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[Chi chi]

This keeps going round and round in my head, we talk about our periods/cycles becoming irregular but what if your on birth control? Doesn't that regulate our periods?? And what if like me your taking cerazette (in my case) which stops periods? How do we really know what our cycles/periods are like??

[dahliagirl]

You just don't 

I was on the combined pill until 49.  I had light periods for 5 days that had reduced to 3 days in the last 4 years and hoped it was all over.  Wrong!!  After 5 months (3 of those trying out pops), periods came back, first six weeks, then 3 weeks, then 6 weeks then 3 weeks then randomly more often and randomly heavier.    Wish I had stayed on the pill.

[Chi chi]

It's so confusing and frustrating! I'm still at a loss to wether I am actually peri or not?? I have almost all symptoms except no flushes, haven't got a bloody clue what my periods are like naturally as I've been on some sort of birth control since the age of 16! First the combined pull up until I was 35 then onto the mirena coil then cerezette. My periods were as regular as clockwork and only lasted 3/4 days and were never heavy while on the combined. I bled almost constantly on the mirena and only lasted just under a year then onto the cerezette which stopped them completely!
I came off the cerezette 6 weeks prior to seeing prof Studd who checked bloods which showed my estrogen was low and testosterone was almost non existent, he also did s scan which showed I was oestioporatic in one of my hips.
He seemed to think all my symptoms are/were due to hormones and that I am prog intolerant.
Am I actually peri menopausal though??? 
Wondering if I'm just bloody miserable lol 
Can u still be peri if you have normal/regular periods??
Since starting BHRT my periods are all over the place and heavier 

[dahliagirl]

Have you had regular periods since coming off the cerazette?

I found cerazette, and also the ordinary sort of pop both stopped my periods altogether and it was another 9 weeks before I had a period - normally, they would have started within a month and would have been 28-31days on a pop, so the old system was obviously a bit rusty.

Otherwise, I would say if you are still having periods and having problems, you are probably in perimenopause.  How long that will last though is another matter..........

I have been taking hrt for nearly a year now to help with aches and urogenital problems, and my periods are still variable, but not nearly as variable as they were before.  I found making a diary of symptoms and charting (I was trying to do this for contraceptive reasons which was a non-starter) gave me a clearer picture of what was going on.  I used charts from here
http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/resources/daily-perimenopause-diary  (although I am not a great fan of their progesterone theory)

[peegeetip]

I've posted a few times that recent studies mentioned staying on the pill later (like dahliagirl to 49).

My doc was keen to take away that free buffer a long time ago

 

[Limpy]

How do we really know what our cycles/periods are like??

We don't!

I was on the COCP till I was 54 and had NO idea what my cycle was, my last proper period was when I was 15........

[Chi chi]

When j came off the cerazette it took 6 weeks to get a period, bang on the day when I had my 1st appt with Studd! Since then everything's gone haywire, I was started on the gels and was supposed to take utrogestan for 7 days per month starting in the September which was 3 months later, well I did and it was horrible  I was so down and depressed so since then I've not been too good at sticking to that regime and its been more like every other month which Studd was ok ish about, but he said that's probably why things have been so erratic with me bleeding when I'm not meant to and then not bleeding after taking the utro  I have noticed that when I've had a good bleed it's been heavier than it's ever been but about the same duration.
I had to come off combined pills as I'm a smoker.

So when ladies post about cycles being all over the place it's not actually they're natural cycles?? God this is confusing lol
Limpy I'm with you! I think my last normal natural period was prob around the same time 

Thanks for the link to the charts Dahliagirl, they look useful 

[CLKD]

I began the contraceptive pill due to severe period pains.  It gave me a 32 day cycle and no pain.  I was on it for over 10 years then became severely depressed so was advised to stop taking it.  I then got sterilised.

I continued with a 28-32 cycle until I got into peri .........

[wombat62]

Hi Estelle

I was in the same boat, combined until 40's then the jab and then to Cerazette. I had no bleeding for years but the doc said the pill was just working very efficiently plus I think symptoms had kicked in as I used to get hot flushes during the week off the combined. Anyway, cut a long story short came off and had bloods done which showed I was post! Went on to low HRT for flushes and then 18 months later had a period. All hell let loose, tests, scans the lot and then gynae concluded it was a period, the last hurrah! Nothing since although I went through a patch of feeling like something was going to happen after that. That was 3 years ago and nothing since but I do think we continue to go through some sort of cycle even when we are in post as flushes/sweats come and go despite being on HRT.

It is confusing when you are on the pill and the only way to find out is to come off it and let things settle. Peri is the run up to meno and post is when you've had nothing for a year if over 50 and 2 years under - not sure who decided this!

[peegeetip]

Hi Wombat

if your still getting sweats and flushes coming through then your on too low a dose of HRT.

Is your doc not willing to allow you to goto a medium option?

 

[wombat62]

Hi

I could do but I'd rather stay as low as possible but I just seem to have one a night, just before waking to go to the loo at the moment. I have gone from being perfectly flush free to the current state but at times I think when levels drops I get more. However, sometimes I think is also due to emotional state. When I'm stressed or worried about something they get worse so maybe the adrenaline/cortisol levels are affecting the oestrogen....all very complicated!

I was feeling great before Christmas and thinking perhaps I'm over the worst and could come off it, then crashed and it's taken a while to get back to an even keel. Which is why I think we still go through highs and lows even those we are post.

I can cope with things at the moment so best to stick with the lowest dose!

[CLKD]

If it's not broken ………. each one of us is different so it's nice to share experiences.