Ok, for all you posters, YOU ARE IN PERIMENOPAUSE. You ALL have the symptoms, and there are alot of them. It's different for each woman, but once you start getting erratic periods, coupled with other symptoms, you have started the change. Many men doctors fail to acknowledge the fact that women are starting this change younger and younger. Just ask your mother and aunts how old they were when they started, and that will give you a good idea whether you are going to do the same. It usually last several years or longer, and as many as TEN before you finally are in menopause. Here is a partial list of symptoms you may or MAY NOT get:

dry itchy skin
thinning hair
mood swings
headaches
burning stomach
insomnia
low sex drive
high sex drive
erratic periods
skipped periods
palpitations
dizziness
change of life pregnancy
facial hair

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Some of you may not experience much for symptoms. There are others that can be attributed to menopause also. So if any of you experience some of these, you know now what it means. Hormones are not the best route to go for discomfort as there is a risk of breast cancer, but for some it may provide much needed relief. Hope this helps!