Worried is this peri?

[ComeTheFckOnBridget]

Hoping to be told I'm overreacting here.

I'm 36, still want a family of my own- no children as yet.

Noticed in the last year or two my periods have a become a bit heavier, not massively so, just need a different absorbancy tampon for 1 or 2 days per months.

My periods tend to be 3 days of bleeding followed by a few more days of light bleeding/spotting up to a week in total, cycles are quite short at approximately 23 days.

Right now I'm into day 6 of bleeding enough to need regular tampons and the flow has been quite heavy (thick, possibly a few clots), although it is starting to tail off.

Are these normal changes for your 30s or could this be the start of perimenopause?

How is it diagnosed? Should I see my gp?

Are you in a position to have a private fertility check? Do you have a partner?

I don't think that is in itself a sign of perimenopause. But I'm not an expert.
You are of an age to consider getting a fertility check though, or even freeze your eggs if you are not ready to try to conceive.

I'd love to get a fertility check and look into egg freezing but it's financial beyond me at present. No, I'm not with anyone right now - life has very much been on hold since covid due to various health issues and that's why I'm worrying really. I don't want to miss my window.

Those don't sound like typical peri symptoms to me.

My period has changed throughout my life. I don’t think it is peri.

My period has never been consistently one way.

I feel sure I grew up thinking that was normal for women. And no big deal at all.

Your GP can do a blood test to check your hormone levels and see if they’re normal. If you don’t have any other symptoms it’s probably not peri, and you can still get pregnant in peri. But you’re worried because you know you’re pushing it to have kids. At 36 it can take a year to get pregnant then 9 months pregnancy, makes you 38 when the baby is born.

I wouldn't say those were symptoms of peri, if you were missing periods then maybe, but I would suggest a visit to the doctor for a blood test to check your FSH levels.

I think periods getting heavier can be a very early symptom, mine changed at around 35 / 36 and then over the years other symptoms have started and 8 years on they are only now starting to be less frequent. The women in my family do go through it quite early anyway though.

Do you know when your mum went through it, OP?

Davina has a lot to answer for, making every woman with slightly heavy/light/regular/irregular/painful/painless periods think they're about to go through the menopause.

Your periods have become heavier. See your GP. This is not the menopause.

My mum went through it early, not this early I don't think but in her early 40s.

I'm relieved at the straightforward MN replies - I'll make sure doctors appointment.

Was hoping it was me worrying unnecessarily but my mum has always - not agitated for grandkids but told me not to wait, and I've heard since I was still at school (!) from her that she's worried I'll leave it to late.

Tried to speak to a gp a couple of times during my 20s so that i could put it to rest but always had unclear and contradictory info from them. Now have a few friends just turned 40 entering peri.

Not actually watched the Davina documentary but yea, menopause certainly seems to be quite prominent in my life atm!