[Gemma67]

Hello all....I am nearly six months away from my 55 birthday. I quit taking birth control pills in Jan 10 and, except from a nasty period of hot flashes after quitting bc pills, have been getting through perimenopause in a rather calm fashion. I had a period in June--a little heavier & longer than they had been before I went on the pill at age 49. Then nothing until January 1st, 2011. (Happy New Year from Mother Nature!) and then again, today. Wow!! What a blast from the past. I didn't even recognize the signs when I had tender breast in late December. I did last week though.

So....does anyone know if this is a normal occurrence? A Last Hurrah of my reproduction days? I'm sexually active and realize that, while unlikely, pregnancy could occur. Going back on the pill is probably not a good idea. Both my partner & I abhor condoms and don't want to return to them. I'm wondering if I really need to use birth control I don't even know if I am actually ovulating.

Is a call to my doctor in order?

Thoughts or advice?

Many thanks.........

Gemma

[WildChild]

It's normal

[infodoc]

Hi.

That is right. It could be normal. That is one possibility. Remember, when they say the average age of menopause is 51, that is average. A few women could still be having their menses while going through perimenopause at your age and finally reach menopause by 58 or very rarely even 60. The average of 51 comes from a wide range of about 40 to 60.

At perimenopause, hope you now the cycles become irregular and most of them are anovulatory( meaning no ovulation). Nothing is as unpredictable as the occurrence of pregnancy when you are still menstruating. You will sure not want to get yourself embarrassed. Though most of your cycles will be anovulatory, you cannot tell which! Best measure: being cautious is better.

You may need to go back to the pills. If you can get to your doctor to discuss the pills that would even be better. That would also help him to fully evaluate the bleeding. No matter how certain you are, we really never say never in medicine. There is still a small chance it may not even be your period.