No period but very odd discharge (sorry poss TMI)

[SandyBeachandtheDeckchairs]

I have not had a period at all this month. Feels weird. Have had lots of discharge too (sorry!) like I'm permanently ovulating and my boobs are like barrage balloons. I'm confused. If you don't have a period does the rest of your cycle stop too, or do you have the same variety of different mucuses as before? Why are my boobs so ginormous and hard?
Any suggestions, or links to where I can do some research?

It's perimenopause. When hormones start to fall, you can get incomplete cycles so you get all the signs of a cycle but no bleeding. You can get high estrogen levels as your ovaries struggle to pump out a few last eggs. You can get cycles with no bleeds as the 2nd half of the cycle isn't completed due to no ovulation. There is a lot online about peri meno.

I’ve been going through the same this year, a period every 2-3 months but all the cyclical symptoms, including constant (clear) discharge. My last period was mid August and I’ve been cramping for a month like it’s the first couple days’ of period - but NADA!! I’m actually seeing the doc today as I’ve a history of cysts and a small fibroid but I’m pretty sure she’ll just say it’s peri. Apparently they won’t test my hormone levels as I’m over 45 (only just) but I do feel like I’d benefit from more input and a firmer ‘diagnosis’. Anyway, don’t be too concerned, seems par for the course. And I also find it very disconcerting - it’s something your body does every month for 30-40 years!

I feel sorry for my little ovaries, valiantly trying to muster a few last eggs . Am obviously a bit too decrepit for another baby, but to feel you have no choice is a bit of a sad thought.

Hi Ellen how did you get on at the doctors?
I'm off to see mine today. Not quite sure what I should be asking for though, I'm hoping that she's up on all of this stuff!

Hi @SandyBeachandtheDeckchairs , I’m being sent back to gynae for ultrasound to see if I have cysts again! God knows how long that will take. Will take it from there I guess, will discuss hormonal/peri stuff with him/her. All very frustrating, I’m sore and knackered again today and continue to have overwhelming feeling that if my body was just able to menstruate, I’d feel better! 😣 It def does help if your doc is sympathetic AND in the know - I was told by receptionist go see GP nurse about menopause stuff and it was a bit of a waste of time.
How are you and your wee old ovaries feeling?

And good luck today - pls let me know how you get on x

Hi Ellen! My ovaries send their best wishes to yours
Will let you know how it goes x

My (young and very fertile looking) female doctor was lovely today. Firstly suggested that I wore cooler clothes and did some exercise to help peri symptoms, then suggested anti-depressants, and finally prescribed me Evorel Sequi patches. Admitted that she knows very little about perimenopause, but was hoping to go on a course! Bless her.
I can't find a local pharmacist that stocks it though, so won't get them until tomorrow. Am hoping to be transformed by it. Skin plump and firm, sunny disposition, a merest hint of libido would be good too!
I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you feel better soon. Have you tried acupuncture? When I used to go the a Chinese doctor in my youth, they were always very interested in my menstrual cycle and I got the feeling that if the flow wasn't right, that they could do something about it. It's a bit of a long shot, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Hi, how are you, did you manage to get your prescription? I think every GP practice should have at least one GP who specialises in this stuff!
Good grief, it’s not much to ask. I hope this works for you, keep me posted! It’s funny you should mention the acupuncture etc, I used to get it all the time, had a lovely acupuncturist and it really helped with various issues. I was also treated by a Chinese herbalist doc at one point for gynae issues and it was extremely effective. A few hours before I read your msg I’d actually been looking to see if there was a local acu practitioner (I moved from the city a few years ago to a more rural area) but haven’t found one - but it might be the way to go again though.
Still no period here and still riding the hormonal wave... ugh. Want to wait til I get scanned to see what’s going on before I go down any hrt route so I hope my appt comes through soon. My ovaries send yours a thumbs up! Here’s to renewed vitality for you 😁👍

Yes I did get my patches @EllenRipley, and I do feel transformed. Lighter and less angsty, and also more serene. It's fabulous! The only downside is that my boobs which were painful before are still painful now, but I'm not sure if I can take Evening Primrose oil or not.
I met up with an American friend of mine the other night who was surprised I was given HRT without any kind of blood test, but to be honest I am pleased it was resolved so quickly. I have just started a new career as a teacher and really need to be on top of things to survive. No time to wait for results and scans unfortunately. Maybe I'll try acupuncture over the summer hols. Hope you find your acupuncturist soon! SBDxx

Boobs are massive today, feel like they did after I had dd! not sure if that means I am getting too much oestrogen? Or what to do about it really. They are really sore though

How are your boobs today? It might just be a case of letting things settle, unless your symptoms are getting too much? I get the impression that HRT is trial & error until you achieve the right ratio of progesterone/estrogen. Was your late period the first time it happened, did u have any other peri-meno symptoms?
I’ve started taking a herb called ashwaghanda, seems to be helping though it’s a bit early to tell. Still no period but I’ve given up on that!
When did your doc say to check in with her to see how you’re doing? X

@EllenRipley thanks so much for your interest in my boobs, they are less canteloupe-like and now more of a ripeish mango. Thank god! I worried about putting someones eye out at school. Hormones feel good, but not me ifyswim. I feel a bit of a fraud. Would much rather get it sorted using acupuncture (if poss) or herbs than these patches, but I need the stability at the moment.
This was my first missed period, but I had been feeling very angsty and anxious leading up to this for about 6 months. It was the insomnia that did for me - was wide awake to 4 am some nights - and also the brain fog. Was never that overheated, or nothing that sleeping in the nuddy didn't solve. (I sound like such a sauce pot!)
Let me know how you get on with your herbs - good luck! xx

That's interesting that no blood test is required after 45, I could do with some of this magic medicine.
To be honest I don't know if I'm peri or not. Cycle timings a bit haywire, feel hot but I put that down to being fat.
I wake up early every morning with pain in one or both hips, anyone else get that?

Haha, you menopausal saucepot 😁Sounds like things are settling down, all that does sound like early peri stuff. I think if a lot of women had the time and the money, it would def be worth exploring the other options. My fear is that hrt just won’t agree with me, I can’t even take herbs that directly act on hormones without things going haywire. You might unwittingly be my research test case. I know I’d benefit from taking a trip back to see the Chinese doc, maybe utter laziness is a peri symptom too! See how you get on, I guess it’s still early days, the not feeling yourself part could well pass. Ashwaghanda phase 1 still seems to be going well, despite it now being 70 days since my last period...Never thought I’d actually miss the monthly buggers 🤔 Hope you and your mangoes have a good weekend! X

Yep @FilledSoda , got the sore hip problem, my sister had it too during meno. Not sure if it’s just old problems coming to the fore or whether it’s the way less estrogen affects muscles and ligaments. Or both! I follow a strength/flexibility programme called Restorative Exercise by an American biomechanist called Katy Bowman, it really helps and will hopefully counteract the general meno decline!

Ellen you say you are worried that HRT may not agree with you.

The most important word in HRT is Replacement.
It's putting back what we had. There are types of HRT which are identical to what we produce naturally- all the estrogen in HRT are, with the exception of those called Pre.... (Prempak, Premarin) . The best progestogens are those in Femoston or micronised progesterone (Utrogestan)

If you stick to those you have the best chance of feeling good, with only the precise dose to get right.

HRT is not a 'drug' as such- it's not putting anything foreign into your body which wasn't there before.

I'm actually wondering whether my insomnia might be a thyroid thing. I am really knackered after a stressful week a school, but my eyes just keep springing open and I feel slightly wired. Surely the HRT is meant to sort this, if it was caused by peri?
Might join DH's Bupa and try to get some blood tests sorted out if I can.

@Ellen! I like the look of your exercise regime, is it like the Alexander technique? I like Pilates, or used to, when I had any free time at all.

Qi Xong (sp?) is meant to be good too. A very glamorous 80 yr old woman at my gym raved about it once - cured her arthritis apparently.

So, after 8 days of my HRT Evorel Conti patches, I now have a period. that's weird. Is it my missed one being very late, or is it related to the patches?

Oh my god I’m so jealous you’re menstruating! How do you feel? I think it would be hard to tell if it’s a bleed vs actual menstruation 🤔 It depends if you’ve ovulated. I’d wait and see if it lasts like a normal period and if you end up with a cycle? @pollyperky would be the one to ask! I’d DEF go for some BUPA action, get the full works done and you might get a doc that’s more educated on all the hormonal stuff. I’m obvs no expert, but it’s all connected, innit - thyroid issues could impact your hormonal balance and vice versa.
Restorative Exercise is, I suppose, kind of like Pilates but not... it’s much more fundamental, if that makes sense, and whereas Pilates is about actively engaging your core, this shows how, if you are activating the correct muscles etc., your core (as one particular muscle group) will automatically engage. There’s a lot of focus on keeping your pelvis neutral so that other muscles and bones are carrying the correct loads - so it all works toward ensuring bone density, properly functioning nervous system & circulation, strength & flexibility... that’s a very longwinded way of proving I don’t really know what I’m talking about 😬 I’m fortunate that one of my friends is one of the few qualified teachers in the UK and works with Katy B. I’d recommend her books!
Hope you’re feeling a bit of a release with your period, today it feels like my bladder is completely overactive. Though I spent the morning drinking coffee at a bday party at ‘Laser Planet’. I’m going to lie in couch and visualise my cervix opening like a flower 😂... Or something. X

@PollyPerky Thankyou, that is reassuring. Assume you can get combos of both the natural estrogen/progesterone types - and the dose can be adjusted? The fact I have very infrequent periods makes me think I could now be low on estrogen (whereas before I had frequent, heavy periods, which seemed to indicated I had high estrogen relative to prog) - but then one doc told me my estrogen could still be relatively high and since it wasnt ‘dropping off’ in the normal course of a cycle then that would account for no period.
Which makes me concerned that any estrogen based treatment would add to my already ‘high’ levels. Ugh, I confuse myself. I will research more, I know you mention the NICE guidelines a lot so that is a good starting point. Once I’ve been scanned I will discuss with consultant. Thanks for your input x

Oh yes EllenRipley, I'm living the dream here. Wandered around Sainsbury's yesterday, smugly thinking 'I won't need you anymore' as I glanced at the li-lets and then this morning, there it was! I feel someone is having a bit of a laugh! I actually wonder if my ovaries, sensing your support, had one final attempt to push an egg out. Sadly it all came to nought though.

I will definitely look at the books your woman wrote. I like the sound of it, appeals to me. I have some 'barefoot's shoes, so must be almost there.

Thanks again everyone! and all good wishes to our hormones and atrophying reproductive organs!

I shall cease and desist all telepathic communication with your ovaries, lest it interfere with the HRT! Barefoot shoes are decidedly unsexy, unstylish & overpriced. A fitting end to our fertile years 👍😬

Ellen I think you are adding 2+2 and making 5!

The point about HRT and estrogen levels is far simpler than you are making out. I don't know why but some people do get hung up on which estrogen is high , low, whatever and it's not that important.

Heavy periods tend to happen in peri when a cycle is incomplete- so estrogen rises but no ovulation takes place, no progesterone is released, so no bleed, or a light bleed, then the next period is heavy. Also estrogen levels can rise erratically as the body tries to push out those last follicles (ovulation.)

The point of HRT is that is sets a constant level, or aims to, each cycle. In early peri then yes, your own levels will rise and fall a bit too.

If you have peri symptoms like flushes, insomnia, low mood, and other stuff, then HRT will help. If you can manage without HRT until your periods have stopped, do that.