[rachel66]

I used to dread the idea of 'the change' and now I'm wondering when it will happen. I turned 48 a month ago and I still have regular periods. I had a baby at 45 so that was a shocker. I guess I should be happy that I'm aging slowly.

[atskitty2]

I'm 42 rachel, and I think I may already be in pre-menopause. I am due for my regular checkup & will discuss it then, but I'm not too worried about it. My Mom had a horrible phase, but she got through it with really no lasting hot flashes or hormonal problems. I don't dread it, and you shouldn't either. I view it as a rite of passage, a natural process & progression to another new phase of life. And just like many of those new phases, they come after a bit of struggle You'll be fine!

[Claret]

I can't help, I had a hysterectomy at age 35, but they did leave my ovaries so I went through menopause at a later period of time. I think I had 3 hot flashes and it was over, however lately I've been having flashes periodically. My physician said they could last the rest of my life.

[DreamP346]

I was reading up and Caucasian women, on average, reach menopause at 51.5. Hispanic and African-American women reach menopause a little earlier, and Chinese and Japanese women a little later. So it doesn't sound like you have even reached the average point yet. But the number one influencer is when you mom went through menopause. Do you know when that was?

[Claret]

Also, there is a correlation to the onset of your periods. If you started your periods at a younger age the probability of menopause occurring later is quite high. I'd have to dig through my medical books to find the exact quotation, but this is what I remember from oh so long ago.

[sheilam1965]

Rachel, I'm in the same boat as you. I will turn 49 next month, and I'm still menstruating every 27 days. Every month I joke with my husband about wishing menopause would happen. I'm just tired of having a cycle, especially since the second day of my period is always horribly heavy. But I guess we just have to ride things out until "the change" comes our way.