Reality check

I read somewhere the average age of american women to hit menopause is around 51... and bukan sebab taksub dengan 'the americans' yg gunakan diorang sebagai contoh tapi sebab its their research material yg most readily available & accessible.

Anyway...according to the mayo clinic (www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause): Technically, you don't actually "hit" menopause until it's been one year since your final menstrual period. In the United States, that happens about age 51, on average.
sooooo.... since its just 4 more years to go for me, i can safely say that i'm now well into the perimenopausal stage of my life. hmmmmmm...

PERIMENOPAUSE
.... marks the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause. Perimenopause encompasses the years leading up to menopause — anywhere from two to eight years — plus the first year after your final period. It's a natural part of aging that signals the ending of your reproductive years.

The levels of your reproductive hormones — estrogen and progesterone — rise and fall unevenly during perimenopause. Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you begin having menstrual cycles in which you don't ovulate. It's only during cycles when you do ovulate that you can become pregnant.

When perimenopause starts and how long it lasts varies. You'll probably notice signs of impending menopause, such as menstrual irregularities, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Perimenopause causes some subtle — and some not-so-subtle — changes in your body. Some things you might experience include:

Menstrual irregularities. The intervals may be longer or shorter, your flow may be scanty to profuse, and you may skip some periods. As ovulation becomes more erratic, the lower levels of progesterone may lead to longer and heavier periods.
- when i was daro trang tang tang i had senggugut/menstrual cramps which surprisingly went away after my 1st baby... up until i hit 45. now its back in full force along with heavy flow and clotting the first few days. leceh betui laa.

Hot flashes and sleep problems. About 75 percent to 85 percent of women experience hot flashes during perimenopause. Their intensity, duration and frequency vary. Sleep problems are often due to hot flashes or night sweats, but sometimes sleep becomes erratic even without them.
- the hot flashes belum ada thank god sebab i've always been one with elevated body temperature (panas sokmo). factor in the hot flashes and i just might go into spontaneous combustion heheh.

Mood changes. Some women experience mood swings, irritability or depression during perimenopause, but the cause of these symptoms may be sleep disruption or other menopausal symptoms more than the hormonal changes of menopause.
- relatively stable so far

Vaginal and bladder problems. When estrogen levels diminish, your vaginal tissues may lose lubrication and elasticity, making intercourse painful. Low estrogen levels may also leave you more vulnerable to urinary or vaginal infections. Loss of tissue tone may contribute to urinary incontinence.
- eeeek, pls dear God spare me!!

Decreasing fertility. As ovulation becomes irregular, your ability to conceive decreases. However, as long as you're having periods, pregnancy remains a possibility. If that's not what you want, use birth control until you've had no periods for 12 months.
- xpe la kot since i dont plan on changing any more baby diapers anyway

Changes in sexual function. During perimenopause, sexual arousal and desire may change. But for most women who had satisfactory sexual intimacy before menopause, this will continue through perimenopause and beyond.
- maybe it takes a wee bit longer to fire up but once the engine starts its roaring to go hehee.

Loss of bone. With declining estrogen levels, you start to lose bone more quickly than you replace it, increasing your risk of osteoporosis.
- i'm hoping the running helps

Changing cholesterol levels. Declining estrogen levels may lead to unfavorable changes in your blood cholesterol levels, including an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — which contributes to an increased risk of heart disease. At the same time, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol — decreases in many women as they age, which also increases the risk for heart disease.
- alamak, kena hati2 ni.... bab makan kena jaga lebih.


Adeh...


Double adeeeh.


Nothing much i can do to stop the biological clock from ticking i guess... but i aint taking it lying down thats for sure ;)

Oh and incidentally, i think i've figured out a more realistic alternative to replace my morning runs. nak lari petang after work tak pernah nak menjadi (ada je alasan). and since AH masuk upper sec and her pick-up time has been extended to 1.55-2.00pm, my lunchbreaks usually just go to waste.... sooooo why not i take off to the KSAS gym and pound away at the treadmill!!!! ngeeeeeeee.... syiok tu and i heard they now have 2 of those contraption so tak payah queue.

Trying it out today :)