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<p>Has anyone else heard this? </p>
<p>Sounds we have some of anecdotal evidence here of women who have a few long, heavy (with clots) periods as part of the process, where nothing was amiss.</p>
<p>My OB/GYN also said the norm is lighter, less frequent periods for perimenopause. He told me he is amazed how long women suffer with heavy, extended periods before asking for help. Incidentally, he is the best GYN I’ve ever gone to. He listens and is very thorough. The worst was a woman who, I kid you not, had a bucket of disinfecting solution with used speculums sitting in the exam room. I wasn’t in the room very long.</p>
<p>Hmmm - well I did visit my GP and then a Ob/Gyn after an extended period, but they didn’t concern themselves with the extended period, just investigated whether it was indicative of a cancer.</p>
<p>So that leaves me uncertain as to whether to return to the GP now that I have had a similar period six months later - or perhaps it means that I need a different set of doctors.</p>
<p>Heavy periods with mega clots after age 50, to the point of being very anemic. All sorts of polyps on my uterus. MD initially offered ablation but then suggested a D&C followed by the pill for a couple of years. My Lord!!! What a difference!! When he wanted to get me off the pill I refused to stop and managed to convince him to keep me on for another year or two. I ended the pill and never had a menopausal symptom. However, I did get my period once more on the day my D graduated HS. Very strange…</p>
<p>During perimenopause I had several 6 week heavy periods. At one point my gyn gave me a very low dose BC which helped. Eventually everything stopped (including my migraines - see other thread), and life was good.</p>
<p>Wow, how lucky am I?! When I was 47, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer, the same month, I had my last period. That was it (6 years ago, now). That was just it. No weirdness, missed periods, leading up to it, and no bleeding after.</p>
<p>Okay - here is a little TMI. But since we are all women here, I figure that it’s okay.</p>
<p>I have rectocele. I don’t know of anyone IRL who has it, so I dont have anyone to talk to about it and about the surgery, etc. Can anybody here help me? Here is the TMI part. It is when the rectum starts to hang around in the vaginal area. Sort of like a dropped bladder, only not.</p>
<p>Any one looking for support and info for girlie problems, nearly as good as CC, try hystersisters.com If you’re facing Tx for something, at the very least it will help you determine the right questions to ask.</p>
<p>At the risk of TMI:</p>
<p>I have been amazed at the variations in surgical experiences by women mainly having hysterectomies- some people are opened up abdominaly because the organs removed were too big for laparascopic, others have huge removals without a hip to hip or vertical abdominal incision. Seems like habit & style of the doctor is a major influence.</p>
<p>Some people are released for sex in 2 weeks, some in 12- same general surgery.</p>
<p>eddieodessa,</p>
<p>I spent this summer reading patient charts (for a clinical research study I’m working on) and focused primarily on female patients in their 60s. You might be surprised to know that rectoceles, while not common, certainly are not rare–I probably came across 10-12 per hundred charts I read. Your doc and/or his/her nurse would be good ones to ask–they won’t be able to tell you individuals with the same diagnosis, but they can probably refer you to support groups or literature that may help. Are you currently on any drug therapy for it? If so, check the manufacturer’s (or if you use a generic, the name brand equivalent’s manufacturer) website for more info–there are probably links to helpful sites where you could meet others.</p>
<p>Google led me to this site–perhaps it would be a good starting point? [Let's</a> talk about it - Cystocele/Rectocele Support Group - BabyCenter](<a href=“Let's talk about it | BabyCenter”>Let's talk about it | BabyCenter)</p>
<p>I too would urge you to discuss uterine ablation with your ob-gyn. My periods were never heavy until a couple of years ago. Then they became very erratic. I would go months without one and then have one that would last for 2 weeks (that happened just a few times). Then when I was 48 I had one that lasted a month before I became very anemic and had an ablation done. That stopped the mega-period and haven’t had one since (it’s been about a year and a half.) As someone else said: best. thing. ever. Wish I had done it a couple of years ago.<br>
Also - in defense of male ob-gyns - mine delivered my kids and was great about offering this procedure as a solution. I think he walks on water…he’s a great guy. And my insurance did cover it.</p>
<p>Almost 55 … and still having periods. Mixed bag of them … sometimes light, sometimes heavy, sometimes regular (mostly for the last 6 months like clockwork). Last summer had the period that never ended … until the OB intervened after an ultrasound with some hormones. </p>
<p>How do I know I am getting my period? I have the urge to wear the white jeans … never fails.</p>
<p>cnp55 - You cracked me up about the white jeans!</p>
<p>I was just curious. I don’t have any concerns that it is something wrong. My period has been every 28 days since age 13 aside from the periods of time I was pregnant. Also my periods have alway been extremely light lasting only 1 1/2 days and have always been able to use slender tampons. 4 yrs ago I started having a few heavier periods a year where day 1 would be so bad I was hesitant to go out. Both female internist and ob-gyn have told me this is not abnormal. My version of heavy might be another person’s light period. Heavy lasting 3-4 days for me.
Regarding the original question. Last night I had dinner with a friend who had an out of town guest who is a flight attendant for a european airline. I asked her the question. Seems it is quite common for women to start their period mid-flight outside of their cycle. She works a 12 hour flight and said she is almost always asked if there are any supplies available. Regarding age- she said she has had quite a few instances where it was teenage girls getting their first period, women in “our” age bracket and women in late teens to early 20’s. Some thought of the women present at dinner is that in these age ranges women and teens are less likely to be using BC pills.
I don’t feel like I have been having menopausal symptoms. Though I do find that I feel I sleep warmer. I am not waking up sweating but I do wake up hot. I blame my H but I am not sure if he is the blame.</p>
<p>Oh, I definitely sleep warmer. No more snuggly winter pj’s for me. It’s light sleeping clothing, for sure. No more flannel sheets, either.</p>
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<p>Yes, and I’m pretty sure you’re not wearing them around the house where it would be convenient, but somewhere out and about. I still remember the poor girl in high school who wore white jeans one day…</p>
<p>anothermom2 wrote
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<p>Good god, how I wish this had been true for me. </p>
<p>We dealth with infertility for three years and then had the fabulouse Mr PMKjr. For the next 10 years (we’re slow learners) we tried to have another child and a big part of the problem was that I would not get my period. The year I was 25 I had my period twice. You can imagine the many “wonderful” procedures and drugs I went through. We finally gave up and I was thankful for my four times a year period.</p>
<p>At age 38 my period started coming like clockwork every 28 days! I thought, “Hooray! A change in my cycle must mean menopause is just around the corner!” Oh, no, I went to see my doctor and suddenly I am Ms Fertility of the Universe. I am, apparently, years and years away from menopause and now I have these regular, heavy, painful periods to show for it.</p>
<p>And, lest you wonder why we aren’t making babies left and right, in the years between giving up the baby chase and getting my fertility groove back on I developed a medical condition that requires taking medication that I would have to stop if I were pregnant. But I cannot stop taking it. Fun!</p>
<p>I hereby make a motion that those of us who have dealt with infertility should be able to go into menopause when we choose. I am so very tired of dealing with this part of my life. So very, very tired.</p>
<p>I didn’t read every post, but regarding the original question–it is not unusual for older women to have spotting (and sometimes heavy spotting that might look like a period) for a couple days around ovulation (which might be what you saw when you had “a period” around two weeks after you started your real period.)</p>
<p>pugmadkate - it is for this reason that I rarely complained about my terrible cramps, cysts, long pds. I had many friends who suffered with infertility. Their road was infinitely more difficult. I remember remarking without thinking “we just sit in the same chair and get pregnant”. My friend smiled and said “can we borrow that chair?”. The entire room bust out! I remember carrying my third child in four years, at 28, in a heat wave with no ac. I would walk in the cool before dawn and say in my head “fertility is a blessing” with each step. I understood the concept, but not the reality it carried for many of my dear friends until I was much older.
I agree, you should have the luxury of choosing to be done with it all. You’ve been through enough.</p>
<p>Last year I had lots of problems with fibroid tumors and excessive bleeding. My doctor talked about the possibility of hysterectomy but said we could go conservatively and do a D&C and endometrial ablation, which I chose. She did the D&C but said she wasn’t able to get a good enough seal to do an ablation. For the next ten months, things were good. Then, earlier this year, I began having excessive bleeding again (three weeks a month at times) and I was miserable! I had an ultrasound and had a huge fibroid on the outside of my uterus this time and an ovarian cyst so large my doctor was surprise it had not caused my ovary to “flop” over due to the weight. Anyway, my doctor told me anything other than a hysterectomy would simply be a band-aid. I had a LSHBSO (laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy). Wow, that’s a mouthful! She took everything but my cervix. My surgery was welcome and went very smoothly. I felt so well that day I would have been fine to go home, but they made me stay overnight. After two weeks, I was given the all clear to do anything I felt like doing. I have had a tiny amount of spotting each day since the surgery (7 1/2 weeks ago) but that’s easily taken care of with a panty liner. I’m hopeful that will stop soon. My biggest complaint is the HOT FLASHES!!! OMG, they come out of nowhere and I feel like I’m cooking from the inside out! I plan to call my doctor tomorrow to discuss the possibility of hormone replacement. These hot flashes are wicked! I’m 48.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of the airplane trigger before, but I wonder if it might be connected to a prolonged stay in an enclosure with women whose pheremones are unfamiliar. This happens when young women arrive at camp (or college).</p>