Is it possibly Menopause?

[josiensun]

I have made me a dr. appt. and hopefully will find out what is going on with me. Thank you.

[Dr. Joshua]

I'm glad you have made an appointment. You are welcome to come back and discuss things further on the forum.

[josiensun]

My original post was that I was having some heavy bleeding about every 2-3 weeks. No pre-symptoms which is very inconvenient. I am a 41 yr. old female. The bleeding is so heavy the first day and is almost nothing on day 2-3, then kind of starts up again, nothing heavy and lasts for about a week total. This just started the last 2 months and I was concerned that maybe I might be experiencing some menopause. I am not on any birth control, the only meds I take are for chronic sinus infections (antibiotics) and cymbalta. However, I have made a dr. appt. but can not get for almost a month. I have been reading about menopause and it seems that if that is what is going on I am starting at an early age?

[Dr. Joshua]

Thanks for posting your question again. 41 is indeed a very early age for menopause, although it is possible in some cases. Women generally tend to experience menopause at around the same age their mothers did, although this is a rule and there are always exceptions to the rule. Do you know the age your mother experienced menopause? The average age for menopause is above 50. Overweight women generally experience menopause later, whereas smokers and underweight women tend to reach menopause earlier.

However, there are many other possible reasons for heavy periods, and a visit to the gynecologist is essential in order to determine the cause. I'm glad you have made an appointment, and would appreciate it if you could come back with an update once you've had the appointment. I am always very interested to know how things turn out for the members of this forum, for both human and professional reasons.

Here are links to a couple of past answers to related questions - you may find some helpful information:

http://askdoctorjoshua.com/2006/08/26/menopause-spotting-heavy-bleeding/
http://askdoctorjoshua.com/2006/03/01/heavy-period-treatment/