Worried- Is It Possible I'm In Perimenopause at 33?!

[awright5]

So I'm 33 years old, and I've been waiting to try until I graduate in April, and get off all the meds and substances that might hurt a baby when I make one (vaping, prescription ADD meds, Alcohol, etc.) I'll still be under 34 when I graduate and hopefully can come off the substances in a few months, so I thought I would be okay.

I've been noticing lately that my cycle is getting a little bit longer, but no big deal. I've been tracking for a few years, and it was usually 27-29 days half the time, and 30-33 days half the time. Lately it's been 32-34 days half the time, 30-32 a quarter of the time, and 27-29 a quarter of the time, so maybe longer cycles. I didn't think much of it.

This cycle I'm at day 35- no period still. I haven't gone this long since I've been tracking. I know 35 days is not in the normal range, and I'm terrified it means I might be going through perimenopause. I'm not pregnant- I took a much of tests including one today. I'm not on any medications that I know of that would affect periods, and there are no other abnormal factors this month. (No excess exercise, weight loss or gain, obesity as I am 5' 4" 125 lbs, and no stress greater than other months this year.)

I also worry because I had a particularly tricky yeast infection. I didn't feel that bad, just a little irritated, so I got my usual Fluconazole (which doesn't affect periods), but at the end I still felt mildly uncomfortable- and I remember thinking "Well all the symptoms cleared up except I still feel almost like so dry I'm irritated." I went to Urgent care eventually, and got another Fluc, and by 4-5 days after I was normal.

Can someone help me keep from freaking out? Obviously I'm going to schedule an appointment when my doctor opens after the weekend, but in the meantime, I am panicking thinking I'm undergoing perimenopause and missed my chance for having a baby even though I'm only 33. Thank you in advance.

 

[jzjules]

@awright5 I went for a fertility test at around 33. My periods had pretty much slowed to a trickle and I had other symptoms like hot night sweats where I was just drenched. Like you I was anxious and devastated.

When I mentioned this to the consultant she wasn’t bothered at all because I was still having something. My period has never been regular - always between 25-35 days each time.

Tests all came back in the clear. I was even complimented on my thick womb lining!?

Lesson learnt was - you don’t know anything for sure until you’ve had it checked out by the right person.

Take care, OP

 

[awright5]

@jzjules Thank you, this helps a lot.

 

[zrcalo]

@awright5 35 days is still in the normal range so I wouldn't been too concerned. My periods range from 30 to 38 days.

I have tracked for 6-7 years and I have had a few 'weird' cycles in those years. Two cycles at 42 days and one at 47 days. There are so much different factors that could make a cycle longer. I wouldn't be too worried

 

[tzid]

@awright5 I highly doubt you are going through perimenopause. People's cycles are irregular for a million and one reasons. The amount of sleep you get, stress, the food you eat, the way you do or don't exercise, any of those things can affect your period at any time in your life. Sometimes it's a blip for one cycle because of stress or travel or illness. Sometimes it's an underlying hormonal imbalance. Sometimes it's just your body taking a while to rebalance hormones after going off the pill.

Take a deep breath. If you want to be armed with more knowledge about your cycle so that you actually know what's going on, I would highly recommend learning how to track basal body temperature and cervical mucus in order to see if and when you are ovulating. That will give you a lot more information and can tell you whether you have a short/long luteal phase, if you are ovulating late, if you are ovulating at all, etc.

 

[katrina2017]

@awright5 Do you know about the history of your biological mom and grandma? My friend is going through perimenopause at 35 but it wasn't surprising to her as it happened to her mom and grandma as well.

 

[sisi]

@awright5 You absolutely do not need to go to the doctor for this. You should only go to the doctor if you go 60-90 days with no period. Having a one-off long cycle is not a sign of perimenopause, it's a sign of being a human woman! It is unusual not to have fluke cycles every once in a while, and within 8 days of variation is still considered a "regular" cycle. You're only a day past the longer end of your normal - seriously, don't worry about this unless it goes another month.

 

[awright5]

@sisi Thank you so much, this has made me feel a lot better. Your right, it is only a little longer than usual for me since I have a longer cycle, especially recently. I think I'm finally getting cramps too (who would have thought I'd be excited for cramps?) so I've got my fingers crossed so I can stop worrying.

 

[droxy]

@awright5 I'm not sure if this is any peace of mind, but when I have a short cycle, in the following month, I'll have a longer cycle than usual. It's like my body's weird way of balancing out.

I second what someone else said. Look at your female ancestors. Did any of them go into perimenopause at your age? Are your periods considered to he irregular or just different as you age? I think everyone's cycle changes slightly as they age. My cycles have definitely gotten longer and heavier in the last 5 years.

 

[awright5]

@droxy Interesting. Hmm I really don't know my ancestors history, but I know my Mom and Grandma on my Dad's side were having babies to a decent age. My Mom had her last kid at like 40, so I suppose hopefully I'm okay.

Online has always said 25-35 days is regular or something similar. Mine do seem to be getting longer, but this is the first one that has been 35/36 days (I did get my period yesterday.)

Hopefully it's just that... I'll see if things become abnormal again and go to the doctor if they are.