Help - 42 year old usually light period suddenly flooding

[NoveltySlippers]

Sorry I wasn’t sure which board to post this on so have gone for Chat.

I’m 42 and for the last 5 years my periods have been so light I can get away with panty liners and the odd tampon, and short In duration too, just 2-3 days plus a few days of spotting.

All of a sudden and out of the blue I am leaking blood like there’s no tomorrow. This was preceded by 6 days of brown and sometimes bright red spotting. I haven’t had to run to the loo to prevent an accident like this since a Labour government probably! (Was on the pill for the Coalition govt. Not sure why offering political context to my periods but there you go!)

I’m at work and actually just had to grab paper towel from the kitchen and stuff it in my pants . Thank god my officemates not in today!

I’m just wondering if this could be one of two things.

A) Could I briefly, briefly have been pregnant??

B) Or - is this the heavy period that I read happens in later perimenopause? It seems odd if it’s this though to happen so suddenly, without a gradual change from light periods to heavy first.

Any thoughts please would be very gratefully received. I’m totally discombobulated by this.

I have sadly never been pregnant due to male factor infertility (and also now my age).

So - if it is a sign that I might - briefly - have been pregnant, then this would be amazing. (Despite the bleeding. I guess the ‘never been pregnant’ brigade would understand.)

[ConstanceL]

Do you know when your mother went through the peri menopause as this will be a good indicator for when you are likely too? Also you may well have been pregnant - plenty of people do get pregnant at age 42. Although sadly not all those pregnancies will be viable due to chromosomal issues.

[NoveltySlippers]

@ConstanceL my mum had a hysterectomy when she was in her mid 30s, so no idea from that unfortunately.

[MoiraRose]

Oldandsad thanks for the explanation of what menopause is, I am actually perimenopausal myself so really, I already know. But she didn't ask if she'd gone though the entire menopause, she said peri so not sure why you are going on about full menopause

[Gormless]

Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago, OP, when I was 42 as well. Massive, sudden flooding. The doctor thought it was a polyp. Had it removed and things went back to normal- for now...

[SubordinateThatClause]

Why has this been moved to 'infertility'? Seems like a very odd place for a thread about perimenopause.

[NoveltySlippers]

@Gormless that’s interesting thanks - I am due a smear test soon and do get bleeding after sex too so maybe I just need an round check up.

[NoveltySlippers]

@SubordinateThatClause I wasn’t sure where to put this thread and I asked MNHQ to move to infertility as I’m 42 but also been TTC for six years. So in my OP I was wondering is this sudden bleeding a sigh of peri or could it possibly have been a (very) brief conception.

Being 42 and DH with make factor I had long discounted the latter, but for a second I guess I had a hope. I wondered if any on the infertility board with similar experience could maybe shed light too.

[NoveltySlippers]

‘Scuse typos sorry bloody phone - I meant a sign of peri, not sigh!

[NoveltySlippers]

And male factor, not make (gives up ).

[katseyes7]

l had this when l was peri-menopausal. Late 40s-early 50s. l'd have what appeared to be a normal period (normal for me) then l'd get a sudden 'gush'.

[NoveltySlippers]

@katseyes7 That’s interesting. Yes I had what seemed a normal period for me for 2-3 days then suddenly this. It’s looking more and more like it’s peri.

[katseyes7]

NoveltySlippers lt sounds like it, yes. l'd check with your GP just to be on the safe side, but that's certainly what happened to me. l'd had a scan and l had a fibroid and an ovarian cyst. l don't know if that affects things, though.

[SubordinateThatClause]

@NoveltySlippers - I'm sorry. I missed that. Apologies if I came across as insensitive.

[BlaueLagune]

I think the pattern of mine changed when I was about 42, it's not too early. Peri-menopause can last a decade or more.

The first thing was that I had to get up in the night to change a (night-time) towel, which I'd never previously needed to do. Nowadays it can be twice. I don't think I lose that much blood overall, but 3/4 of it comes out over 48 hours and the rest over about a week!

Earlier in the year I didn't have a period for three months and then had what I think was three months' worth in a few days.

I take iron every day via a soluble Feroglobin tablet.

[BlaueLagune]

Just saw you get bleeding after sex - you may have polyps in your uterus that can cause extra bleeding - and/or what they used to call cervical erosion. I had both a few years ago and got to the stage where I was (lightly) bleeding more or less all the time. After a small op it all stopped. I was warned it might reoccur but that was 8 years ago so maybe I've got away with it.

[MorminMoomin]

@NoveltySlippers yes there is a chance you miscarried... best thing is get hormones tested and tell your doctor. X

[Woodcottage1]

Hello, definitely think it’s a polyp. Same happened to me. Had to have it removed.