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About a week before my period was to start, I had a discharge and some spotting - it didn't last long. I had had sex with my boyfriend a week earlier, and he withdrew. I am 44 years-old and I should know better, but he has done it so many times. Anyway, now my period is 4 days late, and I have no symptoms that it is coming - no breast pain, puffy abdomen, headache, etc. However, I am SO tired that I can hardly move. I am also having some clear, watery discharge in the mornings mostly. My last period I did have was very light so I am wondering if maybe I am just in the early stages of periomenopause. If my period doesn't come in a few days, I will buy a pregnancy test, but I was just seeking advice. It is strange for me to not have my period or not even feel like it is coming. If I was pregnant, I figure that there would be other syptoms. What else could make someone my age skip a period? I don't have an eating disorder nor do I over-exercise.
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Hi Cary,
July 15, 2010 - 2:57pmThanks for all your help. I still have not started and I don't feel like I am going to. I did saliva tests to get my hormone cream which was lessened to a very light dose.(Only 2 "clicks" versus the 4 that I was originally perscribed.) I went on the cream mainly to treat fatigue and anxiety attacks - very few hot flashes.
I am curious about something called endrometrial hyperplasia. My last period was mostly a brown discharge versus a normal menstrual flow. The article I was reading made it seem that my hormone cream could have upset a balance and caused a thickening of my uterine lining which might stop my period. Is that correct? I am unhappy with my current doctor and need to find someone who is close to where I live. I appreciate your help because right now I can't just rush to the doctor. The strangest thing to me is my lack of any period symptoms - no cramps, acne, anxiety, anger, etc. I am not complaining - having no period has been great, but it is not normal. My boyfriend is going to try to get here sooner so I can take a pregnancy test - I guess he doesn't have to be here, but it would be nice. Neither one of us think that a pregnancy is likely, but technically it is possible. I guess we need to eliminate that possiblity first. I will keep you posted.
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It will help if you can tell me what hormone you are taking.
July 16, 2010 - 5:40pmThis Comment
Hi Ebe
It could be perimenopause, or it could be pregnancy, and there is really no way to tell without time or testing. I don't know about the watery discharge, though.
You can have a blood test to measure your hormone levels and tell you whether you are in perimenopause. That can be helpful just to know so when you have symptoms they aren't as worrisome. But it is also possible to become pregnant at your age, and if you don't want to raise a child you really should use a different method of birth control. I know you are nodding right now or rolling your eyes, but I had to say it.
The watery discharge thing makes me wonder if you have something going on, though. In your position I would see my health care provider just to rule out any kind of infection, since that doesn't seem to be the norm for you.
I'm sorry I can't give you a definitive answer, but I hope you get one soon. Good luck and please let us know if we can help further.
July 14, 2010 - 8:26amThis Comment
Thanks for your response. My boyfriend and I have a long distance relationship, and don't see each other as often as most couples. We have been doing the pull-out method for over 14 years and never have had a scare. However, you are right - there are safer ways. I cannot fathom that I am pregnant, and I can't seem to buy a test yet. In my research, alot of my symptoms matched those for pregnancy and perimenopause. I was surprised how similar they were.
Anyway, still no period and I feel good. No cramps, breast soreness, bloatiness, etc. The fatigue has lessened. If I were pregnant, wouldn't I be feeling some of the signs? I also mislead you on the discharge. It is more clear than watery. It is like excess egg whites. I have experienced this slightly before in my cycle, but not as much as now. I was wondering if it was a sign for something.
I need to do a pregnancy test, but I would like my boyfriend here when I do it. He can't come for two weeks, and I don't know if I should wait that long. I do feel fine and have no signs of pregnancy except a missed period. I feel ridiculous because I am too old and should have been smarter. I am still hopeful it is just perimenopause or something else not serious.
I don't want to take too much of your time, but my last period was very light, and my boyfriend and I didn't even have sex that month. Then I got the stomach flu which led to a yeast infection. I was treated with diflucan. For over a year I have been using a bioidentical hormone cream that I get from my doctor, but for some reason I quit using about a week before my period. I didn't feel like I needed it. Could any of this explain a very late period? I am sort of grasping at straws, but my period has never been late in my life.
July 14, 2010 - 9:48amActually the thought that my periods could be ceasing due to early menopause seems okay to me because I really dislike my period. On the other hand, I always wanted a child, but sort of gave up on the dream awhile ago - although I never gave it up completely. I guess that is why I am so scared to find out my answer. Life is scary sometimes.
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Okay. If your doctor gave you hormones, you are probably in perimenopause, unless there was some other less common reason for it? What tends to happen in your cycles get a little longer or sometimes shorter and for some people the bleeding gets much heavier and that's why so many women in their 40s end up with a D&C or ablation. But eventually the cycles kind of lengthen and the periods get a little more erratic. You might start your period, it goes away for a day or two, comes back for a day or two and you're done. That sort of thing.
Other symptoms are hot flashes, some people have trouble sleeping, some get kind of emotional sort of like a PMS thing and that is also from the change in hormones. Perimenopause can go on for years before you finally stop having periods altogether.
Since you are on hormones my guess is you are perimenopausal and that would make it less likely for you to have become pregnant easily but not impossible. If you want to go to the doctor they can check for pregnancy with a blood test earlier and with better accuracy than the over the counter urine test. So that's an option.
Good luck and don't worry about writing again if you have more to discuss. That's what we're here for.
July 15, 2010 - 6:45amThis Comment