Do I really need contraception at my age?

[BigButtons]

I'm 51- in a newish relationship after years of being single. I had the mirena fitted a month ago and have bled continuously every day since. I am getting to the point where I want it taken out.
Before the mirena I still had periods every month but surely at my age - in reality-nothing's going to stick anyway?

I haven't bothered with contraception since my mid 40's (I'm late 40s now). The chances of a full term pregnancy at this age are extremely low. I remember researching it a bit and reading that the chance of getting pregnant naturally at 45 is something like 2% I imagine it's even lower at 50.

After bawling down the phone at the DR just now they are going to take it out this afternoon. She suggested prescribing me Cerazette. Since it is progesterone only pill I am slightly terrified that it's just going to be the same old shit.
Tbh I would rather risk a pregnancy than go through this hell any more.
The DR also told me that the average age of the menopause had gone up. Must be because women are generally healthier than they were?

A lot of babies are still born to Women over 45. Even in the celebrity world.

It's naive to believe 'a lot' of those, particularly in celebs, are natural conceptions with their own eggs.

I'm on cerazette at 50. No periods at all! It's great. At some point I need to stop taking it to see what happens, and whether my period starts up, but I don't think I have had any signs of menopause yet.

My mum had me at 52 and my sister 2 years later (no ivf or assistance either)

I too have no signs of menopause- periods can come a bit closer together 17 days or stretch out to 33 days, but mostly its in between those dates and always every month still. Fuckers.

now i will probably start reading up on the horrors of cerazette. i don't think i react well to progesterone.
A couple of years back I tried out HRT. The estrogen weeks were great but the progesterone ones a flipping nightmare- spotty, crampy, moody. i gave up on it. I am expecting the same if I take the cerazette tbh.

I would stick with the Mirena.

It will probably take up to 6 months to sort itself out.

If you are perimenopause, you may already have a thick womb lining which is going, or you will have strong ups and downs of oestrogen that will cause flooding without progesterone.

If it is still as bad at 6 months, rethink. Hopefully, bleeding will stop and then if you have any symptoms of low oestrogen, you can use a patch or gel and not have periods, and be nice and stable.

I have looked at abortion figures for over 50s. They still happen. Each year over 50 makes a big difference. You are probably more likely to end up with miscarriage at that age though, and complications.

There are a few late babies at 54 - that was the WR until someone had a child at 59

My midwife has delivered babies from women of 51 following a natural conception. Babies. Plural. From more than one 50+ woman.

It's not common but it does happen. What is more common is for the woman to concieve, but have a miscarriage which isn't pleasant.

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health guidelines for contraception for the over 40s are very useful. They state that spontaneous pregnancy is rare after 50 but contraception should be used until menopause to prevent unintended pregnancy.

www.fsrh.org/news/updated-clinical-guideline-published-contraception-for-women/

I did some charting before I started using HRT at 51 1/2.

I did not ovulate for 18 months and had loads of random periods - this is because the lining builds up and breaks down randomly when you do not produce enough/any progesterone in the second half of the cycle.

Amazingly, the last cycle was a perfect ovulatory cycle with the temperature rise in the right place, and it was even 28 days.

TheHodgeoftheHedge - Wow!!!!

Yeah, first couple of months were grim but after it settled, all good. But it's individual, apparently...

Sometimes you need oestrogen with mirena to stop the bleeding - I think that is more continuous spotting though. Sometimes trying COC for a few months helps, but that is not available over 50.

I hate condoms- always have.
There's only one option left open to me and that is to chance it.
The pills they have given me to slow the bleeding are working but I feel really sick and dizzy. More and more drugs which is ridiculous.
My body was working perfectly ok before I had this damn thing put in.

I just want to cry all the time.

What about the contraceptive implant or injections? Might one of those suit. I have the implant and generally get on well with it.

My womb has basically been sore for an entire month. The DR thinks it is being irritated by the Mirena.
The thing that scares me about injections is that I can't reverse it if it doesn't suit.
I'm just so tired

You say you hate condoms, but dont you think you'd hate getting an sti or worse more?

I had the injections for years and they were great. Fair enough you can't reverse them, but they run out at 2 months or 3 months.

Possibly I never should have stopped them, since my mid 40's withdrawal method baby is now at primary school.

At 51 I'd chance it. The odds of conceiving and carrying a healthy baby to term at that age are nigh on astronomical. I'd have a termination if I became pregnant at that age (I'm not much younger but Mirena's been a dream for me).

I'm on cerazette at 47 after I became massively anemic due to years of heavy periods. I started them in August and I've just had a couple of months of spotting and then no periods. I would recommend it

I've had 2 Mirenas. Both times I spotted for 6 weeks and then it stopped. If you've already done 4 weeks I'd persevere.

Sadly it's not just been spotting though and it has been getting slowly heavier. There have been no blood free days. My womb aches and I feel emotionally shattered.