Hi Cassie
How old are you now?
If you've read any of my posts you will know that I am one of those you refer to. As far as I know there isn't anyone else posting regularly on here with a cycle who is over 60 but I think one or two have gone down this route. I know someone on Mumsnet who is similar age and still cyclical ( long cycle).
Thing is it is going to become more widespread as HRT has become more popular once more and all those progesterone intolerant or sensitive women gradually reach 60. Stellajane and I were in our 50's when we first started posting on here and our situation wrt to progesterone hasn't changed!
So yes I get a withdrawal bleed on a regular basis. I am soon to be 67, and I absolutely hate it. However even more I hate what I feel like when taking progesterone and it varies from cycle to cycle. Sometimes I don't feel too bad - just a bit head foggy and headachey - but this time for instance I have four more days to go (of the 12) and I feel like shite! Really headachey most days, stiff neck, very foggy etc. The withdrawal is always a trial and then the bleed and cramps is a right pain. but there is NO WAY I would take progesterone every day, not least because there is still a question mark over its role in the development of breast cancer as stellajane mentions and I would rather limit how much I take it.
I am slightly different though from you Cassie in that I didn't start taking HRT until I was almost 54 so really just coming up to 13 years of it.
This comes up regularly and I frequently post as above - that our choice is between the devil and the deep blue sea and the cycle and bleeding for women in our position is the least worst option.
I don't relish the thought of stopping and getting back all those flushes, sweats, aches and pains as well as the hot itchy blotchy face - but I have never tried to ride it out for very long because it seems I would have to write off say a year of feeling rough and then if I still felt rough it would almost be too late to restart eg late 70's? I haven't decide when to start tapering off - maybe when I'm 70 if I can stand the prog and bleeds for that long? However I don't want to suddenly age in a few months - and I don't mean for vanity purposes, I mean my body and its ability to have lots of energy to do things and be really active ...
Sometimes I feel (increasingly as times goes on) I would like to have a hysterectomy even though there are lots of disadvantages but if it meant I could keep on with some form of oestrogen indefinitely without the effect on uterus and whole body - it might be a trade off, although operations in your 60's take longer to recover from..... I doubt any doctor would carry out such an op anyway as there is no clinical reason - just fear of the consequences of endless prog or being a permanent sweatbag!
Exactly stellajane - the whole rigmarole of it all!
Cassie - there will be more of you facing this dilemma in the coming years....
Sorry not to be more positive!!!
Hurdity x
