What's going on?

[Holtome]

For a couple of years I was getting gradually less frequent periods, struggling with focus, sleep and motivation. I had a couple of months of really awful hot flushes, which coincided with when my periods seemed to stop altogether.

Then I seemed to get "myself" back, the flushes stopped and I thought it was all over. Yay.

Then, over Easter, I had my first period in nine months. An ordinary period, same amount of bleeding, same number of days as they always were.

Since then, the flushes are back and so are the problems with focus etc.

I'm 56, surely it should be done by now.

It will fluctuate so we can think flushes have ended and we get a flurry after a few months ditto periods. There's no rhyme or reason.

It isn't considered meno until a year after the last bleed so while 9mths is obviously getting there still not unheard of at 56 to have the odd bleed. Maybe see your gp to check, they might want to scan. Every gp seems to have different parameters,

Thing to remember is regardless of when last period is, hormones dropping off a cliff will cause ongoing possibly worsening issues and we are never 'done' unfortunately.