Yes
Hello Mama Crow,
Yes, I am afraid it is very normal.....
My first experience with peri-menopause was in my late 30's. Heavy bleeding and irregular periods and I was newly single! I was so sure I had cancer and was going to die. This just couldn't be happening to me. I kept it to myself for a few months before finally going to the doctor, who told me I was in peri-menopause. My first thought was this just couldn't be happening to me. (I am kinda a person who lives in that word denial.) But, peri-menopause? At the time I had never heard of peri-menopause and the doctor explained to me exactly what it meant and what was happening to me. I knew all about menopause, but had no idea there was a peri or a post! All I could relate menopause to was my divorce and wished I could have divided the stages of my divorce to peri-divorce, divorce and post divorce. The peri-divorce was when I suffered the most and no one knew, kinda like peri-menopause. The divorce itself was a relief because all the suffering was almost behind me. Then, the post-divorce was the most fun----no more pain----and I was single....kinda like post-menopause---no more periods and .... for some women, who suffered with this.... no more mood swings, hot flashes, etc.
All I could think about was I just couldn't be aging. I mean, it was me!!! I couldn't be getting older. (Again, I live in a constant stage of bliss and denial.)
Now, here I am in my mid-50's (or is it late 50's--Who cares?) and all of the peri/post and all the in-between of menopause is behind me and I feel great.
Just look at it this way----You are only beginning.
Paulette