“To me, it felt like going through puberty backward as my hormone levels dropped.”
It’s like this dreary rain cloud that hangs above our heads before we even have our first period.
Inr/AskWomen, I knew the conversation here would be extremely insightful to many women.
Here’s what they had to say:
1.
“It’s going to vary WILDLY from person to person.
My last period was 590 days ago, and it has been smooth sailing ever since.”
The worst were the hot flashes, mood swings, and chronic exhaustion.
I’m 56 now, and all of that is in the past.
Now I have thinning, frizzy hair and feel grouchy when there’s too much noise.
I make choices based on how much I hurt rather than how much fun I might have.
My appetite is low, and I don’t crave chocolate like I used to."
u/SkStonePhoto
3.
“For me, it was like nothing was different.
My period got lighter and lighter.
Then a month was skipped, then a few months skipped, all the while less and less flow.
Finally, it was like very light drops one day, and that was the last of it.
I never had a mood swing or a hot flash.
It just ended, and my life went on.”
u/writergeek
5.
“My symptoms are minor.
I had a Mirena IUD that suppressed my periods, so I was not even aware when they stopped.
I had it removed at age 58 after the doctor confirmed I was in menopause.
Now I have some night sweats, but nothing too bad.
I can’t lose weight, but I can keep it steady if I work at it.
I keep hearing about how menopause kills your sex drive, but mine has increased.
Not sure it’s a cause or a coincidence, but I’ll take it.”
“It feels like everything is off.
Find a hormone specialist when you’re in your late 30s.”
u/Kissit777
7.
“I got premature menopause due to being on Depo Provera forwaytoo long.
Then the sweats hit.
Sweet Mary, Mother of God, it was awful.”
“To me, it felt like going through puberty backward as my hormone levels dropped.
The worst symptom for me was the loss of libido (although it eventually came back).
I started at 49, and had symptoms for about four years.”
u/Intelligent_Put_3606
9.
“Every person’s menopause will be different.
For me, I get a tingling sensation around my eyes.
I also get night sweats sometimes.
It was the one thing of the menopause that I was looking forward to….. no monthly bleeds!”
“Menopause for me was like an off switch.
One day, I had my period and the next it was all over.
No period, no hot flashes, no additional symptoms, it all just stopped.
Now, I do have/had PCOS.
I’d get my period two to three times a month.
I’d then have extremely painful ovulation.
It’s been like that since day one of my period.
Im almost 53 and this happened when I was 51.”
u/funsk8mom
11.
“I never really started.
When I was about 50, I missed my period for about ten months.
Restarted, never missed another.
I never had ANY menopause symptoms, including hot flashes.
When I was 64, I told my doctor this couldn’t be right.
They sent me for tests: Stage 2 uterine cancer.
I had a hysterectomy and radiation.
I started getting hot flashes (I still do occasionally).
I’m 66 now.
Other than those hot flashes, I’ve been good.”
“For me, I started having symptoms when I was in my mid-to-late 30s.
My whole perimenopause experience was miserable.
“I finally finished the menopause process at age 57 1/2.
Post-menopause, weight gain has been a constant issue.
Also, I always had minimal body hair and never any facial hair like a mustache or whatever.
I plucked my eyebrows a few times as a teen and never again because the hair never came back.
Early in perimenopause, all of my body hair below my neck went away.
Post menopause, it now seems I’m growing sideburns.
Hormones are wild.”
“I never had any symptoms.
One day in my mid/late 50s, I realized I couldn’t remember when I last had my period.
That was it.”
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
