Is this the beginning of Menapause?

[Mozartcowgirl]

Ok.. everyone out there... please help me on this.. if you have.. or are going through menapause.. please tell me how you are feeling.. or felt when you began this trip.  I  am soon to be 40.. and no... im not stressing about it.. but.. have been experiencing what my dr.s MIGHT think is peri menapause starting about 2 years ago.. but now.. its really revving up... i am hot.. almost all the time.. when i check my temp.. its about 99.0-99.6..... my NORMAL temp used to be about 97.8.... now its not 99.0-99.6 all the time.. b ut... its like t hat alot... i now.. get cramping sensations for about 3-4 days in teh 2 weeks period before my period is due...  .. my periods went from on schedule.. every 28 days.. to now.. 30-34 days apart... my PMS symptoms are off and on.. last month.. i gained about 8 pounds.. then lost it two days after my period started.. this month.. it was a 33 day span in between periods.. and even the normalicy of the period has changed.. sorry if TMI. but usually..i used to have  a brown discharge inthe beginning.. now.. its just pink red.. and also.. now my periods maybe.. maybe last about a two days... last month.. my period was heavy... weird.   everything is whacky now..lol... its the heat that really gets me.. omg i get so hot... from the inside out.. its hard to explain.. can you guys let me know what the beginning.. middle.. and end of this ride is like.>??  I need to hear it from real women.. not a doctor.... and im not trying to be offensive towards a dr.. b ut i think that there are times when its just better to hear from you guys... the ones who experience things in different ways.. take care.. and thankyou!!

[iam1butterfly]

...you pretty much described Peri-Menopausal/ Menopausal symptoms. However, every woman is affected differently. In fact, much of what you describe sounds like where I'm at now... even though I'm 15 years older than you. As a rule... an early onset of Puberty (say, age 10-12) would usually result in an early onset of Menopause. In my case, I entered Puberty late by most standards... I was approaching 14. And, I'm only now experiencing significant Peri-Menopausal/ Menopausal symptoms at the age of 54. Within the last 6 months, my periods have been irregular with minimized amount of flow; fewer days; and a paleness of blood color and... consistent in the sense that I seem to be skipping periods to where I only have one period every other month.

Other symptoms include:

Intermittent night sweats
Occasionally racing heartbeats
An intolerance or a sensitivity to heat, especially direct sunlight.
A propensity for weight gain/ bloat... even though I don't eat all that much.
Dehydration... something that I never had a problem with, until now.
Hypersensitivity to foods that never used to bother me before... like spicy foods.
An inability to tolerate/ handle even the tiniest amount of alcohol.  
And, some might consider this a benefit... but, I have a markedly heightened libido.

I don't know what practical advice I can offer; but here's my lifestyle approach for Menopause:

No hormonal supplements.... my doctor says that I'm "not there, yet."
I follow a Low Carb diet because that seems to cool my body temperature and keep my body weight/ bloat down.
I do a 20 minute daily treadmill workout to walk off any mental/ emotional stress.
I take over-the-counter nutritional supplements (multiple vitamin/ mineral caps).
And, as per my doctor's advice I drink lots and lots of fluids.

[Mozartcowgirl]

Can you guys please give me your advice about my post ? I would most certainly appreciate it!!