My cycles began to change in my early forties and have been continuing erratically for the last 7 years. Your cycles may begin to change many years before your periods stop altogether, I'm not on BC so whatever bleeding I get is me and nothing else.
Last week I found a box of Tampax that I hadn't needed for a year, cos my periods have been much lighter recently, I put it away right at the back of the cabinet as I figured I wouldn't be needing them again. Today, I was soaking thru pads every couple of hours and cursing about not being able to find the Tampax. I love being a woman lol.
When I last spoke to my GP, he just said "You're 49 everything is normal!" When I spoke to a female GP today, she wasn't much help either, did I want a Mirena? and "You'll know you've reached the menopause when you haven't bled for a year, so as you are bleeding today then you are at least a year from it". Is it me or was that just about the most unhelpful comment a woman has ever made?