More frequent periods

[MrsDeaconClaybourne]

Anyone else find their periods are getting more frequent? I know this is a fairly common symptom but it is driving me mad! Last 3 cycles have been 19, 21 and 24 days. Occasionally I'll go 40 days or so and get my hopes up that they are spacing out a bit but then back to short cycles again. I'm 47. Please give me hope that they will get less frequent. I guess it's got to happen at some point!

Following as I'm experiencing a similar thing at 45. A (heavy!) period comes every 21-25 days now. It's quite debilitating for the first couple of days, like my body wants to get rid of 95% of the contents of my uterus within a 24-hour time window. I'm wearing period knickers from day 18 every month to make sure I don't get caught out - having also worn them, obviously, from days 1-6 of each cycle!

It's also very annoying for exercise - I like to swim but daren't go if my period has any chance of starting and definitely can't if I'm Day 1-3! A tampon would be ok from Day 4.

Yes. I was having two a month so I was either bleeding or very very angry with pmt on any day of the month. When I started getting thoughts of self harm I went to the gp and went on hrt. Periods are monthly now and my mental health is improved.

Sorry some of you are in the same boat but I can relate to all you've said. I feel like I have at best a week out of 3 where I feel normal-ish. Periods so heavy and painful that I feel drained by them for a about 3 days. Not too bad for days 4-6 then a massive dip in energy for a day or 2 after they've finished. Then PMS when they're due again. I want to avoid HRT if I can as I took the Progesterone only pill a while back and it made me feel dreadful - really low mood and a lot of spotting. I know it's not the same but it does put me off.

My doctor suggested putting me on the combined pill (oestrogen and progesterone) when I raised it with her early this year. I was somewhat tempted as I'm not on any contraception at the moment, not really an issue as DH and I never get the chance to do anything that might get me pregnant! But on those rare occasions it'd be nice not to worry; pregnancy at my age would be a disaster for us as a family.

She said I could have it until 50 as I'm a non-smoker, normal BMI etc. But I'm hesitant because as much as I loved the combined pill in my late teens and 20s, I know there are much greater risks in my late 40s and I also kind of like that I'm in tune with my body and my perimenopause at the moment. Taking the pill would put me into a false state, I'd have a withdrawal bleed and know exactly when it was coming but not a real period. Again, didn't bother me in my 20s (loved it, I'd take three packs back to back for nine weeks and have a five-day bleed in Week 10 that would start between 10am and 11am on a Tuesday 🤣). But at my age I prefer to know what's actually going on with my body.

I'm not against HRT in principle though and would go back for it when I start to struggle with peri symptoms other than the heavier, slightly closer together periods. I'm reading the Davina McCall 'Menopausing' book at the moment and finding it very informative and helpful.

I also didn't get on with progesterone-only contraception after a while by the way, had Depo Provera injections for years which were great but the implant (same drug, just different delivery) gave me endless spotting so I had it removed in the end and went back on the combined pill until we were ready to try for DD when I was in my very early 30s.

I gather HRT usually has both an oestrogen and progesterone element? And maybe testosterone too, in some cases for specific symptoms - I learned about this bit from Davina! So it shouldn't result in spotting etc as with the mini pill.

I am 48, my periods now average 22 days (range 21-24, one outlier of 28 days three months ago). The only good thing about it is that they are short, light and mostly painless; I used to have heavy 7 day periods before.
However, I have hot flashes, low moods, headaches, irritability. I have one week out of three I feel sort of normal, as now the week of my period I also have hot flashes and mood swings, and have those and headaches and sleeplessness the week before the period.

I saw my gynecologist, who prescribed utrogestan for 12 days for now (says I seem to still be ok with estrogen still). I'll see how that goes - I am to start it later this week - but I am confused as to when I will get my period, and also how to know whether I still have a period rather than a withdrawal bleed.