Menopause Community

Dear Kat,
You are not a freak! I have several patients who are 58 and older who are not menopausal. But there are some thoughts I have for the PMS type symptoms. Are you exercising regularly? the more the better. Are you getting in calcium? 1200 mg a day is good-give yourself credit for your dairy intake (a cup of yogurt, for example, has about 300 mg of calcium.) and some vitamins my patients find helpful for the bloating: B6, 100-200 mg a day; and evening primrose oil, 2 capsules a day. (and do limit excess salt). If you're still symptomatic, do talk to your health care provider, who will have some other medical options available for you.
Good luck,
Mary Jane

Thank you for assuring tenniskat that she is not a freak. I will soon be 54, and my mom has been telling me for more than a decade that I "should have started menopause already." I don't go around telling people I still have very normal and regular periods with no pain, hot flashes, or mood swings, because many of my friends assume that EVERYONE has the ailments associated with menopause or rave about how a hysterectomy is "the best thing that ever happened to them." I appreciate the list of supplements you offered and was glad to see that my regimen comes fairly close to what you prescribed. I've always believed it is important to eat correctly, but have in the last several months cut out sugars and sugar substitutes, as well as processed food and flours. I have never felt better! Do you feel diet has some effect on the age of onset and/or severity of the symptoms of menopause?

I am 66 and started having hot flashes as/or more intense than I had during menopause. They don't last as long but they hit with a vengence. What could be causing them at this point.

I had regular periods until I was 61. Then I went into menopause for 13 mo. When I was 62 I started again. I had two hard ones in Nov and Dec when I was 62, collecting social security!!! My doctor did not know why. She asked me about my supplements. I was taking evening primrose oil and had been for years. She told me to stop it. I had one more light period after that and have been done ever since. I am 65 now and have had hot flashes ever since I stopped! My mother stopped at 54, my sister at 56. I am very healthy and eat well and am of normal weight.

hello Mary Jane.. nice to read this from you. I am 57 and still have visits from Mother Nature.lol. I take a B-6. a B-12, Vitamin D and Omega 3's , as well as calcium , Magnesium and Grapeseed. I was not aware of the primrose. The only thing I really have is the bloating. I do exercise ( walk a lot) and do hand weights and yoga. I also do not eat a lot of sugars/ processed food. I dont have mood swings/ pain or anything else. Just bloating. lol. I am of normal weight for my height. I am 5'2'" and weigh around 118. I really apprecaited reading yoru reply, as it helped me know that I am not the only woman who has this going on. My freinds find it hard to believe.lol.

Aw, TennisKat, Im glad others have already told you you are not a freak!

My older sister is 63 and she still, - ahem... has her period! Our mother used to claim she still had hers when she was 70!
I have heard we inherit the same characteristics as our mothers on this subject but I guess it missed me. Luckily I have already been without my period for over a year (Im 56) and not too much agony over it, no hot flashes, just a lot of insomnia!

Take care and hang in there!

Very interesting to hear all these stories of women in their late 50's and older still having periods! I'm assuming they weren't forced periods from taking hormones cyclically.

I'm curious if all these women look young for their age. I know there's more to aging (on the inside and out) than having premenopausal levels of ovarian hormones but I truly think that plays a big role in keeping us young (inside and out). Would be curious to hear your observations on this (even if it means you have to brag LOL).

I'd give big $$$ to have periods again or at least have my organs back. I aged very quickly after they were needlessly removed. Prior to that, I looked very young for my age. I can only guess that women who're truly happy they had a hysterectomy must have had ongoing, debilitating female problems. This satisfaction doesn't always last either. My hysterectomy turned me into a completely different person, inside and out.

KarenPC - Interesting about the evening primrose oil. It sounds like it may have been keeping you from going into menopause.

Thank you Dr. Minkin for reassuring me that this is not that abnormal. And thanks to all the ladies that told me they are my age or older and are in the same situation. I really appreciate that as I know no one else that is like me. My mother and grandmother both had hysterectomies in their early 40's for fibroids. I have no sisters and I did not know my father's mother, but she had six boys (my father being the youngest).

The one disconcerting thing I read was that menopause after the age of 55 carries greater risk of ovarian, breast, and uterine cancer. As to your suggestions - yes I exercise vigorously five times a week, sometimes twice a day (I play a lot of tennis). I don't play very well when I am experiencing PMS symptoms. This may seem trite, but it's just another motivating reason to solve this problem.


As far as supplements go, I use to take evening primrose oil and flax seed oil regularly in my 40's for PMS, and it did help somewhat, but after age 50 it seemed to make my symptoms worse, so I cut it out. I am by no means a medical authority, but through some reading, and in an effort to curb the symptoms I have come to the conclusion that I am low in progesterone. This has left the estrogen in my body unopposed, so I have been I trying to eat sources of protein that are hormone free and avoid Phytoestrogenoods food sources. I have started taking vitamins B complex, and C and supplements Zinc, and Magnesium. I have also started a very mild progesterone cream and I am following the instructions for its use. What use to happen was that after my period stopped I would begin PMS symptoms that really made me feel as if I were in the early stages of pregnancy (swollen sore breasts, bloating, general feeling of malaise). It has been four days now (I started the cream on the 12th day of my cycle) and I have to say I do not feel the pregnant/PMS symptoms yet, which is already an improvement. This is experimental, but I don't think what I am doing will cause any harm, so I feel it is worth a shot.


I see my OB GYN doc in a couple of months and if this does not work, I will discuss it with her. She has told me I have fibroids, but they have not caused any debilitating symptoms like heavy continuous flow or bad cramps. I do want to avoid having a hysterectomy. It seems Anon_6061 was not too happy with the results. Surgery seems like much too drastic a measure. Anon_6061, to answer your question about looking and feeling younger - people that have no stake in flattering me have generally guessed my age to be about six or seven years younger than it actually is. I am also still able to run around on a tennis court with pretty good speed and agility, although I am a little more achy than I use to be. I don't know if this is genetic, or related to late onset menopause.


Anon_6061, why do you think your hysterectomy was needless?

My hysterectomy was needless because I had a benign ovarian cyst - no other problems. A number of sources say that hysterectomies and c-sections are the most overused surgeries. According to a study in PubMed, ACOG says 76% are unnecessary. Did you know that a surgeon with the proper skills can remove just the fibroids either via hysteroscopy or myomectomy? But since yours aren't causing problems, there's no need to do anything. And they should start shrinking after menopause. I'm glad the progesterone is helping with the PMS type symptoms!

The hormonal fallout with the rapid aging has been hard enough. But even more so, I hate how the loss of my uterus has changed my figure and caused chronic back pain, ruined my sex life, and caused permanent bowel problems.

I'm 57 and also having periods, though they're becoming more sporadic. I've been told that I look young for my age, so maybe there's an advantage to having periods this late in life!

Wow! I thought I went into menopause late @ 53. I'm 56 and had hot flashes from 43 after giving birth to my last child until 55 and they started getting easier. I thought I might of had a thyroid condition for them to last so long but they have almost disappeared by now. I still wake up hot and sweaty sometimes but I sleep on a temperpedic type mattress and have been told it makes you hotter. People made fun of me having a child in my 40's but some of you could've had one in your 60's. Ain't life grand!