Period woes

[Starrylight]

I'm posting for traffic. I'm lucky to have bang on pretty easy periods up until now. I'm 43, soon to hit 44 and I'm as of the past 3mths basically on a full time bleed. I've had a smear that came back hpv negative, so I've been told to get my next one in 3yrs. I have had 3 coils fitted since my twenties, all copper no hormones. 8 asked if it was likely to be related to peri and was told 'I'm probably too young'.

I've never had a polyp or endo issue to date. So I'm just at a bit of a loss? I'm booking in another appointment, but due to time frame as just getting smear results back, and well Christmas so limited appointments. Just throwing it out to the crowd?

Should have added I did get sti testes that also came back negative

No idea - sorry
I did have 6 months of similar - continuous bleeding. I was referred to gyn ( albeit waiting list was 2 years ) by that stage it had resolved and they had no concerns
I know at the time I could not identify any triggers, there was no changes to diet, in fact it was least stressed I had ever been .
I don’t think it was menopausal ( hopefully) as I was 31 at time

You are not too young for perimenopause at ALL. I was forty years old when it hit, and I had lots of lovely (not) things happen, one of which was erratic and lengthy bleeding.

Have you seen Davina's documentary about this?

Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause

It was an eye opener for a lot of people.

Thank you for replying. Yes, it's super weird! Nothing has changed dramatically other than that. Nothing medical, nothing weight wise, no extra stress. It's unfortunate that it's purely more annoying that I started a new sexual relationship

And yep, we are using condoms currently too. Both been checked & shared results. Nothing amiss at all there either. He's being obviously very supportive about it and none fazed. Or I'd bin him off. I'm just less upset vs confused to what is going on really.

Thank you for posting this! In all honesty I feel like it's linked to peri? Although I did feel frankly a bit fobbed off at my doctors. I can't give any family history due to adoption, so I did feel like that box of potential early family issues of women in my bio family was possibly skipped too. It kind of feels one of those 'lady problems', that just gets fobbed off a bit perhaps

I got fobbed off when I first went to the doctor. I had to wait until I was 44 before I was given hormones. I was going slowly mental and felt increasingly awful to the point where I contacted my doctor's surgery again, and told them that I'd quite like some hormones please, because I hear committing homicide gets you into trouble (or words to that effect).

Fortunately the doc that spoke to me was an older woman who could tell I was at the end of my tether, and she very nicely let me have some patches and pills.

I have normal and significantly lighter periods now, and I don't feel quite as stabby.

Watch that documentary anyways, it'll help you argue yer corner.

Absolutely, I'll keep pushing back with my surgery. To be honest I just feel so bloody tired constantly. That's the main thing beyond the bleeding. And I'm trying to combat it myself currently with a concoction of vit tablets. But I know it's not even combating the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Thanks again

It could be fibroids. I had them at your age. They get worse and worse. I had a hysterectomy which was bliss. No more periods.

I was allllwaaaaays exhausted. I wanted to stay in bed forever. It was nice in there, WHHHHY did I ever have to leave etc

Hormones are stupid, but it sounds like you might be running a bit low.

I think I gave a similar list in another thread, but here's what I was battling:

•hot flushes
•extremely erratic moods
•extremely wonky periods.
•ridiculous restless legs to rival
Michael Flatley in Riverdance
•sobbing episodes
•ridiculous anxiety and panic
•headaches that wouldn't piss off
•body hair to rival Sasquatch
•drier skin and hair
•desire to stab everything that looks at you
•absolutely NO patience
•weight gain
•joint pain/burning
•dizziness & fainting
•many sleepless nights due to the fact that my brain kept singing Boney M's Rasputin at me, on repeat. I wish I was joking.

I've probably missed something. Oh yes you'll forget things more. Like I just did. I'm so helpful aren't I? 😭🤣

Pp, Oh now you've got me with the Rasputin ear worm!

OP, I'm perimenopausal at the same age as you. My GP appears to be one of the good ones for dealing with this. I have a Mirena already in place but the odd bleeds were getting more frequent. May get some oestrogen added on to help with the other symptoms similar to the pp (brain fog, restless legs, weight gain and hair, all the hair!)

You are not too young for peri !
I got a Mirena coil to reduce bleeding, wish I’d done it years ago.

I could add other ohrwurms if you'd like

The one I've got stuck in me head today is the bloody Mariah Carey's all I want for Christmas because one of my neighbours keeps blasting it on repeat and I'm going slowly insane and I hate this time of year

Another saying you’re not too young for peri. Sadly. I was 42 when I started actual menopause, and in hindsight, I had peri symptoms since I was about 39/40. Thought I was too young as well….
As you’re under 45, you can ask for the hormone blood test. That was what it took to prove I was in menopause.

I’m mid forties and peri menopausal. Everything goes weird. I miss periods, get two close together, bleed heavily then bleed lightly. You do need to harass your GP though.

My main concern is that bleeding for so long could make you anaemic; that would make you very tired; get a blood test done soon. Keep telling your GP that you want an answer as to the cause of this and keep saying that until you do. Unfortunately receiving the best health care depends on insisting on it.

Hi op, I literally posted about this yesterday in a state of panic thinking I was the only one. I'm 42 had regular periods that started going less regular as I hit 40 and then I have missed the past 2 periods and this time I've been bleeding for 2 1/2 weeks. Also waiting to see the doctor who can't fit me in until January. I just wish they'd stop. I've spent the past two months wishing for a massive period and this month wishing I could go back to hardly anything.
My anxiety is also awful at the moment so wondering if it's a hormonal thing.

This is exactly what happened to me. Regular as clockwork, didn’t know what a period pain was, though I’d never had a coil fitted. Then between 44 and 45 it all went pear shaped. 3 week long periods, thought they’d never stop. No fibroids, nothing detected. Given some medication that helped ( but can’t remember what it was) Then a newGP ordered blood tests, peri menopausal. She prescribed HRT but only used for a short time as had to change prescription and new one didn’t seem to suit. Then one huge, awful period —- then nothing. Sailed through menopause, few hot flushes which I found funny more than anything ( AC in, AC off, on again, repeat) but no problems at all.
I think I was lucky in that respect though the lead up to it was crap.

Keep pushing your GP, they should be monitoring your iron levels at an absolute minimum. I don’t know what the current thinking is on HRT but maybe worth discussing to get up to date info?

OP can you not get your GP to check your hormone levels with a blood test?

Im pretty sure this is how my sister found out she was premenopausal, she was 46.

Peri is usually diagnosed through symptoms rather than a blood test.

Thanks folks! I'm booked in for next appointment early Jan. I'll ask for the blood tests and checking of levels as I do feel super tired! Fingers crossed other pp's with similar issues get sorted too

Hello,
When did you get a covid jab?
I have a mirena coil and rarely bleed but since the covid jab I have. Not loads but much more than normal.
Apparently a lot of women have noticed changes...
I reported it (yellow card).

I'm 41 and have just been offered HRT through my GP over a phone appointment. All she asked was about my symptoms and then told me I was likely in peri and they could prescribe me HRT.

No offer of an investigative blood test or anything which slightly worries me. I've not decided if I'm going to take them up on their offer yet. I'm so confused

Hi OP

I’m in a similar situation
about a year ago, cycles started getting shorter (20-21 days), then lengthened out to about 30 days, then the last 2 have been 35 and 42 days. I’ve been bleeding for 2.5 weeks now, it keeps appearing to slow down, then starts up again
GP examined me externally and internally and couldn’t find anything obv. I’m quite lean, so she got a good feel of my uterus. She said it’s likely perimenopause, monitor for a couple of months and she’ll refer me for a pelvic US if it doesn’t settle
Cervix looks fine, but im booking in for a smear to be sure

Interestingly, I went for an abdo US the other day to confirm a hernia and got chatting to the Dr who did it. He couldn’t. do a pelvic US at the time, but agreed with my GP, as it’s fairly common in peri to have longer cycles, then a longer bleed. He agreed to keep on eye on, then ask for a pelvic scan if it happens again

GP is also happy to do bloods to check for peri/menopause, which I may take up

I had the Pfizer vaccine as my booster. I was just finishing my period at the time. I didn’t have a period for 4 months and started getting hot flushes a few weeks after the jab. Could be a complete coincidence of course, I am not against the vaccine, I just wonder about that. I’ve been irregular before but nothing like this; first experience of hot flushes. My periods came back but hot flushes did too. On that basis alone I was started on HRT. I don’t know if it’s helped or not tbh. However the blood tests during the no-period phase did show a reduced level in hormones indicating peri menopause.

I was in the intial roll out for jabs due to work. So quite some time back now, and I didn't notice any difference to my periods then. I definitely do think it's more peri onset. I was quite surprised when I was informed that with my age bracket they'd look to rule other things out first? Of course I'm more than happy for it to be clarified it's not suspected to be cancer related.

But, it did seem strange that when I had just assumed myself that it was the start of the menopause that the nurse I spoke to didn't. I'm booked in with the senior nurse practitioner for next appointment as after having one of those 'chats', with the receptionist that's what she suggested