40-Plus Brides

OT- Menopause??

Background:

Was on depo provera for 14 years for endrometrosis, not birth control.  Problems with insurance caused me to stop taking the shots (they don't want to pay $300/yr for my shots but they will pay $14,000+ for a hysterectomy).

I know it takes 10-18 months for peroid to come back.  Mine came back on Halloween (not a treat).  Lasted 5 days, off 4, had 2 more, and now this is day 5.  Heavy with clots, just like I had before I started the shots.

So far no pain, but I have to wonder if this is normal.  Mom was 42 and her mom 55 when they had hysterectomies, neither one had gone thru memopause (grandma may has just been going thru it).  Don't know about dad's mom, as his sister's are dead so I have nothing to go on.

I think I have been going thru menopause - seems I get hot flashes at times but the doctor said I was not going thru it.

So other than going to the ob/gyn in Feb 2013 for my anual PAP and exam, can anyone talk about this and tell me what to expect?  I personally do not want to go thru surgery.

Re: OT- Menopause??

  • handfast4mehandfast4me member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment
    edited November 2012
    No one here is your doctor, and so giving medical advice, or even what you should expect would not be wise.  You need to consult with your doctor.   That being said, this can just be a hormone imbalance; you were on the shot for years, it might take your body a couple of months to re-adjust.  Hormone imbalances and other things can cause hotflashes.  you need to ask your doctor.

    Many women have perimenopause (the time before your periods stop completely) for a few years.  I had heavier and heavier periods for about 2 years before I had an IUD inserted.  Had that removed 5 years later, had my hormone levels tested, and yes, I'm now in Menopause.  So, to give you a timeframe, I started have perimenopause symptoms at about age 44. I'm 53 now.  However, every woman is different, and this sort of thing may not be true for you.  I still get hot flashes but they're not as bad as they used to be.  I may not be reading your post correctly, but you know that going into menopause doesn't mean you have to have a hysteroctomy, correct? 
    image Don't mess with the old dogs; age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
  • And ... you won't know for sure if you're going through menopause until you're on the other side.  Menopause = one full year of no menstrual period (without medical intervention), the end of fertility.  Your doc can do a simple blood test to determine hormone levels and let you know if you're still fertile.

    As handfast mentioned, we're not doctors here and, even if we were, you would be better off consulting your doctor.  Good luck!
  • I do not want a hysterectomy, I'd rather go thru it as naturally as possible.  I have nothing to personally go on.

    I realize that no one here is a doctor, however, I'm sure that there are some ladies that have (or are going thru menopause) that can tell me what they are going thru. 

    I realize that I may or may not have all of these symptoms that others may share here.  I know that may have some or all, more powerful or less powerful.  I would like to know what I might expect.

    When I was tested about a year ago, I asked my doctor if I was going thru peri-menopause but he said no.

    I had always had heavier periods before I started on the depo provera, and passed blood clots the size of silver dollars.
  • Again, I ask this question:  Do you think that when you hit menopause you MUST have a hyserectomy?  Because that is not true. 

    And it is not true that no one here is a doctor; there are some, they are just not YOUR doctor. 
    image Don't mess with the old dogs; age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
  • Now that you're not on Depro, I'd suspect you may expect the return of menstrual symptoms similar to what you experienced before.  But I don't know.

    About 15 years ago, I was certain I was going through menopause (one doc diagnosed perimenopause, what a croc!) due to hot flashes, night sweats and other "menopausal" symptoms.  Oh yeah, throw in the first anxiety/panic attacks for good measure.  At the end of the day, it was huge fluctuations in my hormones caused by extreme stress.

    You will not know if you've gone through menopause (one year without menstrual periods) until you're on the other side.  There are some symptoms that many women experience and others do not.  These symptoms can last a year or ten.  One friend of mine ... her periods stopped with no other symptoms, a year later ... done.  Most of my other friends have had a wide range of symptoms, none the same as the others. 

    Keep some notes -- a journal, if you will -- to record your experiences on a regular basis.  You will likely begin to see some trends that might help as you move forward.  Good luck!
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_40-plus-brides_ot-menopause?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:69dea60c-2319-4015-8380-4a5cc0f18476Discussion:83e6c192-96f1-487e-af9a-b5e4ea8d6f44Post:5ff00ef7-8fc1-471e-8d3a-d1050f9a0e6b">Re: OT- Menopause??</a>:
    [QUOTE]Again, I ask this question:  Do you think that when you hit menopause you MUST have a hyserectomy?  Because that is not true.  And it is not true that no one here is a doctor; there are some, they are just not YOUR doctor. 
    Posted by handfast4me[/QUOTE]

    <strong>No, but I have endrometrosis and other than taking the depo to get rid of the pain would to be having a hysterectomy.
    </strong>
  • I will just say that the FSH test, if that's what you had, diagnoses menopause only when it is extremely close--well after you might begin getting symptoms.  I had two FSH tests, three years apart.  (Because I've had a hysterectomy, I couldn't tell when menopause occurred by when my periods stopped.)  After the first one, they told me I hadn't even started menopause.  After the second, they told me it was all over.
  • Re-consider the surgery.  My friend had awful endo, and after suffering for years and trying all sorts of things like Depo, she had the hysterectomy and she is so very glad now because all of that crap that prevented her from living life IS NOW OVER.
  • You may want to ask your doctor if there are other procedures,  My doctors are talking about an procedure that only takes a couple of hours.  I think it's Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.

    I have the same problem as phonecardlady. I however, don't qualify. So now they are talking hysterectomy; I truely don't want to go though this surgery.  Although, kristin789 your words really makes me re-consider. Thanks.  

  • Still have everything in tact, have an appointment in late May to just talk with the doctor.
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