Age 45, periods now arriving every 20 days instead of 29 days!

[Summergarden]

Ugh, I’d almost been looking forward to the menopause to finally get rid of the monthly curse. But the last few months my periods have been arriving every 20 or 21 days. It wouldn’t be so bad except that since I was sterilised they’ve been very heavy, especially for the first 18 hours so I daren’t venture far from home.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I’m praying this will be a very short lived phase.

Mine got quicker at about that age.

I'd always had a long cycle 36 days wasn't unusual and could be up to 45.
About age 45, I started getting cycles typically less than 28 days. I've just checked and since I began keeping records 4 years ago, I've only had 5 cycles where it was more than 27 days - and one of them was basically missing one, so 58 days. Some of the cycles were as low as 20 days.

I've just (4 years later) completely missed one cycle, and am currently 4 days late for the next. I'm hoping that's the end of them :)

I’m 48 my ‘cycle’ can be anything from 15 to 65 days. It’s nuts. I’ve just had 3 normal 28-30 day ones in a row though. Been like this for 3 years.

I’m 40 and I’m now on a 2 week cycle. It’s frustrating! I’m hoping this is short lived and they stop soon, but I have a feeling this might go on for a good few years yet.

Yes, it's annoying. Mine did that too....
I'm now 50 and thankfully have very few periods.

I’m 43 and my cycle has dropped from an already short 24 days, to 21. And I then have three days of super heavy bleeding and another four or more days of normal bleeding. Unsurprisingly I’m anaemic. Not sure what the solution is ☹️

43 here, usually a 26/27 day cycle but getting shorter - recently been 22/23 days and even a random 16 day cycle. That was a fun surprise.
They're a bit heavier but more watery too, if that makes sense!

Mirena coil. I suspect that almost every woman over 40 would benefit. Periods should not be a life draining, existence dominating nightmare. I was kind of it’s not that bad - until I was anaemic and couldn’t go to work. The coil sorted it.

Had similar, though now very varied though mostly longer cycles so hopefully it will be a short phase for you. Though now I spend a lot of time anxious I could be pregnant as I always seem to be so late

Yes mid 40s and mine are now between 21 and 23 day cycle and sometime between 5-8 days long.

so bloody frustrating. I’d happily not have them at all

I'm 42 and my cycle has gone from 27 days to around 22 days and before my mirena it was like I'd been stabbed and was bleeding out for 10 days. Got anaemic.

Now I bleed for 10-14 days, start again just over a week later but it's mostly a light flow, never fill a pad anymore where before I had to change hourly the first couple of days.

Extremely fun 🙄

43 and dropped to a 2 week cycle. Periods much lighter now due to pill but still anaemic.

Has anyone been to the Dr's about this? I tried i was told to lose weight and come back the weight isn't shifting so I never went back they also gave me a blood test and said everything was normal? Like what are they testing for?

@Theunamedcat
Hormones. But it’s pointless testing like that because our hormones fluctuate so much in peri they don’t show anything!
Also it’s nothing to do with weight, it’s part of the peri menopause years for many of us.

Yes me too! I tried searching on here last month to see if anyone else was experiencing this. I’m 45 and over the 18 months or so my cycle has gone from 27-28 days to 20-22 days per month. It’s really heavy then it completely stops after 3 days whereas 18 months ago I would have a period for 6 days that would get lighter then finish with some spotting.

I wonder why they get more frequent before disappearing?

I had a 3 week cycle and really heavy, painful periods when i was about 51/52 years. Eventually had the mirena coild as part of HRT and it's been great. Still have the very occasional period, but they're much lighter.

I’m almost 44 and probably about a year or 18 months into this – period went from a clockwork every 36 days to completely random but somewhere between 23 days and 29. Seems to have tripled in heaviness and speed too: three days of horrific flooding. Then, to keep me on my toes, a two-three day pause before it starts up as a trickle that takes so long, I can end up ovulating while still bleeding 😭😭😭. Feel like I’ve been run over for about half the month.

yes, this is one of the symptoms of peri-menopause. I have PCOS, and my periods have suddenly been increasing, and getting heavier. I take an anti-inflammatory Mefenamic Acid which you can get from the doctors on prescription.

Like you, my periods went from every 28 days to every 21 days at age 41 and continued like that until I was 50! The good news is that whilst the menopause brought the bloody awful brain fog with it (for about 5 years), my menopausal stage was relatively straight forward. I had hot flushes on and off for about 6 months and my periods just stopped one day aged 51 and didn't restart.

Eggs are released quicker because they decline in quality.

I have always had a 26 day cycle, but now they are anything between 21-28. Heavier the first 1-2 days but over very quickly.

I am 46 and have had this the past 3 months. So annoying!

I'm 43 - last period about 6 months ago. Yes it got heavier first...I was put on pills to lessen the bleeding....

53 here, mine have just started coming every 22/23 days. 1 heavy day but they last for nearly a week , for about a year before this, they were heavy for a couple of days but over in about 4 days but came on the 2nd day with a migraine , I do have brain fog but other than that no other symptoms

my god we as women put up with so much

Yup ! When I got to the stage my periods were 3 weeks long I had my first Mirena. Took almost a year but eventually my periods stopped completely. Bonus was that as my periods had stopped I had no idea what was going on and went through the menopause without knowing! Best thing ever