I had my last period when I was one month past my 45th birthday. Poof. Never got one again. Hadn't been irregular. Didn't have the pre-menopausal symptoms. Except, I started with horrendous (Horrendous! I tell you!) hot flashes about 2 months prior. Those awful things came constantly and lasted for several years. Now, at 59, I still have flashes, but they are Minor - mostly in bed at night and with my coffee in the early morning, and much weaker than those first years. I had no personality changes. Remained my sweet self throughout. My daughter, however, would beg to differ.