Adult ladies. Is this menopause? At what age do periods stop?

Looks like 47 years old. And asking a gynecologist is completely out of the question.

Author, it varies for everyone. For some, it ends at 38, for others at 55. And menopause is experienced differently by everyone. For some, it happens abruptly and all at once, for others, cycle irregularities, discomfort, and hot flashes drag on for years. If your mother is alive, ask her how it was for her, or inquire with other older blood relatives. It's usually passed down genetically.

I've been to the gynecologist many times. They offer nothing except hormone replacement therapy and also respond that it's unpredictable how things will go. There's no real help from gynecologists—they're only interested in pregnancy monitoring. And I haven't managed to find a proper gyne-endocrinologist.

My mother had surgical menopause. It's hard to understand. One of my aunts finished at 39, the other had it until 56—also unclear.
Are such intervals (3–4 months) normal? That's why I'm asking women close to my age who might have some experience to share.

Yes. I had the same thing. First (42-43), my cycle shortened. Then (45), it became irregular (2-4 months). And at 47.5, everything stopped.

Well, I'm your age. I'm 47.5. Personally, my cycle is like clockwork, even more regular than in my youth. But right at 43, I felt menopause approaching because my desire and libido suddenly disappeared, and along with them, the desire to take care of myself. Complete indifference to my appearance—I have to force myself so my kids won't be embarrassed. At 46, my husband died, and friends and my mom said stress would definitely trigger menopause, but no, it's still going. All my friends have different experiences. My closest friend started having longer cycles around 43, and by 47, it was all over. She suddenly and inexplicably gained about 15 kg. She, by the way, was seeing a gynecologist-endocrinologist at the Otto Institute (St. Petersburg). He told her if there's no heavy bleeding, everything is normal—just eat right and watch your weight. Another friend of mine had to be cleaned several times around age 40 due to heavy bleeding, hot flashes, and the onset of hypertension, which lasted several years. Basically, among my acquaintances our age, most are already in menopause. I'm even embarrassed to bring up these topics in conversations. My mom's stopped abruptly at 45, my older sister's abruptly at 55. I also know a woman who's a virgin—hers lasted until 55, and she was exhausted, saying: "Before 45, you fear menopause; from 45 to 50, you accept its inevitability and prepare; after 50, you crave it." Overall, it's still best to see a good gynecologist-endocrinologist.

Yeah, my weight has also shot up and won't budge. And I've been feeling tired and apathetic. Every time I think—that's it, it's over. But then after 3 months, or even 5 months like last year, my periods come back. I have a colleague who's 52, and she doesn't even have any irregularities yet. But a former colleague of mine, at 46, hers stopped immediately; a year later, she had one more and that was it. Meanwhile, I've been tossed around like this for about 5 years already. One moment hot flashes, the next everything's fine.

So, at what age will it finally end? And will it mean that my appearance will start aging right away?

My mom is 51 years old, she had irregular periods and thought it was menopause. The symptoms were similar. She went to see a gynecologist, had an ultrasound, and it turns out to be a cyst.

I'm 46, and my periods have also started coming with gaps of a month, or even three months.
Before that, for two years, I had periods twice a month.
I should go see a doctor and get some tests done.

Sounds like the classic pattern. First they become more frequent, then they become less frequent. But how do you know when they're about to end? How long will this rollercoaster last?

I am 45. Perimenopause is a condition that gradually begins for everyone after forty. For me, it started at 41 with more frequent periods. Then, my hair started falling out, and my libido completely disappeared. At 43.5, perimenopausal neurosis kicked in full force. Thankfully, I found the website Menopause Help—there I read about Climafit. Hormone replacement therapy isn’t an option for me, but phytoestrogens helped me cope with this nightmare. My periods are irregular but not too much; there aren’t even significant delays yet, but I do have hot flashes. An ultrasound showed that one ovary is no longer functioning. But only God knows how long until menopause. It’s different for everyone. You have classic perimenopause, and it’s not early at all.

Yes, it seems like the beginning of menopause. It can certainly start at 45 or 55, and 50 is the average age. Why haven't you gone to see a doctor?

Mine stopped all at once when I was fifty and a half. Before that, they were like clockwork every 21 days. Then suddenly, they didn't come. I didn't feel anything unusual, so for two or three months I kept taking pregnancy tests to check, and then I went to the doctor. The doctor said menopause could only be confirmed after a full year without a period. I had one more period about a year later, and then it all stopped completely. I'm 59 now. I never experienced hot flashes, I watch my weight, my blood pressure has started acting up, but otherwise, I didn't experience any of the fears people write about. And to be honest, I couldn't really tell when I was in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause.

It's different for everyone. For some, it all settles down more or less within a year, while for others, this chaos can last up to 5 years. I'm confused myself, but you definitely need to run to the doctor anyway.

I've been multiple times, no use. They only suggest hormones. And there's ultrasound monitoring to see if there are follicles. But ultrasound is also tricky; once she didn't see any, and six months later she says there are still many. And after that ultrasound, I didn't have periods for 3 months.
What else should I even ask the doctor? They're only interested in managing pregnancies. They don't know anything about menopause themselves; we have young female doctors.

Are such intervals (3-4 months) normal? I'm asking women close to my age who can speak from experience.

Yes, that's normal. You're experiencing a natural menopausal transition. It will likely all be over in about 3 years.

Going to the doctor is pointless. You have classic menopause. Don't waste your time on doctors.
If something really bothers you—for example, very heavy bleeding—then you should see a doctor.

Menopause is the period of declining ovarian function. Have an ovarian ultrasound to determine if there are follicles present or not, plus a hormone test. Also, the presence of menstrual bleeding after age 45 may indicate menopausal bleeding rather than normal periods. In temperate regions, menopause can last from five to ten years, unlike, for example, Italian women, whose menopause lasts only a few years because the climate is more favorable.

Why waste money and get an ovarian ultrasound? The author is in the final stage of menopause—it's clear as day. In 2-3 years, it will all be over.

I'm 46, haven't had any symptoms yet, but I'm interested in this topic. I have VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia), so I think it'll hit me hard.

I'm 37 years old. I didn't have my period for three months, then it came back, and now it's been gone again for three months! I think it's menopause. My sexual desire has disappeared, and I hardly get any pleasure... Gray hair at my temples, my face shape has become less defined, and I've gained weight. Plus, my uterine fibroid has grown and is now 5 cm. I've stopped liking what I see in the mirror. In short, ***** has arrived) And you're talking about 47 years old...

The fibroid should shrink; I have one too, and they said it won't grow during menopause, but yes, 37 is early.

Ladies, what symptoms did you have as you approached menopause? Could this be the reason for my vaginal burning and frequent cystitis? I never had such issues before.

Olga, include cranberries in your diet and forget about cystitis.

I completely agree with you about gynecologists. They don't understand anything about this issue, prescribe things (like Klaira, for example) without even looking into the problem, not checking hormone test results.

Exactly, it all ended on one fine day and there was nothing after that.

Is everything okay with you now?

I want the same thing 👍😊

Hooray, mine was almost like that too

That's what forums are for, so others can share personal experiences. Of course everything is individual.

I am 41 years old, and I haven't had my period for 4 months. Every month, I experience imitation symptoms—some pain and cramping—but no actual menstruation. My ovaries are empty, and I only had a few follicles back when I was 38.

The endometrium is 10mm, and there have been no periods for 4 full months. It seems like menopause has already set in. There are no fibroids or cysts; everything has just come to a halt. The ovaries are empty, there's no estrogen, everything has stopped.

I am 47 years old. Two years ago, I suddenly gained 8 kg, and my menstrual cycle became irregular—sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. A year ago, an intramural uterine fibroid was discovered, and I started experiencing heavy bleeding twice a month, lasting 10 days each time. My hemoglobin dropped. I suffered like this for six months before undergoing surgery to remove the fibroid (via hysteroscopy). After the removal, my period didn’t come until two months later (it was light and ended within four days). The next period came exactly two months after that. My libido, on the other hand, increased, even though I have issues with vaginal dryness (but lubricants help with that). I also returned to my previous weight (thanks to intermittent fasting and exercise). Overall, you have to take care of yourself and believe in yourself ))))

I'm 44, haven't had periods for 3 months, now they've started and I've been spotting for 3 weeks already. Also, my face got inflamed, a fine rash, I don't know if this is normal?

I'm 57.5, still having them

I didn't have anything either, and suddenly bam, my breasts hurt and two days later my period was a nightmare, I'm 51, and I asked my mom but she doesn't remember anything. I didn't feel any hot flashes at all. I get tests done every year, everything's normal. That's how it is.

I have something similar - small rash on my face and delayed periods. Yesterday I listened to doctors - they say histamine is elevated during perimenopause, that's why the rash :(

How are you doing, did the long period end?

Girls, I'm so exhausted, constantly having pain in my lower abdomen, and now I've been bleeding for a whole month with huge clots. I'm 44.5 years old, and they suggested a hysterectomy, but even that won't be anytime soon.

I also had my period for three weeks. They did an ultrasound and said there's nothing to clean. I stopped it with Tranexamic acid. There were also a lot of clots. They said it's not scary, it's menopause after all. They'll always be like this now.

Who else has experienced clots and heavy periods after age 43? In January, I had a D&C after two weeks of that, and now it's been 8 days again. They say it's pre-menopause and recommend Mirena, nothing else.

Same story. Since 42.

Same situation, how long did you take Tranexamic acid for? I took it for 5 days - absolutely no effect...

5 days, 1000 three times a day, Tranexamic was prescribed by my doctor, it all ended

To add to that. I started taking it in the third week after an ultrasound, as my doctor prescribed

Well, not only are the periods heavy, but there's also pain throughout the entire cycle, and when the period comes, it's just unbearable.

Same crap here. And it comes sometimes after a month, sometimes after two weeks.

And it pours sometimes for two weeks, sometimes for three. They start slowly, go on for a long time, and end slowly too.

Tell me how old you are. I'll be 45 soon, and I hope it will all be over quickly, though who knows what's better?

I'm 45. When it'll end, I don't know. But I'm already so tired of it.

Adding on: my mom also had heavy bleeding all the time and had 8 D&Cs. It started when she was 40 and ended at 48.