101 replies to this topic

[kwark]

Hi my name is Kathy & I am 24 years old.  I was diagnosed 5 years ago after never having a regular period ever.  I thought that I was dealing with it OK but have come to realize in the last while that I am dealing with the facts but not the emotions. It was so helpful for me to read all of your stories & read things that I could totally relate to. So thanks.

------------------
Diagnosed June 1998 @ age 19
Just switched to Estace 1mg & Prometrium 100mg,  continuous HRT

[jdenk]

Hi, my name is Jill.  I'm a 19 year-old freshman in college and was just diagnosed with POF the day after Christmas. (Some present, huh?)  I have not had a natural period since about age 14. While it really hasn't sunk in about not being able to have children, I am now dealing with a lot of depression and anxiety.  I expected to have grown out of the stress and self-conciousness issues that most people experience in their early teens by now.  However, I feel like all my friends are gliding into adulthood while I'm stuck in a perpetual state of puberty.  In only the past couple months I have been subject to almost crippling mood swings, one moment I am fine, and the next I'm almost in tears.  I thought it was the transition from high school to college or perhaps homesickness at first, but there's no way to "shake it." I try to make myself focus on something else, but I can't.  I have a twin sister who does not have this condition and while she is sympathetic, she along with the rest of my family can do little to relate to what I'm dealing with.

Anyway, I just stumbled on this board a little while ago and am so happy to have a support group always at hand.

Nice to meet you all!


Jill

Edited by jdenk, 01 January 2004 - 07:12 AM.

[Porcelain]

hi... i'm new, my name's krista, i'm 18 and i'm a first year at the college of craft and design in New Brunswick Canada.
basically, i've been messed up and irreg since i got my period at 14. for years i wasn't getting a period. then when i did, i got super sick and it was only that one time in a year and a half or so. so i went to a doctor when i was 15 to sort some things out. he only suggested that i eat healthier and that i was a normal teenager.

i then went for another appointment with the same doctor a year later and asked him to fix the problem. that i was worried that something was wrong. he sighed and sent me off to ultrasound and x-ray.

i get there, get my little x-rays and they're fine. i go into ultrasound and they have trouble finding my ovaries, they see little round shaped SOMETHINGS and the doctors are like "oh yah that's them"

so i get to be 17 and i still don't know what's wrong. i go to hundreds of appointments, at least 30 blood appointments, and by the time i'm 18, they're almost sure they've figured it out. My ovaries have failed, and i'm going into early menopause. Yup.

if it had been caught earlier it could have been avoided. so they put me on "the pill" and premarin, a type of estrogen. now not only do i not really need my period, seeing as though i can never have kids, i have to keep taking it now or i'll get cancer because of the buildup or something.

they found that my anti bodies attacked me. i read more about it on this site which helped me understand more. they're still doing further research into it but that's about the gist of it. i'm 18, and i'm pre-meno.

[SoNotReady]

I began having night sweats when I was 27.  Then my period became irregular so I was put on BC.  Which only made me feel sick and depressed.  Now 30, I have finally found out through a series of blood work that I'm in Early Menopause.  I'm taking Ortho Tri-Clene, I can tolerate it well, but I am still having night sweats, mood swings, forgetfulness, extreme fatigue, some nuesea, and depression.  I will see the Dr. again March 1st.  I'm afriad of anything containing high amounts of estrogen b/c my mom died of breast cancer.  There seems to be some relationship between estrogen and breast cancer.  I know the Dr will want to change my BC but I'm afraid of what it might do.  Maybe I should just put up with the symptoms and continue using the same BC.  Ahhh, so confusing.

[mommof2]

Hello!
My name is Lori.  I am 26 and recently experienced surgical menopause.  I had my ovaries removed as a result of hemorhhagic cysts.  The r ovary was removed when I was twelve and the l on Jan. 23, 2004.  It happened so fast.  I had pain on Tues and by Fri I was having surgery.  The plan was to drain the cyst.  However that is not what I woke up to.  I fortunately have 2 children (Alexis and Aaron), but I was still very upset to hear that I would not be able to have any more.  I am still trying to cope with what I have went through and also what I am going to be going through.  I immediatelt started HRT (Prempro) since the night sweats immediately started.  The HRT seems to be helping, but now I am have problems wit my uterus.  It is very soar and during exams I experience a tremendous amount of pain.  The dr seems to think that I may have an infection, so I am taking an antibiotic.  He said it may from the HRT although I am on a very low dose.  I am sooooo confused.  I just want my life back.  I had t stop working and going to school.  I love being home with my children but now going through this emotional roller coaster.  I hope to come to some sort of resolution with this pain.  I am reading the premature menopause book and feel much more comfortable about HRT.  I still have more to read.  It is nice to have a place to go to where I can talk to people with similar experiences!
Lori

[JanetSue]

Child/pregnancy mentioned....

Hi all.  It's been so long since I've posted anything.  I was just thinking of you all and thought I'd check in.

My story is long as now I am old!!  Married my High School sweetheart at 20, missed almost a full year of periods prior to that.  Went to doctor, high FSH.  POF!  Started HRT premarin/provera faithfully.  This was 1985 and I was the ONLY one in the world with this.  I read a article in 1989 Cosmo about another young women dx with POF.  Felt a bit less like a freak, or at least I wasn't the ONLY one.  After 8 years of marriage decided we were better friends than husband and wife. (I mean that literally, ex dh was best man at second wedding.)  Meant my current husband the weekend I moved out, after vowing to give myself some time. Ha.

I found the POF bored when I was 34.  OMG I couldn't believe that I was now in touch with women who actually understood what I was going thru, i.e., hotflashes, dryness, spaciness, bitchiness, etc...  Such a relief after 14 years of being by myself.  They became my saving grace.  Then our precious Kathy wrote THE BOOK!!!!!!  Bless her heart.  All is good in my world!

I was turning 35 and told dh that if we were going to try to have a family, maybe we should check out our options before time got any further away from us.  Made appointment at fertility center regarding DE/IVF and I was pregnant in less than 3 months.  Go figure.  The love of my life is now a 3 year old going on 16, attitude and all.  Now I'm currently pregnant with donor embryos.  Another miracle sent our way.  Miranda will be a wonderful big sister.

If you have a uterus, HRT is so important in the early years of this nightmare.  I had Miranda when I was 35 and didn't go back on my hrt because I nursed her forever.  Then we started to think about donor embryos.  That all happened really fast as well.  

I lost both my precious mother and my wonderful father exactly 7 months of one another, last February 11th and then September 11th.  Mom went unexpectantly and after 57 years of marriage daddy died of congestive heart failure and a broken heart.  It was a difficult year for me and my 6 siblings.  I'm so thankful for my brothers and sister, that's why I want this baby so much for Miranda.

Bla bla bla.  Sorry to ramble.  Thanks for reading if you got this far.
Take care everyone.

Janet
POF dx 20, now 39
1 daughter via donor egg/ivf now 3
6 weeks pregnant via donor embryo/ivf u/s 2/24 to see what's happening

[jeffner]

Hi! Jenny here, (yes, another one! lol), 23 yrs old, found out I had suffered POF at 17,  as I hadn't had any periods before that time. Dr's reckon I went through puberty and menopause all at once.  Been through hell and back trying to deal with it but think I'm getting there now.  I've been on different forms of HRT, with varying degrees of success, mainly due to the fact that I move about a lot with my job so only spend about two years with a Gynae at a time.  It helps to know that there are others out there who've gone through the same sort of thing, and I'm not just odd! lol

[Denzeldear]

Hello,my name is Denise and im 29yrs old,im 6ft 4ins,i weigh about 11 stone!I was diagnosed with EM bout 8 wks ago and i think its only hitting me now!I never really got my periods.id probably get them maybe once or twice a yr and i didnt start till i was bout 18yrs!when i went to my GP she just put me on the contraceptive pill and told me to get on with it,but after 6 months i couldnt take it anymore.my family and friends couldn't bear me.I was like the ANTI-CHRIST!!!And so i got on with my life,but always knowing and hiding, something just was not right,but i never let it get on top of me.im the life and soul of any party and ALWAYS have a smile on my face!!well i was up until 8 wks ago!!I work in a maternity hospital,in the catering dep. and the hosp were having a health fare!i got a haemeglobin test done and they found out im anneamic,so i got referred to a gynae in the hosp.he started tests in Jan 2004 and every time i went to see him he seemed to change his mind.first he said i was annorexic and he was giving me 8 wks to put on a stone!!four wks later he said no it wasnt my weight,my hormones were all over the place so he put me on the pill for 6 months!he came to see me while i was working in the staff resturant on the fri (2 days later) and asked me to see him nxt Wed!as it turned out i was workin that day and i got called to go down!i hadnt got a clue what he was going to say to me,i sat in the chair opposite him and all i can remember him saying to me was YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN and YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THE MENOPAUSE!!!!my world fell apart!!!i thought HOW PROFESSIONAL OF YOU TO BREAK THE NEWS TO ME LIKE THAT!!my whole personality has changed for the worst in those 8 wks!im not sleeping,eating,im afraid to socailise cause all im doing is crying and im soooo irratated.NOTHING is going right for me.ive found out i have irratable bowel!i hate my job and i hate my life.im due to see a hormone specalist on Wed 2nd June 2004 and im hoping he'll beable to ans my Qs.I just cant Cope and feel like i cant go on.....Thank you for setting up this web site,you have helped.xxxx

[Denzeldear]

Hello everyone!
Just to let you know how i got on today with my appointments.My first one was with a counseller and she was based in the maternity hospital where i work!She was lovely and helped me realise im not alone and its perfectly NORMAL to feel the way im feeling,just like you said!!I'll be seeing her a quite  a while so thats good.Second was my hormone specalist and he put his words in a certain way so that i could understand.hes going to further tests thst my gynae didnt and so i'll have to wait for the results of those but things are starting to look up.my last app was with my GP and that was just to explain how i got on today and she was happy with everything!i NOW feel like im going to get the answers to my Qs,it might take awhile but i NOW feel like im in GOOD hands and EVERYTHING WILL be explained to me in a way that i can understand too. Thank you again for listening and for being here for me,it really does mean alot!!Luv Denise xxx  

[mommof2]

Hello Ladies,
My name is Lori and I am 26 years.  I had a right oopherectomy when I was 12 because of a large cyst 10+cm, and a left oopherectomy three months ago for the same reason.  In between I had many surgeries and difficulties.  I was on BCP's most of my life and had to take fertility pills to have children.  Fortunately I have two, a girl and a boy.  I was not prepared for the idea of facing menopause at such a young age.  I am currently talking HRT, which includes a combination of two seperate pills.  I have not had much success since my surgery.  I have recently been put on anti-depressants and rarely get a good night sleep.  I am still trying to adjust to the fact that my body has changed and feeling normal is not an option at this point.  My husband and this site have been very supportive.  It gives me comfort to know that I am not the only one out there.  Good luck to all of you!
Lori

[Nels]

Hi all,  My name is Naomi, I

Edited by Nels, 15 July 2004 - 01:27 PM.

[Nellie]

Hello to everyone!
I've been reading all these stories for days and wanted to chime in.  I'm so tired of the details of my own POF story, so here's the highlights:
-- Currently 33 y/o
-- Prob 19y/o POF (masked w/ BCP)
-- Approx 16 y/o Hypothyroid
-- Diagnosed POF 23 y/o
-- NIH Study 1997, POF not antibody related
-- DE Baby boy born 2001, anon donor and much $$
-- Mom's a pharmacist, so tried EVERY hormone and currently taking 3mg Estrace daily, 400mg natural progesterone (compounded) 15-25 of month and Synthroid.  Also recently trying out some compounded testosterone for libido.  Wee hoo.
I've been feeling for ten years like I'm not 'really' POF, that this will somehow just go away, but it's not.  It's been very helpful reading everyone's posts and reading the hrt info on this site.
Hope to be around more to help answer questions others have, too!
-- Nellie
Charlotte, NC

[Dee44]

Hello
    I'm 25 and in the begining stages of menopause. I have been up for hours just reading and I can't believe there is so many of us, some of our details are different but our stories seem the same. Heres mine.  
    I had been going for the dr for about 2 yrs complaining of pain but I think all he saw was a healthy 23 old. I finally had to beg him to do something, I know my body and something was wrong. They found tumors, huge grapefruit size tumors attached to each ovary. worst case was cancer, close second was removing both ovaries.
    Surgery went well, no cancer and i still have both ovaries (they are very tiny). I was told to wait for my period to come, it would take about 6-8 weeks and then I'd be back to normal. That was 6 months ago and now there telling me that its not ever going to come back.
     I kinda knew when i started getting real bad night sweats and other syptoms.my mom is goin through it too, we bitch about it together.
     The hardest part was telling my new husband  (the surgery was march i got married in may) that we weren't going to be able to have kids and it was my fault. I feel bad that because my body is broken he has to suffer.
But what i feel the most is anger borderline rage. Do you guys feel it too or is it just me? I feel cheated out of having one the greatest experiences anyone can have.
     I'll admit since finding all this out i've been terrible to be around but reading all of your stories is helping me. people can say they  understand but no one understands unless they have been through it. I'm sorry then any of us are having to go through this but its nice to know were not alone.

[N@din]

Hi to everyone, girls!

I haven

[cassie68]

hello ladies i happy i found you guys that can relate what i'm going through. here is my story started period at 11 very pain ful cramps i was allaways irregular.at 22 i wass BLESS to have a healthy beautiful daughter took my 5 years to get pregnat i never use birth control after had daughter periods was coming further and further apart and cramps stopped after i had daughter . was rtying to have another baby so i went to doc ran all kinds of test going every two wek for about two months.the doc could'nt believe test he said your are in early menopause and he said my test reveil that i should be having all kinds of symptoms but i said i feel fine just no periods. he did laproscopy test came back saying i have noeggs i was 28 then and its not hereditary he said he really couldnt answer and he said he dont know how i had my daughter and he said i had endmetroisis all overy my ovaries and outside burnt them off but he said that would not cause early menopause. im 36 now i never had any hot flases just last few years vaginal dryness refuse to go on synthetic hormones tried every thing the patch was okay.now im a vegetarian eat a lot of soy married 8 years been with husband 20 years i bless i feel fine i was experiencing anxiety attacks and recently i found out it was from menopause but i learn to control it the key is rest and stress free and prayer. im taking phytoestrogen natural product just start taking.

[RTD]

this is cool....i didnt see this before i posted on the regular POF forum

I am 25, diagnosed last month...

never had a menstrual cycle

[SoNotReady]

Just peeking in.  Haven't been around in ages.  But lately my symptom have taking a turn for the worse.  Especially moodswings and the hotflashes.  I have not been back to the doctor yet because I moved out of state.  So till I get an appointment I'm barely holding on.

btw- for those who do not know me.  I'm 31, I was diagnosed with early menopause about a year ago.  I'm married, with no children, just 2 lovely fur kids.

[chiacchierona11]

Hi all,
Coming into this poll late in the game but...I was dxed at 15 and am now 23. I was 14 when my period just stopped (I only had it for about 2 years at the point). I am lucky though to have such wonderful and knowledgeable doctors and to have always had them through the whole process of diagnosis and treatment! Honestly, without them, I would probably still be undiagnosed.
Take care,
Beth

[anozira]

Hello,

my name is Michelle, Having had really massive bleeding during my periods since I was 15, I misscarried in my 4th month when I was 30, thenI was dx with "pre" menopause at about age 35, and now at 37 told I am menopause. Irritable, moody, getting very fat, besides not ever being able to have children,  the ONLY good thing is not having the periods.  I am feeling "old" and not at all myself.   {{sigh}}

[neo21]

hi, i'm new and not sure what to say - I was diagnosed with POF when I was 13 they did an FSH level test which was a shocking 126. The docs put me on HRT - Prempac-C Which did not agree with me, I then decided to try the patches but hated them even more as they gave me withdrawal bleeds for 10 days.

Anyway I am 21 now and looking at the prospect of I.V.F in April this year, pretty exciting, but as I have not been taking any medication my uterus is very small and I need three months to prepare, I have been given no explanation as to why this has happened.

Anyway just a bit of info for now...see you later neo21