Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[sharky2010]

Hi, First post here and looking for similar experiences / advice please!
I am almost 42 and have had odd symptoms of peri-menopause for a couple of years (cycle length fluctuating by up to two weeks, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, dry vagina...). My mum went through the menopause in her mid 40s so not unexpected tbh that it is happening at this age.

My concern is that over the last few months I have had much more spotting between periods and especially a lot of brown discharge which can go on for weeks. I am still having proper periods and the cycle length is still very erratic (as short as 14 days, as long as 38) but in between proper periods, I am often having this brown discharge, mostly very very light and not even enough to need a pad, but sometimes more (exacerbated by exercise or sex it seems).

I thought it was initially caused by having the copper coil in but I had this removed a few weeks ago and it's still happening. I have called the GP and having some swabs done to check no infection (though I have no other symptoms for an infection and had a clear STI check only a few months ago) but could this be peri-menopause bleeding especially given my other symptoms??

If all the swabs are clear, can I check what my next steps should be?? I do suffer from health anxiety so think I may push for more tests just to be sure there is nothing sinister, but if everything is ok, is there any way to control or regulate this at all? It doesn't help I am in a new-ish relationship and would still like to have an active sex life without worrying about discharge / bleeding!!

Thanks for any advice or support!!!

[CLKD]

Morning.  I had this all my Life - heavy, clotty, painful periods with a brown stain which began 2 days after the bleed stopped.  Happened during peri.  It was 'normal' 4 me.

As hormones rise and fall as we age, they don't always clear the womb so a little blood gets left behind and seeps.     . 

Are your smear tests up2date?  What are you using for the dry vagina, appropriate treatment may well clear up the staining.  We have threads on 'bladder issues' and 'vaginal atrophy' which are worth reading - make notes ;-)

 

[sharky2010]

Thanks for the reply - yes, smear tests all up to date and had my cervix examined a lot recently due to the whole copper coil, and told it all looks healthy.... I think the challenge is that perimenopause is a diagnosis of exclusion, so need to rule everything else out first and lots of the other stuff is quite worrying....
Not used anything to treat the dry vagina as it has come and gone and never caused too many problems. I will definitely have a look at the other threads thanks.

[CLKD]

At the end of each period I had an intense itch high up, too high to actually scratch  .   I think that was the start of atrophy which was relieved by a monthly bleed.

Don't leave it until you are in agony.  My symptoms were an intense need to pee ...... not due to infection but due to dryness.  It's important to get the minor issues sorted by investigations so that 1 can move onwards without too many worries, we shouldn't put everything down to menopause.