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Original poster

Is there any way the I am not Peri yet, at the age of 53?

94 replies

TortugaRumCakeQueen · 29/12/2022 15:30

Posting here for traffic. I'm 53 years old, and still having regular periods. I have had no symptoms of Perimenopause. Is this normal? Is it possible that I haven't even started Peri yet? No sweats, no mood swings. The only thing I've noticed, is that it's now 5 weeks between periods, rather than 4. I was really hoping they would have stopped by now! I can't ask my Mum, as she's passed, although I think from memory, that she was menopausal at 51. Just realised that my next period is due when I'm on holiday, what a pain!

OP posts:
RunLolaRun102 · 01/01/2023 14:58

Kokeshi123 · 01/01/2023 14:50

Using women in sub Saharan Africa as a basis for studies on ethnic differences is a bad idea - age at menopause is impacted by things like disease burden, especially stuff like malaria. I have no doubt that the average at menopause is earlier in places like Nigeria than in the UK. I do know that it is quite early in India, on average.

There are no population studies for Indian menopause. Any studies only include infertile women who are seeking treatment in their samples.

Titsywoo · 01/01/2023 15:00

I'm 44 and definitely peri menopausal as are some of my friends. I have some gynae issues which mean menopause is likely to come earlier but lots of women are starting to suffer symptoms of peri at my age even if menopause itself is a few years off. I think lots of women being on hormonal contraception means they don't realise until later as their periods are regular/non existent because of the pill and hormones are more balanced for the same reason and they don't realise somethings like anxiety or mood swings are being caused by peri. I came off the pill 20 years ago so my change in periods was very clear to me!

Dachshund40 · 01/01/2023 15:02

@Hbh17 are you joking? Or a troll? Peri menopause absolutely is real. And yes you can go through menopause before 50, my poor mum went through it in her mid thirties and I am having symptoms at 40

Honeybee8409 · 01/01/2023 15:09

MarthaBlue · 01/01/2023 13:11

Well thats up to you but it's your feeling against a bunch of research on women around the globe, you just have to look into it. Typically black and Latino women go into menopause before white and Asian women, I read in western countries the difference is only a year or 2 earlier and earlier again in other parts of the world. There are also advantages to early menopause such as lower rates of certain cancers. Asian women in particular seem to have less symptoms due to the diet they consume.

I just think its unwise to state as fact, that later menopause is common in non white women when that simply isn't the case.

Show quote history

Are you too dim to read my post? And what has this got to do with feelings? I said the research is based on US black women whereas the data on African women is a little bit unclear. In any case the average is only 1-2 years earlier in US black women so literally not a great difference. Birth rates are still very low in the West comparitively anyway.

astarsheis · 01/01/2023 15:12

Quite normal. I was not peri until 56 and have only stopped periods at 58.
On HRT now for hot sweats but not really any other symptoms.

CuriositysCat · 01/01/2023 15:16

Hbh17 · 29/12/2022 15:41

My periods stopped when I was 56. I have no idea what "peri" is - possibly something made up to try to persuade women that there is something wrong with them. But you can certainly not be menopausal until well into your 50s.

Such an ignorant and unhelpful comment. Do you usually dismiss things you don’t understand as ‘made up’? For many women, myself included, perimenopause is very real and very difficult.

OP - as PPs have said, you probably are perimenopausal because your cycles have changed. Fingers crossed that everything continues to go this smoothly for you.

RunLolaRun102 · 01/01/2023 15:18

MarthaBlue · 01/01/2023 03:50

Actually menopause typically occurs earlier in Black and Latino women and at roughly the same age in Asian and White women, lots of research on this. Several women in my family have had children naturally in their. late 40s early 50s and they are Irish women.

Show quote history

The research you’re quoting is on women who have already come for fertility treatment. There is no wide population studies on menopause for anyone other than white women & actually having kids in the 40s and 50s naturally is EXPECTED in many parts of Africa, India and Asia. It’s not the once in a blue moon event that it is in white countries.

CuriositysCat · 01/01/2023 15:20

Tobloronie · 01/01/2023 06:18

This comment pisses me off. Whilst there might be a small amount of evidence that women who are heavy smokers or obese might go through menopause earlier, in the vast majority of cases age of peri menopause and menopause is affected by genetic, rather than lifestyle, factors.

not sure what your ‘internist’ was getting at, but suggesting otherwise feels like a bit of a shitty stick to beat women with (as ways). My poor (and extremely clean living) best friend went through an early menopause and couldn’t have kids. So sad for her, and it wasn’t a lack of ‘healthy lifestyle ‘ that put her in that position….

Show quote history

🙄
I wish you and your internist a long, healthyand happy future together. If only the rest of us could aspire to such levels of health and perfection.

CuriositysCat · 01/01/2023 15:23

Sorry @Tobloronie - my comment above should have quoted @Ericaequites.

gogohmm · 01/01/2023 15:24

Not everyone gets peri symptoms, hormonal changes are different in different women.

SirVixofVixHall · 01/01/2023 15:25

Aquamarine1029 · 29/12/2022 15:34

I would say you are absolutely in Peri, just with very mild symptoms being that your periods are now further apart.

You're lucky so far. Some women have horric peri-menopause, but some don't.

I agree.
You might get a swifter rush through peri into menopause, or you might simply have increasing peri symptoms over the next two years or so.

ShornTheSheeep · 01/01/2023 15:30

I'm 51 and don't experience too much in the way of symptoms really

I'm sometimes stiff and I sometimes have interrupted sleep. The sleep doesn't impact me massively as I work for myself so can always carve time in to relax and catch up if I need to.

I do believe the stiffness and sleep issues are hormonal though as sometimes I'll be absolutely fine with nothing at all.

I do have heavy periods though. I had a scan in June this year as I believe it's really important to not automatically put things down to being peri menopausal. Nothing was found apart from a 1cm ish fibroid so I believe now that that is a perimenopausal symptom

I have been prescribed HRT preventatively by my quite forward thinking doctor but I've not yet taken the plunge re taking it. No idea why? I'd like to read up more

SirVixofVixHall · 01/01/2023 15:32

OooScotland · 01/01/2023 01:49

I have no answer but I’m here because I was wondering the same. I’m 52 and I can’t say I’ve noticed anything yet, except its become harder to keep the weight off. My hair is still brown and periods still regular.

I’m quite small and didn’t start my periods until I was 16, I’m half wondering if this has anything to do with when the menopause happens?

I didn’t start until 16, my periods stopped at around 53. I did have a few years of period cycles becoming shorter, then longer , then lengthy bleeding and then horrendous flooding. With hindsight I think I had some very mild symptoms from around 48/49.
I would have loved to keep having periods until 60 or so. Much better for bone health etc.

DorisParchment · 01/01/2023 15:37

My periods were as regular as clockwork until I was 54, when they abruptly stopped. Absolutely no other menopausal symptoms before or since. No brain fog, no hot flushes, no sleepless nights, absolutely nothing. I think I’m really lucky compared with what some of my friends are going through.

diddl · 01/01/2023 15:40

I had my last period at 47 so sounds as if I'm fucked!

kingtamponthefurred · 01/01/2023 15:46

Some women have few or no significant adverse effects from menopause. I barely knew it was happening.

Tobloronie · 01/01/2023 15:54

@CuriositysCat 😂 No problem! Glad I’m not the only one eye rolling at that

romany4 · 01/01/2023 15:54

I'm 51. No periods for 4 months so far. Before that, they were 6/7 weeks apart since I was 49.
I've had some peri symptoms the last few years. Mood swings, aching joints, disturbed sleep, vaginal dryness and God awful migraines ( gp have me medication for them)

My sister is 56. Few hot flushes and periods disappeared at 56. No other symptoms at all!
Everyone is different.

Marmunia10661975 · 01/01/2023 16:12

I haven't had a period for over a year. I am 48 and have had no symptoms. I do eat wholefood vegan and run so I attribute that to feeling fine!

HowDoYouOwnDisorder · 01/01/2023 16:24

I am 51 and periods have got a bit lighter, but no other symptoms so far (🤞)

But I guess it could be any day for us now OP

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 01/01/2023 16:25

kingtamponthefurred · 01/01/2023 15:46

Some women have few or no significant adverse effects from menopause. I barely knew it was happening.

Whilst the menopause (or peri-menopause) doesn't cause all women to suffer symptoms, the long term affects on the body of your oestrogen and testosterone levels falling off a cliff definitely are negative in terms of ageing and higher cardiovascular health risks. Having now looked at many many videos and podcasts on the matter I intend to stay on HRT for life.

Itisbetter · 01/01/2023 16:34

@InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream whats the difference in life expectancy with and without HRT?

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 01/01/2023 16:41

Itisbetter · 01/01/2023 16:34

@InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream whats the difference in life expectancy with and without HRT?

Difficult question, but I found this a very useful and enlightening podcast by a Professor Emeritus on behalf of the British Menopause Society

Itisbetter · 01/01/2023 16:54

No I meant how does taking HRT impact life expectancy?

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 01/01/2023 17:05

Itisbetter · 01/01/2023 16:54

No I meant how does taking HRT impact life expectancy?

Oh, I see. Well, maintaining your oestrogen levels has a protective effect on your skeleton and cardiovascular system, among other things, thereby reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, broken hips, osteoporosis, etc etc

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