Could it be early menopause?

Over the last six month my periods have shorted from 7 to about 4 days.  Over the last two months my cycles have increased from about 28 days to 35 days.  My biggest problem is hair loss over the last year with scalp pain that increases the week before my period.  I have also been having sleep trouble.  I fall asleep easily and remain asleep all night, but awaken tired and unrested.  I have been using Melatonin and it is helping me sleep better, which also helps the scalp pain lessen some.  I also have anxiety problems (which have increased over the last year) but have it under control most of the time without medication.  I have had laboratory work (CBC, lipid,liver profile, thyroid) about a month ago and all was normal.  I had my hormone levels checked just before I started experiencing the hair loss and they were normal.  Could I be in early menopause?  Could there be some other hormone related problem that I am experiencing?  Which direction should I go to search for an answer, OBGYN or other?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

It is difficult to offer an answer without an exam and some additional lab work. However, it does not sound like menopause. You can ask your doctor to check a blood test for FSH which usually goes up in menopause. Your doctor can also check blood tests for LH, testosterone, estradiol and prolactin.

Several things could be going on. Here are a few thoughts. One thing that can cause a lot of sleep and still feeling tired is depression. It can sometimes be associated with anxiety as well. Other things can be caused by either significant weight gain or weight loss. There are many other reasons.

Start off by talking with your Gyn doctor. If that does not result in a diagnosis, he/she should be able to direct you to someone else. It might be either a reproductive endocrinologist or a medical endocrinologist.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD

[borninquisitive]

I have had some symptoms similar to yours and then some.
I am not sure what hormones were tested (or not) but I will tell you what was found for me (on one occasion, I had to draw my own labs): somewhat out-of-rangeTgAbs (thyroid antibodies-the other is TPO for thyroid) and elevated Dhea-s & Testosterones. My current internist (canned my last doc) is thinking thyroiditis (have to be watched) and possibly P.C.O.S. (Dhea/Test and other findings).
Look to see if these tests were run.

Best,
~Kate
35 years old