What happened to your periods in perimenopause?

[Cld9]

I’m a few years into perimenopause (42).
About two years ago my cycle went from 25/26 days to 21/22 days with some months being really heavy and some months being very light. I got the Mirena coil put in and that helped lighten the flow but it never fully settled for me…bad luck. Now 2.5 years later my cycle is starting to go a bit whacky again. I’m just feeling very over the whole thing now.

I’m just wondering what other peoples experience with their periods was? Thanks

My periods are still regular on a 28 ish day cycle but they are getting heavier and heavier and more and more painful. I’m grateful that they’re still predictable though so you have my sympathies.

I was in perimenopause for over 10 years. Had a Mirena coil as they were extremely heavy and the timing was erratic. Longest gap was 56 days then two the same month. The coil stopped them completely thank god

All over the place. Anything from 3 weeks apart to 3 months apart. Sometimes hardly noticeable, sometimes a total bloodbath. Can’t wait until it’s all over and done with.

My periods are still regular. For a while into peri they became heavy and painful like a pp and would last for about 6 days. But for about the last 6 months although still regular they don’t hurt and only last for 2 days.

Sometimes light sometimes heavy. Sometimes a fortnight sometimes two days.

I got sick of it all and got acupuncture to regulate things. My periods were then three to four days, normal flow, no clots, no pain. Totally worth it. And I didn’t need hormone medications that may or may not be bad for me.

Im through and out the other side now. Thankfully. Though it’s the gift that keeps giving, currently sure joints and sleep problems.

When I was about 44 I noticed that my regular 28-day cycle started to become erratic and unpredictable. It could be anything from 21 days to 35 days, or even longer. If it had been a long gap there'd be a bloodbath, which combined with the unpredictability was just awful. I ended up getting a Mirena coil at 46, and thankfully it worked and I never had another period.

I’m nearly 52 and was totally normal every 28 days (like clockwork) until last year and I had a break of 6 months and I am currently on a 5 months. I am hoping my last one in January will be it and I’ll be done. No other obvious symptoms except my sex drive has taken a bit of a hit but that could be other things.

Bloody awful. Literally.

Mine are still regular, every 28 to 30 days but have become heavier in recent months. However, this does coincide with needing to start a new blood thinner so nobody can really tell me how much is that & how much is peri.

42. Mine are regular but last about 10/12 days instead of eight. The first 4 days are spotting. Then super heavy for the next 4 and then spotting again for the last few days but can be a unexpected heavy bleed. I am lucky though that it is all pain free.

Mine were always irregular and that didn't change. Only right near the end I had a couple of very heavy periods then that was it.

There’s an ob-gyn who does a lot of work on social media about peri menopause. She refers to it as the Zone of Chaos and has a great little vid on it - obviously she deals with people experiencing difficulties, and that isn’t everyone. Worth a watch though

I was never aware of "perimenopause" as a thing. My previously irregular/nonexistent periods came back again at age 48, regular as clockwork, then stopped for good at age 56.
That last 8 years was annoying, but otherwise no issues.

I'm 60 now, but can still remember the torrential bleeding until I had an endometrial ablation at 48
They were always 28 days like clockwork though.

I’m 44, got the mirena in 3 years ago to help with heavy periods. It’s lightened them very well but I’ve gone from a regular 30-35 day cycle to anything from 28-45 days over the past year. Very light though thanks to the mirena.

Similar to you OP.

I'm 47. I haven't had any blood tests or anything to prove I'm peri. I've always had a very regular, 32 day cycle. Starting at maybe 41, it started to very, gradually get shorter, so 6yrs on, I'm still very regular, but my cycle is every 26 days now.

I don't sleep well and wake up stiff and achy, which improves as the day goes on. I need to see a GP, but my notes as in transit since I moved house

Thanks everyone for your responses…what I’ve taken from it is anything goes really! It seems to be a very individual journey for everyone.

Mine have gone to every 3 weeks.

@Cld9im one of the few people who 11 months on still has lots of uncomfortable period like pains and light periods on marina coil. It is better than the extremely painful (but predictable) periods i hsd before the coil.

the worst symptom for me is sleet disturbance.

I was on the progesterone only pill for several years from 39 due to endometriosis. The endometriosis seemed to develop in the five years prior when I had the copper coil. Before DD2 I'd always had Femodene since the age of 17 apart from stopping to get pregnant/during pregnancy/ post-partum. Was fine for a few years, it certainly kept a lid on the endometriosis as well as being an effective contraceptive, which was the main thing. And my periods stopped. But I started to get symptoms of low oestrogen at 46/47- vaginal atrophy basically. Took the risk (of it starting endometriosis off again) and went back on Femodene for a couple of years and felt so much better almost straight away, even though I was having a pill period again.

I even seemed to have more energy and a lot of things I'd put down to getting older or being a bit overweight was apparently lack of oestrogen. I knew I could only take it until the age of 50 though and started to think about HRT, and wanted to see if my periods have actually stopped.

So for the last six months, aged 49 I've taken nothing at all, and actually feel better still. No return of any vaginal symptoms, no periods, no endometriosis symptoms. I've been carrying on with the exercise programme I was able to start two years ago on Femodene, and more recently have been taking Mounjaro and have gone from BMI 29 to BMI 26 (with more coming off - I aim to get to at least BMI 24 if not a bit less) and I feel fit and healthy.

Always keeping an eye on things, but long may it continue and I don't feel like taking HRT while I feel this good. Though I will have a bone density scan at some point in a few years.

I had horrendous flooding. My cycle went from 28 days to 21 days and I became anemic. It was so bad I was changing tampon and huge pad every 20-25 mins on day 1 and 2, then day 3 and 4 more normal. Each period only lasted 4 days with about 70 percent of blood leaving my body on first 2 days. This went on for about 5 years.

Interesting that most of you are experiencing much heavier periods with a longer cycle.

Over the last 12-18 months I've been having very light periods that only last a few days with no to little menstrual pain. Sounds great but I have them every three weeks!

Now wondering if this is peri which I assumed it was or something else?

I'm here for a similar query. I'm on day 13 of a period, it's ebbs and flows, there are clots. It's wearing me down!

I'm on 2 pumps of oestrogel and have a merina coil from 3 years ago. I'm reading that I think it's too much estrogen? I wonder if I should get my mirena replaced early? So individual and unclear what to do, I hate it!

I realised in my early forties (now 44) that they'd gone from every 30/31 days to every 26/27 days. They're still like that but occasionally swing between 21 and 35 day cycles. They're a similar level of heavy/painful but tend to be a bit shorter now (3/4 days from 5/6), which is something. I find it quite frustrating having periods more often though, no-one told me this was as a possibility!

I think it’s just anything goes from what I can see on here and other posts.
Mine had gotten heavy some months before the Mirena but all throughout my life I’d had a fairly light flow.
I’m going to see a women’s doctor on Friday to see if I can do anything to help regulate it.
The light flow is totally fine to deal with but it’s just the frequency and unpredictable nature of it that’s getting to me.
If you’re worried you could always ask your GP but I wouldn’t worry too much although I know that’s easier said than done.