Unusual long period - approaching menopause or something else?

[PeriodWoe]

Background: I’m 42, no particular signs of peri yet, regular periods that have always been heavy. I do have PCOS which caused irregular periods when I was younger but they have been regular for the last ten years since my second child was born.

My period started last Monday (just over a week ago), right when I expected it to. It was maybe slightly lighter than normal but not massively. Started to slow down after day four as is normal but then seemed to ramp back up again and now day 8 still bleeding. Not masses, not medically worrying amounts - but also not just spotting. ‘Proper’ bright red blood, requiring a sanitary towel but not enough to need changing regularly iyswim.

Do I… just wait, it’s not a huge amount, it’ll stop eventually? Wait a bit longer (how long?) and then consult a GP? Or what? Is this the start of menopause? Is this the way it’s going to be - what a pain!

Possibly relevant: I’m still experiencing some minor cramps and some menstrual type headaches, but neither are debilitating. I am currently taking WLIs for weight loss - could that be a cause? Have been taking WeGovy since April, have been losing 1lb a week or less, less than a stone lost so far and BMI still very high around 37 so no rapid weight loss or anything. That’s it!

I haven't experienced it myself, but a friend has had a 25 day period. She had the contraceptive implant and was told it can happen sometimes. They gave her a short course of progesterone pills to stop it. It happened again a couple of months later so she has had the implant removed to see if that stops it.

Thanks for your comment, I should have said: I don’t use any hormonal contraceptives (condoms only) and haven’t had sex for several months anyway so no chance I’m pregnant(!).

Could be peri, bit it's not usual for you, so if I were you, I would drop a note to my GP. In my case, this resulted in examinations and blood tests - iron tablets for the blood loss. Better to check than not - it could be fibroids, a polyp, or the start of peri, who knows? We can't know from here.

Yes, that’s what I’m leaning towards. Just wondering if it’s a bit soon to be taken seriously since it’s only day 8. Might wait for day 10 - that’s nearly twice my usual period length. The bleeding is making me feel slightly anxious though, I don’t know why but it’s just clearly not the same as much normal period, so I won’t wait too long before asking for help.