Perimenopause stuff - how long is too long?
October 26, 2023 1:17 PM Subscribe
What I’d really love the answer to is how long this perimenopause stuff will go on and on – I'm almost 55 for goodness’ sake, but no one knows that. But my question is this...how long is too long?
I know long periods are fairly common during perimenopause. But how long is too long? It’s now day 11 – which is very unusual for me. Up till now, my periods have been getting shorter and more sporadic. And I thought they were going to peter out any day now. But apparently not.
Is it time to go to the doctor? Or is this fairly normal? I have my annual check up in two months – just not sure if I should go in sooner.
I know long periods are fairly common during perimenopause. But how long is too long? It’s now day 11 – which is very unusual for me. Up till now, my periods have been getting shorter and more sporadic. And I thought they were going to peter out any day now. But apparently not.
Is it time to go to the doctor? Or is this fairly normal? I have my annual check up in two months – just not sure if I should go in sooner.
Jen Gunter is a great resource.
I had some crazy swings from barely any period at all to several lengthy heavy ones and then, BOOM they stopped for good.
But hey if you're feeling concerned, go in a bit early.
posted by mmf at 1:51 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I had some crazy swings from barely any period at all to several lengthy heavy ones and then, BOOM they stopped for good.
But hey if you're feeling concerned, go in a bit early.
posted by mmf at 1:51 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah it’s time to see a doctor.
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posted by cotton dress sock at 2:13 PM on October 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
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posted by cotton dress sock at 2:13 PM on October 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
You should totally see a menopause specialist. Regular obgyns are woefully uninformed on the subject, in my experience. Also, are you sure you don’t have a fibroid?
posted by HotToddy at 2:17 PM on October 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 2:17 PM on October 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
Seconding that you should seek a menopause specialist. Anecdotally, in case it makes you feel less frantic until you get an appointment, I'm seeing that my perimenopause phase lasted nearly seven years.
By that, I mean that after decades of very regular periods, I had three periods in one month, some more regular periods, then two in one month, and then years when things were absolutely bonkers. I did have one that lasted 10-11 days, I recall. I should have gone in to my OB/GYN but I really hated that doc at that time (she was the only one in my insurance group that was taking new patients).
posted by queensissy at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
By that, I mean that after decades of very regular periods, I had three periods in one month, some more regular periods, then two in one month, and then years when things were absolutely bonkers. I did have one that lasted 10-11 days, I recall. I should have gone in to my OB/GYN but I really hated that doc at that time (she was the only one in my insurance group that was taking new patients).
posted by queensissy at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I had a couple of very long, heavy periods in perimenopause, but they were also extra-heavy, like 10 heavy flow tampons in 24 hrs and still leaking onto pads. Turned out I had a bleeding ovarian polyp. I bled myself down to a hemoglobin of 8 over 4 days (we were out of town and not near a hospital the first time this happened) and was short of breath. My doc stopped the bleeding with hormones, but said it was not good medical practice to do that repeatedly. She wanted me to seriously consider a hysterectomy.
She saw the polyp on ultrasound, so it's definitely easy and low-cost to discover if that might be the problem.
I did have a hysterectomy and oophorectomy (ovary removal) because I had a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Removal of the ovaries removed that risk.
Not bleeding has been wonderful.
posted by citygirl at 5:01 PM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
She saw the polyp on ultrasound, so it's definitely easy and low-cost to discover if that might be the problem.
I did have a hysterectomy and oophorectomy (ovary removal) because I had a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Removal of the ovaries removed that risk.
Not bleeding has been wonderful.
posted by citygirl at 5:01 PM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
See a Dr. I had a menstrual period of heavy bleeding every single day nonstop from January through July, and it permanently and seriously affected my long term health. (It's a big part of what lead to me needing a power wheelchair.)
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:45 PM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:45 PM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
I recommend going to see a menopause specialist, not just to deal with the issue you are currently experiencing, but to get proper information on how to proactively protect your health going forward and avoid the diseases of menopause (the risk of heart attack, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's greatly increases after menopause, due to loss of estrogen). You might be able to find a specialist close to you using the North American Menopause Society's list of menopause practitioners. I found a great doctor there (in Tokyo) who has been a huge help to me.
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 7:49 PM on October 26, 2023
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 7:49 PM on October 26, 2023
There's a medication - Tranexamic acid - that stops heavy bleeding. I haven't tried it.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:02 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:02 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Tranexamic acid is brilliant, but a bandaid. Depending on how heavy the flow is, you can absolutely go anaemic quickly. A relative of mine had a similar episode in perimenopause, with heavy clotting, and it turned out that her entire endometrium got confused and too thick - after a quick D&C she had no more trouble and is now happily past full menopause.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:43 PM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:43 PM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
For me both my periods and the time in between steadily became l-o-o-o-o-n-g-e-r, until I ended up with several weeks of very mild bleeding / spotting with several months in between where nothing happened.
It's fine to talk to a doctor (or a women's health center) about any symptoms that worry you.
Things that would give me pause:
Heavy bleeding. That in and of itself might be an issue, and there may be an underlying cause that you need to know about.
A sudden break in the pattern, like the periodicity or intensity of the periods changing in unexpected ways.
posted by rjs at 1:20 AM on October 27, 2023
It's fine to talk to a doctor (or a women's health center) about any symptoms that worry you.
Things that would give me pause:
Heavy bleeding. That in and of itself might be an issue, and there may be an underlying cause that you need to know about.
A sudden break in the pattern, like the periodicity or intensity of the periods changing in unexpected ways.
posted by rjs at 1:20 AM on October 27, 2023
Yep, worth seeing a doctor.
I'm ten years younger than you. My periods started getting longer a year and a half ago: instead of 6-8 days, they became anything from 10 days to a month and more, without any reduction in frequency to explain it. I assumed it was perimenopause and just to be expected. Turns out it was neither of those things. (So I still have perimenopause to come, after eighteen months of reconciling myself to it!)
When I eventually went to the doctor in August, they did a number of tests and found an endometrial polyp, which they've removed, which seems to have helped. There's an outside possibility of endometrial cancer, though, so I'm currently waiting on biopsy results. I don't think anyone's seriously expecting the results to be bad, but even without that extra bit of stress, I wish I'd gone after the first weirdly long period, and saved myself the extra 18 months of excessive blood loss and unpredictable flow.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:07 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm ten years younger than you. My periods started getting longer a year and a half ago: instead of 6-8 days, they became anything from 10 days to a month and more, without any reduction in frequency to explain it. I assumed it was perimenopause and just to be expected. Turns out it was neither of those things. (So I still have perimenopause to come, after eighteen months of reconciling myself to it!)
When I eventually went to the doctor in August, they did a number of tests and found an endometrial polyp, which they've removed, which seems to have helped. There's an outside possibility of endometrial cancer, though, so I'm currently waiting on biopsy results. I don't think anyone's seriously expecting the results to be bad, but even without that extra bit of stress, I wish I'd gone after the first weirdly long period, and saved myself the extra 18 months of excessive blood loss and unpredictable flow.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:07 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Answering only one part of your question, I entered perimenopause at age 39-ish and had various crazy-making periods on and off until I finally stopped at age (wait for it) 59. YMMV.
posted by Lynsey at 8:50 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Lynsey at 8:50 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
This started happening to me a few years ago. 14 day HEAVY periods, intermittent spotting, etc. I tried Tranexamic acid for a bit and it didn't do much. Then my gyno noticed a fibroid but it was fairly small so we opted for an IUD to try and manage things. That worked for about two years, then the periods started coming back and getting more and more vengeful. After another year of just putting up with it because it was "just perimenopause" I went back to my gyno and discovered that my fibroid is now at 6 cm and had damn near pushed the IUD out. Took out my IUD and scheduled me for a hysterectomy in November. I've had a small break in the bleeding for a week but I'm taking iron supplements and HRT to try and manage it until I can get this stupid organ tossed out on its ass. If I'd realized the implications of the fibroid and how much agony I could avoid, I would have pushed for a hysterectomy sooner.
posted by teleri025 at 9:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by teleri025 at 9:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Many doctors will want to figure out why you're bleeding irregularly by eliminating the possibility of it being caused by Bad Stuff. Think cervical cancer, but I'm sure there are other diagnoses they might consider bad.
So they'll likely do a pap smear unless you've had one recently, then perhaps an endometrial biopsy (which hurts more and is more invasive than I expected) and maybe an ultrasound to check for fibroids, adenomyoma, and other unfun but fairly typical stuff. If they need still more information, you might get an MRI.
In the end, they might not find anything, in which case it might be explained as a normal part of perimenopause.
I would likely go see a doctor who specializes in menopause, just to make sure. And I would be ready for a wholly dissatisfying result. Good luck!
posted by nadise at 5:51 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
So they'll likely do a pap smear unless you've had one recently, then perhaps an endometrial biopsy (which hurts more and is more invasive than I expected) and maybe an ultrasound to check for fibroids, adenomyoma, and other unfun but fairly typical stuff. If they need still more information, you might get an MRI.
In the end, they might not find anything, in which case it might be explained as a normal part of perimenopause.
I would likely go see a doctor who specializes in menopause, just to make sure. And I would be ready for a wholly dissatisfying result. Good luck!
posted by nadise at 5:51 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just to follow up on my previous comment: my results are back and they are not great. Precancerous, requiring treatment. Go get yourself checked out.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:07 AM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:07 AM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
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You might want to avoid Christiane Northrup, who has gone off the rails and promotes woo, conspiracies, and Trump. She was a popular women's health care provider with a popular menopause book that I do not recommend.
posted by theora55 at 1:27 PM on October 26, 2023 [10 favorites]