O and A Ladies: If your periods have ceased for 12 months or more, due to Menopause, please tell us at what age you menstruated for the last time.
If there were extenuating circumstances you would like to tell us about, feel free to do so, but also feel free to reply anonymously.
Thank You.

I've been done for 7 years!   I had been on BTD for 2 years during peri-menopause. I think the healthy type A foods, including soy, helped me to have an easy time of it! I didn't gain weight,  had very few hot flashes, and I wasn't very psycho ( despite having 2 teenagers)! Thanks Dr. D!

I am 52, had 3 months no period, it came roaring back last week.  Would like to be done with all of this.  I thought I was having hot flashes in September but I was having fevers from 100's of sand flea bites.  Note to self, if you think you are having terrible hot flashes, take Advil and see if the "flashes" go away!!!

I stopped having a period 17 months ago, age 49. I did have one period after 10 days on progesterone (prescribed by my ob-gyn) but that was "forced", and two months ago. Nothing since. I didn't have any side-effects (minimal, if any, hot flashes). I also think it's due to the amount of soy I eat on a regular basis; that, and eating right (for my type).

The funny thing about this question is that while having one's "last" period, one never knows that it is the last, except in retrospect. I am 60 now and can barely remember, except that there were a couple of years of great unpredictability. I recall having several months of nothing and then a surprise, then thinking I was done, then discovering I was not.  

Mine was a surgical menopause due to a rapidly growing benign fibroid covering the top of my uterus. I also had several small ones wrapped around my fallopian tubes including some attached to both ovaries.
So, at age 37 everything was removed. My sons were only six and two years old.

I cried alot, had my pity party and took the premarin that my OB/GYN prescribed.
Within a few years I switched to the lowest dose. By the late '90's I had a new OB/GYN and thankfully she prescribed the smallest dose plant based hormone replacement. Each year at my check up we discuss when I will stop completely.
In all these years, the only time I felt menopause symptoms (irritability/warm flush)
was if I went more than 3 days without taking my prescription.

Cajun, my story much the same, think I was around 42, can't remember, large fibroid in uterus, couldn't get it to stop growing, so just my uterus was remove. I have one child. Never took anything after. Have hot flashes for couple of years, but taking black cohosh for about 2 months and haven't had one in the last two weeks.  

I can't give an answer either for medical reasons.

In my late 40's I was so anemic from horribly heavy minsteral bleeding. (I took what seemed like buckets of iron pills)

When my ferritin levels (iron stores) were almost gone  they did an ablation of my uterus lining.
(basicly burned it so it would no longer work, no more bleeding.) That ended the periods. Thank goodness.

That was nearly 20 yrs ago.  My body was so out of wack and the basic medical approach didn't help.

I feel positive that my experience would have been dif if I would have been eating right back then.

My type O Mom was about 55. I'm only 40 and not there yet.

Began to get irregular at 58 and had one last one on my 60th b'day because my endo had suggested 1/2 of a hormone patch.  Not what I wanted for my 60th b'day.  Took off the patch and never wore it again.

I am curious how many of us O's and A's had their first period at or before age 10?

Still wondering about the facts/myths regarding "more problems the earlier you start".

I was 10, my Mom, her sister and their Mom (my Grandmere) were all 9 yrs. old...we all had heavy, 7-9 day periods with bad cramps. My Mom was 36, my Aunt was in her 40's and my Grandmere was 40 when they had hysterectomies.  

Deblynn,
May I ask, what type/form of black cohosh do you take? Do you take anything else to help with flashes or sweats?
My O friend is my age and has been suffering for a few years with those symptoms.

From 54 periods were few and far between, last one close to age 55, exactly same as my mother who is AB blood..

Very interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
My first period was at 15.  Usually no pain but I find myself planning activities around being at home on day two as some months can be very heavy
Still no signs of menopause, my mum, 44 yo sister and grandmother all started about 13 and mum & grandmother had last period early 50's with no problems so i guess sister & i will be the same.

51 is the US average.

Quoted from cajun

I am curious how many of us O's and A's had their first period at or before age 10?

Still wondering about the facts/myths regarding "more problems the earlier you start".

I was 10, my Mom, her sister and their Mom (my Grandmere) were all 9 yrs. old...we all had heavy, 7-9 day periods with bad cramps. My Mom was 36, my Aunt was in her 40's and my Grandmere was 40 when they had hysterectomies.  

That was very early   I don´t know about earlier worse ??
I voted for my mum btw...

My grandmother O neg was around 14,5 and she went into menopause at 61.
Had short periods and no problems.
My mum O sec neg was 14 (she is 65 btw ) -she had her uterus removed around 55 due to a large fibrom  and lots of bleeding( today they would not have removed it) and she went into meno around  60
I was 13 - I have long periods( 7-8 days, no pain -but a fibrom that is pain in... = heavy bleedings -no sign of meno to me
my younger sister Bneg 12,5 -short light periods but she seem to age quicker than me
and my daughter O neg sec. was almost 12 - she has short but heavy periods.
In our family age and height seem to correspond a lot - my sister and daughter were both taller than average.
Here in DK the average age is around 12-14
very few girls get it before 11 and very few after 15 .

However they do worry that especially the younger girls seem to get it earlier due to 2 factors
1) fatter childre = earlier puberty
2) more hormones in enviroment from plastic, chemicals and soy products( we dont have soy formula but soy is everywhere.

I got my first period at age 12.5, as did both of my daughters. My mom got hers at age 11, but she was also obese in childhood.

Yes, I agree about the environmental factors today, regarding earlier puberty. Very sad. Childhood gone...

But, back in my Grandmere's day..and my mom and aunt..?? It had to just be in their genes.. because they basically grew their own food (in Indiana..orchards, veg garden and herb garden)my great Grandpere raised hunting dogs and they ate what he hunted. My Grandmere was a chef and insisted on eating fresh and by the season.
So..who knows.

Remember that if you are B or AB, there is a poll running for you, too  - Just couldn't fit all the options on only one poll.
Thanks!

I had my last regular period a month after I turned 41.  I say regular because I did have a couple a few years later when I was on progesterone cream.  But the guy who does my " live blood cell analysis" said it had stopped because of a prolapsed colon sitting on my remaining ovary.  He said I'm well through it now, but don't know exactly when that was.  Had a lot of hot flushes for years but the only time I get them now is when my liver is acting up. ( like now )
  I started my period at 11.

Can't vote as not yet 12 months without a period, would guess I will be in 55-60 group though - currently 3 months with nothing, which is the longest I've gone so far without......  My mum was 56 for her last one, so its looking like I could well be the same.

You don't have the option for those of us in our 30s.     I know, it's startling.  My mom (O), my mom's sister (O), my sister (A) and me (A) and likely my grandmother (she didn't talk about such things) all went through or are going through extremely early menopause.

Quoted from cajun

Deblynn,
May I ask, what type/form of black cohosh do you take? Do you take anything else to help with flashes or sweats?
My O friend is my age and has been suffering for a few years with those symptoms.

http://thymewisper.com/

It's 20% strength tincture.  I get this from my sister- thyme  but I think you could get that strength anywhere.  However she does take really good care in her production and has told me that with tinctures, if you smell the alcohol strongly and not the herb it is to young, after spending a day with her and smell testing.  I understand what she's saying and I'm finding several I bought from other places that are all alcohol

She also has a tea, which she says many have liked, but she felt all I needed was the Black Cohosh.

She did give me some Chaste Tree berries, so that I didn't have to get up at night to go "pee"
good for all ages and it has worked! You can get them online easily enough.

Quoted from Ribbit

You don't have the option for those of us in our 30s.     I know, it's startling.  My mom (O), my mom's sister (O), my sister (A) and me (A) and likely my grandmother (she didn't talk about such things) all went through or are going through extremely early menopause.

There's a "below 40 or over 65" option.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

There's a "below 40 or over 65" option.

Actually, it's below 40 or 61+, but all the same for Ribbit. Thanks, ruthiegirl.