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Ten months w/o a period, then WHAM! It's baaaack! Grrrrr

sooz
20 years ago

I thought SURE I was gonna get my menopause badge in a couple more months, but nooooooo. Got my period yesterday, so now I get to start "counting" the months all over again.

I hear from my doc that 12 months without a period means you have officially done the menopause dance. Sheesh! So close!!!

I've been having hot flashes on and off (sometimes none for months at a time!) for about 2 years--nothing too bothersome, thankfully. My doc also said that when I started having hot flashes, my fertility went waaaaay down to zero cuz I'm (gasp!) in my early 50s and the hot flashes plus my age were an indicator of failed fertility, and that I might have some spotting or breakthru bleeding (did have a bit of spotting, for less than 1 day, last summer). YMMV, of course, but that's what my doc told me.

Now, I wonder just how long or how heavy this !surprise! period is gonna be... dang it!!!

Just wanted to share my frustration at getting my little visitor yet again...

Comments (560)

  • Cotina Glover
    5 years ago

    hi ladies well I went 8 months without a cycle my last period was in March 2018 it October 23, 2018 and bam my period is back with a vengeance prior to it I was having hot flashes my stomach got bloated I was wondering why this was happening cause I haven't had hot flashes in months but now I know I'm on as I speak feeling all the symptoms of a period bloated, grouchy, moody just wanna be at home in the bed however I'm at work right now so I'm just being very quit cause ion wanna shoot off on no one. I was so looking forward to the absence of it all I was literally like ok 2 months left so now I have to start all over again. Jesus take the wheel. At first I didn't want it to stop because have yawl ever wondered how does the body cleanse it self after you stop having a cycle and I think that's when you start to have a lot of medical problems I haven't got a answer on this theory yet. I hope this helps oh yea I'm NOT PREGNANT

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I am always heated which is a problem because my mother is always cold - the heat makes my bleeding worse and last week I had an overnight pause - how is this possible - my pad was almost clean when I woke up and I thought oh it is over and then FLOODING a few hours later. Then for the last few days I have severe migraines like blinding and I was popping a lot of tylenol but I never got them during the menorrhagia which kept me groggy and in bed and I thought I was going to get another huge situation because i did not get cramps, odor, breakouts or PMS or migraines during this since June 25 2016 so I thought okay this is not the cycle - this is just the meno but so far nothing - the thing that turned off the migraines yesterday - mcdonalds which I had not had in a long time and a coca cola.


    I am going to try to lose weight - the pulsing in my side stopped but my last cycle was weird and lasted longer than premeno - like 8 days with more clotting and flooding so that is meno but I had a brief thing with pms which I rarely had before and never with the meno when I got too interested in a music video. that was weird.

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  • italianlegs
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    Hi ladies my last normal period was October 2017 but after six months I went to wipe and noticed a little brown spot and then that was it, so is that my last period or was it in October My last period if a spot is a start up again then I have about another 6 months but if im going by my last regular last period then it’s been 12 months . What do you all think

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I've never had a break longer than maybe 6 weeks and once it started - the way I have my period has changed. And I think it is stress and heat related as well but right now I am so stressed out and I am not bleeding so maybe it is over and I am post menopausal. I need to paint a building before it is foreclosed. And I want my family to spend thanksgiving there before we have to lose it.


    Is anyone else using pads? I use the purple ones - I have never been disgusted my bleeding until menorrhagia.


    What scares me is that it can strike - with a lot of blood - not spotting. A few times it was spotting so I had a chance to wear a pad. I dont leave the house that much but even always carrying pads on me, I live in a cold city and I dont want to have an incident and have to get home with blood on my pants. _ how many clothing stores are really around these days and that I can afford.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I hope for total menopause because I have to take a 5 hour train ride in the future and I cant use pulblic bathrooms when I have meno I have sat in courtrooms for 2 hours and then not used the bathroom becuase I didnt bring clorox wipes and then taken 3 hours to go home - all on one purple pad which shocked me that it actually held up. I think my body paused for me but it is a gushing when I am home with big clots.

  • HU-17612969
    5 years ago

    I am so disappointed. I had my last period on November 4, 2017 and about 2 weeks ago I started having those familiar symptoms that I was headed for a period. I even told a couple friends that I felt like one was coming. Sure enough, it's here. Just one week and a half after 12 months had passed. My periods were always like clockwork. Had extra heavy periods, was always anemic, the whole nine yards. I'm happy I found this thread. It helps me to cope. I truly hope this is one last hurrah. I can't deal with periods anymore. BTW, I'm just 2 weeks shy of my 58th birthday. I had my yearly exam in June and my doctor told me not to be alarmed if I got past 12 months and had another period so I think they know it's common. I'm just going to watch it and see what happens. I don't think I'm gonna consult her unless something weird happens. Thanks again to all the ladies who have shared their experiences. It's really helps.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    Im very sick today but I am not bleeding, also I feel very emotionally bright and energized. i think it's OVER and I am post menopausal. I feel sorry for my mother because she has a head injury and is in poor health and we had to reach this point of being abused in NYC where the judges actually intimidated us and discouraged us that we would not get a fair trial - what kind of judge orders one side to pay the other side partially before trial?

    I hope it was a mitzvah but I don't see how.


    but you never know. judges have to be smarter than lawyers and lawyers have to be smarter than clients.



    my mom despite her aches and exhaustion -she is in danger of a stroke - got up while I was bedriidden today and made rice and salmon for her 41 year old sons dinner. My mother is a very proper woman and very uptight about doing the right thing - how is it fair to her that her children are such burdens?


    my brther is handicapped and this menorrhagia ruined our ability to fight back.

  • Laurie Ellis
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I am having the same thing happening as a lot of you ladies, I just turned 50 this October and I have not had my period for what would be 11 months at the end of November when Wham! Painful cramps and bloating hit me last night, I thought it was maybe my IBS acting up but then this morning, there it was.

    Ackkk! I am getting close as my gyn told me the last time I saw him, I really am hoping that this is the last one because I can’t handle another year of this. I have already been in perimenopause for several years with hot flashes and mood swings. I also wonder if I had a fibroid burst.

  • HU-112823811
    5 years ago

    Hi Laurie,

    I turned 50 in October too! I have gone almost 3 months without a period. This is the longest I've gone so far. I've been having hot flashes on and off. The not knowing how it will play out is the worst part of menopause, in my opinion!

    Jenny

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I was almost 3 months and then I had a scare on thanksgiving but I didnt have anything on Day 8 which is what would have made it menorrhagia - so I guess I am just in menopause. I agree - not knowing when it is going to happen again and then for it to reoccur - ugh I am so bummed. I just want it to be over and for it to never happen again. I actually thought I was going to have an accident in court because they were making us sit there for HOURS and I was kind of hoping I was tapering off but i had been disappointed before. I think my body is going off and on like it knows when I am on a long bus ride and halts which I know sounds weird but it has happened multiple times - maybe I am so terrified when I am riding the LIRR that it halts for me in response to specific emotions and then activates usually by LAWYERS - hh.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    For a few years preceding the menorrhagia, I was 2-3 days very efficient - now I am getting 7 plus days post meno. My meno was extremely scary. I was literally in bed for months and I ruined bedsheets, pillowcases(?) and had accidents. My mother said it was because of the foreclosure but I FELL the day it started and it just never stopped bleeding for months and it took me like 3 weeks to figure out i was in trouble.

  • Diane Frusco
    5 years ago

    Ten months off and then a week on (back in April). A few days of not much in July, and now on Day 8 in December. I'm 55. Hoping 2019 will be the year it finally gives up! :)

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I had that too when I had 5 days when I wasnt bleeding and then it would be back. Good luck. And my mother had a really big polyp removed in 1998 and then was completely post menopausal. I never saw a doctor and I had a throbbing pain in my right side so I think if I had had a polyp or whatever removed maybe I would be post so if you can afford it - see a doctor and see if you can get this thing stopped completely. it sucks.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    Did anyone with meno see a doctor and find a cyst or a polyp or some kind of growth like a tumor? My mom had a big polyp removed right before christmas after many months of nonstop bleeding that was NOT flooding and no big clots like me. I fell hard and started bleeding badly. But I also had a bursting pain in my right side until recently and I thought oh great it vanished on its own


    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2018/12/18/miracle-texas-girls-inoperable-brain-cancer-disappears/2346822002/



    but last night I pressed my right hip into the mattress while extending my left leg - which is something I never do


    and I FELT something in my right side in that same place so whatever was doing that bursting pain did not disappear.

    I dont have money for a doctor and our lives are terrible enough so I am not going to go get surgery if there is soemthing in there since we are being so beaten up here that there is no point. It's just death by a thousand cuts.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    the first two days my pads disintegrated but there wasnt flooding of blood, then overnight i Had flooding that lasted all morning


    THEN I went out for almost 4 hours without changing my pad and it was full but not disintegrated = the first two days i seemed to be sweating and bleeding.


    I think in my case my meno is intensified because my mother wants the house fully heated. I went outside with just a fleece and a raincoat and my bleeding was not flooding. It was significant but one giant purple pad was okay for 3 hours.

  • K M
    5 years ago

    I haven’t been in this for him for a while. I originally went five months without anything and had a heavy flooding. It lasted almost 3 weeks. That was when I started doing keto. It’s common when you first go to a low-carb diet for things like this to happen. Another five months went by and I just started again. This time The heavy flooding was only one day, but I’m still spotting. It’s not too bad, but it starts and stops during the day depending on my activity (exercise, pooping-TMI I know. lol). It’s like I’m being teased and need to wear a pad especially with the randomness.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    I also had start and stop during the bleeding in the last two times - which are 7 days so dont count as meno so it must be the last of my periods - it can actually pause overnight and flood all day and even for half a day - why would it PAUSE if it is fast shedding the blood? I havent had cramps since I got meno but the last time I had a body pimple on my waistband area but i didnt notice it until after the bleeding stopped. But the pulsing pain on my right side always - that migrated once to pulse on the left


    about a day ago - it was on the middle of my lower torso - how is that possible?

  • VLee
    5 years ago

    I think I can say Im through the menstruation part of menopause. I haven't had any sign for couple of years now, all other symptoms have lessened too. Get a bit of anxiety and mini hot flushes but I just let them into my life and roll with it. I found less resistance to anything menopausal has been the best way for me, fully accepting it and it's part of who I am now. Can't say it was always that easy! My knowing kept me at it though and really, on a scale, I did not have any really bad symptoms where it was debilitating or interfering with my life. For that I'm so grateful and I wish all you lovely women struggling with it or having a bad time or stoopid periods popping up randomly, all those things we deal with, I do hope you find the other side in not too long of a time or at least can have it in your life where it's not a 'problem.' All the best lovely ladies!

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    today I am pouring with clots as in 3 pads per hour - never been this uncomfortable when overnight I had technically bright blood with some thickness but not enough to cover the entire purple pad - as I am doing right now - because I found out that my brother is secretly getting married to someone who seems to not really be above board - but the day before I had been bleeding lightly in a menopause light type of period preceded by a chocolate craving preceded by .... nights of waking up soaking wet - my head was sweating so much that my hair was wet - my back and front seemed to have cooled sweat on it - in a cold bedroom and this had been happening but not that badly except on friday - that night i woke up soaking wet hair and damp clothes - then saturday I had a nasty head cold from the wet hair and having only just recovered I found a light period - but now it's flooding


    so I think that is because I was going through something awful with my brother who is handicapped but also alas - lying which meant it wasnt because he feared any objection but that he deliberately is passive aggressively against my mother knowing in a respectable way - too late now - the series of lies means that we finally have proof after almost 30 years that he is surrounded by frenemies.


    fine with me. His choice to alienate her. I dont plan on objecting to the marriage since he doesnt want us involved or to know anything - even better. It's too late for him to make up for the lies so now we can just let him be.


    but the stress of him lying this morning - that means the bleeding may have soemthing to do with stress.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    yesterday when I found I was bleeding - it was bright red since meno - never brown - I had felt an uncoiling in the area where I usually have a bursting pain - the sensation and I guess it was just a very weird and strong cramp - it was like a snake had been coiled where the bursting pain usually is and then suddenly it uncoiled inside of me and then I looked and I was bleeding.

  • nyc46
    5 years ago

    my mother says that after foreclosure that in order to see soemthing in that location - they have to use instruments and go inside of me but I told her I would never let these nyc doctors touch me after what they have already done and a CT scan should show if there is anything worth investigating first.

  • L br Br
    4 years ago

    I used to go 1 or 2 years without my period when I was in my late teens and 20s. So I don't believe the whole your done when you have gone a year without. My lasr peeiod was March 2018. Guess what just showed up? Ahhhhhh!!!

  • HU-282797121
    4 years ago

    10 months and only one tiny day of light spotting. I’m lucky I adopted a mostly veganish diet in order to avoid additional hormones in my diet. I only drink herbal teas and water and home made vegetable juice.no caffeine, no dairy, no sugars (added) no processed foods and

    no fried foods. I DO eat fish which I realize isn’t vegan but I want the added heart healthy omega 3 from Sardines in my diet. ALL of this to lay the groundwork for menopause. I’ve had some night sweats but no hot flashes...I’ve had skin dryness and minor issues. But last week I felt irritable and my legs and back hurt and it actually felt like I was headed in that direction again but I’m 53!! I was counting on all of this being over...then I woke up with a stabbing sharp leftside pain. Below my bladder and I felt hot and sick to my stomach. Of course my bowel activity was really “off” and I had a stomach ache all day until I realized I am having a full fledged period. I woke up this morning to a ruined bed and ruined underwear when I got up I was SO unbelievably dizzy I fell over on my way to the bathroom! I’ve NEVER had this happen to me in my life!! I was terrified and gushing blood and I felt ice cold! Of course I had the stabbing side pain and I was afraid something was very wrong. I contemplated going to the ER but my husband said I might be over reacting and to give it time. I have had pain all morning and a constant urge to go number two...? Anyone else feeling dizzy? Anyone else have weird coldness? I’m very worried and feeling anxiety that I haven’t had in years and I must appear nuts. I’ve been under HUGE STRESS in my life and I am looking to see if stress canCAUSE all this to happen to me-

    I've been trying to BE proactive in order to prepare myself but I’m feeling awful and afraid on top of it. The final period I had ten months ago lasted 20 long days. I don’t want that again.

  • Melissa Mckinney
    4 years ago

    I am so glad that I am not all alone! I stopped my periods November of 2017. Then in July 2018 I had just a spotting which didn't last maybe a day. I should have counted it as a period, I guess. I ended up starting 4 days ago and have had a normal period. I made it to 11 months, lol. My Doctor is still going to do a pap smear and transvaginal ultrasound to be safe. BTW, I am 47 years old. I think I must have been wishful thinking in believing I was in the home stretch.When I started the other day, I panicked. I went to google and typed in bleeding after menopause and of course, cancer scare right off the bat. I wish I had known about this forum a few days ago!

  • Angela Beadle
    4 years ago

    Hi Melissa

    i am 47 also!! I was always regular and then ..bam...I haven’t had my period for 6 months! I kind of miss it!...crazy right??? Anyway I have been having hot flashes for about 2 years before I missed my periods. My mother said it was too early, she didn’t start until she was in her 50’s, but I guess I don’t take after her in this dept!...lol. I went to my doctor since I was worried becuz I’ve always been regular and my pap was fine and I also had a trans vag ultrasound... with showed a little free form water... or whatever that’s called, but my dr seemed to think everything was fine. Let me know how your appt. turned out, hope you are well!! Good luck, remember you’re not alone !!

  • Anne Wash
    4 years ago

    Hello everyone.
    It's been a long while since I've been here.
    My last post was April 6, 2018 when after a few months of being gone..my cycle returned. Well May 2018 until now I've had no cycle (1 year and 2 months). On the 11th of this month I am scheduled to have my annual PAP test. I am praying that after the poking and prodding that my cycle doesn't raise its ugly head. In the meantime I have been living with the fan blowing on ms all night to keep cool; I have folded up hand accordion fans all over the house and in the cars; in all my cars. I went the fan route because I was keeping the house like a meat locker it was so cold and my husband, son, mini pincher (who only has 1 coat of fur) and my german shepherd were suffering. So it's been and is rough along with the weak bladder (I need to know where all the restrooms are)..my welcome to age 57.
    Ya'll chime in and let me know how ya'll are doing. I've reinstalled my app so I'm back

  • HU-47651575
    4 years ago

    So glad I found this post. It’s been more informative than any medical site. I’m 48 and basically same story, been in peri menopause since I was 39.

    weird periods for a few years. I used to be regular 28 days and a 32 day month forever.

    Anyway I have also gone 10 months with no period, then bam.... sore boobs, low cramping and pinky blood on the tp.

    Of course I’m about to go on a cruise on Tuesday.... first overseas holiday with hubby. How typical. I’m hoping it’s just spotting and won’t become a heavy period.

    the last period way back 10 months ago, came after a 6 month gap, but it was so heavy.

    erghhhhh I Just want this to finish so over it.

    Thankyou all so much for commenting it’s been so helpful.


  • Brig
    4 years ago

    Updating from over a year ago. Well turning 50 in March was not pleasant. My whacked out period celebrated this wonderful day with 17 long days of bleeding. Then 3 weeks off and then followed by another 18 day period, then only 11 days off followed by a 17 day period!! That last 17 day period the first ten days were normal type bleeding( normal for me is still heavy to others) but only few in there heavy. THEN, the next 5 days BAM flooding with clots. I went thru all my supplies, visited the toilet every 30 min for those days practically. Almost went to ER felt dizzy light headache but stuck it out. Took some iron and sugar because I thought maybe I was low on both. Now I do want to say I started an extreme dieting and exercise program that month which was NO carbs, (KETO) diet. I was so excited in my healthy diet WITH exercise for first time ever being that focused and controlled that when this wacky period came it totally exhausted me, that I dropped out all together. And then I had a normal period followed on time with normal bleeding.And been off two months of skipping period then expecting it last Sunday with all the normal symptoms of acne, bad cramping with slight bleed but never got going. Two days of no blood but third day bad headache and slight blood. Today no headache or blood. SO ?.? That’s where I’m at. Just starting my new job soon and I guess I will have to bring my backpack of supplies for just in case. LOL I was planning on seeing a gyno. When my insurance kicks in and look into hysterectomy if I get another bad case of flooding because that’s just not fun. I’m trying to hold out and put up without going to extreme. I read some ladies experience the flooding once or twice right before menopause so I’m crossing my finger tightly.

  • margaretholmes541
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I had what I thought was my last period at 48. It disappeared for a year and I remember sex being very painful. Then, all of a sudden it returned for 6 months and it was exactly the same cycle it had been for 35 years. It once again left for 2 months and I believe I had what was my final period last week. My period has always been very heavy, bright red and a full 5-day cycle. I use a super-plus tampon, change it every 2 hours and have a pad for back-up on the first 2 days. I don't need the pad on the 3rd day but have to change my tampon every 4 hours. The 4th day I change it 2-3 times and I use regular sized tampons for day 5. My period started off brown last week which it sometimes did. However, it remained brown for 3 days and I had to use regular size tampons from day one. I turn 50 in December. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

  • margaretholmes541
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Brig, it sounds like you need to get a D&C done. Same thing happened to my mom and she never had the "flooding" again. But it could be something more serious. Please go straight to the hospital if it happens again. Good luck!

  • roarah
    4 years ago

    Margret, I have been going five months without, then started again for five months, then stopped for 9 months then had some spotting every four weeks and the had a real like period last month with spotting two weeks after so my gyn ran an ultrasound and fsh, Lh test. The fsh is above 30 and I had a thick lining of 6.7 which if I am menopausal, as the fsh indicates, is too thick to elimate the possibility of cancer with out a biopsy. I have a biopsy next week . You should talk to your gyn. It is most likely just one of those things but going a year and then restarting can be a symptom of hyperplasia.

    Good luck.

  • margaretholmes541
    4 years ago

    roarah, I did speak to my gyno about it and she wasn't concerned. Although a year without your period usually means you're in the postmenopause stage it's not uncommon for it to reappear. I have never spotted in between periods or had them any less or more than five days. I hate using the internet as a doctor but it is in fact very common. I will however keep track of this latest one and see what, if anything happens this month. Thank you for your concern and I wish you all the best!

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    I, too, went 12 months without a period and then it started up again. I've been on and off since then and I'm 58. My GYN said I'm "just not textbook". All women are different and we all go through menopause differently. I really wish doctors would stop telling women that 12 months and you're done. NOT TRUE! As evidenced by this forum. We have 15 years of posts and most are saying the same thing. 12 months is just a guideline but is not the absolute definition that a women is completely through with having periods. This forum has been really helpful and reassuring to me. Yes, if a woman has gone 12 months or more, she should see her doctor for testing, etc. But most of the time it's just your body is not finished yet. I've accepted that. I know one day it will stop for good.

  • margaretholmes541
    4 years ago

    HU, wow! You're 58 years old and still getting your periods, even if they're on and off. How old were you when they stopped for 12 months? I told my doctor that I hadn't had a period for a year. I was around 47 years old. She asked me how I was feeling and I told her the hot flashes, dryness and lack of sex drive were bugging me the most. All the hallmarks of menopause. Then I suddenly have a normal period on and off for the last two years and all the symptoms of menopause disappeared. I tell her this and she smiles and says "enjoy it while it lasts". I have a feeling I had my last one for good this time. It was last week, lasted 3 days and was mostly brown mixed with a little red the whole time. I've kept track of it and will see if it happens again but my period, when I get it, hasn't changed in 37 years. I don't know what that was but I just know it was the shedding of any remaining blood. I'll be 50 in December and having gone through menopause once already, I'll really miss my period when it's gone for good. I've been going through these stages since I turned 45.

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    margaretholmes541, I was just a few days shy of my 57th birthday when I had what I thought was my last period. About 12 months later, it showed up again. Thing is, I always had regular periods like clockwork so before my period returned, I knew it was gonna happen because I had all the symptoms. I’ve skipped here and there for the last several months but I can always tell if it’s coming. I just had one last month. I would love to believe it was my last but honestly I don’t know. Time will tell. People tell me it’s keeping me young and that I don’t look my age. While that’s all well and good, I just want it to be over for good. I think. LoL

  • Sheryl Billett
    4 years ago

    OMG I am so glad I found this forum!! I am 58 and having a period after 9 months my body has been through so much stress after losing my husband in February , was beginning to wonder if there was something serious wrong with me!!! After hearing people say it’s completely normal to have a period after 9 months I feel so much better . Lots of strange things happening to my body , night sweats, aching legs and headaches also had a heavy discharge in the run up to my period !! Hope this is the last lol

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    Hi Sheryl. I’m glad to know I’m not the only 58 year old still having periods. I can attest to the hot flashes, night sweats, etc. We are definitely going through it. Hopefully it will be finished for both of us sooner rather than later. Hang in there.

  • Sheryl Billett
    4 years ago

    It’s been a long run lol started my periods at 11 and still having them , like you I hope they end soon. Most of my friends ended at 50, we are the unlucky ones chin up they have got to end soonTake care

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    You’ve been at it a bit longer than I have. I started at 13. Both my sisters ended in their early 50’s but I had more children than both of them combined. That might have something to do with it. Nevertheless, it will end at some point. You also, take care!

  • Sheryl Billett
    4 years ago

    i’ve Only got one child but lost two, think my hormones have never been right lol . I will all end one day!!! Look after yourself x

  • tasmois
    4 years ago

    Very pleased to have found this site...it’s literally the only one on the web with real women talking about what is really happening to them in this stage of life - the only one I can find anyway!! Amazing to see the diversity of experience which does not fit the textbook or what we are commonly told...I shouldn’t be surprised really, people always spread so widely to each side of what is ‘typical’ in pretty much everything. It’s reassuring anyway even if a tad strange to find it on a house decorating website. I’m 47 and might be in menopause, or Perimenopause...last period was in May and very light. Before that had one in November and a super heavy one in September - 3 weeks long and not fun. I had a D&C in October and then an iron infusion in Nov as I felt so lousy and had v low iron, made an amazing difference - totally recommend that if heavy periods wipe out your iron. No wonder women are tired quite frankly with this kind of crazy stuff going on in our lives! Anyway...I have a question to ask everyone - with all these periods coming and going, does it mean that you are still fertile, or ovulating, on and off as well? Even when in your 50’s? Has anyone’s Dr suggested they should still take bc meds to prevent pregnancy? I’m asking from the other perspective - in hopes that I might still have a glimmer of fertility - if I get any more periods :) Thanks

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    Hi tasmois. Like most of us here, we were all happy and surprised to find this forum. It’s truly a great resource to have. To address your question, yes, there is still a glimmer of being fertile if you’re still having periods. I was asked yesterday at a my medical procedure if I still had periods and I said yes, the next thing she asked was if there was any chance I could be pregnant. Mind you, I’m 58 years old and being asked that question is funny to say the least. But I totally understand it. However, as I told her, I had my tubes tied 26 years ago so there was no way. Just know that if you’re still producing an egg, you can still get preggers no matter how slim the chance. So protect yourself if you don’t want that. Hope this helps.

  • roarah
    4 years ago

    Tasmois, your gyn can run a fsh and LH test and if your numbers constantly are above 30 your chance of pregnancy are very doubtful. You could also see if your D&C biopsy show fragments of inactive endometrial tissue. This too would suggest infertility. Also an ultrasound could show a follicle count, if low again suggestive of low vital egg reserve. At 47 if you wish to have more children you should see a specialist and be willing to consider donors too. Good luck.

  • tasmois
    4 years ago

    Thanks roarah and HU for your messages, it’s amazing to think of fertility continuing well into the 50s, for some women at least. I wouldn’t mind having a few extra blood test results but I’m not sure it would actually change anything, the chances of ovulating let alone conceiving are still very random and very low for me. I’ve already been seeing an O&G and having regular scans for the past 2 months, with not one single egg visible, which is why I’m online looking at other peoples experiences. He has already said chances are v low and is not enthusiastic about continuing FSH injections and scans. However it’s good just to know there’s still a possibility. Now I just have to convince my dear husband of 20+ years - who has a bad back - to start having sex again on a weekly basis to catch this very random event!!...we actually haven’t since my son was born and he is now 7! Oops! Would love to know if this is the experience for other ladies out there...this might be a question for another thread but thought I’d put it out anyway. Thanks.

  • Connie tusing
    4 years ago

    Im scared.. But reading all this helps.. I dont have a docor or insurance..

  • HU-17612969
    4 years ago

    Connie, can I ask why are you scared?

  • Ashleigh P
    4 years ago

    So glad I found this discussion.

    Just as I was planning my “Men All Pause” party, I began having menstrual cramps, headache, backache, sky high blood pressure and bloating. My cycle started this morning after 11 missed periods. I’m 55, so why won’t it stop already? This is not fair! I have not had hot flashes, my sex drive is still high, no symptoms except weight gain. What’s up?

  • Angiee Gunderson
    4 years ago

    So glad I found this discussion! I had my last period in Feb/Mar 2019 and then nothing. Just yesterday I started feeling a little crampy and then noticed some pink spotting and was terrified since I kept hearing that since I had gone that long without a period it should not start again! I do have my annual gyno appt in January but this makes me feel a little better at least.

  • edwina2309
    4 years ago

    I went 10 months then had heavy period in May. Had ultra sound but nothing showed up so Gyno said go back if I bleed again and low and behold bleeding again! So having to now go through more detailed tests. Waiting for appointment. I’m 55 and personally feel it’s just my body clearing out (especially after reading comments on this forum) but better safe than sorry I guess. It is slightly worrying though.

  • HU-37056500
    4 years ago

    So happy I found this site. I had a surprise on New Years Eve and it lasted seven days. Such a shock and I was worried so being able to read others had experienced long breaks then getting a period again did help. Have looked into it and rather than one year being the guide it is actually two years without having any periods.

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