Frequent periods may signal menopause

A shorter-than-normal time between menstrual periods may be the first sign of menopause for many women.Anovulatory cycles, which are characterised by varying degrees of menstrual intervals and the absence of ovulation and a luteal phase, have often been taken as a sign of menopause. To discover early hormonal predictors of menopause and to understand hormonal basis of bleeding abnormalities, British researchers followed 804 women aged between 42 and 52 years for three years. The participants gave urine samples daily for one complete menstrual cycle or 50 days (whichever came first) once a year for 3 years. Urine was tested for various hormones and anovulation was based on progesterone levels. The researchers also took in account the monthly menstrual patterns of the participants. The women were separated into groups based on their current menstrual patterns. Those who'd had unpredictable periods for the past three months were considered to be in the early phases of menopause and those who'd skipped two periods or more were considered to be in the late phases.Short intervals between periods were found to be common among women in early menopause, and 44 percent of their periods were anovulatory. Longer intervals were more common in late menopause, and two-thirds of those periods were anovulatory. Further, women who had short or long periods, fewer than four days and more than seven days of bleeding, respectively, also commonly had anovulatory cycles. In contrast, the study also found that women with heavy periods had relatively few ovulation-free cycles and heavy bleeding was associated with obesity and uterine fibroids rather than hormonal changes. Fibroids are tumours that grow within the muscle tissue of the uterus. The findings suggest that women in the early stage of menopause commonly have shortened intervals between periods, less than 21 days.

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