no period in over a year

[MrsGeorgeMichael]

is this the menopause? i'm 44. doctor was v dismissive. is there a test? not sure if i should be concerned?

Yes if you haven't had a period for a year, that is the classic definition of menopause. Not sure what extra benefit you would get from any test. At age 44, it would be considered early menopause.

Do you have any other signs of meno, such as hot flushes? What do you want to happen? Are you thinking of taking HRT?

I think to be absolutely certain, you have to have gone 2 years, under 50.

However, you should be thinking about whether you need HRT or not, since you are under 50 (to make sure your bone density does not decrease too soon, protect heart and avoid vaginal atrophy when you are older)

See www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php and learn as much as you can, and think about another doctor?

thanks for this MrsSquirrel and DayLillie.

I think I need to go and look at what other symptoms there are. Definitely not having hot flushes and hadn't even thought about HRT!

Away to do a bit of reading now!

Thanks again

Watching this thread as I'm exactly the same and Dr not worried at all!

Definitely have a look at the Menopause Matters forum that DayLillie links to. Lots of good information and support there.

What age are you ladybird - 45? - guessing by username lol

Website was great - very informative

My other symptoms are anxiety - i push it away every time but it is draining - i thought i was going crazy with some of the thoughts i would have

I have BUPA and thinking of a full health check out (own doctor was bit dismissive due to my age).

No such luck with me. I am an bleeding every month without fail AND my periods are coming every 2 weeks at the moment. And I am 51 but I have had this problem before when I was in my 20's and 30's so I am prone to it.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/menopause/2237798-My-Periods-Keep-Coming-Every-2-Weeks

Lol yes MrsGeorge I'm 45....... For 35 yrs I've had extremely painful periods and mega flooding, so this period absence is totally new for me. But I'm also feeling totally exhausted could cry from tiredness hot and cold brain fog weepy and Sooo emotional.

Dolly I can sympathise with you I enjoyed being pregnant for 9 months freedom, the pain and bleeding/flooding was so awful but this is so weird to have nothing 'happening'.

No I have not got any children. I am single.

I don't think I am in the menopause because with that it goes the opposite way-You don't belled. I think my problem could be a hormone imbalance and I am not ovulating regular that's why I have got irregular periods.
I am 51 BTW. I suppose I am one of the very few people at my age who still has periods and no menopause.

I am thankful for that. But the problem is they don't come once a month as they should. They come always 5 days early than the expected date. And now I got mine 2 weeks later my last period was on 26th October. Now I got another period which came on
Sunday 17th November which is too early and it's heavy too. Which makes it very awkward because I always have to carry sanitary towels on me because I never know when I am going to get it. I have tried homeopathic remedies but it's not working.

Dolly- around menopause cycles become irregular. Either more frequent with shorter cycles ( even as little as a 2 week gap) or longer cycles with months in between.
The average age of the menopause in UK is 52. Some women go on later than that- I was almost older and that's not uncommon.
From what you say you are typically peri-menopausal. Have you any other symptoms like flushes or sweats?
You could try HRT if that appeals- it would override your natural cycle so bleeds would be more predictable.

I posted a thread about my problem here but so far nobody has bothered to reply to it.
My thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/menopause/2237798-My-Periods-Keep-Coming-Every-2-Weeks

I have had blood tests and my GP says there are no signs of the menopause they could not find any.
I have had polytheistic ovaries when I was 30 and that made my periods come eey 2 weeks. At 30 I had a DNC and a laperoscopy that found that. And I was given progesterone hormone tablets in my 30's but I had an allergic reaction to them, they gave me a rash and stomach pains and made me bleed more every week.So I stopped taking then. So now I will never take another hormone pill again as long as I live.

A non hormone alternate is Tranexamic acid which is a chemical dug that reduces the bleeding. Boots the chemist do it under the brand name of Cyklo-F Heavy Period Pain relief. But they will only sell you very small doses unless you get a prescription from your GP.That might help as it's helped me before. But there is nothing much a gynecologist can do except give hornmone tablets or the contraceptive pill which I don't want.
So alternative medicine might help.

The only other alternative is a hysterectomy but then you can never have children.

Hi Dolly

Just a few facts for you to mull over:

in peri meno, blood tests are unreliable. many drs won't even do blood tests for meno - unless someone is having a very early meno- because hormones are all the place daily- which is why tests are not very helpful.

They tend to go more by symptoms.

There are many different types of progestogens. Just because you had a bad reaction to one doesn't mean you will with another. HRT contains far lower doses than the Pill or other hormonal treatments.

Tranexamic Acid is given to reduce bleeds with heavy periods. But it's not a 'regulator' for erratic bleeding.

At 51 you are too old for the combined Pill anyway. And no gynae would do a hysterectomy on you at 51 for what are menopausal symptoms when there are other options such as a Mirena coil- for heavy periods- or an endometrial ablation.

51 is not old to be peri menopausal. I know many friends who went on to 54.

Not sure what kind of alternative treatment you have in mind? What are you wanting treatment to help with- the irregular cycles of the heavy bleeding? Acupuncture is about the only one that has any real success.

No I am not going though the menopause. from what other people have told me you get nights sweats and ho flushes and I have have never had those.
I have always had irregular periods so it's nothing new.

I would never advise hormone tablets because every one I had have cased nasty side effects. If you are in your late 40's or early 50's and you have already had children or you are sure you on't want any. The doctors would do a hysterectomy. A lot of women I know have had one due to problems such as mine and they were in their late 40's but they have already had kids so they are not single and childless like me.

I had the contraceptive coil fitted when I was 19. It cause me terrible paid and heavy bleeding so I took it out. So never again. I also suffer from very heavy and painful periods so the coil would just make it worse and aggravate my womb.You should have a coil fitted f it s inflamed or you have very painful periods or problems with the womb such as cysts.

I think one of the reasons why my periods ae heavy is because I have never taken the pill as most other women have. You know most women don't have natural periods because they are on the pill or contraceptive implant or injection which makes periods lighter. Where as mine are natural periods because I am not on the pill or any hormone tablets.

You don't always have flushes and sweats with the menopause. some women don't have either- just odd periods until they finally end.
Irregular periods are a sign of peri meno. At 51 it's pretty much guaranteed that you are in peri meno - or soon will be!
The coil comes as 2 types- the Mirena is one with progesterone added and most women who have this fitted don't have any bleeding. You wouldn't have had this fitted because it wasn't around when you were 19. Most women of 51 are not on any form of hormonal contraception and even if it was used when they were younger your cycles go back to normal within weeks of coming off it- so it doesn't figure that use of hormones means lighter periods later. Doesn't work like that. Your heavy and erratic periods are what you said- a hormone imbalance as part of the menopause. A hysterectomy is a major op and not carried out unless all other treatments have been tried and you could have an ablation- why not see your dr and discuss that?

NHS Heavy periods

Worth having a look at this and all the options- and see right at the end that hysterectomy is a final resort after everything else.

Hope you see your GP to discuss.

What is pre or peri menopause?

"Quote="Pinkfrocks wrote-"You don't always have flushes and sweats with the menopause. some women don't have either- just odd periods until they finally end.
Irregular periods are a sign of peri meno. At 51 it's pretty much guaranteed that you are in peri meno - or soon will be!
The coil comes as 2 types- the Mirena is one with progesterone added and most women who have this fitted don't have any bleeding. You wouldn't have had this fitted because it wasn't around when you were 19. Most women of 51 are not on any form of hormonal contraception and even if it was used when they were younger your cycles go back to normal within weeks of coming off it- so it doesn't figure that use of hormones means lighter periods later."

Well it is true that from aged 50 onwards the menopause can come anytime. But that does not mean that you will automatically go into menopause the date your turn 50. Some people have it later so it could be as late as 54 before I or other women finally go through the change.

People told me I would get the menopause at 40 but I didn't. I have had irregular periods as long ago as my late 20's. And they have always been very heavy.And this has not changed over the years.

The coil is not a god idea if you have heavy and painful periods as I have as that can make them more heavy and painful. The hormone coil you speak of is maybe a bit different from the one use for contraception but it's still a coil and I would not want that because I have had problems with the coil before.

The contraceptive pill is a form of treatment for heavy or problem periods. I was prescribed that by my old GP once. But it only provide relief when I was on it. When I came off it the problem came back again after a few months.And I did not get on well with the pill as it made me sick and depressed one of the many side effects of hormone tablets. And no I don't want a hysterectomy as even that has side effects. As you will immediately go into premature menopause as what happened to several women I know.So it's better to save the womb if you can.

I'm 43 and being investigated for early menopause. I went to Dr as I was having hot flushes and thought it was my thyroid having a wobble again. I had bloods done to see if it was my thyroid and bloods LH and FSH levels came back as post-menopausal! I've just had repeat bloods done today so will go back to GP to discuss results. Now not had a period for 3 months but the hot flushes disappeared. From what I've read I will probably go on HRT mainly to protect against osteoporosis and heart disease.

Dolly
Peri menopause is the time before you have a final period when fertility winds down. Post meno is the time from your last period to the end of your life.
Peri meno can last for up to 10 years- so someone can start having symptoms at 45 and have a final period at 55. Obviously with the average age of meno being 52, some women are post meno by 45 and some by 55. It's quite rare though to be post meno overnight: most women have a few years ( maybe 3-5) of a slow decline in fertility and the end point is a final period.

Sometimes the flushes and sweats only start after periods have finally stopped- as was the case with me.

I think you are confused about the coil: the link I left for you explained the Mirena coil. There are 2 main types of coil: a copper coil and a Mirena. Both are used for contraception but the Mirena is licensed as part of HRT (the progestogen part) but ALSO as a treatment for heavy and painful periods. The link I left for you gave the stats on how many women had NO bleeding at all while using the Mirena. it's totally different from what you had an is prescribed for heavy bleeding.

I'm not sure now what help you are asking for?

If your periods are really bothering you then go to the dr and ask about emblation. You seem to have written-off all treatments without considering that one of them could help you.

You don't immediately go into premature menopause after a hysterectomy- only if the ovaries are removed as well.

Pinkfrocks, You seem to know a lot about this stuff? Are you a doctor

It's a combination of what I've been told by a consultant gynae, friends' experiences and books I've read- there's loads out there on the web and a lot of it is general knowledge.

Well it's a BLOODY nuisance I can tell you. As I have only just recovered from the last period that came on the 26th October then it came back again on the 17th of November which is too early. If it comes 5 days or 3 days early then it's not so bad and that is normal but any earlier than that is not normal. And it means I never know when my next period is going to come. So I have to carry sanitary towels with me all the time when I go out for just in case.As I never know when I am gonna get it. And not only that but this one is very heavy just like all my other periods are. Which is very hard for me. The period that came on 26th of October was in fact 6 days late as the one I had in September was on 21st September which was 7 days early and the one in August 28th was 5 days early. So maybe this one is early coming on 17th November because last months one was late. So it seems more of an irregular cycle than the Menopause.