period now 10 days late, not pregnant, but should I see GP anyway?

[pebbley]

I'm 43 and normally have very regular periods, but last month was a week late. I'm only sure of this because though I don't usually count days obsessively, we were going abroad on holiday and I wanted to know if I was due on while away. So that was a bit odd.

Roll on to this month, and it's now 10 days from when I should have come on, counting my normal 28 days, and no period. I did a pregnancy test this morning to rule that out, which was negative (a huge relief). DH is booked in for the snip in a couple of weeks as we have definitely decided our procreation days are over. I have to say I'd have been very surprised if I was, from my age and the fact that DH and I are very careful (though we currently use condoms, so I suppose that's not 100%).

I'm now worrying about why my cycle has gone a bit haywire. I could be pre-menopausal, but don't your periods usually get closer together, not further apart? And I suppose I want to know whether it's worth making a GP appointment to discuss it. I feel absolutely fine, so it seems a bit daft, but I'm nervous about it as well.

Any advice, or similar experiences?

[NK346f2849X127d8bca260]

They can do either, at the age of 46 i had 2 odd cycles. One was 2 weeks late
and heavy for me when it arrived and the next one was on time but i only spotted but that lasted 2 weeks! I did speak to my doctor at a BP check, but he wasn't concerned and said that it was normal for their to be some odd ones in your forties. However since then the last 18 months they have been very regular, in fact more so than when i was younger!

[alice15]

I am 46, and have had at least 5 years of assorted cycles (so far) - a few months of shorter ones, then missing one or two, then a few months of longer ones... sometimes I bleed for 10 days, sometimes for 5... I also mentioned it to the doctor, who wasn't worried. I think that irregular cycles and variable heaviness of periods are par for the course in your mid 40s - doctors only seem to worry if you are bleeding irregularly between periods as well as having periods at irregular intervals, IYSWIM. If you are worried, of course see the doctor - they can do tests for hormone levels if it seems indicated.

[pebbley]

Thank you for the reassurance, both of you. It sounds like it's probably an age thing. Ho hum. So I'm probably in for more anxious waits for my period to start, or not start. In fact it sounds like it might be the start of uncertainty for a few years to come - better make sure DH gets him self snipped asap, as that will at least cut out the pregnancy scares....

I think I'll leave it a few more days and see what happens, and will make an appointment with my GP if I'm still feeling worried. Thanks again.