit difficult to settle into an appropriate estrogen/progesterone schedule since my body still make some one it’s own. </p>
<p>I wonder if I should be very concerned about ovarian cancer…???</p>
<p>Ovarian Cancer; You are at risk if you started your period before 12 and menopause after 50. Or if you take Hormone replacement therapy. Your risk is lower however if you take BC pills. Of course genetics also play a role. I have simplified things here but the problem with Ovarian cancer is that so many symptoms mimic those of of menopause, it’s almost luck if they find it early…which in a majority of cases, they don’t unfortunately.</p>
<p>Around age 42, they got closer together and were heavy. I had hot flashes and insomnia as added PMS symptoms. After about 9 months of that nonsense (they’d gotten to be every 3 weeks!), they started spacing out. In 2011-12, I’d gone 10 months and I thought I was almost there but wham, February 2012, I had a period- a month before my 47th birthday. I haven’t had another one since so I am officially done. I still get hot flashes and a night of insomnia once a month, when I would be typically PMSing. </p>
<p>I was on the Depo shot for about 6 years - 32-38 or so. Then my doc took me off all hormones because of my father’s history of heart disease. She also refused to tie my tubes, sure that I would meet some man and want to have his babies too (no way, no how!). I was pretty relieved when I knew for sure I was through menopause. </p>
<p>My brother was 46 when he met his current wife who had 3 kids. They married and she had her tubal ligation reversed because he’d always wanted kids of his own. So when he was 48 and she was 35, they had their first baby together. When he was 50 and she was 37, they had their second. Currently, her kids from her first marriage are 21, 18, and 10. The ones they had together are 2 and 4. I can’t imagine. I’m about to have an empty nest at 49 and my brother became a father at 48. </p>
<p>*
I was on BC pills until age 50, then decided to stop. Never had another period, so I have no idea at what age I went through menopause.
*</p>
<p>My sister in law took birth control pills from approx age 20, to 35.
She never began ovulating again, however that was about 15 years ago, so the pills she had were much stronger than the ones they have now.</p>
<p>So you didnt have hot flashes? ( when you stopped, I mean).</p>
<p>“Ovarian Cancer; You are at risk if you started your period before 12 and menopause after 50. Or if you take Hormone replacement therapy. Your risk is lower however if you take BC pills”</p>
<p>I do not believe that HRT is considered a significantly higher risk for ovarian cancer anymore. Especially if you take both estrogen and progesterone (a progestin), also known as EPT. People should not just take one hormone without checking all the others. It reduces or negates any additional risk.</p>
<p>This happened to my sister (at an earlier age - she stopped taking birth control to get pregnant). It turned out she had a pituitary gland disorder. </p>
<p>I went into early menopause (around 39) and have bad osteoporosis (they decided to get a baseline on me and were surprised at how bad it already was). They put me on the pill until age 50 to protect my bones. Anyone who loses their estrogen early should have their bones tested, I think.</p>
<p>I had osteoporosis with my initial Dexa scan at 49, but it has since recovered to osteopenia. ( premenopausal)
Only treatment was beginning vitamin D supplements, and periodic withdrawal from gluten.
( it can affect my digestion/absorption)
My 24 yrold also has osteopenia, I suspect it is genetic as she is quite athletic and is outside most of the time.</p>
<p>I have a little bit on my hip, doctor told me to take vitamin D. I took them occasionally, but I have strong bones(not porous), except occasionally when I stuck my foot in some hole in the garden and couldnt get out for some reason. Later on I found something was cracking. But the foot heal easily, no doctor was necessary. </p>
<p>Ditto to what mamabear posted in post 29. I had a surprise period after 2 years. Called my family doc just to check it was nothing to worry about and she was concerned. I was leaving for a 3 week trip the next day and she was concerned enough she insisted I come in that day and did an endometrial biopsy. In my case it was negative (& one off thank goodness) but do get it checked out if that happens to you. </p>
<p>I went through menopause fairly early. I was completely done with it at 42. It was hellish. My doctor told me that the younger you are, the more dramatic your symptoms are. I had hot flashes and night sweats for about 6 years. Brutal.
I have a question. Do women (I’m talking about those that are still menstruating) actually ever GET pregnant after age 50? I just have never heard of any spontaneous pregnancies at that age. I do have a friend from high school who got pregnant (it was a surprise) with her first an only child at age 47 or so. That is the oldest one that I have ever come across.</p>
<p>I had a friend who had 3 kids, then she found out she was pg again. Then she found out it was with twins. ( apparently more common in older mothers)
It took some adjusting to.
Kids are great, but for the time & money needed to take care of them, you might as well get a horse and a sailboat!
It’s true that neither a horse or sailboat will love you when you are old, but no guarantee with kids either.</p>
