I am 47, have always had normal, regular periods till the last year or two, when they have become somewhat erratic, which I assume is normal: sometimes clots, sometimes light, long and short intervals, etc. For the last several months I have had a progressive sense of heaviness or congestion in my pelvic area which seems to not be related to time of month, along with achy pains in the ovarian area that come and go all month long. I'm also getting low backaches that are especially noticeable in the morning (I tend to sleep on my back but that's not new). I've had pelvic ultrasounds before (last one about 2 years ago) and ovarian cysts have been seen. No abnormal Paps. No between-period bleeding. I am at a healthy weight and take pretty good care of myself, monogamous with my husband, no history of STDs. I have had ongoing GI problems, i.e. indigestion, tendency towards constipation (treated for H. pylori several years ago and diagnosed with IBS after excluding other GI stuff via colonoscopy). Those were better for a while but have worsened recently too. I'm also not as energetic as I used to be; I have always been quite physically active but have a hard time getting going lately. My questions: Are these normal manifestations of someone entering the menopause zone or should I be more concerned? Is it safe to wait for my next yearly exam in a couple of months or should I treat this more urgently? The symptoms do not seem to be going away. Thanks very much for your input.