@foxymama: Welcome to Peri-Menopause. It's nothing to worry about. Just mention it to your GYN at your next appointment. Yes, it's time to start carrying "necessaries" all the time now.
Peri-Menopause can start in the 30s and is the 5-10, maybe even 15 years prior to menopause when things simply wack out (for lack of a better term). Irregular cycles are just the beginning. Early hot flashes, mood swings, etc. can happen, as well as very heavy, even flooding cycles that can come up out of the blue. First one scared me so bad I went to the ER thinking I was hemorrhaging. They tested me for pregnancy because it was very similar to a miscarrage minus the horrible pain. Turned out to be Peri. 4951