premenopause

I have been having irregular periods for about a year.  6 months ago I had blood drawn and was told I was not in menopause.  I took the hormone drugs the first 10 days of the month and started menstrating again...some months without the help of the meds.  I started having some menopause symptoms such as weight gain, hair breakage, hot flashes, insomnia, etc.  Today I was told by my OB/GYN that last weeks CBC shows that I am premenopausal.  I am 38 and have no children and definitely want to have a baby!  Is it possible for me to still get pregnant?  Is it too late for me to have my eggs harvested?  My husband is in Iraq and I won't see him again for several months!  What steps do I need to take to help my chances with either?  Thank you!

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

The best thing to do is to see a reproductive endocrinologist. Having a CBC does not give the results to tell if a woman is or isn't in menopause. If  you have a husband in Iraq, you might be having some of your symptoms due to stress and anxiety. That can cause the body to feel bad, cause hair breakage, insomnia and many other symptoms. The Reproductive Endocrinologist should be able to run the precise hormones to tell you if you are or are not in perimenopause. You could also have a low thyroid  hormone and that could cause these symptoms. Other things could factor in as well. It might also help you to talk with a mental health provider to deal with some of the stresses you are facing at this time in life. The next time your husband comes  home you could discuss saving his sperm in a sperm band and working with the Reproductive Endocrinologist each month to conceive while he is away. I think you will find it helpful to have these discussions even if you decide not to do these approaches. My best wishes for your husband's safe return.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD
Machelle M. Seibel, MD

[abbey7]

I forgot to say that thesre is no family history of menopause before the age of about 55