i am pressed for time and anxious to find an answer so i apologize for not reading through posts to see if i could find a previous answer to this dilemma:

i am 41 years old, and in December '10, mid-month, i began a very heavy period with bright red blood and lots of clotting. (clotting had increased somewhat during normal periods for a few months prior) the period lasted about 6 weeks, until the end of January '11, then i had a few days' break. then spotting started and within a day or so i was bleeding heavily again; same type of period: bright red blood with lots of clotting. i don't really have cramps to speak of but i do have pain in the right side of the pelvic region. this pain has been present around my periods for many years and is slight.
i do have other symptoms that i have attributed to approaching menopause: weight gain, cravings, very dry skin, change in hair texture (formerly healthy, now very dry, frizzy, and going from naturally curly to quite straight), fatigue...
so my question is: in your opinion(s) am i looking at perhaps perimenopausal symptoms, or is there something more going on?