For most women, the menstrual cycle is a regular monthly event that occurs more or less punctually every 28 days. However, after reaching 40 years of age, it is very common to experience some changes. The cycle may tend to be irregular and vary in duration and intensity of bleeding. The reasons for this may be physiological in nature, and also correlate with lifestyle and are therefore subjective.
What changes can there be in the menstrual cycle after 40 years?
Women should understand that after age 40, it is normal to begin to notice slight changes in the regularity of their menstrual cycle. This is due to hormonal variability. During this period, progesterone levels actually decrease and estrogen levels increase. This leads to heavier periods ( menorrhagia ) with varying durations: from 2-3 days to more than a week. The consequences of such bleeding manifest themselves in the form of iron deficiency anemia, which can be assessed by a gynecologist by prescribing blood tests for hemoglobin, ferritin and serum iron.
After 40 years, your periods may not be as regular as in your 20s or 30s, this is completely normal. Each menstruation may differ in both duration and intensity. Menstrual bleeding may stop and then return. If this happens suddenly, especially in the case of a regular cycle, it is advisable to consult a gynecologist at the Bogolyuby MC . The specialist will conduct a gynecological examination and prescribe a transvaginal ultrasound to exclude the presence of ovarian cysts, polyps or fibroids.
Once it has been established that there are no clinical conditions that cause irregular cycles, it can be assumed that the cause of such changes is age-related hormonal changes. However, poor diet, high cotisol levels , stress and obesity can also contribute. By the way, lunar phases can also affect the menstrual cycle.
Why is this happening?
This happens because a woman’s body is approaching the end of the fertile period in the 10 years preceding menopause. There are several signs that appear after 40 years of age, during this transitional period, and relate to menstruation. For example, menstruation may become less frequent.
Before reaching menopause, the body goes through perimenopause , a transitional period between fertility and full menopause (defined as 12 months without menstruation), which can last from one to five years. The cycle becomes irregular: it may start to jump, this is associated with ovulation. In fact, some months may be anovulatory . In this case, bleeding often occurs within the cycle.
For some women, the intervals between menstruation become long, while for others, on the contrary, the cycles become shorter. Blood loss may become more profuse. In addition, hormonal changes cause many women to experience hot flashes, night sweats, and swelling associated with fluid retention.
To summarize, we can say that the symptoms of age-related changes in the cycle and associated signs are as follows: oligomenorrhea (the cycle skips several months); polymenorrhea (menstruation appears every 20 days); vaginal dryness; hot flashes; night sweats; insomnia; mood swings; weight gain; dry skin; loss of breast firmness.
Pre - or perimenopause? These are two terms that are often confused and used to define the period preceding menopause, but in fact they refer to two different conditions: Perimenopause - a period lasting even several years preceding menopause itself, that is, the complete disappearance of menstruation. Perimenopause is the phase before menopause in which the first symptoms of cycle changes and irregularities begin to appear, especially in women over 40 years of age.
