I don't know if it's the same for everybody, but my mom is a little over 50 and she has periods just like your friends. She'll go months without having one, then have a truly horrendous one that lasts for a full week a half dozen times in two or three months.

I'm afraid I have no useful information to share, but I just needed to agree with your daughter. Nature should really cut you a break--I mean come on. There should at least be a little bit of upside to sporadic bleeding!

I'm hoping, I guess, that it's normal. For the past year mine are relatively regular, but I can do the pad/tampon in an hour, and it sucks. You can change, and be somewhere, and just feel the gush. Those days I feel like I should just sit on the toilet all day. They didn't used to be like this, but I think it's a combination of growing older and changing hormones. At least the bad days are only one per cycle!

I used to have horrible, awful, ungodly periods with major flow, nasty clots and more pain than I could handle.

Since I'd already had my tubes tied and didn't want more kids, my doctor recommended endometrial ablation. It was a complete turn around for me. I feel great. No period since the procedure, no pelvic pain, no pain during sex. Best thing I ever did.

I'm still young but I have terrible periods. I experience 'exuberant endometrial hyperplasia'- this is basically a severe thickening of my endometrium. I'll go months without periods causing the lining to build and build and build and then I'll go months where it sheds. I bled like crazy last fall, I soaked through 1 overnight pad ever 45 minutes- when this happens my gyno has advised me to see my primary care doctor because I risk anemia or hemorrhaging out.

Unfortunately, when your lining builds like this it increases your risk of cancer. It eventually sheds when there is literally no room left for it to grow and it can be severe. I usually experience brown blood that I spot 2 days before and then the fresh, thick red blood with a LOT of clots. I have endometriosis and PCOS so basically, my reproductive organs are absolute shit but I refuse to have a hysterectomy, I still want kids.

My mother's periods became much heavier - ridiculously heavy - and more frequent for several years before she entered menopause. Toward the end her periods lasted for three weeks, then would end for a week and start again. Her doctor told her that its normal for your period to change in frequency or heaviness in perimenopause.

I've been getting more clots in the last few months. Surprised me to see this increase again as it had after I had my last son. I wasn't expecting more changes 4 years later. I suppose it could be a gradual change with age.

as a teen, i had horrible periods, after years of birth control, it got down to a day or so. i recently miscarried and am now experiencing the little clots (that i haven't had before) and heavy like back in the day... i figured my body just hates me.

my mom is 50 and her periods are horrid. not too long ago she had a really bad one that ended with her staying in the shower most of the day. her doc says she is 'flirting' with menopause. she thinks it's rediculous....

i hope i don't have the same to look forward to! L(

I had really heavy periods that would last up to 21 days starting shortly after my son was born. I put off doing anything as long as I could but ended up having a hysterectomy when I was 29. That was back in the day when they cut you and took it all. Only they left 1/2 an ovary -big deal. I also had four grapefruit size tumors. Luckily, they were non cancer so everything worked out to the good.
A lot of my friends who are in their late 40's are complaining about having heavier periods with clots. This seems to be a natural process, preparing the body for menopause.
I would suggest if it gets lasting too long or you feel really run down, see your doctor. Be sure to keep a check on your hemoglobin. Mine went to 5.2 (normal is at least 10.0) so this can be a problem. Extra heavy bleeding can be caused by a variety of things so please keep a check on it. the nurse in me is coming out- sorry!