Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

@olivia22819 - I knew that I'd run into a question about PMS and menopause somewhere along the line! Boy have you come to the right place! lol. I know it's not funny but every woman I know can tell you that just because you are a certain age or stage of menopause does not eliminate moodiness. PMS symptoms end with your period ending or within about 7 days after. Menopause or perimenopause (Perimenopause is a stage in a woman’s life that prepares her body for menopause during the 3-5 years before menopause actually hits. During this stage, your estrogen levels may rise and your other hormone levels will drop, causing a host of symptoms.) Most symptoms do not end until you finish with menopause all together.
There are changes in the body that take place prior to, during and after menopause that cause this mood upheaval. There are chemical changes in the brain and body. I could go from the sweetest, most caring woman and the next minute become a crying, growling Godzilla. Everything that you mentioned above are normal symptoms of perimenopause or her older sister.
These hormonal and chemical changes mess with our daily lives until we don't even know ourselves anymore. I thought that my hormonal teenage years were bad! Your body is losing chemicals and the rise and fall of hormones that you have depended on to keep yourself well balanced. I also don't know of any woman who could be called balanced during this time. I say this because not only do we have these physical changes but our mind doesn't ever seem to catch up with understanding these changes.
There is a positive side to this also, despite comedians and husband thinking that it never ends. I began to develop more insight and spiritual growth.
"Gail Sheehy also popularized the use of important-sounding euphemisms for menopause: “Change of Life,” “The Big M,” or simply, “The Change.” In The Change: Women, Aging, and the Menopause, Australian feminist Germaine Greer also embraced such labels, although she opted for the brisk pacing of a suspense novel to describe the process itself: “Suddenly,” Greer wrote, “something was slipping away so fast that we had not had time quite to register what it might be. All we knew was that it was irreplaceable. The way ahead seemed dark. Somewhere along the line optimism seems to have perished. Neither of us could identify this feeling of apprehensive melancholy.” Never fear, said Greer. Like Sheehy, she reassured women that menopause encourages a “journey inwards towards wisdom and serenity.”
There are ways to balance your moods with medicines, HRT's and even balancing your diet, exercise and rest.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20376780
Have you discussed these changes with your OBGYN? There are lots of ways to help you through this new "growth" stage.

@olivia22819 - I knew that I'd run into a question about PMS and menopause somewhere along the line! Boy have you come to the right place! lol. I know it's not funny but every woman I know can tell you that just because you are a certain age or stage of menopause does not eliminate moodiness. PMS symptoms end with your period ending or within about 7 days after. Menopause or perimenopause (Perimenopause is a stage in a woman’s life that prepares her body for menopause during the 3-5 years before menopause actually hits. During this stage, your estrogen levels may rise and your other hormone levels will drop, causing a host of symptoms.) Most symptoms do not end until you finish with menopause all together.
There are changes in the body that take place prior to, during and after menopause that cause this mood upheaval. There are chemical changes in the brain and body. I could go from the sweetest, most caring woman and the next minute become a crying, growling Godzilla. Everything that you mentioned above are normal symptoms of perimenopause or her older sister.
These hormonal and chemical changes mess with our daily lives until we don't even know ourselves anymore. I thought that my hormonal teenage years were bad! Your body is losing chemicals and the rise and fall of hormones that you have depended on to keep yourself well balanced. I also don't know of any woman who could be called balanced during this time. I say this because not only do we have these physical changes but our mind doesn't ever seem to catch up with understanding these changes.
There is a positive side to this also, despite comedians and husband thinking that it never ends. I began to develop more insight and spiritual growth.
"Gail Sheehy also popularized the use of important-sounding euphemisms for menopause: “Change of Life,” “The Big M,” or simply, “The Change.” In The Change: Women, Aging, and the Menopause, Australian feminist Germaine Greer also embraced such labels, although she opted for the brisk pacing of a suspense novel to describe the process itself: “Suddenly,” Greer wrote, “something was slipping away so fast that we had not had time quite to register what it might be. All we knew was that it was irreplaceable. The way ahead seemed dark. Somewhere along the line optimism seems to have perished. Neither of us could identify this feeling of apprehensive melancholy.” Never fear, said Greer. Like Sheehy, she reassured women that menopause encourages a “journey inwards towards wisdom and serenity.”
There are ways to balance your moods with medicines, HRT's and even balancing your diet, exercise and rest.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20376780
Have you discussed these changes with your OBGYN? There are lots of ways to help you through this new "growth" stage.

thank you so much for your thoughtful response! i have discussed and it was brought up to consider endometrial ablation (to cease the menstral periods). i dont know that much about it and i know of a couple of people that have had it done. also not fond of surgery and especially being so close to menopause and i am not sure if i would want to take that route, however but im open to more insight on the procedure

I never realized how lucky I was! The only symptoms I had were HORRIBLE hot flashes, and the cessation of my migraines, so that was a good thing. The hot flashes were frequent and really bad though. I was a supervisor and then a manager with primarily young people working for me. Suddenly I would be scarlet and soaked with perspiration. Very embarrassing.
My menopause was sort of late so maybe that had something to do with fewer symptoms. I was 57.
JK

@olivia22819 - Is there a particular reason that you want to stop your periods by surgery? Are you having other uterine problems?

Hi, @olivia22819 - I'm very close in age to you, only I don't have PMS anymore cause I had a hysterectomy with prolapse repair. I remember some intense PMS prior to the surgery, however.

This Mayo Clinic information on endometrial ablation may be of interest https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/endometrial-ablation/about/pac-20393932

Does your doctor recommend this procedure for your case, then?

absolutely not. it was suggested to by a doctor because there could be a link to the migraines, however I don't prefer to bother the bodies natural process