early menopause?

So sorry Gin,
Yes.
Got sick again in '99 at age 38...period started getting 'funky' (less frequent, light, heavy, skipping months...)Got remarried at 44, started my new series of surgeries 9months later. Period never came back. My mom wasn't menopaused until her mid 50's...by 46 the GYN told me that I was into peri-menopause and by 47 it was declared over. (she gave me a script of pills to take for 15days every 3 months and if I didn't get my period after the pills then it meant I was fully menopaused...I threw them out after the 1st paquette...they made me an emotional wreck)
They say that frequent surgery, diseases, meds etc can do it to us...I guess that they are right.
Sharon

GinLyn not sure how old u are...I am 49 and post menopausal. OBGYN did a FSH test (blood work) and found me to be post menopausal is how he put it. I was told surgeries brought it on. I had had the blood work done in 2008 and was fine.

Roberta

I had my surgeries at age 41 and experienced normal menopause at age 52.

Sue

My surgery was at age 40. I was concerned I was going into a trauma/illness induced menopause because my periods stopped for three months. But, they resumed (dang!), but I was definitely perimenopausal after that, with erratic cycles, hot flashes, etc., until my periods finally stopped at age 50, almost literally on my birthday!

So, did my surgery set menopause in motion? Maybe, but I was quite ill for about six months before my surgery, so it is just as likely that the illness was the trigger. Plus, it is pretty common to be perimenopausal for 10 years or more before menopause actually occurs.

Jan

I think it's probably perimenopausal stuff. I'm not having fully hot flashes, at least when I'm awake, but I sweat on and off at night; I seem to go from freezing to warm enough to waking up cold because I'm drenched in sweat.

I had the lining of my uterus scraped in January with the fistula surgery because the periods were so heavy I couldn't leave the toilet some days. I was told it would make my periods much lighter, which is true. However, I was also told that it was very likely I wouldn't even have a period for a month or two. Instead, I'm now having very frequent, light periods.

Better than the really heavy clotting and extreme cramping I was dealing with, but still very annoying, especially because all my normal "tells" are gone. In other words, I have no idea when the blasted thing is going to come!

Sometimes it just seems like it's one thing after another...

Gin

Interesting topic and thank you for posting as I have been wondering the exact same thing. My periods have been changing- spotting in between and coming earlier. I have also done three egg retrievals for IVF and all the stimulation drugs that comes with that process. So, I was nervous about early menopause because of that side of it. I wasn't aware I need to consider all the other risk factors you ladies have mentioned. I'm heading to the gyno next week. I will see what she says.

Wishing you all well.

I found out that I had Dimished Ovarian Reserve at age 34 when I was doing my preliminary fertility testing. I am freshly 36, and 4 months ago, my FSH was 26. Perimenopausal. Not good.
There is definitely something to it.