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Is it Menopause?
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tgc80 posted:
I have not gotten my period for one year and all of a sudden it came. I am almost 50 years old. Is this normal? Help!
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juniperPnoodle responded:
I'm 52. At 48 my periods started coming at 3-4 mo. intervals for about a year or so then at 6-7months.Then a couple at exactly 8 mo. I thought I was done for sure but OUT OF THE BLUE, this last March I had one and boy did I sure feel stupid. I had no clue it was gonna happen. I felt like a teenager again for being caught off guard and unprepared. I actually giggled to myself. However, I still have the concerns you do. "Is it really menopause?" My doctors seem to think so but this last period seemed a lot "healthier". Cancer runs in my family so I always worry. But, I'm pretty sure it's meno because I've managed to lose my husband and quit my job (STUPID) due to outrageous outbursts (constantly) and just plain acting like a phsyco broad. I refused to take harmone replacements because I didn't want to gain more weight. I wish I had anyway. ....I still gained more weight and that made me feel even less desirable which reflected in my stupid behavior. Menopause has not been the "ushering in of a new me" that others describe. Menopause sucks!. May you possess tolerance, luck and humor. And a "nice" husband too...(if you're married) .
 
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Mary Jane Minkin, MD replied to juniperPnoodle's response:
Dear juniperPnoodle,
Don't give up! Indeed, until you go a full year without a period, one can just show up, and indeed resets the clock for waiting another full year for determining the end of the perimenopausal time frame. You still could go on hormone therapy, if you wanted to. Hormone therapy does not cause weight gain; indeed, women typically gain an average of 5-8 pounds during the perimenopausal time frame; women who take HT gain about 4-7 pounds (so it's pretty much a neutral effect). So I wouldn't let weight issues decide for you whether to take the HT or not.
Good luck,
Mary Jane


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