Pleased to still be having periods on cusp of 53rd birthday

[3StoneStillToGo]

So, like title says I'll be 53 before the end of the year and still having regular periods. They have got shorter in cycle - so 27 days this month, down from 28 days last month. They have been 28 days for a while.
My periods when younger were every 35 days.

Don't have kids in case that is relevant to anything.

Everytime I get another one I think 'Oh good, protected for another month'

What I mean by that is I have heard the longer you have your periods the better it is for your health to still have all the relevant hormones in enough quantities to cause a period.

Obviously I am in perimenopause as my cycle is changing but apart from some quite heavy periods nothing has really changed. No hot flushes or night sweats or anything.

I sort of feel the closer I get to being 60 without them stopping the better it is for all things concerned. If I fall apart after 60 I'm not so bothered as I feel like I'll be 'old' then. Planning to stop dying my hair at 60 too although of course that could change.

Anyway just wondered if anyone else felt like that. I read often that people are sick of them and wish they would hurry up and stop but I feel the opposite way although of course I still hate the mess, sore stomach, headaches.

Unless you are also having regular blood tests to check your hormone levels you have no idea what is going on? You more then likely need to have hrt now otherwise you will be falling apart internally as not having enough oestrogen and hormones literally destroys our bodies as it’s the most essential thing we need to keep our bodies running!

You're not likely to still have periods at 60!
The range is 45-55 although there are some women who are earlier and later.
53 is still very normal.

If you have symptoms when they stop you can use HRT.

60 is not old. It's only 7 years older than you are now!
Did you not hear that 60 is now the new 40?!

You certainly don't want to fall apart at 60 because otherwise you will have 25-30 years of poor health.

I was still having periods at 55 and I started HRT anyway. Actually it grew to too many and too long periods and ended with me having a Mirena coil fitting which brought them to a halt, thank goodness. Nearly 58 now, assume I'm post menopausal but really no idea.

Even apart from the prolonged bleeding, I was definitely over having periods. The novelty had well and truly worn off 😄 I had a long history of painful periods. So so bored with having to buy sanitary products and just generally having to plan. For some reason I went off tampons, tried a cup which was either wonderful or awful so I gave up, so I went back to pads.

I really like not having to think about it.

Congratulations 🙄

Clearly you’re not that well informed.
youre normal
literally
last period age has a normal distribution curve, 97% plus of women will fall within 2 standard deviations of the statistical average (mean). 99%+ within 3 standard deviations of statistical average. That is random variation. Special cause variation is the 0.5% ish that fall outside the 3 standard deviations of average. You are along way in terms of numbers of cycles, off-that yet.

if you look at graph attached you’ll see you are hardly special. 21%+ of women all over the world still have their periods over age 53 according to this chart I spent 1 minute googling for. Other charts are available.

Also, late menopause is not without higher risks for some cancers…it’s not all good news ( late as medically described as above 55 years old)
https://www.obermair.info/latest-news/blog/late-onset-menopause/

I certainly don’t feel the same. I’m 52 so probably a few months younger than you. My periods fucked off for good finally when I was 50 and I was fucking delighted. I’m on HRT now.

I’ve also got no intention of stopping colouring my hair or letting myself fall apart when I’m 60!

bravo, have a medal 🏅

The idea that your life is over at 60 is ridiculous! Many of us are still working, having sex, loving our lives and dying our hair.

60 is the new 40 tell that to my knees yeah maybe a relatively early menopause (47) has made them creak.

"Old" at 60 ffs. Those 7 years will zip by, sweetie.

Definitely the unlikeliest stealth boast post I’ve ever read

Im 54 still bleeding heavily every month due to fibroids and sick of it. On waiting list for hysterectomy and cannot wait to be done with it. As a side I stoppedcolouring my hair since covid and its now a lovely icy white colour. I dont look my age and no way do I think I will be old at 60!

@Summerhillsquare I agree that “60 is the new 40” is BS, of course it’s not. We’re just fitter and healthier at 60 than we were in the past, but it’s definitely a different life stage.

@3StoneStillToGo I’m 51 and still regular, my doctor says that we’re not that usual tbh. Not sure if this is relevant but my bone density is still good, which is a relief. I had a DEXA scan this year after breaking a bone - I was concerned about osteoporosis as I’m considered higher risk due to my family’s history, but apparently I’m ok. I don’t know whether having a later menopause is helping with that, I still take a calcium supplement to be on the safe side.

I'm over 60, have never taken HRT and am certainly not falling apart! And can't imagine why anyone would actually want to have periods.

I’m 59 , no HRT , regular periods until 54 , never coloured my hair which is a well complimented blonde/ grey mix and definitely not old . I was extremely pleased to stop having periods , they were a nuisance .

My periods stopping was the best thing that ever happened to me aged 52. They caused me nothing but trouble and pain, especially in the peri years. I'd be happier still to have my entire womb removed so there's zero chance of fibroids coming back.
Not on hrt (tried it, it caused said fibroids to grow massive and am not taking that risk again), feel pretty good, exercise daily etc..Definitely not falling apart yet!

Bizarre post

Blimey. I'm 50 and still having clockwork periods yet suffering massively in peri and on highest whack of HRT. So I wouldn't conflate bleeding with escaping symptoms, you might just be lucky.

Now you can get medication to stop your periods if they are inconvenient. In the bad old days the only way to stop periods was the contraceptive pill. I decided in my teens never to have children so I always regarded them as an intrusion and had a bad time with pains and heavy loss. A D&C cured it for many years but the pain and inconvenience began again in my late 30s. I was then a mature student and could not be bothered with them so took the pill end to end for 5 years. When I came off my periods had stopped and have never restarted. Nor did I ever have any menopause symptoms. Well I didnt "begin to fall apart" in my 60s and I am now in my 80s. Just now beginning to "fall apart".

Poor OP - I think she just meant having periods still might be protective in some way & also evidence that she’s not fully in menopause & all it’s associated issues. That she’s hoping this may long continue.

I suppose it shows how much misunderstanding there still is about menopause. I have a lot of friends who still say they’d much rather avoid & hold out on going on HRT as though there’s still some perception that relying on an external intervention is some kind of failing /or hangover from the damaging scaremongering that happened with the faulty research fiasco that demonised HRT for women for decades.

We know how essential HRT is for our health & wellbeing & protective against so many heart & bone conditions - let’s just hope GP’s start to embrace that & don’t hold onto their if you’re not having hot flushes mantra then you don’t need it. And with this government change where is it all women over 40 are going to be offered menopause care? things can only start to get better.

I had a friend who felt like this. She was really pleased and sort of proud of still having regular periods at 54. It’s a bit of a strange mindset but if you’re pleased with it, good for you.
After decades of very painful, heavy periods, fibroids and pmdd which have all gotten much worse in peri, I can’t associate periods with feeling healthy or anything positive at all personally.
Maybe not having kids does factor in in a way because after my body (and brain) had gone through pregnancy- which sort of felt like 9 months of PMS multiplied by about 1000, followed by birth which sort of felt like the worst period ever multiplied by about 1000- then the post partum bit and breastfeeding, I was utterly, utterly fed up of going through all of the crap associated with fertility. I cried buckets when my period came back when I started weaning dd onto solids. Breastfeeding through horrendous period cramps (with pnd) is one of my worst memories to date.
I remember being so excited for my first period to start when I was twelve or so. I had all these booklets and pads waiting to go, watching out for “a crampy feeling”.
Then it began- years and years of flooding, crying, shaking legs, occasional passing out, anaemia and just pain.
My mum was the same. Hers stopped at fifty and she said after all the years of horrendous periods she was massively relieved. She didn’t know much about menopause and had never even heard of peri so she didn’t have hrt. Having hrt when she needed it probably would have helped but I can’t see how a few extra years of what she was going through would have. It certainly wouldn’t have helped her mental health.

You are nothing special OP as much as you like to think you are, my last period was at 54 perfectly within the normal range. I presume you fully intended to be goady knowing that the likely replies would be from us “old” women who are either 60 or close to, have a word with yourself.

'If I fall apart after 60 I'm not so bothered as I feel like I'll be 'old' then.'

What a horrible and ignorant statement.

And a smug OP in general. Your regular periods at 53 are not a guaranteed elixir for a long life.