periods

[sadie21]

hi I am 46 over the past couple of months ive been having my periods twice a month I have been diagnosed with pbc over 3yrs I just want to know is it just my age or pbc related thank you Sadie x

[Hidden]

Hi. Sounds peri menopausal to me. Mine are much more frequent and very heavy.... friends suffering similar but no pbc.

Lou

[June9961]

Hiya Peridot, Its probably your age. However with the symptoms I have had for years the consultant from gynae and the liver specialist are unsure whether the awful sweats are due to menopause or pbc. Therefore I have been on an oestrogen only patch for 5 years. They have sort of decided its a bit of both.

[Hidden]

Hello Sadie21.

I apparently started with the perimenopause a year ago. I happen to mention it at my GP surgery and this is what I was informed. I was just short of my 49th birthday.

I've never experienced any problems throughout my teen and adult life with my menstrual cycle, always been regular as clockwork until last year when I started having alternate 38 and 28 day cycles. Other than that everything seems the same. I did start having a few hot flushes a few months ago around that time but only for a couple days.

Periods can become erratic or heavier with approaching menopause apparently. Varies from one woman to another. Some are not troubled, others are problematic.

I personally don't think reaching this stage is anything to do with PBC at all myself. I too have been diagnosed with PBC 3yrs now and only take urso.

My mother died suddenly when she was 43 and it was thought she was going through an early menopause. I've not really had anyone my adult life to really ask but due to working over the years I have been in contact with a lot of ladies who are old enough to be my mother so I could occasionally ask them things.

It can be natural to have some very irritating symptons at times. I was raised to expect that being a woman and going through the woman's cycle was a natural thing and that you just got on with it. So that is how I have dealt with it all over the years.

One thing I would note though is that if you are experiencing shortened cycles Sadie21 then it might be a good idea to have the ferritin (iron) levels checked when you have your repeat bloods. I've gone through odd periods over the years of having a low iron count and taken up to now 3 short courses of iron over the last 18yrs but several years ago a female GP asked me outright about my menstrual cycle and like myself she reckoned that I was having a pretty normal cycle. Of course now with a normal and then lengthened time lapse between mine at present, means that I am more than likely preserving more iron.

[GrittyReads]

It may well be perimenopause, but I think they should check reproductive hormone levels and maybe give you an ultrasound for other issues to be ruled out as well. Also, when you have your liver function tests done, do they check your thyroid levels? More frequent periods is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism - many of the other symptoms are already in the PBC package! They should be checking your thryroid, as hypothyroidism is also common for people with PBC, and in particular, Hashimotos thyroiditis, which is caused by antibodies that can occur along with the AMAs of PBC. They should have checked for the Hashimotos antibody when PBC was found - they don't like doing it too often. But if it hasn't been done, ask to be checked.

I hope you get it sorted.

PS, if it does turn out to be purely perimenopause, I found the mirena coil to be fantastic, particularly if you have bad pains.