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[Machair]

I think I am in the final stage of peri now. Periods, if you can even call them that, are minor spotting for a few days-panty liner only needed. However I am still having fertile looking mid cycle type mucus and the occasional brown or pink tinge with it similar to what I used to have mid cycle. Very infrequent but like I am trying to ovulate.Still feel hormonal at times and often have breast tenderness with the mucus. Anyone else had random mucus with very light spotting in peri?

[Tinkerbell]

Yes sounds very similar to what I experienced.

[Elizabethrose]

Hi Machair
Yes this sounds very familiar. Last period 18th Dec, hormones seemed to have flat lined and very frequent hot flushes and night sweats had started then about 3 wks ago I had a major oestrogen surge with cervical mucous, tender breasts, sudden complete cessation of hot flushes etc: I was convinced a period would come. However, 2 wks later period pains and swelling but no period. Last couple of days the hot flushes and night sweats have started building again. Haha, this is a roller coaster ride!

[Machair]

Sounds just like me - are we a similar age I think I remember we are? I had a night sweat this week - first one is absolutely ages. I think if I go on like this too much longer I am going to have to have a scan to get my lining checked.I am hoping it all stops soon as I was 56 in March. I think things are slowing down but I still have mucus, spotting, hormones active etc. I did have long cycles 35 days plus all my life, so maybe this is why I am having late menopause.Trouble is I am starting to wonder what my lining is doing with unopposed oestrogen as I am sure I am not ovulating.

[Elizabethrose]

Oh blimey, I've just had to have a biopsy done on my endometrium which has thickened, too much unopposed oestrogen for far far too long!!
Yep, I think we have spoken, I'm 57 very soon!

[Elizabethrose]

Actually Machair, all joking aside, do get it checked out. My oestrogen levels have been through the roof for very long periods of time and I'm mostly anovulatory. It was only me going to the GP to discuss this that made them start checking. An internal scan showed what they thought was a polyp and thickening but had a hysteroscopy yesterday under GA and it's not a polyp, so now awaiting results of what it is. It's a shame that they don't automatically check late menopausers out. (I think I just made up a word there!)

[Machair]

Many thanks for your reply. What have your periods been like over the last couple of years and what prompted you to go to the doctors- was it just being so late? I was completely regular until 53, so feel I am still par for the course, but am getting twitchy about when this will all end.

[Elizabethrose]

I was 28 days, down to the hour, all of my cycles up to the age of 41/42 then reduced to 21. This was the start of my peri as lots of other symptoms kicked in too. Last few years have been total chaos with no normal. My cycles could be 19, 22, 17, 35, 21, 37. Longest was about a year ago which was 67. This one is 142, whoop de doo! I know things can change at any time (I'm a bit of an expert after all of these years menstruating!) but I really do feel that this may be the final run. I've had night sweats on and off for many years but never hot flushes like I've had recently. I went to the GP to get it checked out after a 9 wk oestrogen high that went through 3 unovulatory cycles.

[Machair]

How did you know that you had cycles with no ovulation with excess oestrogen, were you spotting or having other issues?
I had 35 day cycles until I was in my fifties, and never missed one until I was 53. I had a little change in time between from 50 onwards but not a lot. Really I have only been peri for 3 years I would say, which is why I have not been to the doctors for tests as yet.

[Elizabethrose]

I suffer from chronic migraine which started out as pure menstrual migraine when the perimenopause kicked in - see my first post. I had to keep detailed records of what my body was doing when, in massive detail really, as the specialists I was seeing were trying to see patterns and also trying various meds etc, some symptomatic some prophylactic. I had to use a fertility monitor to gauge what was happening. My body has always worked like litmus paper and is so reactive to hormone change that I know what is happening (most of the time!). It's always been obvious to me when I ovulate and equally now when I'm anovulatory. The monitor confirmed what i knew and I don't need to use it anymore.
Because of this I'm also aware of when I have an oestrogen high. Usually I get extremely painful breasts that require a bra to sleep in (I'm only a 34c so hardly busty!), sudden copious cervical mucous when I produce nothing at other times, an overwhelming feeling that I'm going to burst/explode (that's the only way I can describe it). If this leads to an anovulatory cycle, the mucous stops then suddenly starts again. All of this I would usually get mid cycle but nowadays it can just go on and on through several cycles including anovulatory bleeds.
I feel sure that things are coming to an end soon now as the migraines have really calmed in intensity and although I've had a bad past few weeks, because of the oestrogen high, they are not as frequent now for sure.

[Machair]

That is so helpful, thank you so much. I have been charting my fertility as well, taking temperatures and charting cervical mucus patterns, and I have a similar situation to yours with fertile stretchy mucus at random times with breast tenderness as well at the same time as the peaks but not actual ovulation. I have a wonderful book on the peri- menopause that explains this as being normal and to be expected, "Transitions Through the Perimenopausal Years: Demystifying Your Journey" by a Canadian endocrinologist.

I know though that if it went on for long periods of time it could cause the endometrium to thicken, as can happen in polycystic ovary syndrome. Do you know how thick your lining is and what they are expecting to find?

I hope you are feeling well after the procedure - my heart goes out to you and hope all is well. I may be joining you soon with this journey, as I think we are in a similar situation. I feel mine is tailing off, but if it doesn't soon I am going to get checked out.

[Elizabethrose]

I know of Jerilynn Prior through Cemcor, I think she was a co-author on your book. There is so much rubbish written about menopause but her writing and research conclusions make perfect sense to me. It is almost impossible finding examples or information on women who don't follow the average in menopause. It can be confusing and frustrating when 'stuff' you are experiencing just doesn't fit the norm.

I've been desperately trying to hang on to my uterus and ovaries because advice from Profs Peter Goadsby and Ann MacGregor dictates that entry to natural menopause should help my migraines despite conflicting advice from other specialists. However, if now I have to have them removed, I am hoping that at this late stage in my peri there will be little negative impact on my migs.

I have no idea how thick my lining is; the consultant talked to me just as I was coming to from the GA and I was out dancing with the fairies! Later, when I was more compose mentis, the ward nurse had little info other than to confirm that it wasn't a polyp that had been seen and that they had taken a biopsy of what was there. I'll just wait for the results and then deal with whatever.

I feel absolutely fine, just normal GA wooziness day of procedure and tiredness the day after. I think I bled quite a lot in the hosp as they had a hard time getting through the cervix which was heavily scarred from my first labour. This I knew from an aborted attempt at hysteroscopy without anaesthetic a couple of months ago (ouch!). But I've hardly bled since I've been home and just light period type pain.

I really do think that late menopausers should be monitored more because high levels of unopposed oestrogen can cause problems for some. Let's face it, our eggs are positive dinosaurs at this late stage and hardly viable, therefore very little progesterone is going to be produced.

[Machair]

 How long do you think you have been having these anovulatory cycles - several years? I think mine is relatively recent, as prior to this I was ovulating. I am interested to know from other younger ladies is this your experience? I understood this is to be expected in late menopause - even if you are not actually ovulating, some oestrogen surges will occur, and a lining is built up that has to be shed at some stage, until the oestrogen falls away naturally.

[Elizabethrose]

Machair, by no means is every one of my cycles anovulatory, they are all mixed up now, and I truly haven't been unduly worried about it all. Yes the anovulatory bleeds are just the build up caused by any oestrogen present in the follicular phase. I have been aware that I have had anovulatory cycles for many years now, firstly identified by the fertility monitors I was asked to use. However, I would say that they have become more common over the past couple of years but this is what I must expect I suppose.

I am not a doctor but as I understand it the fsh levels are controlled by inhibin and as inhibin declines in later years there is no rein on fsh and therefore its levels rise and it tries to stimulate any remaining follicles in order to raise oestrogen levels. Thus the sometimes crazily high levels of oestrogen achieved. if there are no viable eggs then the cycle will be anovulatory.

If you are concerned about this go and see your GP and chat through the detail. As you suggested, you may have only been truly perimenopausal for the past three years which is absolutely normal and therefore you have nothing to worry about. if however, you feel that your levels of oestrogen are just too high for very long periods of time you may want to get it checked out. My peri has just gone on for far too long, my body just does not want to give up!!

[Elizabethrose]

Machair, read this (you may have already read it if you know cemcor). I've just tried to find a medical article that better describes what I was saying.
http://www.cemcor.ca/resources/perimenopause-time-“endogenous-ovarian-hyperstimulation”