I am 52 and recently went to see my GP as I have bled constantly for nearly two years on Cerazette. My GP says that because I am bleeding I am not menopausal. I am very confused because I do not think I should bleed all the time on this pill. Do you have any advice?

I think that your doctor's response is quite lazy, actually. There is no way you should have been left bleeding for that length of time. You must be quite anaemic (lacking in iron) by now, which will make you feel fatigued.

The fact that you are bleeding due to Cezarette doesn't mean that you aren't menopausal - that's just factually wrong! The oestrogen in Cezarette will make it harder to tell what your own hormones are doing, but one thing we can tell for sure - it is making you bleed, and that's not healthy.

If you don't need a hormonal contraceptive then I would suggest coming off Cezarette and seeing what your cycle settles down to.

It doesn't matter if your periods are erratic at this stage of your life - that happens anyway as you approach the menopause, and it's not a problem unless you bleed too much, as you have been doing. The solution for that is not more oestrogen - it will make things worse! If you do need a hormonal contraceptive, consider changing to the mini Pill, which contains progesterone instead, and should stop you bleeding.

Eileen Durward