Period after 3.5 years- weight loss or more serious?

[Lemons1571]

I have started bleeding today after 3 years of no periods. It is just like a period, bit crampy, came on over the course of today. Thinking back I have had a moment of realisation that I even had sore nipples a couple of days prior which has now gone.

I think the whole period absence was probably related to the weight loss- I lost a huge amount of weight in 2021 which probably triggered loss of periods at age 46/47. Lost 10 stone in just over a year through dieting and ended up at BMI around 19.

I have never had any symptoms of menopause or perimenopause.

I have now regained some weight quite recently, maybe 1.5 stone, I look heavier and have gone up a clothes size. I now am having a period. BMI is now around 23-24. After 3 years of nothing. Now age 50.

Ironically I lost my periods at 10 stone, subsequently went down to 8.5 stone, now I’m back up to just over 10 stone and bang! They’re back.

Do you think I need to start being investigated for womb cancer? I’m not sure I’ve even been through the menopause. Never had hot flushes or night sweating or anything. Also not been on any hormones ever. Could this be a hormone surge? I can’t believe that cancer bleeding would get so heavy so suddenly and also cause sore nipples.

Hi OP. I wouldn’t jump to womb cancer but I’d get it checked out. Maybe periods/no periods is weight-related but maybe you are menopausal - and any bleeding post menopause should be investigated.

A BMI of 19 is quite low and may have triggered abnormal cessation of periods. You’re now at a much healthier BMI so they have returned.
However, you can’t discount other causes for the bleeding so you need to get checked out.
Keep a diary of the bleeding and other symptoms. Are you experiencing bloating or abdominal pain which could include back pain, sciatica or hip pain. I lost my sister recently to what they thought was gyni cancer initially, but her main symptom was sudden weight loss followed by severe hip and sciatic pain. It turned out to be pancreatic cancer.
Normally on mn I would reassure people who are anxious about health but any bleeding after periods have stopped for a long period of time needs investigating.

@Angrymum22 no other symptoms. Recent ish weight gain is uniform, I can feel it on arms legs bum etc. No bloating or pain. Smear a few months ago was normal. I go to the gym now so am reasonably fit for a 50 yo (or so I thought!).

Darn it.

@Angrymum22 sorry to hear about your sister - awful isn’t it

Go to see your GP and expect to be referred for further testing.
This is a classic warning sign. You should be seen within 10 days because it could be C. Quite probably isn't but they need to rule that out (and randoms on the internet can only delay you). Early diagnosis leads to the best outcomes. And if it isn't the tests might show what else could be causing it.

Go and get it checked out. Perhaps hormonal as you suggested, but I had womb cancer with irregular bleeding and it's very treatable if caught early with a very low risk of recurrence.

@SierraSapphire please can I ask what was the bleeding like? Was it like a classic period or more like a bloody discharge? Did you have other period like symptoms?

It was a whole mix of things, I was still having periods but they'd tail off and then start again, then I ended up having spotting which turned watery, but I don't think you can second-guess what's going on with you from my symptoms. Women have all sorts of different symptoms. Ststistically it's unlikely to be cancer, but just get it checked out in case it is. I didn't think it would happen to me as I have no other risk factors, and it was during Covid, so I was very slow getting checked.

I had this and got it checked out, scans and biopsy, all done v quickly, they concluded it was just one of those things.

No one can give you a definite answer here @Lemons1571 .
The bottom line is you need to see your GP and get a scan.

There are various possibilities but it's not going to help because you need your womb looking at with a scan.

But- for info- in younger women who exercise a lot (athletes) and become very thin, their periods can stop as can women with anorexia. BMI 19 isn't thin- it's normal and that's my BMI and has been all my life. No periods issues ever at that BMI.

Although losing 10 st might shock your body into not ovulating.

In women with premature menopause, (before age 40) it's not unheard of for periods to start again (for no reason) after years of no periods.

On the other hand, being overweight is the main risk factor in developing endometrial cancer (see NHS site for info on this.) This is because fat produces estrogen (which may explain why you never had peri symptoms when you were overweight.)

So....you've got to see your GP and have a scan. Phone today and make sure you stress its urgent. You are supposed to get a scan within 2 weeks, but obviously it may be a bit longer.

Thank you all. I am awaiting referral information - does anyone know if nhs is better than private? Sometimes for these one stop shop symptoms, you’re in and out with all tests done the same day (the breast assessment unit is like this)

Bleeding has tailed off a lot. Feeling more scared now for some reason. I suppose because the internet has a lot about endometrial cancer but not much on the non-cancer causes.

If I was 30 instead of 50 I guess it would be put down to the weight loss / gain, but the gp put post menopause bleeding - I explained I hadn’t ever had any menopause symptoms but this didn’t seem relevant.

Dr. Any post menopause bleeding needs a gp appt x

Non cancer causes can be thickening of the endometrium that is non-cancerous - typical hyperplasia, polyps, fibroids.

I don't really know what they do privately, NHS it is just ultrasound scan and then wait for the results and then a hysteroscopy with a biopsy would be the next step if anything is found on the scan. When I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer I was told it was one of the "best" cancers to have, because it tends to be caught early because of the bleeding and because the womb is a muscle. It's much less likely to spread. If it's caught at an early stage and low grade it's a hysterectomy and no further treatment. There isn't even any routine follow-up on the basis that risk of recurrence is very low.