Menopause Vs. Pregnancy Vs. Both (Sheeeeesh!)

Peri-menopause means you still have periods but they become less regular until they eventually stop.
I've had occasional hot flashes and increasingly irregular periods for about 10 years now.
I can expect it to go on like this for maybe 5 more years but at this point I wish it would quit it already.
I'll be 51 next month and my periods are getting fewer (my personal best so far is 63 days) but I still get them.
When you've had no period for entire year then you are officially in full menopause.
Your gynecologist will tell you all about it!

My guess is perimenopause. I remember my mom having this "scare" in her mid 40's. It was tough for her and I remember her being annoyed that she might be pregnant (I was in graduate school, one in college, one in middle school), then kind of excited and then really sad when the OBGYN confirmed perimenopause, which was really the most reasonable scenario to start with.

She essentially had periods with less frequency and less predictability for two years before they stopped altogether. Her OBGYN put her on a mild hormone treatment during that time which really helped keep her from experiencing the mood swings... not the hot flashes, but it helped.

In peri menopause, your cycle can start to wonk out.
But unless you've not had a period for 12 consecutive months, it's peri menopause, not menopause.
I'd call my ONGYN to see what the recommend, but I'm guessing it will turn into a waiting game.
Good luck!

Our body gradually shifts in the amount of hormones we produce. Women who've always been regular will have sporadic periods. Women will have changes in moods and hot flashes even before the lab tests indicate peri-menopause. I had menopause type symptoms for a couple of years or more before I actually tested as being in menopause (by the old standard). I was still having periods when my lab tests indicated a change in hormone levels. It took more than one test over time for the doctor to be able to say I was in menopause.

Peri-menopause is a relatively new term. In the "old days" (I'm 70) having symptoms was called menopause. Hence the confusion over terms.

Well, the likelihood that you're pregnant is so incredibly low...I wouldn't even consider that for the time being. There is no accurate, scientifically sound "menopause test" you can take at home. I would say you are at an age, where your body is going through vast hormonal changes. That doesn't even have to be menopause. You could be experiencing other things that come with being a woman. Thyroid, adrenal, etc. I would say, there are no "clues" pointing to one thing. What you are experiencing could be any number of things. Women decades younger can experience what you are, because of hormonal or body problems. Your age could simply be anecdotal, and have nothing to do with your symptoms.

Your doctor will likely do a full panel of tests. The results of those tests are really the only thing that will tell you useful information. Sorry, I know that's know what you wanted to hear.

have you googled peri-menopause? i agree with the ladies, my understanding is that your periods become less frequent and lighter until they finally stop. no need to freak out imo. do some research, i bet you'll feel better.

There's an actual test that you can take that tells you if you have hit menopause?

Updated
http://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/home-menopause-testi...

Never heard of it, and now I can see why. Sounds pretty unreliable to me. And the medical definition of menopause is, apparently, that you don't have a period for 12 months. I don't think a home test is going to help much with that.
I would say not to draw any conclusions until seeing your doctor. Have you been using protection to prevent pregnancy?
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I am not doubting you came across a test and took it and it said negative. I just had never heard of there being a 'test'. The gold standard is no period for a year, I always thought, and had never heard of a test you could take. Hence my original edit with my google search info added... which includes an explanation of why it is an unreliable "test" to begin with. So, even though technically I guess it IS a test, it isn't worth a hill of beans if you aren't period free for a year.
You aren't that, at all. Which is why my follow up also included the question about if you have been using birth control. My best friend, at 43, thought she had begun menopause, but she found out (a few months later) that she was almost 5 months along in a pregnancy---not menopause. I wasn't trying to be snarky. I was honestly stunned there was a "test".

OMG had to laugh at your edit!! When I had my last kid I had my tubes cut, tied AND burned. No baby was ever going to come out of me again.

Then when I was 40 I missed my period. Just like you, no preg test but there was no way in hell I was going to have a baby. I had taken care of that 7 yrs ago to insure it was not going to happen. So I totally get your last line there. LOL.

I ended up missing a period completely, then having a short one, then missing another one. I had started on a medicine at the same time so I thought it was tied together - it was, I changed meds and became normal again (and hot flashes, night sweats and other stuff also disappeared!). I thought I had hit menopause. I was normal again for about 8 months, then it started again with missing them. This went on for about 3 months and then I had bleeding heavily, almost to the point of hemoraging. I had the Novasure procedure done (endometric eblation) and have not had a period since I was 41 1/2.

So, it could just be just being a grown up. It sucks.

Not sure what a "menopause test" is. Clinically menopause is considered to be a retrospective diagnosis, which means that it can only be diagnosed in hindsight. It is a simple diagnosis with one criteria: If you have not had any vaginal bleeding for 1 whole year then you are in menopause, there is no way to diagnose it before that criteria has been met. Perimenopause refers to the emotional/physical/hormonal/reproductive changes that occur 1 to 10 years prior to official menopause. This is when all the menstrual changes occur, the night sweats and hot flashes happen, etc. There are some hormonal tests that can be done to determine if the changes a woman is experiencing are truly perimenopause, but that is more commonly done for younger women who need to rule out other explanations for the changes, at 50 (and with a negative pregnancy test) it is most likely perimenopause. Also, a one time testing of hormones is often not enough because they fluctuate throughout your cycle, even a 20 yo might look perimenopausal if you tested her hormones at a certain time in her cycle. There needs to be a few tests at prescribed intervals to truly evaluate what is happening. I hope you get some answers at your appt.

If you still have your period, you aren't in menopause yet. You're in peri-menopause. They will consider you to be in peri-menopause until you have not had a period for a year. As long as you have a period, and for a year after you stop, you need to use birth control.

If the pain continues, you need an intravaginal ultrasound to see if you have an ovarian cyst. An alternative is that she will want to do a uterine biopsy to check your lining. My bet is that you have an ovarian cyst.

Don't play around right now - use a good form of birth control. You CAN get pregnant before full blown menopause hits.

Added -- and yes, you are right about the FSH testing. However, that couples with the lack of a period for a year to give the actual menopause diagnosis. When these two criteria are met, then you don't have to use birth control anymore.

Good luck,
Dawn

I have primary ovarian failure and I'm 37. I guess it's been ongoing for some time, EVEN though my FSH levels were fine. It's only this past 6 mos that they started registering high, and my diagnosis was made. There are other levels that should be tested to know if it's really perimenopause, and your gyno can do that when you go for your appt.
So I think that the pregnancy test is a pretty good indicator that you are not pregnant. But that menopause test- probably not so much.
Hope you get some answers soon!