I’m 57 soon and still having periods

[hoardingwealth]

Anyone else in this position? It’s driving me nuts! I just missed a few and thought I might be done. Was so happy! But just had another one! 😭

@hoardingwealth did you start your periods late? Just wondering if thats why.
I started my periods at 9 and had my last one at 48.

My sympathies OP. I'm a bit younger - about to turn 53 and still having them when i thought I would be done by now. About 4 years ago they got a bit irregular and then 6 months ago they got very irregular. Then I had a month long heavy increasingly painful period. Fast tracked to ultrasound and now I have a mirena which was put in 4 weeks ago and is adapting to its new surroundings, apparently with a bit of pain and bleeding here and there. My last period was 3 weeks ago (normal thank gaad) and I'm hoping the mirena is going to put the kibosh on any epic bleeds that might be fancying their chances in my uterus.

What will also put the kibosh on my periods for good is the salpingo-oopherectomy I am now on a waiting list for. Whilst the ultrasound revealed no abnormalities with the uterus lining, it did reveal an 8cm ovarian cyst. So that's going to be whipped out along with my fallopian tubes and ovaries. Menopause - I'm coming for ya!

@hoardingwealth I had a coil fitted in 2011, haven’t had a period since. I’ve no plans to ever see a period again 😀

I’m 51 and so over periods but they are still regular as clockwork. I was hoping they’d go soon but it sounds like it could be years!

I was 56.

I'm 55 and until about 18 months ago they were pretty regular (maybe missed one a year). I had a year of bigger gaps and very disrupted periods - bleeding for a month, flooding etc. Now been 6 months with no period, it's very weird. Mum had a late menopause as well. I breastfed for a million years so hopefully that will balance any risk of breast cancer. Not like I can do anything to hasten menopause. And late menopause is linked to fewer menopausal symptoms, improved cardiovascular health, higher bone density, ingreased longevity and a reduced risk of cognitive decline. I think just the cardiovascular benefits balance any downsides.

I’m 58 and just entering month 11 with no periods after five years of them petering out. I’ve had zero menopause symptoms so far and wonder if the extreme length of time of peri was a factor?

Nooooooooooo……😩😩😩😩😩

I don't there's any suggestion that peri is longer if you have a late menopause. More that you just age slower and so enter peri later. Why that is linked to few symptoms I don't know.

56 and every two weeks here. Can’t wait for it to be over. The GP referred me to gynaecology for post menopausal bleeding. Didn’t seem to grasp I am not post menopausal!!!

Yikes. I’ve just turned 50 and didn’t realise they could linger for another decade!

Im about to turn 55 and still going regularly. It's frustrating as all of my friends are done and dusted and im still getting heavy, painful periods. Im on Tranexamic acid which helps alot. Weirdly, my friends tell me im lucky as in theory I'll look younger for it. No idea if that's true but I take it as a positive!
It's just SO boring now, its been 42 years and im sick of it

Wow. Truly wow. 60.
I think that the posters here are really proof that most medical advice is about what usually happens to most people.

No criticism about that.
I can't imagine this dragging on till late 50's.
Wow.
Forgive my ignorance, but are you all still fertile and have to use contraception?

I don't understand this you see because I keep reading it's impossible to get pregnant after 50.

The fact that you ladies (don't mean to be patronising with this word but women sounds too harsh) are still having periods and thus may still be fertile doesn't seem to support the impossible beyond 50 bit.

It's a bit like the Japanese soldier on the island still thinking the war was still on.
(joke.)
By this I mean something which should have stopped ages ago still being around.

Good grief.

Medical knowledge of pregnancy is predominantly based on historical data and all modern research is on infertility. But since late menopause is linked to longevity (and extended 'youth') you'd think we'd be interesting to some parts of the pharmaceutical industry. Or maybe not since we don't take HRT.

God, that's depressing, OP!

I started at 11. I'm 51 now and still regular as clockwork 😩

Very depressing to think it could go on for another 6 or 7 years!

Forgive my ignorance, but are you all still fertile and have to use contraception?

I can tell when I'm ovulating. We've got to be ovulating to have a period so, in theory, yes, still fertile and yes, take precautions against pregnancy.

Whether the pregnancy would be viable is a different matter but I don't want to put it to the test either way.

It's not impossible to get pregnant after 50 but unlikely and ill advised due to the increased risks.

Mine luckily stopped at just before 50. After years of bad PMT and heavy periods I was so relieved when that all went! I had double periods in peri menopause too, they can F right off!

I heard of a pregnancy through a friend of friend, she was 51 and now has a toddler. Healthy birth (but monitored closely), no donor eggs, no complications now so far. So it can happen. She thought it was menopause apparently and that her weight gain was down to too many pizzas and McDs. She’s happy though as her other DC are grown ups.

I heard that some historical data on pregnancy was based way back in olden days. Source is a book by Dr Jean Twenge on how to be pregnant in 40s.

Gah, it seems I am far from alone. I don't think I ovulate anymore. It used to be very obvious to me, and I don't get the same symptoms of ovulation anymore. I've just counted, and I missed 7 periods, then just had another one. It was extremely light though, so that's good. Although it did last for 2 weeks. Got to start the clock again. Thankfully DH had the snip, so no worries on that score. There's absolutely no way I would have any more kids, mine are 29 & 27 and we are planning retirement!

First period 4 months before my 14th birthday. In peri before 40. Last period at 58. Horrendous symptoms throughout, which every GP I saw told me were "perfectly normal'.

My DM had problems ftom the age of 35, followed by hysterectomy at 50 after a consultant told her she would never go through menopause naturally.

Mine ended earlier than yours op, but flooding and heavy periods did signal the end, thank God. I was so bad, I was sent to hospital twice by my GP and I was given medication to stop this. But next cycle, same again. I couldn't leave the house really and had to sit on a plastic bag on a short school run.

Investigation showed that my womb lining had thickened so much, my periods were horrendous. Fortunately my situation resolved naturally, but my sympathies to those posters suffering.

47 years of it here. Sooo fed up.

My mum went on till 58, my aunt until 56. i am nearly 52 and still going strong, too strong. So went on pill and got rid of idiotic periods that never end and flooding. Best thing I ever did.