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peri or pms???

When you go through menopause they don't tell you what you are becoming.

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I usually pick peri, Rick goes for it and gives me alot more tolerance than if I choose PMS.

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ORIGINAL: MyCatSmokey2006

...she basically told them that since they're a bunch of idiot men who don't know how it feels for women to have periods, she didn't like their "have a happy period" slogan and was no longer going to buy their product.

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Greetings from the Cramp Ranch

When you go through menopause they don't tell you what you are becoming.

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ORIGINAL: Wayfaring_Stranger

I know there is no "set" time -- I was just wondering generally if it was a couple of years, 5, 10 or what. I did know you weren't considered officially through menopause until after being without a period for a year. But I was just wondering how long the preliminary stuff went on, generally. I know if varies from person to person. It would be so nice to just stop having period without all the back and forth starting and skipping and flooding, but I guess it just doesn't work like that. :(

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ORIGINAL: Memaw.

Some definitions taken from WebMD.

Premenopause. Some experts feel that this term should include the entire reproductive period up to the final menstrual cycle whereas others consider it to refer to women on the cusp of menopause. Their periods have just started to get irregular, but they do not yet experience any classic menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness. A woman in premenopause is usually in her mid-to-late 40s. If your doctor tells you that you're premenopausal, you might want to ask him or her how he or she is using this term.

# Perimenopause. This term refers to women who are in the thick of menopause. Their cycles may be erratic, and they may begin to experience hot flashes and vaginal dryness. On average, women are about 47 when they hit the perimenopause stage.

# Menopause. This refers to your final menstrual period. You will not be able to pinpoint your final period until you've been completely free from periods for one year. Then, you count back to the last period you charted, and that date is the date of your menopause. Note: After more than one year of no menstrual periods due to menopause, any vaginal bleeding is now considered abnormal.

# Postmenopausal. This term refers to the last third of most women's lives, ranging from women who have been free of menstrual periods for at least one year to women celebrating their 100th birthday and beyond. In other words, once you're past menopause, you'll be referred to as postmenopausal for the rest of your life.

When you go through menopause they don't tell you what you are becoming.

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Does anyone have home remedies, like herbal supplements, vitamins, etc., for cramping and heavy bleeding?

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The mechanism of action of black cohosh remains unclear, and the effects on estrogen receptors or hormonal levels (if any) have not been fully elucidated. Recent publications suggest that there may be no direct effects on estrogen receptors, although this is an area of active controversy. Safety and efficacy data beyond six months are not available, although recent reports suggest safety of short-term use, including in women experiencing menopausal symptoms for whom estrogen replacement therapy is contraindicated. Nonetheless, due to a lack of long-term follow-up, caution is advisable until better-quality safety data are available. Use of black cohosh in high-risk populations (such as in women with a history of breast cancer) should be under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional