General advice please

I have just turned 53 and my periods stopped suddenly when I was 46 no messing just stopped and never came back. I would say I have been suffering since I was 44 but did not realise until after 2 years that it was menopause but only because I was not educated in such matters. However, after hitting rock bottom just over 2 years ago I started reading anything sbd everything about menopause and this site has been truly amazing. There is not much I don't know now but I am definitely improving as the months go by. Still struggle with anxiety, aches & pains and a few hot flushes, nothing compared to how I was. X

Hello lovely, i don't think there is any way of finding answers to this! everyone seems to be different in when it starts and how long it lasts, i suppose it is because we are all unique and therefore our bodies will do what they need to do in there own time even though we all experience the awful effects of peri and menopause. I have been in peri for 3yrs now and still have periods and from what other wonderful ladies have said, may have a way to go yet, i once read in an article that it can take up to ten yrs to go through the whole experience, we will see!!!! take care and treat yourself with love, it's what we need to do now i think, love and light x

I am 53 I,ve been changing for 11 yrs still not missed a period although this month I haven,t had one as yet, suffering anxiety the runs muscle spasms from tummy up to my face(weird).

Bloating, warm spells the list is endless so I,m no nearer to knowing where I,m up to. Stay strong

Hi there,

everthing you read says as a "rule of thumb"anything past 40 for the peri stage and 48 to 52... Average in the UK 52, for full blown menopause...but many other health / genetic factors can mean earlier or later.on all counts,!! So we're all kinda unique....there does seem to be some correlation in what your mother went through in her change...? 

I just stopped having periods at 52... And went into full blown menopause, bypassed the peri stage altogether....

This is a time of your life to REALLY take care of yourself...better than you ever have. Listen to your body and do what it needs, rest, relaxation, spa.....and GOOD food.

only the best for you.

good luck and big hug. X

Usually "they" say that menopausal symptoms start at anything from 45 to 55.

You get some clues from how old your mother was when she started having menopausal symptoms. (my mum was 49 when her hot flushes started and her periods became irregular. She was 56 when her periods stopped completely) Although it's not always the case.

My menopausal symptoms started at 49. I had a hysterectomy at 52 - I'd got huge fibroids and was bleeding continually for a year and a half, so thought it was the best way to go (couldn't leave the house, had to wear the largest pads etc)

The average varies depending on who you ask or what website you go on.

Having said that, we do vary, my friend started her menopause at 35 - suprisingly, more women are having earlier menopause symptoms.

So, it's still a bit of guess work.

You can have blood tests to confirm certain menopausal "activity" The best thing to do is ask your doctor.

Take care

hi im nearly 53 no periods for 2 1/2 years was having hot sweats from 45 but not too bad.49 wow came down with a big bump,hot sweats,acid reflux well everything i could go on.Now i think i;m just coming out of it all thank go xxx

I am 46 and I am in post menopausal I have not had a period for over two years 

I stopped my periods at the age of 57, then went into menapause, prior to this i was having a bad time for the previous three years, heavy periods, bladder problems, feeling so unwell, aches and pains,hot flushes especially at night. the relief when i had my last period was just awesome, i can say the    premenapause   stages  were  worse  than finally reaching it, Only thing im getting now is urethal problems and spells of anxiousness but the freedom of no more heavy periods is great.

Because everyone is individual, there isn't a very clear guideline on this. The lady who said, we often follow the pattern of our mother, had a good point. However, whilst I've always heard this and believed it, very recently I came across one person for whom this hadn't been the case by a long way - so there's evidently always exceptions in everything. Recently I heard of someone who was still in menopause at the age of 92. Not sure that isn't a freak one-off, however! It's a bit more common to go into early menopause: a few young women start as early as their 20s, for no obvious reason. I myself had what I now know was night sweats when I was about 40. This lasted about 2 years. Then no other signs at all until my periods became very heavy about 6-8 years later. These continued for two or three more years. Now, I have (had) been bleed-free for just under 4 years when out of the blue a month ago I had sore breasts, followed two weeks later by a small bleed for a couple of days. I figure that every women is different and even going by the generally accepted approximate parameters, it's hard to predict whether any of us are going to be that exception who has an early, a late, a lengthy or an almost negligeable menopause.

I am 48 and only have a period every few months.  I have been having increasing debilitating symptoms for 2 years.  The last time I remember feeling "good" and normal with a sex drive, no joint pain, no sleep apnea, no muscle pain, no hair loss and none of the other 50 symptoms I have now was in my early 40's... I think I started having hormone issues at about 43/44.  hope that helps... 

Hi. I am 56 and have had no periods for over a year and experiencing everything, hot flushes joint pain, tiredness, I'm trying the supplement route.  I did have a contraceptive implant tho ending in about jan  2013 after that all he'll let loose. I'm trying not to go down the hrt route. I have no idea how long this will last, as everyone is so individual xx

 Does anyone have any information on the term Granny Moments please? I especially need website or medical links with this term and the Menopause/peri or pre.  Any HALPRO would be greatly appreciated.  Many thanks. Have a relaxed day all.