Enemas and menopause

I think it's happening to me! I think I'm going into menopause.

My periods have always been very regular and relatively mild, for which I'm incredibly grateful. Since I was thirteen I have appreciated the relief I get from a warm enema. A month ago I had a soul-crushing painful period, which is very rare for me. Nothing seemed to help, not repeated warm enemas, not the heating pad, not anything I found. Now this month I'm four days late. I've got a distressing "sensation" in my abdomen, but no real pain and no flow.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the onset of menopause in my life. On one hand I still feel young, and somehow my periods have always had a spiritual connection to my femininity, which I'm sure I will miss. On the other hand, how wonderful will it be to not be OTR every month. Mixed feelings, indeed.

Girlfriends, what was it like for you when this momentous event happened in your life? What symptoms did you have, was there a "transition" time when you got irregular periods or did they just stop? Anything psychological beyond the usual period blues? Was it a piece of cake or really hard to go through? Thanks, y'all.

Hugs,

~Diane

Five days late! But the flow started today. I've never been five days late in my life before.

I am 46 and in perimenopause and I've had 'symptoms' now for about five years. I used to be very regular with an average easy flow, few cramps. Now I am going months without a period. Just when I start to think 'that's it, it's completed now', out of nowhere, I will just start bleeding. The bleeding keeps changing. Sometimes it's very very light and lasts for weeks, other times, very heavy and lasts for a few days like a normal period. For me it's been so weird, I thought it was a sign of cancer. I have had all my smear tests and a trans vaginal scan. I'm told everything is well. I do feel very emotional at times. Spanking, enemas, sex and massage with a carrier oil and essential oils, lavender, francinsense and Clary sage all seem to help me.

Diane:

I went thru menopause 12 years ago and I will sum it all up as "a very strange time." Like you I always considered menstruation as a part of femininity even though there were certainly those times when it was inconvenient. Sure, it would show up on holidays, vacations, road trips, and birthdays but for the most part I dealt with it without complaint. Two things that I discovered at different points in my life are the monthly enema that a sorority sister put me wise to, but the other was the menstrual cup that my daughter herself had tried, loved, and suggested.

As for the irregular periods, yes, I had those and it wasn't just timing, but also flow, duration, cramping, hot flashes and moodiness. My poor husband seldom knew what to expect, but he was very supportive and we have lived through it. In hindsight there are days when I actually think I miss having a period. I know how weird that must sound. Anyway, good luck with coping and thanks for letting me share a little bit of my own experience.

@Emom said "but the other was the menstrual cup that my daughter herself had tried, loved, and suggested."

I should have mentioned that I also use a diva cup. They are a little fiddly to get used to but once you get the fold correctly mastered, brilliant. I would never go back.

P W. diva cup is expensive. How long do they last. Are the expandable in the vagina?

Ronema: My wife was a Diva cup user back when she had periods. As I recall the cup was not that expensive being probably the same price as a large box of tampons which for her would last about 3-4 months. She loved the Diva cup even if it was a bit tricky to get inserted correctly the first few times.

@ronema They are about £20 to buy and last about six months maybe longer depending on how fussy you are hygiene wise. I have two which I use in rotation, using dental tablets to sterilise.

They do not expand inside the vagina, they are made of silicone and the cup pops open to form a tight seal once inside you. There are several folds you can use to insert, I prefer the punch down fold. You also have to break the seal before removing or it creates suction inside and can be uncomfortable removing.

Well, go figure. This month is perfectly normal by my standards. On time, normal flow, yada yada. If this is menopause my uterus doesn't know it yet.

Anybody else have on-again-off-again periods at the onset of menopause?

~Diane

If this is menopause my uterus doesn't know it yet.

Anybody else have on-again-off-again periods at the onset of menopause?

Actually, that's pretty typical. Nothing for a few months, then a period or two, then nothing... It can be really hard to know when to stop using birth control, much less when or if your period is due. My last one was after 12 months without any, which meant twelve more months of birth control because I sure didn't want a pregnancy at that point in my life.

Interesting to me is that my sex drive increased after menopause.