Over 55 still having periods

[Davidfromcorrie]

I am over 55 and still having periods without fail every single month. Everyone else I know has stopped. No sign of meno, no hrt, just absolutely tired of it. Feel weird and elderly having this at my age. Is anyone else over 55 and still going naturally and regularly?

Just chipping in here to say that it is normal to have periods in your mid 50s BUT older than that it's always worth getting it checked out.

Sometimes, it can be a sign of endometrial cancer and it's easy for older women (late 50s to 60) having irregular bleeding to assume it's a period when it's not.

Endo cancer has a high success rate of total cure if caught early but not if it's ignored for years.

@Davidfromcorrie You might want to think about a Mirena coil. It will probably stop the bleeding but not your actual periods, if that makes sense. It can help inhibit ovulation but the bonus is many women have no bleeding with it.
You're not too old and some women in their 60s use it as the progesterone part of HRT.

59 for me, although only every 4 - 6 months for the previous 3 years. I kept thinking that each one would be the last then bam, the familiar signs of an imminent period. Proper periods too, not irregular bleeding, with full on ovulation pain, sore breasts and PMT.

It’s been 14 months since the last one, so finally in menopause. I started my periods late around 14/15.

I’ve been on HRT for 8 years.

I'm so Squeamish about things up me chuff. So I can't do that. ..guess I'll still be going at sixty 😆

Doesn't hrt create unnatural periods tho? I'm totally natural no intervention. That's what pisses me off . Too old for this crap. Like I say I can't stand medical stuff....like a pathetic teenager. I know I've got high BP but can't stand thought of messing around with drugs. I'm as pathetic as they come

@Davidfromcorrie I know I've got high BP but can't stand thought of messing around with drugs. I'm as pathetic as they come

But if you have, it needs intervention either through diet and lifestyle , or if that doesn't work, meds.

Please don't ignore it- high BP in time damages your kidneys and heart. And then you may need far more serious treatment.

@PortiaWithNoBreaks Are you on sequential HRT?
Are your bleeds not the usual withdrawal bleeds? They can come with PMS symptoms because the progesterone in HRT can create the same side effects as a normal fertile cycle, in some women.

I have known people who were physically fit- gym bunnies etc who were still having periods in their mid 50s. It seems as if the body is still young. Could this be you OP?

I’m the same OP, 55 next month and still having periods although this last few months they are not as regular. Having hot flushes and anxiety but the disturbed sleep is what I struggle with the most. No HRT for me either. I don’t know much about my late DMs menopause as she didn’t speak about it, I hope mine happens sooner rather later, I’m exhausted.

No they were definitely not withdrawal bleeds, completely different.

I had withdrawal bleeds on top and they are of a different and predictable pattern and didn’t/don’t come with ovulation. All checked out and scanned etc and confirmed.

I turned 54 in January and my last one was November. I thought they'd stopped in 2024 after a hiatus of 6 months, but no.
Mine started 2 months after my 11th birthday.....Mother Nature is a cruel and teasing mistress.
Waking 4/5 times per night and PRAYING it's soon gonna be over.
My late (male)friend once said," If men had periods they'd have discovered a way of f*king them off by now!"🤣🤣🤣

PS my mum helpfully can't remember when hers stopped,but thinks she was about 55 and hers started at 12.

Had my last period the month I turned 56. Wasn't taking any HRT.

I was pretty much the same. Very regular until 57 then they fizzled out and stopped within a year.. Also no perimenopause.

Isn’t high BP also a stroke risk?

My friend is amazingly fit with low BMI but had high BP and was anti medication until the GP said you either take the drugs or you have a stroke.

I started my periods 3 weeks after my 14th birthday. Last period was 2 months after my 58th birthday.

i have a friend age 63 who although has stopped periods now, hasn’t had the menopause yet. She said her gp confirmed it with a blood test

If her periods have stopped for 12 months, she's post menopause.
Not all women have symptoms.

If it's high for years or super-high for a short time, then yes.

On Hrt last November and they stopped - yay! Until Mid February when started bleeding for few days. Then stopped. Maybe I had upset stomach and Her didn't absorb properly ( patch and pills). Then all fine until mid march and then I've been so moody, spotty, bleeding erratically. Then stopped. Until this week. PMT, spots, bloated and bleeding FFS. Referred for scan inJan- results were all as expected. Asked for another referral to gynaecologist. Mum stopped at 52.

My understanding is that high BP is more prevalent in menopausal women as oestrogen levels drop, and as such it’s a risk factor for stroke.

Nobody should ignore high BP and the attendant risks just because they don’t want to take medication.

@SabrinaThwaite

Estrogen makes the arteries more flexible so that arteriosclerosis is reduced.
That's not the same thing as loss of estrogen making BP rise.

High BP is not a 'given' for women post menopause because diet and exercise can be very effective.

But using HRT does protect the heart if it's started within 10 years of a last period. Beyond that it doesn't have the same positive effects because arteriosclerosis has already begun and the plaque in the arteries is already there.

There is a link though, as oestrogen is a vasodilator as well as maintaining blood vessel flexibility and preventing LDL cholesterol, so as such it does have a role in reducing hypertension.

No, high BP is not a given in perimenopause and menopause, but as it doesn’t have any symptoms it’s something that sensible and easy to monitor.

My comment was to the OP, who said she knows she has high BP but didn’t want to mess around with medication.

I agree with you that estrogen benefits heart health.
She needs to see her GP because it's a risk having high BP and can lead to serious issues. It also affects kidneys and can be a factor in kidney disease in the longer term.

You could take tranxsemic acid to reduce the flow - that might help a bit