Sorry, I couldn’t help myself with that title.
No. We’re not trying to get pregnant again. Yes we are done having kids. I only get happier as a parent the older my kids get and I can’t imagine going back to the newborn baby (or toddler!) days.
But I did go in yesterday to get CD3 blood work done.
I made an appointment to see my OB in a few weeks to talk about peri menopause. My cycle has been a mess for about a year now, and this Saturday I got my period only 12 days after the last one started. I’m used to short cycles – mine are usually 20 days – but less than two weeks is ridiculous.
I’ll be 39 in July, but my RE did warn me that with my AMH level as low as it was when I was trying to have a second child at the age of 33, I’d probably go into into menopause in my early 40s. Which means peri menopause probably isn’t off the table at 38.
Mostly I’m worried about estrogen and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is one of my irrationally overblown fears, so I’m going to make sure I shouldn’t be taking something to keep it at bay.
Most of my friends are a good decade older than me, and as far as I can tell (I’ve brought it up a few times), I’m the only one staring menopause in the face. Lucky me!
It was a trip getting my blood drawn today, thinking of how far I’ve come since I was getting these same tests done for very different reasons. I’m so glad that those days are behind me, and I’m so thankful I was able to TTC when I was young and it was still something my body could manage. So many of my college friends are trying to get pregnant now, at almost 40. If I’d had to wait that long it probably wouldn’t have been possible.
{I also thought a lot about the many, many days I spent waiting to get my blood drawn after my ectopic, my eyes red and puffy from crying. I go to a different lab, at a new campus, so the waiting room isn’t the same, and yet it still is the first thing I think of every time I get blood drawn.}
I don’t think that much about my TTC, loss, and secondary infertility days much anymore, but this very tangible reminder of my diminished ovarian reserve and its side-effects brought it all back.
I’ll keep you updated on what my doctor says about peri menopause in my thirties.
Peri-menopause is something I believe I may or may not be experiencing now as well. I am about the same age. My mother and her mother were well into their 50-60s when they went through it. I am delaying making an appointment with my OB bc I just don’t want to know!
I have followed, but never commented here I don’t think. I am 47 and have been peri-menopausing for about 5 years now. It’s no joke, but very different for ever woman. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s fast and painless for you! I’ve always felt that us IF survivors should get a break in this department!
From decades beyond you ~ early onset is not abnormal. Yes, talk to doctors. Yes to medications if they are helpful to you! Maintaining estrogen was worth some effort. Getting to steady state hormones, which can happen with medicine, is very important. Maintaining lubrication absolutely worth doing!!! Topical estrogen should be inquired about as well. Prevention is critical as ‘a dry brown spot on a leaf does not turn green again when the plant is given more water.’
You might also ask about pcos and metabolic syndrome in women who are no longer interested in pregnancy. These do not disappear when pregnancy is not an issue and they have real impact.
I am so glad you are being proactive and it is wonderful that today there is so much more known and doable!
Much support and caring for you!