womans troubles

[fruitsalad]

I had my monthly period on the 14th december I am always as regular as clockwork, it lasts for about 4 days then stops til the next month, well today it has started up again 8 days later, I was wondering if this could be the start of the menopause, even though i thought they should stop not come more often

[ethandron]

if you're anywhere between 40 and 50 then it very well could be menopause, or more specifically perimenopause which is the years leading up to menopause.
i thought they should stop too, and maybe be responsible for the odd hot flush...WRONG! they stop, start, get heavier, get lighter, get longer between, get shorter between, and so on, and so on. expect the unexpected.

[fruitsalad]

thank you eth I am 53 but it still worried me a little so that has helped to put my mind at rest

[ethandron]

crikey fruit salad, you're lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) to still be getting any sort of periods at 53. my guess is you'll see the back of them sometime in the next 12 months. my doctor told me when i was 52 that i was 'old' to still be getting them, so at 53 you're at the older end of normal.

[fruitsalad]

yes i thought so to, they started when I was very young as well so I've had my fair share, but when I mentioned it to my doctor that I was still gettting regular periods at my age she said the longer they go on the better it would be for my bones.

[DTCwordfan]

I have a gf still going at 55 and taking on the ravages of breast cancer. Looks-wise, she has hardly changed since we went out at uni - slightly grayer...

I would say, as a male, that is symptomatic of the run into the Big M....

[ethandron]

so long as you have a normal healthy diet and get plenty of sunshine your bones should be fine. i found i really took stock of my diet and lifestyle and made some changes to both to try and help myself. there are lots of sites you can check out to read about what you can do. the other thing is to be kind to yourself and recognise when you're maybe having a bad day that it's probably your hormones playing up and not just you being 'grumpy' or tearful or whatever. it can be a rollercoaster ride but all part of being a woman :o)

[Sqad]

ethandron is absolutely correct.

Blimey, this is only the first time of irregular menstrual bleeding for years,I gather, just monitor the situation for a couple of months.

[yogasun]

Well fruitsalad my last period was at the age of 57, thought they'd never stop!!!!

[ethandron]

yoga, i read on a menopause forum that one lady was worried she'd have to spend her old age pension on tampons! some ladies do indeed still have periods into their 60s but they're few and far between.

[yogasun]

Blimey ethandron, I got off lightly then, by comparison :0)

[society]

My grandmother stopped having hers at 62!

[Sqad]

soc...was your grandmother called Ethel.........married to Ron?

[society]

Sqad, nope.

I am told I'm like her in many ways, I'm surely not looking forward having this into my 60s.

[Jemisa]

It was late 50s for me 56ish, but the hot flushes went on and on,

jem

[ethandron]

'ere, just watch it sqid ;)

[Sqad]

eth ;-)

[ethandron]

i was 53 and a half when i had my last one, and here i am five years later all done with it - no more periods, hot flushes, heart palpitations, hoorah!!