Perimenopause At 37?

[Marie1976]

Am I going through perimenopause? I used to get my period every 28 days. Then for a while it was every 25 days. Now it's 21 days. Why??

The last time I saw my doc I told him I'm having fatigue, irritability, I'm emotional, etc. I told him I feel like I have PMS all the time, and could I be going through menopause? He says no. He said it's stress and I need to go on vacation (ha ha, wouldn't that be nice?) I didn't mention the period thing to him because the 21 day interval occurred after my appointment.

Does celiac cause early menopause? Is that what is happening to me?? I'm only 37. I'm also depressed and crying a lot lately. Suggestions? Advice? Thanks in advance!

[Takala]

Get the Dr. Christiane Northrup books http://www.drnorthrup.com/bookstore/index.php on this topic, and start reading them. Perimenopause can last a very long time, and there are a lot of different options on what you can do to deal with it. I won't tell you how long mine went before I finally had to have one ovary that was causing most of the problems removed, because I don't want to depress anyone, but I may have set a record for the longest time of having periods (41 years) and the number of them because of short- cycling. They would have gladly taken everything much earlier, but I knew with the bone loss that I needed the natural hormones as the replacements so do not agree with me. The synthetic progesterone in the birth control pills doesn't agree with much of anybody. Natural progesterone that you can buy otc can work a lot better to balance out the estrogen.

And then you have to start supplementing, if you haven't already, with the Bvitamins and calcium, D, magnesium routine.

[bartfull]

I had early menopause. By the time I was 42 my periods had stopped completely. The hot flashes lasted over ten years and to be honest, even at 58 I still get them once in a while.

I think there was a thread here several months ago about this, and if I remember correctly quite a few of us have gone through this. I believe, at least from anecdotal evidence, that celiac CAN cause early menopause.

[Newbee]

My periods were happening every 3 weeks for awhile for me. I was really thin and stressed so wonder if that was the issue. Now they are back to every 28 days but have gotten a lot heavier. I've heard there are different things that can cause that. Did you have your doctor test your hormones? That could help rule out an imbalance if that might be the cause.

[nvsmom]

That happened to me too! My periods got closer together, about 3 weeks apart, and lasted a week. What I hated was that I spotted for the week prior to it starting too so I only had about a week off in between. It lasted about 6 months... This was a year or two before I was diagnosed with celiac and (what appears to be) an under-active thyroid which I'm guessing is Hashimotos. I looked up symptoms of hypothyroidism and it says more frequent, and heavier, periods is on the list, as is fatigue and depression.

Here's a link:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/symptoms.htm

You should look into having your TSH (but this can vary wildly from day to day) and T4 and T3 levels checked. It could be a thyroid issue.

Best wishes.

[Marie1976]

I did have my thyroid checked (it was normal) but not my hormones. My doc actually kind of chuckled when I suggested I could be going through menopause, so I guess that's why he didn't check my hormones.

Thanks for the info! I'm going to check out those books. ... I don't know if I've had hot flashes. I have been feeling hot a lot but I don't know if it's hot flashes, it might just be because it's been over 100 degrees lately.

[Gemini]

I did have my thyroid checked (it was normal) but not my hormones. My doc actually kind of chuckled when I suggested I could be going through menopause, so I guess that's why he didn't check my hormones.

Thanks for the info! I'm going to check out those books. ... I don't know if I've had hot flashes. I have been feeling hot a lot but I don't know if it's hot flashes, it might just be because it's been over 100 degrees lately.

Marie....yes, Celiac can cause early menopause. Every female in my family went into full blown menopause by 45 years of age. I started having hormonal swings and hot flashes at 38 and everything stopped at age 45. I was diagnosed with celiac disease at 46. If you are not sure if you have had a hot flash, then you haven't had one. Trust me, you would remember those! All of your other symptoms scream of perimenopause. I know this is tough to handle at the moment but it will get better.

As for your doctor, they are more clueless regarding menopause than they are about Celiac. I refuse to go to male doctors anymore because they are condescending dopes. They wouldn't know how to diagnose the beginning of the change if someone put a gun to their head so don't talk to them about it. You don't need to. It's like puberty in reverse, only a bit worse, I think. I wouldn't advise taking hormones because your body adjusts to them quickly and hot flashes don't stay at bay for long. Then you still have to go through another mini-menopause when you stop taking them. I did not do anything except grin and bear it and find ways to make the symptoms better.....like sticking my head in the freezer from time to time.

Having your periods shorten in cycle duration is common in the beginning. They come closer together and then further apart until they stop. This can take up to 10 years, my dear. This is when I began to appreciate red wine. I am not trying to laugh at you in your misery but I keep trying to find the funny in it so you won't go crazy. It does get better, however. Exercise helps tremendously with any sleep issues and just makes you feel better overall.

If you do mange to get them to test your hormones, you should be aware that you may have symptoms long before it shows in your blood work. Sort of like Celiac. Also, progesterone is the first hormone to dump down and then the estrogen goes. If there is an imbalance between the 2, and if the progesterone is low in relation to the estrogen, you are entering the beginning of menopause, most likely. Hang in there, Lady!

[Marie1976]

Thanks, Gemini! Five years ago I didn't have kids or (know about having) celiac, now I have two kids, celiac and possibly pre-menopause. It's a lot to happen in so short a time. A lot to happen to my body. Ha! I definitely do need to exercise. Every time I start working out, I get sick. I think just a coincidence, but it does throw a wrench into my plans...

Puberty in reverse sounds... depressing. But I'm glad to hear you say that I don't need to see a doc about it. I hate taking meds, and I have no desire to take hormones. I have read about herbs, like black cohosh? Does that help or ...? I really hate feeling like I have PMS all the time. And I haven't been sleeping very well so now I'm even crankier... Grrr.

[Gemini]

Thanks, Gemini! Five years ago I didn't have kids or (know about having) celiac, now I have two kids, celiac and possibly pre-menopause. It's a lot to happen in so short a time. A lot to happen to my body. Ha! I definitely do need to exercise. Every time I start working out, I get sick. I think just a coincidence, but it does throw a wrench into my plans...

Puberty in reverse sounds... depressing. But I'm glad to hear you say that I don't need to see a doc about it. I hate taking meds, and I have no desire to take hormones. I have read about herbs, like black cohosh? Does that help or ...? I really hate feeling like I have PMS all the time. And I haven't been sleeping very well so now I'm even crankier... Grrr.

I completely understand what you mean about being slammed. I went into full blown menopause at 45 and 1 year later, exactly, hit the wall with Celiac and came very close to not making it. It was awful and I was a mess. It took another 3 years to feel significantly better, after going gluten free but things are much better now. I am exercising and feeling pretty good. I still have my bad days when I am tired (I have 4 autoimmune diseases) but I just do what the British do: keep calm and carry on.

You may want to start very slow with exercise, like walking, if you are just diagnosed and not well. Then start doing more as you feel better. It will get better, believe me. I never tried the herbs for menopausal symptoms but some people think they work well so you could try them. Just make sure you read up on it and learn about any interactions with other foods or meds. I am like you....I take nothing but thyroid hormone and Rx eye drops for my eye problems. Nothing else but supplements.

You will have trouble sleeping in the beginning, like waking up at the same time every night or not staying asleep. Do whatever you need to do to help that because you have 2 kids to keep up with. I just dealt with it, was tired a lot and waited for it to subside....it does.

You know what I like to throw at male docs when they roll their eyes about menopause or try to offer stupid advice? I ask them..."Do you have a uterus? No? Then what the hell do you know"? They don't. When you start having symptoms, it's probably peri-menopause and there isn't a blood test for that. You can most certainly start with symptoms in your late thirties. You have noticed that young girls are getting their periods earlier and earlier? Same is true for many women with regards to menopause. I can't show you medical studies but I can say with confidence that it is happening to more and more women. It's a natural change and it isn't always comfortable but it does get better and you don't need medical guidance for this. They will just screw you up further.

Be kind to yourself and rest when you can. Check into natural supplements, if you are really uncomfortable, but be patient. Menopause ain't for sissies!

[Marie1976]

Thanks for all the info! I did end up getting my hormones tested they said it was came out normal. But I think just because it doesn't show anything doesn't necessarily mean it isn't related to hormones...

They told me it was stress and gave me the number for stress management.

[AnemiaJen]

Hi all,

I know this strand is a little old, but I just joined and have a related concern and wanted to express it in the right place. My period has been changing over the past two years or so. I used to be like clockwork, every 28 days. Now they come a little earlier and don't last as long, or they stop and restart, sometimes with some mid-cycle spotting. I've also been fatigued but that could have to do with work (I run my own business and teach on the side). I didn't make any connection with my celiac DX until yesterday when I was reading about peri-menopause. This month I got the heavy feeling in my legs and the sense that it was coming but... it never came. I thought I had a long time before I had to worry about the change! I'm 42. I've never missed a period, even when I was super-anemic. Ugh. Fortunately my mom said she never had any truly uncomfortable symptoms and she (still!) has the bone density of a much younger person. Hopefully I'll have the same experience.

My yearly GYN appt. is coming up in July. Should I just wait and see, then say something to my doc then?

Thanks in advance for any light you could shed on this.

[cyclinglady]

1 hour ago, AnemiaJen said:

Hi all,

I know this strand is a little old, but I just joined and have a related concern and wanted to express it in the right place. My period has been changing over the past two years or so. I used to be like clockwork, every 28 days. Now they come a little earlier and don't last as long, or they stop and restart, sometimes with some mid-cycle spotting. I've also been fatigued but that could have to do with work (I run my own business and teach on the side). I didn't make any connection with my celiac DX until yesterday when I was reading about peri-menopause. This month I got the heavy feeling in my legs and the sense that it was coming but... it never came. I thought I had a long time before I had to worry about the change! I'm 42. I've never missed a period, even when I was super-anemic. Ugh. Fortunately my mom said she never had any truly uncomfortable symptoms and she (still!) has the bone density of a much younger person. Hopefully I'll have the same experience.

My yearly GYN appt. is coming up in July. Should I just wait and see, then say something to my doc then?

Thanks in advance for any light you could shed on this.

I would not worry.  Things might resolve on the gluten free diet as celiac disease does impact fertility in many ways.   I hit perimenopause at 40.  It lasted over a decade (the range of years varies from person to person)  and I experienced every single perimenopause symptom (on and off) in the book.  I was diagnosed with celiac disease after I went though menopause because of anemia that would not resolve.   You could ask your GP/PCP to order a hormonal panel (include thyroid) if you see him/her sooner.   This will let you know if you are starting perimenopause.  

My Mom breezed through menopause.  Not me!!!!!  

 

[Estes]

1 hour ago, AnemiaJen said:

Hi all,

I know this strand is a little old, but I just joined and have a related concern and wanted to express it in the right place. My period has been changing over the past two years or so. I used to be like clockwork, every 28 days. Now they come a little earlier and don't last as long, or they stop and restart, sometimes with some mid-cycle spotting. I've also been fatigued but that could have to do with work (I run my own business and teach on the side). I didn't make any connection with my celiac DX until yesterday when I was reading about peri-menopause. This month I got the heavy feeling in my legs and the sense that it was coming but... it never came. I thought I had a long time before I had to worry about the change! I'm 42. I've never missed a period, even when I was super-anemic. Ugh. Fortunately my mom said she never had any truly uncomfortable symptoms and she (still!) has the bone density of a much younger person. Hopefully I'll have the same experience.

My yearly GYN appt. is coming up in July. Should I just wait and see, then say something to my doc then?

Thanks in advance for any light you could shed on this.

My story is yours too.  Now I am 42 and after many years of regularity, it is odd, I agree.  It's always a surprise.  An IUD helps a little.  I am however not worried. I asked a few Doctors and it is all normal.  I have been gluten free for one year.

[Momofvmej]

I went into menopause at age 42. I didn't know I had celiac until I was 56.  Now I know why my menopause was so early. 

[MADMOM]

On 4/24/2017 at 11:05 AM, cyclinglady said:

I would not worry.  Things might resolve on the gluten free diet as celiac disease does impact fertility in many ways.   I hit perimenopause at 40.  It lasted over a decade (the range of years varies from person to person)  and I experienced every single perimenopause symptom (on and off) in the book.  I was diagnosed with celiac disease after I went though menopause because of anemia that would not resolve.   You could ask your GP/PCP to order a hormonal panel (include thyroid) if you see him/her sooner.   This will let you know if you are starting perimenopause.  

My Mom breezed through menopause.  Not me!!!!!  

 

i went through menopause early as well i’m 48 last period i had was in jan of 2020 and i got dx with celiac in jan of 2021 - i’ve been gluten free 6 months now and this last ten days i have tender boobs and all symptoms of a period coming - this past friday after going to bathroom i wiped and saw pink/red as if period was returning !!!  i got so scared - i called my gyn and she said it can awaken since i went thru menopause early - she is unaware of my celiac dx since i haven’t seen her since last august - she recommended a trans vag sonogram to check for any fibroids or cysts but i don’t think it’s anything bad - i feel like maybe now that gluten is pretty much out of my system i might have really gotten my period to return - although i haven’t seen any blood since that day i still have tender boobs and feel all those menstrual symptoms !!  anyone else have this occur?  

[MADMOM]

On 4/25/2017 at 8:29 PM, Momofvmej said:

I went into menopause at age 42. I didn't know I had celiac until I was 56.  Now I know why my menopause was so early. 

did u ever had your period awaken after going gluten free?  i went through menopause at 47 - i’m almost 49 and was dx with celiac 6 months ago and have been gluten free since - all of a sudden last week after using bathroom i wiped and saw twinge of pink/red - also have had pms symptoms for last 2 weeks - my gyno says it can awaken - she is unaware of my celiac dx - i’m wondering if it’s possible that my body is clean of gluten and my period is returning?  i’ve never seen pink red or any signs of my period in 18 months 

[Scott Adams]

It is possible, as you've now removed a serious stressor on your body, but definitely discuss this with your doctor as it could also be unrelated and caused by something else.

[MADMOM]

1 hour ago, Scott Adams said:

It is possible, as you've now removed a serious stressor on your body, but definitely discuss this with your doctor as it could also be unrelated and caused by something else.

yes i am - my gyno was the one that said it can awaken since i stopped on the earlier side of age/ it’s intermittent spotting at this point nothing crazy but i did read that if ur body is absorbing nutrients and ur eating healthy you can awaken it 🤔

 

[ButWhatCanIEat]

On 8/1/2012 at 5:28 PM, Marie1976 said:

Am I going through perimenopause? I used to get my period every 28 days. Then for a while it was every 25 days. Now it's 21 days. Why??

 

The last time I saw my doc I told him I'm having fatigue, irritability, I'm emotional, etc. I told him I feel like I have PMS all the time, and could I be going through menopause? He says no. He said it's stress and I need to go on vacation (ha ha, wouldn't that be nice?) I didn't mention the period thing to him because the 21 day interval occurred after my appointment.

 

Does celiac cause early menopause? Is that what is happening to me?? I'm only 37. I'm also depressed and crying a lot lately. Suggestions? Advice? Thanks in advance!

There is more known about perimenopause these days. It can take up to 10 years and while the late thirties are a tad early, it isn't that early for it to start. They know know about an extremely early phase and what you describe is pretty classic, I went through it too, cycles getting shorter suddenly for up to a year.

Get a different doc if he's being so dismissive, you have two options for the mood issues, either going on light HRT or actual medication for anxiety. The anxiety is real.

[Beverage]

I thought I hit perimenopause early, but 37 is really early. Just one thought...did it start after getting one of the covid vax's? I have a friend about your age whose periods went really wonky after her vax, and now we are researching and reading a lot of women are having the same issues.

[Scott Adams]

I think it's natural to look back at negative health events that happen after you get some sort of a vaccine, and then blame those health issues on getting this or that vaccine (this happened with parents of kids with autism, but large studies were done which show no such correlation between vaccines and autism, yet many people still believe in such a correlation), but I would only say that a real correlation between the two it's highly unlikely.

This Australian Government health site indicates that early menopause (under 40) happens in 1 in 100 women, or at about the same rate as celiac disease, so it's certainly more likely that it's not related to any vaccine:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/premature-and-early-menopause