Bleeding at end of pill pack

[ihateminecraft]

I've been on Cilest on and off for years, this time around since February. I'm due to take my last pill tonight and generally start my withdrawal bleed on the Sunday. However, I've started bleeding lightly this afternoon. This isn't the first time this has happened - a similar thing happened at the end of the first and fifth packs. It also used to happen occasionally when I've been on it in the past, going back several years. I thought nothing of it, assuming my body had just got slightly ahead of itself. The month before last I took 2 packs back to back and bled for the last week of the second pack, but again this has happened to me before and I know can be normal.

Is this anything to worry about? I had a clear smear 2 months ago. I also have fibroids which have been operated on but not removed which still cause me very heavy withdrawal bleeds. I've also had ultrasound and hysterocopy in last couple of years which revealed nothing, other than fibroid of course!

[ihateminecraft]

Anyone?

I'm wondering if this problem could be related to my fibroids? As I said this issue of occasionally starting my withdrawal bleed early had first started a few years ago. Then, 2 years ago, it got worse and I'd start bleeding mid pack. After one month when I bled for almost the entire pack, the fibroids were discovered. I had a resection (location meant they couldn't remove them) followed by nearly a year of the Mirena coil which never settled. As a result, I went back on this pill 8 months ago which has been fine apart from the occasional early withdrawal bleed and the fact that my bleeds are very heavy, clotty and last more than a week. I wonder if it's only a matter of time before the fibroids grow back and I'm back to where I was 2 years ago??

I know my only option is hysterectomy as the Mirena doesn't work for me and, if I'm not on the pill, my periods are less than 3 weeks apart, more than 10 days long and stupidly heavy. I'm nearly 50 btw.

[sirphlebas]

I don't know but this happens to me too ... I'm trying to decide whether to go back to the GP or not.

The saga has been going on for over two years now - horrible painful, extremely heavy periods, bleeding lasting 10-14 days, periods three weeks apart. If I have sex with a couple of days of my period being due or after it has stopped then I start bleeding again. I'm 40.

I've seen the gynaecologist - have had multiple scans (all fine, no fibroids), endometrial biopsy (fine), smear (fine, they won't repeat it until it is due next year), cervix looks fine apparently, swabs fine. Nothing wrong with my thyroid etc, I'm anaemic caused by near constant bleeding.

I'm currently on cerelle which has really helped with horrendous PMT, pain, & the bleeding is now a trickle rather than flood but this month I started bleeding two days before the end of the pack (after sex yet again). I'm due to see the gynaecologist again in December to try a mirena.

GP & gynae have said I need to give 6-8 months to settle down

[tobee]

Just to say my fibroid was operated on by hysteroscopy last December. It actually made matters worse. It was one of the type that sits on a stalk and after the hysteroscopy it sometimes prolapsed into my cervix (nice). The bleeding, of varying heaviness, (sometimes extreme) then lasted all month and in June I had a abdominal hysterectomy. This was my choice to jump straight to that option. I am now late 40's and didn't want to go on with the same situation every month. I was very fortunate with my hysterectomy as it was virtually pain free - just discomfort - and I'm glad I had it done. But I wouldn't advise people to take such drastic action without thinking it through very seriously and exploring all avenues with gynae.

[ihateminecraft]

Thank you Tobee. If things stay as they are, with just occasional early withdrawal bleeds, then I can live with that. What I don't want is to go back to unpredictable bleeding patterns. Before I went back on the pill, I was offered ablation or hysterectomy via keyhole (my surgeon recommended removing ovaries too so no risk of OC in the future, but up to me). I think it it comes to it I will go straight to hysterectomy as can't stand anymore faffing with things that may or may not work!

[tobee]

That's exactly how I felt. Personally I have found my hysterectomy to have changed my life so much for the better. My symptoms originally just really worried me and got me down and then became really frightening. I had great care, pain relief and management and a feel transformed ! Good luck with whatever you decide.