For those who questioned it, TOM stands for "time of month".

I was in peri-menopause for several years, but actual quit when I was 49. And yes, the pounds are attached like concrete after going through that, and they like to settle in my middle.

A friend of a friend went for about 14 months no TOM (around age 50), thought she was done and then GOT PREGNANT because they thought it couldn't happen, they stopped using contraception. Imagine starting over with a baby at that age, YIKES

Gosh I was thinking about that the other day reading about Sarah in the Bible. What if that happened to me? I think my husband would faint!

I started Peri-menopause around 46 y/o and the symptoms aren't as bad now as they were in the beginning. I am now 51 and am still getting my menses every 3-4 months or so. Just had a doozy in June that lasted for over 1.5 weeks so had to stay home to rest a bit. I also started young @ 10 y/o -- so that is 41.5 years so far ...

Don't feel alone....I am 67 and am STILL having hot flashes !! My sister had them into her 70s ...she is 76 now and I need to ask her whether she still has them. I was talking to a lady at my gym who is in her 80s and she says she still has one really strong one every night! Yikes!! I'm beginning to wonder whether I will hav them forever. I had a vaginal hyst when I was 37, ending my TOM but still had my ovaries. I started getting mild hot flashes in my early 40s and was complaining of leg pains...my doc at the time started me on HRT. I took it until about 2004 or so and when I decided on my own that the stuff might be dangerous and slowly weaned myself off along with increased an herbal supplement. But regardless of my slow "weaning" I was hit SO BADLY with hot flashes I couldn't believe it! They are not as bad as they were but they are still very bothersome. I get very little sleep due to having them on and off all night. I hope they go away soon as I have had enough!

Maryea, am sending you cool thoughts. I know women in their eighties who still have hot flashes.

Since I've been exercising more mine aren't as severe. I don't eat sugar at all, and that has helped quite a bit, too. I'm hoping that when I'm a bit more slender that they'll lessen. Evening primrose oil helps me, and I eat some of the recommended foods for happy hormones: avocados and figs, etc.

Here's to being cool, old ladies!

I tried the Primrose oil and it didn't help me..I've tried so many things...Estroven helps a little and I think Remifemin helps more however I cannot always find it and when I do it is usually so much more expensive. Guess I should just buy it though when I can. I've tried Progesterone cream and Wild Yam with no change. I don't like avocados but I do like figs and haven't tried them for HF. I'll give them a try. They aren't something I eat much. I prefer dates...are they supposed to help too? All carbs of course and I'm diabetic so have to limit. I eat lots of fruit and veggies and before my dh's accident I usually exercise 4 days a week about 70 min...stretching and aerobics. These days yard work is the most vigorous I get although I do a few other exercises some days. I don't eat much sugar as don't keep in house but do get a little here and there when out.

I am hoping losing weight will help as that's another reason why I went off the HRT. HRT did not completely take them away (even though they weren't that bad then) and when I lost 33 lbs they went away, so I thought that was my chance to stop the HRT. Well, it didn't work...but maybe cause I regained most of my weight. So this is another reason why I want to lose weight.

Sorry, I feel that I have hijacked this thread. If anyone knows of any remedies for hot flashes we haven't covered, send me a pm. Thanks for the cool thoughts...I use fan at my bedside or else I wouldn't get any sleep most nights!

I started to have hot flashed in December. There is a menopause supplement that is sold at Cosco that worked great until about two months ago. I think the main ingredient is Black Cohosh.

I went on HRT a little over a month ago, so I will have periods again, on the plus side I am not dripping with sweat 24/7 and even better I have noticed the appearance of my skin has really improved. It looks thicker and plumper.

I think the rule is one year with out a period signals menopause. And my GYN just told me that any bleeding after that needs to be checked out.

I am 58 and FINALLY have not had a period for 3 months. This after being "regular" unless I was pregnant or nursing for pretty much my entire life. My first three kids now age 34/22/16 were far apart. Between pregnancies I spent years and years on birth control pills, which some doctors say "preserves fertility" and since I had three of my five boys after I was 42 I suspect there is some truth to this!

My GYN assuring me that I no longer needed birth control took away my BCP's when I was 45... Alas, we had a "suprise" pregnancy within two months and I was 47 when I gave birth to our youngest!

My oldest son joked that I was having my own grandchildren...

I'm 55, and assuming I've finally got out the other side.

I had about 5 years of mood swings and cold flashes. Flo went to 4 times a year, then twice a year, then once a year. After about 13 months, she came back, once, and my GP got worried and sent me for scans and probes etc, oh my. All good. Another whole year and back she came again. I'd moved city by this time, so another GP got worried and round we went again.

I think it's been about 18 months now, the mood's better, the skin has plumped up again ~ but I still carry an Always in every handbag, just in case!

On the plus side, I'm doing OK with the weightloss, averaging 2.2lbs a week for 13 weeks.

HI

I'm 42 and just diagnosed as being in Meno!

My FHC hormones were high and estrogen levels very low. Dr. said let's go one year w/o TOM then test again.

While you may be officially done with Meno when you've gone one year w/o, if your hormone levels are not agreeing you can STILL GET PREGGERS. YIKES!

I'm hating this, had never even given it a thought until the night sweats and hot flashed started. Then I thought I was just having a hormone imbalance.

The only way to really be safe is to have the blood work done again!

For anyone who wants to complain about still having your period, read up on the changes menopause causes in your skin, your boobs, etc etc etc. And BTW, surely you know it doesn't just stop, for many there are all kinds of side effects while in the process of stopping and after. Why does everyone want what someone else has?

I started when I was around 47. I was happy for the end of TOM. The worst for me was the foggy head, and slight loss of total memory recall (now that I`m 58, I just take that part in stride - LOL, I eventually do remember ) and the hot flashes and the dry vagina. I tried HRT but my circulatory system can`t handle any hormones, and I have heart disease in the family, so I just went au natural.

I remember sitting at dinner in the kitchen several times and having to run out of the house because I was so overcome by the flash - I broke out in a sweat and even my back was sweating !! I remember a few times running out the kitchen door and standing in the snow. It was so refreshing and cooling.

My family eventualy became accustomed to me racing away from the dinner table.