Premenopausal at 34?!? - Plainfield,IL

Been there, done that. And yes you can be.

First, the beginning of September will be here before you know it. This gives you a little more time to document your symptoms and periods.

I am a registered nurse and knew there was something happening. I went to 4 docs over 2 years because they all pretty much told me I was too young and crazy. They kept asking me when my mother went through menopause. Heck I didn't know, but once I talked to her and we compared notes she too had very similar symptoms early that docs blew off and kept trying to put her on valium back in those days.
I did finally find a doc who took the TIME to listen to ALL my symptoms/concerns and actually draw my hormone levels at different times (they fluctuate you know) to prove that they were heading down.
During this time they also watched my Thyroid as one of the other posters mentioned but once I got the other hormones straightened out so did my thyroid. *I did NOT do traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy.

BUT, now 10-12 years later and at the age of 48 I still have periods and have not completely gone through menopause. I still have periods although they are getting more irregular. I've always been very hot blooded (summer nighties with just sheets in the middle of winters) but now do feel flushed at times. I'm not breaking out with acne, but my face is oily, oily, oily!

I think most people don't realize, I know I didn't even as a nurse, that we can start having 'symptoms' up to 15 years before we actually hit menopause! And unless you fit into a perfect textbook case, most docs (or from my experience) don't believe you and/or don't want to deal with it.

You will be your own best advocate! Like I said above, document your symptoms the next couple of months and take it with you. Make sure they do check your thyroid and all the 'sex' hormones; estrogen -progesterone and even testosterone.

Good Luck and In good health,

More than likely your not premenopausal. I am 39 and a few years ago had some of the very same problems. I went to a derm doc for the acne because nothing was working. She actually told me it's not unusual for women to go through some hormonal changes around this time of life, nothing to do with being premenopausal just some changes. She actually sees more women at this age for acne than she does teenagers.

So don't stress yourself too much about it, I'm sure it's fine.

If it were me, I would schedule an appointment with my regular primary care physician and ask them to run some blood work to determine if indeed you are in premenopause--especially if you want to have more children. I wouldn't let the nurse dictate this, because if you are indeed approaching menopause, you will need to work with an endocrinologist if you're serious about getting pregnant again. Earlier is always better with fertility issues. Good luck!

I have been wondering the same thing as well, and I'm 45. When I was in my mid to late 30's I questioned my doctor on it, and she wrote it off as I'm 'too young' to be going through it. My current gyn is saying the same thing and see's no reason to do testing. I'm switching gyn's due to this, as I've been having irregular periods, CONSTANT sweating, mood swings, etc. It's always been my opinion that YOU know your body best, over any doctor. Go with your gut & if your doc doesn't listen or doesn't see an issue, get a new doc. Good luck to you!!

It is not uncommen for a woman your age to go through menopause. My cousin also went through this at your age. But, I would consult my GYN to see if it is truly menopause.

I can relate. I am 37, and kind of wondering the same things as you... I really hope not, because I'd really like to have another child... I know, you can have kids as long as you're still ovulating, but still, the thought of approaching menopause scares the living daylights out of me at this point.

I have very similar symptoms as you. My periods are very similar, starting out brown, with a couple days of rather light red flow, to another day or so of brown spotting. I've also noticed in the last year or so, I've been sweating A LOT. So much so that I posted a question on here about it. And I even get the sensation of 'hot flashes', but only at times when it would not be totally out of the norm, like after I've blown dry my hair, so I chalk it up to 'it's normal to be sweating right now' in hopes that it is 'normal.' I, too, have gained a little weight.

I am really reeling against the whole menopause thing, so I decided to be a little proactive in understanding my point in life by scheduling a visit with my gyne to have some testing done. I am hoping they find that I am experiencing a hormone imbalance of some kind, or maybe a thyroid issue (it was suggested to me at my last gyne visit that I should have my thyroid tested, but I didn't follow through at that time.) Not that I welcome problems of any kind, but I am just really hoping to hear that I am not perimenopausal, and that there is something else to blame for my symptoms...

Let me know if you find out anything... I'll do the same!