I am 53 and still having periods, usually every 21 to 28 days with a 40 day cycle thrown in maybe once a year for the last three years.

The past few months I have had some mild hot flashes in the morning while trying to get ready for work, usually after my cup of coffee. No night sweats - yet. Moodiness? Welllllllllllllll.....I have always been moody but this is becoming a real issue for me. Either I want to weep over everything or I want to walk out on my life! Ok..not really. But yes, I do. LOL.

I read somewhere that 54 is the avg. age for menapause so I am expecting to stop next year. I would guess though that I need to start skipping more months for that to happen, but time will tell.

Actually...my mom thinks she was about 54 when she did, but she isn't sure. My dad died when she was 45 and she later went into a relationship, did not want mid life babies, went on the birth control pill and going through meanpause was just a non-event for her. I like that..I wanna do it MOM'S WAY, lol.

I have two co-workers my age who are also basically where I am in the process, except they have both been suffering with hot flashes a lot more than I have.

I am going to research the sites you nice ladies have provided and do some thinking about it, but right now, I plan to take HRT when I am at the place I need them, at least for a year or two.
I may change my mind and I will be studing all the information I can find about the herbal and the HRT routes, because I am a need to know kind of lady.

Glad to know I have such good company here!