Those really long stretches between periods happened to me in my mid-40s and my periods got ridiculously heavy. Then they normalized for a year or so. But now I’m 50 and have lighter periods but they are every 20
days on average. I basically constantly have my period. I can’t wait until menopause

Same for me. It is hard. I had estrogen positive breast cancer so I cannot take the pill. I would if I could.

Yup. This is why I went back on the pill at age 46 (Junel, a low dose BCP). HRT doesn't control your cycles. Now on the pill I have no period, even when I take the placebos. And it seriously helped the crazy uptick in anxiety I had been dealing with and no more diarrhea leading up to my period. Planning to stay on it til 50 and then switch to HRT.

I HATED the pill in my 20s but the low dose pill is really easy and all the side effects have been good.

Anonymous wrote:You're mid 40's. Average age of full menopause is 51. Peri can last for 10 years. This is 100% expected. I take the pill and skip the placebo week to avoid this issue. And bonus- my skin looks amazing on the pill

This is what I do. Age 50.

Anonymous wrote:You're mid 40's. Average age of full menopause is 51. Peri can last for 10 years. This is 100% expected. I take the pill and skip the placebo week to avoid this issue. And bonus- my skin looks amazing on the pill

Did you gain weight on it? Which one do you take?

41, not 51

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is what I have to look forward to?? I am 42.. ugh ugh ugh

OP here…now on day 98. I actually didn’t know much of anything about menopause prior to having these changes. My mother and my grandmother both had full hysterectomies at 39 and 51, respectively. Not that my grandmother ever spoke of such things anyway. So I had no family history to look to and am merely glad I didn’t have the tumors my maternal line had.

I mean, I’m not upset about going this long between cycles, only that I have to be stocked like pharmacy whenever I leave the house and going away for any amount of time I have to pack as of if I’m going to have a full cycle while gone.

Wow this is what I have to look forward to?? I am 42.. ugh ugh ugh

108 day cycles? Be greatful.

108 day cycles? Be greatful.

I've been that way about once a year, but just turned 50 and I'm now bleeding on day 13. Period stopped day 9 and voila, it's back again. Same thing happened a year ago. My cycle last month was normal, lasted 8-9 days and disappeared until 28 days later. I'm going to call my gyno anyway just to get her opinion and see if she wants me to do an ultrasound anyway.

Sounds about right.

You're mid 40's. Average age of full menopause is 51. Peri can last for 10 years. This is 100% expected. I take the pill and skip the placebo week to avoid this issue. And bonus- my skin looks amazing on the pill

I hit that point, and had other peri symptoms (hot flashes, sleep issues) and went on HRT. Amazing. I'd talk it through with your GYN.

I’m currently 74 days into a cycle. Before this were 59 days, 71 days, 20 days, 37 days, 108 days. I can’t go anywhere without an arsenal of period supplies, lest it come out of nowhere. This is utter bs and my GYN says it could continue on for another 5-10 years. This is already the 2nd year of anything from 17 day to 108 day cycles.

I haven’t been on bcp in over a decade but am seriously considering getting back on just so I can control it. We were in Europe last summer and I got it 17 days after my last one and wasn’t prepared at all, thinking there was no way it would come that fast. I’d never used a non applicator tampon but that was all I could find at the pharmacy.