Intriguing thread. I am 50 now, and still having fairly normal periods. No hot flushes (as we call them in Australia) or anything else obviously connected with menopause.

I was very interested to read earlier in the thread about kelp and iodine. I have been taking bladderwrack tablets for a good while now...maybe that is helping. I have also been taking maca for about 4 years now - I read somewhere else in another thread that Lola found it very helpful through menopause. Perhaps that too is helping.

I incorporated vitex, which I understand from one of my classes is helpful with sleep issues (even for men!) I am sleeping pretty well currently.

Another interesting thing I came across in a class was the recommendation of ginkgo biloba for congestive dysmenorrhoea - that draggy pain during menstruation that goes down the back of your legs. I have been trialling it on myself for three months now (it takes that long to feel the effects) and my last period required NO painkillers. That was a first for me!!!

I seem to be on my way.. No cycles for awhile.. the last one was a heavy drenching waterfall. (:  I am now having hot flashes BUT these may be from the Wellbrutin my doc has me on.. anyone on this?  And I have noticed some new undereye wrinkles in the thin skin and it seemed to just be there one day!   what to do about that???? suggestions please!!  

p.s.  i did have a huge fibroid in my mid thirties and had a myomectomy for it.  very painful recovery.  i feel it was from emotional stagnation in my relationship and in my career..  after reading Christine Northrup's book... which talks about the possible emotional reasons for dis-ease.

Bluessinger, the very heavy periods may be due to the fact that in meno and peri-meno, women are not producing progesterone any more. You can become estrogen dominant and have heavy periods; and develop uterine fibroids (fibroids are one cause of hyper-heavy periods).
With the skin beginning to thin, that is from lack of testosterone, likely. When a women loses her normal progesterone, she also loses testosterone---partly because the female body converts a small amount of that monthly progesterone to testosterone. It is testosterone that gives elasticity and firmness to skin and muscles.

I am not a doctor, but a post-meno female speaking from experience and a lot reading and research on my own. If you are so inclined, you may want to consider speaking with a gynecologist about bio-identical hormone replacement. I have gone that route, and found that it works well.

Just a word about hot flashes: It seems to happen more frequently to women who have a tendency to adrenal burnout. Adrenals are directly linked to the pituitary---and weak adrenals throw everything else off (the working feed-back loop between pituitary, adrenals and thyroid). It's different with each woman---some are under tremendous, long-term stress which will weaken your adrenals if the stress is not addressed. Other women thrive on stress....and may never have hot flashes. Again, personal experience: I had unspeakable stress 10 years ago which made me ill---and then a year's worth of hotflashes that would take down a rhinocerous!