Is it menopause?

I am 40 yrs old. This month the periods started on 23rd July. Usually it starts 3-5 days before previous months date. Last month it started on 18th June. In that respect it was late. Now this month for the first 3-4 days the bleeding was very scanty. Then for next 3 days it was normal. Today it is 31st July. Still very scanty amount of blood is coming. Never in my life has such a thing happened. Could anyone tell me whether menpoause ever starts like this? There are no physical problems with me. Pl help soon.

[PerimenoWorried]

During perimenopause, anything is possible.  Our cycles go haywire and can continue on that way or, they alternate, going back and forth between irratic and crazy to normal again.  You are at the age when this can all begin.  

Perimenopause can last from 1 to 10 years and lots of us go through a completely confusing array of symptoms and changes in our bodies and cycles.  

Eating well and healthfully, taking vitamin supplements (a good multivitamin), exercising, sleeping well, managing stress levels and having a support system (often most of us don't have that in our lives), all help tremendously.  

Don't be afraid to talk to your family doc about these changes.  Very often, a good doc will give you some great tips and hints as to how to best cope with it all.  More importantly, they can do blood tests to see where our hormones are and what stage we are at and generally do a check-up to make sure that we are balancing out.  Once all of that has been done, peace of mind that it's "just perimenopause"...a natural route that our bodies take at this stage of our lives, can go far in helping us to realize that we will survive it and come out the other side just fine! :)  And, if there's anything that needs looking into (ie: hormone imbalances or physiological problems) they can be dealt with and you'll feel better.  

Pretty much all of us here know what you're going through and are going through it with you so, you're not alone and we'll all get through this.  It's the "not knowing" that's the hardest thing.  Once we understand what's happening with our bodies and the changes, we can more easily cope.  There is help out there for us as well.  Don't be afraid to ask for it.  :)