I get so tired. I lie down thinking I will close my eyes for five minutes, and three hours after, I wake up. I get eight hours of sleep almost every night. help? what is this?

Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I felt horrible all the time. I was depressed, irritable and felt like I was walking around in a fog. However, once I was diagnosed, got on medication, got my diet straightened out and got my blood glucose levels to a more normal level, I felt so much better, I can't even describe it. The constant thirst was gone and I lost 80 pounds.

Get yourself checked out by a doctor. If you're diabetic, start eating healthy and get your blood glucose regulated. I can almost guarantee you'll feel better in just three or four months. You can live a healthy, normal life with diabetes, if you keep your glucose regulated. Good luck.

I do not know what to do with my life now.

God, please help me or take me from this world. Constant thirst is another thing happening to me.

However, I was feeling hot flashes and all these horrendous symptoms some of us have had experienced. I was afraid because I felt relatively young for menopause, but reading all your comments helps me to understand that it is not as uncommon as I thought.

However, it also leads me with the impression that our new ways of living are pushing women to go to this cycle earlier than it was used to be.

Well, this web helps us to support each other and to go through this cycle of our lives with dignity and strength. I guess once we realized we are going through and we accept the fact, the symptoms are less aggressive.

To all of you who have shared your experiences, thanks.

I’d never experienced a normal or regular cycle. I’m gaining weight fast and it's driving me crazy. My doctor told me that I need to lose weight in order for me to regulate my cycle. I've been trying for nine years now and still no changes. There are times where I am really emotional, angry, and irritated and all I think about is death.

I've seen bad changes in my life. Things aren't the same anymore and I don’t know why. The year 2007, 2009, and 2010 are the years that I didn't bled at all. I feel bloated all the time. I am always hungry and thirsty for something sweet. I kept telling myself that everything is ok but deep down I know it’s not. My mother even notices the changes in me.

I’m not patient anymore and I can’t handle being stressed out. My whole life I was known as the strongest and toughest out of all the girls in my family. Now, I am forgetting things easily meaning I’m sometimes don’t remember where I put my belongings. I feel so lost and out of this world.

I want to feel normal and healthy inside and out. I am on a diet now and I am hoping and wanting to lose more than 50 pounds. Hopefully, there’ll be a way for me and all of you to feel normal inside and outside.

I haven't had my period for more than one month now. I used to have 28 days cycle. But recently I noticed it has become irregular, last March I had an early menstruation that it fell on a 15 days cycle. I used to have hyperthyroidism but now I have gained so much weight. I try to exercise everyday but I am still gaining. Is this premenopausal? I am also thinking am I pregnant but I took a test twice which both showed negative. Can someone please advise me what to do?

I would get so angry and irritable. Any little thing would set me off in a rage so much so that it affected my marriage. I am on anti depressant tablets and they have helped a great deal, but every month about two weeks before my period, I would fly off the handle at everything and everybody. No one could look at me without a dirty look or comment. It got to the stage where I couldn't stand it anymore.

I kept telling my doctor about these symptoms: the night sweats, the migraines, the irritability,

the bloating, anxiety, etc., but he always shrugged it off and gave me valium, which made me feel so tired and out of it. They would last at least two hours, then it all came back like an explosion.

Well last week, I'd had enough. I was sick and tired of fighting with my 18 year old son. We'd had

an enormous argument that morning and afterward, I felt like a real cow. I could be terribly

nasty and hurtful, so I decided as a last ditch effort to go the our local herbal shop.

I went in and just burst into tears. The naturopath was great. She told me that what I was experiencing and had been for years was premenopausal symptoms, and she put me onto to these herbal tablets. One is called Harmony Menopause and the other is endo fem. She suggested I take one of each tablet

twice daily. I quickly took these home and started taking them immediately. This was about 1:00 that

afternoon and no lie, by 10:00 that night, all my symptoms vanished and everything was calm and serene. I couldn't believe it. I asked her how long it was expected for this treatment to work and she said up to seven days. For me, it took only three hours.

I have had no bloating. no breast soreness, no anger. It was all gone. I couldn't believe it. They are wonderful. That night, I slept right through the night for the first time in years. I started my period today and I started taking the tablets three days ago and I am feeling the best I have felt in years: calm and in control.

I have yet to tell my doctor about this. I wonder what he is going to say. I am not about to stop, as I wouldn't change the serenity in my mind at the moment for anything.

I am lucky to say that I have not experienced the night sweats and hot flashes yet, but the forgetfulness, lack of being able to handle stress well, and my emotional levels have been out of whack for a good many years. I wanted to post here to let all women know if they are questioning if they are going through perimenopause that it is the blood test of your Prolactin levels that helps determine if you are indeed pre/post menopausal.

I hope this helps many of you, and if your doctor does not agree with the test, find someone who will. You are totally in the right to want to know why you feel the way you do.

Just saying that getting your thyroid levels checked and having it checked manually is never a bad idea, and when you get your levels stabilized, I'm betting you'll feel a whole lot better!

My cycles are still about 28 days, but now that I think of it, the last month before starting Nuvaring my cycles were late. At least I thought by a week. Now (light bulb) It could be thyroid and premenstrual.

I've lost 44 kgs since april 2009 and without a period. I'm the happiest person alive. bring on menopause. I'm excited.

It's ironic because I was at my worst when being married and having a husband. Low or no sex drive, fatigue, overweight, depression, and so on.

Feast or famine? Or it just proves that one cannot have everything. LOL

My big problem is feeling anxious and wanting to go poop very often! It's embarrassing! I'm 44 years old, and today I made my doctor's appointment.

I have also experienced forgetfulness, depression, loneliness, and a very upset stomach. My periods have shortened in length and flow, and I think they are also coming more irregularly. They've always been on the point every 28 days, but now they seem to come either earlier or later. I also feel that my heart is racing like crazy sometimes.

I can't wait to tell my doctor. Let's help one another to stay positive, and do what we can to take it in with pride! Music and dancing seem to help me a lot. Of course getting together with friends and family! Will report back later! Take care ladies!

Cycles are coming on closer together, but monthly. Bleeding heavy one day out of five or six day cycle. I experience forgetfulness, cold nature, and other discomforts. Be encouraged, and go to your doctor to get examined. But, know that you aren't alone and we are victorious.

Go through this season of life with grace and sing songs to yourself, and think on good things that has happened in our lives. I can't watch action shows. I watch game shows and comedy. This helps me tremendously. Just know that you are special. If men had to go through this, Lord help. Oh yes, I pray daily and solicit the Lord's help. He won't put any more on us than we are able to bear. We'll need to help our daughters, nieces and grands when their time comes. Finish strong!

I have two children and i can't seem to have fun with them. I just want to sit around like i have very little energy. I can't sleep at night and my mood swings are putting pressure on my relationship. I have had blood tests done and just waiting on results.

Is it normal to get these symptoms at my age? Does it mean i will go through the menopause early?

However, after reading these posts, I'm starting to think otherwise. I exercise five to seven times a weeks so my weight is balanced but I have noticed more facial hair than usual. Boyfriend thinks I'm pregnant but I don't. I guess time will tell all.

I have always been about 103 pounds and notice that my weight has constantly increased since about 40 I'm at about 113 pounds now.

I have trouble sleeping, focusing, doing activities, and I always feel depressed. What is happening to me. I feel so horrible! I have five children and don't have energy to enjoy them nor my husband. --teardrops

The past six months I have either skipped a month or had very heavy bleeding and large clots. This month was almost a month late and I started off very light for five days, then heavy for 13 days and now I've been spotting every day since going on 25 days total. I have also gained weight out of the blue. Just annoyed!

God created us and had a huge part in this stage of our lives.

I have also had all of the typical symptoms like restlessness, waking up in the middle of the night, weight gain and hot flashes. It has been helpful talking to others who have or are going through this also.

Being a nurse, I figured that I am probably premenopausal. This can be very stressful. Will be contacting my physician in reference to what can be done other than hormonal meds to stop this problem.

I need people to talk to me and having friends around makes me feel better but the moment I'm at home again, I start to feel depressed again. I wonder these are perimenopausal symptoms. --lmf

Also feeling very depressed and irritable, would like to crawl into a dark hole and stay there. Have no time for my husband & children. Can I get any help for this?

The last two months I'm having very heavy, painful periods every two weeks. I'm having hot flashes all the time and am very moody/stressed. This morning i woke with horrible stomach cramping and nausea. Could i be premenopausal? btw, no insurance here.

A few days later I kept getting the hot flashes and thought wow are these hot flashes. I went to the doctor last week and received the news. For two days I did not tell a soul. I was feeling "old". I had to adjust to this new milestone.

My physician prescribed hormone therapy but I am afraid to take the drug because of the side effects. I am not sure what to do but I do know I do not like the hot flashes, the ability to lose focus, the weight gain, etc. I keep telling myself to snap out of this. I am just turned 43 and I am feeling awful.

I do not recommend hormone replacement for all women. I've had a stroke in my past (I was 22!), so this would be a no-no for me or for anyone else with a history of stroke. -Shelly H

I treated the symptoms independently since they never seemed to occur around the same time. I never thought that it could possibly be perimenopause.

I started putting the pieces together after I spoke with my old college roommate. The article and your comments have been really helpful. At least now I know that I'm not going nuts. Thank you.

I feel I'm too young to be going through this and am scared because I have three young children and a husband who is supportive, but not sure how I am going to handle it.

Now I am beginning to start noticing that my periods are not starting in this same cycle but is now extending past it, like beyond day 21. I had experienced night sweats, nothing too bad, but it would only occur a few days before my actual cycle would start.

Just recently, I had bad cramps and a slight backache with breast tenderness but still no cycle, which again is beyond the time it was supposed to start. Is this the onset of perimenopause?