Hi girls,

I am at the 6 month mark of no periods, and this is my second run at going for post, but for the past month, yes, a whole month, I have had tender breasts and a slight heavy feeling in my pelvis. BUT......no period happens. Doc thinks it is clearly and estrogen surge, but may just be me levelling out into post, and I do feel like I am having a period, minus the actual period. I guess I am more concerned about the breast tenderness that seems to come and go throughout the day; worse in the morning and night.

I am posting this in the 'post' section, as I feel in Limbo at the moment, and am lost as to where to post it. If it's the wrong place, apologies to admin.

I just don't get what's going on, and wonder if any of you ladies who went the full 12 months without ANY spotting or periods, felt anything like this at all.

It's like my body is throwing out one huge last ditch effort......and you will all hear if I get a period ......but if I am getting one, it's sure a long time coming, thus the confusion. I'm at the point I would rather have a period than feel like I am in some strange no where land.

Thank you for any answers in advance,
Viktoria

I am now several years post, and at age 51, my periods just stopped. I skipped a month three times in my last year of periods, but had the symptoms, like yourself, of feeling that a period was on it's way. I had these "phantom" hormonal cycle symptoms, like the tender, swelling breasts and heavy feeling in my pelvic area for about a year, but no period ever came. Even now, after over three years, I will still get a feeling that my period is coming. Sometimes the symptoms are mild, sometimes they are severe. No rhyme or reason, and with random occurance. There was never any breakthrough bleeding or spotting, though. All I know is that I am feeling so much worse now, than I ever did in my 40's. Perhaps this is punishment for my not having any perimenopausal symptoms.

It is good not to have a period, though. I could never keep track of when it was due, and I was usually surprized when it made it's appearance. Another month has gone by? It seems like I just had a period a week ago, and here it is again! Where does the time go?

Thank you for your reply, Armadillo. I haven't had a good peri, and my 40's were horrid. Now at just turned 50, I feel like I am adjusting to a lot of things, and some things are just changing in a way I didn't understand as I haven't been down the true post road as yet, so I was very unsure as to what was going on in my body. Strange you mention that you had this all through your final year to post on a cyclic basis, as I have always felt unwell at exactly the time a period would once have been there. It seems our bodies go through all the motions but no period. I do love that part!!! No periods!!!
If another does happen along, well that's ok too. Everything has a time and a place....a season and a reason. I guess my seasons and reasons are messed up at the moment.

I don't think you having a hard time in post is being punished for having a good peri, I just think we are all different. I also don't think there is any such thing as 'normal' in peri or meno, well, there sure isn't for me.

I couldn't track my periods in the end, they were just all over the place, so I relate to you forgetting about them. If only we could forget things we wanted to forget. Now that would be something!!!

I haven't had a real period in 7 months. I did have a couple of times when I got all the signs of a period, and then just a tiny bit of spotting one day, and that was it. My GYN says there is a little estrogen activity going on, but at my age, she would be very surprised if I had another real period. I'm 55. She said if I were 45 or even 50, it would be possible to have another period. I think our ovaries are trying to work, but the uterus never builds up a lining, so there is nothing to shed.

My GYN suggested about 200 IUs of Vitamin E to help with breast tenderness. I have been doing that for about 3 months now, and I think it actually helped the breast cysts I was getting. They seem to have shrunk.

I think my hormones have leveled out in the past 7 months, and I feel better than I did in the previous years when the periods were all over the place, lengthwise, and cycle time. I sometimes had one after 3 weeks, and then not again for 21 weeks.

I feel like I have more energy because having periods used to sap my energy, even though I took iron, etc. Not to mention the stress of just having to deal with them - the mess, the unpredictability, etc. It's great to not have periods. I don't miss it at all, and even tho I'm not truly post, I feel kind of like it.

Just so I don't tempt fate, I still keep some sanitary supplies with me. I don't like surprises like that.

Hang in there. I think it gets better.

WriterMom

Hi LadyViktoria,

I thought I would go ahead and chime in here too even though I'm not as far along as you are in this journey.

I started around last July with the crazy periods. The not knowing what was going to happen when.

One month unable to leave the house, next month a total of ONE day, nothing at all the month after that, to the flood gates opening again.

I went from having maybe ONE good day a month, if that's what you call it, to feeling pretty good most of the time.

I really think I'm just getting use to the symptoms and have learned to adjust myself accordingly.

I went from having terribly sore breasts to no soreness at all for months on end, back to having, "you touch me and we will both be shot to the moon" type of pain.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to this madness.

Maybe it's nature's way of forcing us as women to focus on ourselves, since we have spent most all of our lives caring for others and it's about time someone looked after us.

I do not have one bit of trouble now asking others to do for me, namely my children, and no problem at all in saying NO if there is something that I dont want to do. Not even a second thought for me anymore.

It is so good to know that we are not alone in this. I think for me, the isolation has been the most excruciating.

Thanks LadyViktoria,

tidal

OH............I forgot to add.................why the cramping ALL month long??

I am now 2 weeks since my period ended and the cramping is starting AGAIN!!!

Hi Viktoria,

When my periods were finishing up it could have been a classic text book case, period every 3 months, then 6 months then finished. But lost my 40's because of the !@#$ I went through!! About a year ago I feel like I came out of a fog! I had the same, sore breasts, heavy feeling, when I would have been due to ovulate and when my periods were"due" all phantom. So don't worry it seems to be the normal process of winding down.

Cheers choco

I am 55. I had the same pre-menstrual symptoms you did. I had been menstruating regular up til last Oct. ( though shorter periods) then I had a family crisis and periods stopped for 5 months - then started up again 2months ago. in that 5 month period I had regular pre-menstrual signs as well as signs tht I was ovulating - (you can track the mucous (sp?)). Just not shedding (bleeding). I started to keep track of all this and then got my period. I think it is possible that your body continues to cycle as in a reproductive cycle but for some reason does not shed. as far as I can see the medical profession does not really know what the hell is going on with women's bodies, I believe it is up to us to figure this out.