Print

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

[unifluff]

I'm 52 and back in July I'd not had periods for around 2 years and had been on Noriday for around 5 years.  I decided to come off Noriday and started having hot flushes, hair thinning, painful sex and insomnia around September. Around Christmas, the hot flushes and insomnia stopped but I started to get urinary symptoms.

I went to my GP in January with the urinary symptoms and she started me on Vagifem.  Approx 2 weeks ago I started getting the type of discharge you get when you ovulate, and lots of it, and now yesterday my period has started.  Aarghhh. 

Should I go back to my GP, stop using Vagifem?  No idea what's going on with my body!

unifluff

[CLKD]

Don't stop using the Vagifem - did you GP have proper discussions about vaginal atrophy - we have several threads here which shows that it can become problematic.  Is the product helping?  This type of HRT has no impact on other parts of the body so is a separate issue as it's localised. 

Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful.  However, if you haven't had a true period for 2+ years your GP may like to send you for a scan to make sure that the womb is cleansing itself correctly.  This is the 'normal' route for ladies who suddenly bleed after a break.

Have a browse, make notes!

[Dancinggirl]

unifluff - welcome to MM

  Noriday is a progesterone only PCB - so this may have resulted in stopping your periods, particularly as you may have been peri menopause for some time. When you stopped Noriday, you were probably still peri menopause so your ovaries kicked in (probably having a final few gasps) and this may be why you had a period.  The Vagifem isn't a high enough dose to cause this to happen.  I would see if the bleed stops over the next few days but as CKLD has said it probably wise to get this checked - especially if it doesn't stop and becomes heavy.

Vaginal moisturiser used daily is a good idea (SYLK or the YES products are best) and extra lubrication for sex is essential once meno hits.

Drink plenty of water each day and avoid caffeine, fruit juices and alcohol to help reduce the UTI type symptoms. DON'T STOP the VAGIFEM whatever you do - that is to be used for life. DG x

[dangermouse]

If the Noriday was suiting you then you could go back on it as it seems as if it was keeping your uti symptoms and flushes under control too.

I have a colleague on the minipill who is in her 50s and is also not having any meno symptoms.

[Taz2]

I think that you should get this bleeding checked out.  I'm not sure how long you have been off Noriday, and I agree that the stopping of the progesterone can bring on a bleed, but guidelines are that any bleeding after more than a year without a period has to be investigated to rule out the possibility of endometrial cancer. It's probably that the Noriday stopped your bleeding and now the ovaries have woken up but get it checked out just in case.

Let us know how you get on.

Taz x

[unifluff]

Thanks for the replies everyone. 

The Vagifem is definitely helping with the urinary and sexual symptoms so I'll keep on with that.  I came off Noriday back in July, so have had good 6 or 7 months without any periods and menopause like symptoms.  The bleeding today is a lot lighter than the last couple of days, so seems like it might just be a period.  Unfortunately due to my work shifts and going away on holiday in a couple of weeks I'm not going to be able to see the Dr till March.

I don't know if this might be related, but I've started lifting weights over the last 6 months and have put on some muscle so this might be affecting my hormones as well.

[CLKD]

Does your Work Place not have a Company Nurse and of course, in the UK you are legally allowed time off for health issues. This should not be put to one side, in case.  Keep on with the Vagifem and try to see your Practice Nurse, they often have appts. sooner than seeing a Doctor.  Your health is more important than a) work or b) holidays as well as giving you peace of mind.

As well as giving us peace of mind 

It could be a polyp in the vaginal/cervix.  Mine would bleed on contact but shrunk on it's own at peri.