Panic attack - ladies please help me!

[ochar2830]

I have just woken up at 3.30am in the morning and went to toilet, wiped myself and found a lot of blood on the paper, like the beginning of a period, however, I am only just day 18 of my usual 27/28 day cycle. I am nearly 45 yrs. Please tell me is this normal for my age? Is this the beginning of perimenopause or should I be concerned. This has never happened to me before and I am shaking all over with anxiety and my mouth is so dry and I am trying not to vomit.

Is it something serious or does this happen to most women even when they are not yet 45 yrs.

Please Help Me!! I am going insane.

Kaye

[AdrienneK]

It very well could be perimenopause which can bring (non life threatening) chaos to your body.  Although I am not 45, I am 34 and it happened to me for a few months before I went to the doc freaking out.  It can happen for a variety of (non serious) conditions.  I would make an appointment with your OB.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/perimenopause/DS00554

[JCL]

I recently had some bleeding between periods, started off small and each month got more and more until the 3rd month when it was basically a period between periods! I worked myself into the worst panic attack of my life, googled the symptoms which is the worst thing ever, and finally sucked it up and went to the dr! He put me on progesterone pills for 12 days to see if that would help, thought I wasn't producing enough on my own. He also said that antidepressants/anxiety meds can interfere with your cycle. Of course stress could impact it too. I am always regular so it was scary! He said there are a number of other things that it could be too, that are not dangerous. Our bodies are so sensitive it doesn't take much to alter our cycle.
Try not to obsses about it, that will just add more stress to your body. Call your dr and let them know that you're scared and I'm sure they will understand and get you in quickly. 
~Jill

[ochar2830]

Hi Jill,

At what stage should I see a doctor?  Should I wait for a another 1 or 2 more cycles to see whether this will be a common occurance. I have been under stress lately, however,  I have had worse anxiety/stress/depression and it has never affected my periods. It is now 9.00am in the morning and it looks like the start of a new period not just spotting but fresh blood. I checked my dates again and yes it is only day 18, however my periods have lasted anywhere between 6 days, 10 days and 13 days all in the last 4 months.
Kaye

[smdl]

They just talked about this last week on Dr. Oz. He said that bleeding between periods should be investigated for childbearing aged, menstruating women (generally fixed with bc pills due to hormonal imbalance), but for women of menopausal age, it is completely normal to get bleeding in between periods. This is due to the hormonal shift preparing the body for menopause. I have family who started this in their mid 30s and had menopause before your age. This is so common. I think everyone woman going through menopause or perimenopause experiences irregular periods and spotting. I think that unless you have completely gone through menopause, reasons for bleeding are quite common and benign most of the time. As a matter of fact, I have not met anyone where bleeding in between periods turned out to be much of of anything. Nevertheless, I'd see a gyno simply so they can document your start of perimenopause or the onset of menopause, and can talk to you about what to expect. We learn so much about starting our periods in school, but no one really tells us about menopause, so that would be a good reason to see your Gyno. I think menopause is a celebration! I still have a bit to go, but no pads or messes, no pms, just good living!

Good Luck!

[JCL]

I think you should call your dr, why wait?  My dr did a pelvic exam and took a sample to look at under the scope, it was nothing extensive and didn't hurt at all and I was so proud of myself for having the courage to take care of myself. I freaked out after I made the appt, I usually see a primary care doc for pelvic exams and they referred me to a real gyno, so of course that scared me  I was shaking I was so scared, and the day of the appt I was hyper ventilating and crying! I forced myself to do some jumping jacks and lift some weights to burn some nervous energy  which helped a ton! And lots of deep breathing!
If it was your best friend having this issue you would want her to take care of herself, so treat yourself the same    you are worth it!
Let us know what you decide. Email me privately if you are freaking out and have no one to talk with!
~Jill