The menstrual cycle at menopause is greatly altered by the sudden and constant hormonal changes that occur at this stage of a woman's life. So it is normal for menstruation to become irregular, to last longer and to come to varying degrees.
In addition, menstruation can fail for a few months, taking more than 60 days to return, but the woman only enters menopause when she completes 12 consecutive months without menstruation, before that, this period is called climacteric, but it must also be accompanied by the doctor which may indicate what to do to combat symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, irritability, and headache that usually occur at that time.
Major changes in menstruation in the climacteric
Some common changes in the menstrual cycle during the climacteric are:
1. Menstruation in small quantity
With the approach of the menopause, the menstruation can come for more days, but with less bleeding, or for longer and with very abundant bleeding. Some women may also have short menstrual cycles, with little or no bleeding.
These changes occur due to the low production of estrogen and progesterone, as well as the lack of ovulation in the woman, being natural and expected to happen around 50 years of age.
2. Menses with clots
During the climacteric period the appearance of small blood clots in the menstruation is normal, however, if there are many blood clots in the menstruation one should go to the gynecologist because this can be a sign of uterine polyps or even cancer. Vaginal discharge accompanied by small traces of blood can also occur between 2 menstrual periods, but it also requires medical consultation.
3. Late menstruation
Delayed menstruation is a common occurrence in the climacteric, but it can also happen if the woman becomes pregnant at this stage. For this reason, it is best to perform a pregnancy test if you have not had a tubal ligation and it is still possible to get pregnant.
Many women become pregnant during climacteric because they feel that their body is not capable of sowing eggs and so they stop using contraceptive methods and the pregnancy ends up happening. Although late pregnancy is more risky, most of the time there are no complications. Learn more at: Is it Possible to Get Pregnant at Menopause?
To make sure you are entering menopause the woman can go to the gynecologist and perform tests that can evaluate the hormonal variations and how is your uterus and endometrium, making sure there are no health problems leading to the onset of symptoms such as menstruation prolonged or menstrual absence.
Learn what you can do to make yourself feel better at this stage by watching the video below:
