47yrs old and missed periods for 3 months and now have perio

Hi, I am 47 Yrs old and had missed my period for 3 months and gathered i was going to hit menapause. But, 3 days ago i got my period and its been abnomally (for me) heavy. I have had to change as often as 2-3 hrs. This is unusual for me since my periods have always been pretty light with moderately heavy bleeding only on 2nd day.. and then by 4th almost no bleeding .. only spotting. Pls tell me what all might cause this kind of excess bleeding during menapause. Its my third day of excessive bleeding so when should I go to the doctor. Thanks in advance.

My mother in law is going through the exact same thing and her doctor told her she's going through menopause! Well, soon at least. Hope that helps.