Hello ladies.
Thought I'd add my experiences as they may be a little different from the average. I am 58 and a half and had my last period at 53. Up until that time my periods had been regular and quite heavy with no tailing off at all. In 2010 I had a period in April, nothing again until September when I had a slight show and then nothing since. After that my menopause symptoms really kicked in, so much so that in May 2013 I began experimenting with HRT.
Many women seem to have a staggering of periods with bleeds becoming progressively lighter but that was not the case for me. By the way I remember feeling good at 49 and when my GP mentioned that he would prescribe HRT if I ever needed it I wondered what he was talking about! I since discovered that his wife was having a rough time with her menopause so maybe things were tough at home!
Take care ladies.
K.