Hi I am adding to this thread as I have now come through the menopause but had a worrying time leading up to that last period. Menopause - or the change is an apt name for what we go through because during the 'change' we don't know what the heck to expect.
I had regular periods from the very start - every three weeks - bled for a full week. I always considered my periods heavy compared to friends who seemed to have their cycle done with after just three days on!
When I reached about 40 my periods were still regular but heavier and sometimes lasted more than one week. By the time I was 47 I was extremely heavy. Needing to have towels under myself at night in case I leaked through in the first 5 days. Periods became longer, often two weeks and I was losing clots continuously. I had a few episodes of suddenly losing blood and clots to the extent I was stuck on the loo with it dripping from me. Sorry for so much info but hoping my story will help in the long term for anyone going through this. This sudden blood loss would go on for around two to three hours. Sometimes all night. I would come back from the loo, lay in bed and within seconds my pad was completely soaked. The doctor put me on Northisterone for a month and took blood tests. Obviously I was quite anaemic so needed iron tabs, which really helped with how I felt.
Although I had a bit of pain when my period started again I found that the Northisterone regulated me for some months before it started up again. I had a scan and was found to have 3 fibroids but the consultant said they were too small to need an op and as I was so close to menopause they would hopefully disappear once I was through it. I was 47 when these were found and 53 when the periods stopped. I need to add that I had friends whose periods were as heavy as mine but they did not have fibroids.
Throughout that in between time my periods were all over the place. I went to periods lasting 3 to 4 months. They would be heavy, slow down to practically stopped or I would see blood only if I wiped myself, then it would go to heavy again, then spotting. I began to have long breaks - Hooray!!! 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 11 months. Twice I went 11 months without a period and bingo, they were back again. I had three normal periods in a row. Then they stopped for several months. Sometimes the period would be mega heavy, sometimes it would be spotting or very light for a few days or a week. Sometimes blood bright red, sometimes dark red, sometimes brown.
I think the thing to remember is that if you have always had regular periods and they change to longer gaps or shorter gaps this is the beginning of the change. It can last several years and everyone is different. Just be careful if yours are often heavy that you see a Dr to get blood checks for anaemia. All it takes is iron tablets to get yourself back on track. And make sure to have these straight after food because it can make you feel sickly on an empty stomach. Otherwise you'll be fine.
Hope this helps those who are at that stage as I remember being so worried at what was happening with my periods. It's good to find it can be normal. Obviously I am not a doctor so see yours if you are at all worried, but what I put above happened to me and it was all normal.
