Hi. I'm 21 and for the last year or so I have been getting incredibly exhausted the week before my period. I feel weak and flakey and find it difficult to get moving. A couple of times this has gone to an extreme. back in October I came over ill and thought I had flu. I was working as an editor on a film at the time but felt so bad I had to phone the director and say I wasn't sure I could make it in. as I walked to the phone I suddenly lost all my energy and colapsed. I couldn't even hold my head up. my boyfriend and his housemates (I was staying at his) tried to talk to me and they picked me up and carried me to a bed but I couldn't speak back. They thought I was unconcious but I was completely aware of everything happening around me. since then it's happened twice more. The symptoms are as follows: feel on verge of blacking out for about half an hour, extreme weakness, confusion (inc. difficulty forming sentences, lack of concentration and sense of unreality).

endometriosis?…Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrium) grows in other areas of the body, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and possible infertility.
it can also effect the brain and other parts of the body

womenshealth.about.com/cs/endomet…

A woman who has a mother or sister with endometriosis has a 6 times greater risk of developing endometriosis than the general population

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/…

Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining. Menopause typically (but not always) occurs in women in midlife, during their late 40s or early 50s, and signals the end of the fertile phase of a woman’s life.This list of common symptoms that occur during perimenopause and menopause was developed from the real-life experiences of hundreds of women.• Aching joints and muscle aches and weakness• Allergies• Arthritis• Breast tenderness, painful breasts and swelling• Chronic fatigue• cold or tingling hands and feet• Craving sweets, caffeine, junk food and carbohydrates• Depression, and anxiety• Dizziness, lightheadedness• Dry hair and brittle hair• Dry and itchy eyes• Dry, thin, or wrinkly skin• Endometriosis• Facial hair growth• Fibrocystic and lumpy breasts• Gallbladder pain• Hair loss, thinning hair• Headaches, migraines• Heart palpitations• Heavy or light periods• Hot flashes• Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar• Inability to sleep or sleeping excessively (insomnia or hypersomnia)• Incontinence or urinary symptoms• Irregular and erratic periods• Irritability, inability to handle stress• Lack of concentration, foggy and fuzzy thinking• Leg cramps• low energy and fatigue• low metabolism• lower sex drive ,loss of sex drive• Menstrual cramping• Morning sluggishness• Mood swings• Memory lapses or memory loss• Night sweats• Osteoporosis and bone loss• Ovarian cysts• Painful intercourse• PMS• Ringing, buzzing in ears• Spotting, light bleeding• Symptoms of hypothyroidism with normal T3 and T4• Unstable blood sugar and hypoglycemia• Urinary tract infections and irritation• Uterine fibroids• Vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy• Vaginal infections• Water retention and bloating• Weepiness• Weight gain, especially in hips, waist and stomach• Yeast infectionsBe careful…

First, I have to say that I am diagnosed with recurrent depression. what I am having now though seems different than the "normal" bouts of depression I have. sometimes I feel fine and then other times I feel very emotional and on the verge of tears. I sweat buckets, not really so much at night, just sort of whenever, I'm tired alot, not much interest in sex, terrible memory problems, cant seem to focus/concentrate, my periods will be regular for a few months and then I may skip one. Can any of you ladies that are going through or have gone through menopause tell me about your symptoms to reassure me that I am not losing my mind.

I sympathize with you. my periods stopped years ago in my early 40s and over time I started having all the things you are talking about – hot and cold sweats, loss of memory, lack of concentration, just even feeling mean. I think that menopause is an extremely trying time for a lot of women. I always think,"getting hormones was fun, having them taken away is so NOT." after quite a few years and a lot of thought, I think the best thing to do about it is to just regard it as a part of life and deal with the symptoms as best you can. for the memory problems – make notes and to do lists, reminders. for the sweats – wear layers that you can peel, have a fan nearby. for the lack of interest in sex – think of how good it feels to pick a partner based on things other than raging hormones. I think that soy milk helps a little. People have recommended soy milk and soy powder to me and I just think the soy milk is better. I drink a couple of glasses a day. You are not losing your mind – you are just going through a transition. And you certainly are not alone.

When I turned 48 I left my husband – moved out and took my 7-year old son with me. I started having alot of intense emotions, crying, grief, anger – which I thought were related to my marriage break-up. I also started having migraines for the first time. I was tired also. it took me about a year to figure out that my symptoms were related to pre menopause. I didn't get hot flashes until I reached menopause (when your periods stop for good), but they can vary greatly in the way you experience them as well. for more info on symptoms, see natural-approaches-to-menopau…