Heavy spotting / fresh bleeding for over two months now + pain during intercourse?

[morphie91]

Hi all,

I am becoming quite worried the more time goes by as I have never had my period for this long (although it feels more like heavy spotting, I usually get by with a panty liner). I am not sure if it is just an side effect of me having switched pills 5 months ago and not taking a break to have the stop week. I am afraid it is a bit more though, however.

About a month ago I went to a new gynecologist, who did an ultrasound and found that I had a polyp on my uterus, which could be causing the bleeding. She said she could remove it another time, however, secretly I was hoping it would go away on its own, and that the spotting would stop. However, it hasn't, and the gyno and internet have both let it be known that polyps usually don't go away on their own...

I am even more worried about this polyp as I am wondering if it is the reason that sex has become uncomfortable, even with lubricant. I don't recall ever feeling so uncomfortable during intercourse when it is close to my uterus, it's a very sharp pain. My gyno said that they are long, thin 'fingers' that grow on your uterus (or other spots) that are generally harmless, but women can have them removed if they become too uncomfortable.

I have tried reaching my gynecologist to talk more, but she is only available on Sunday and Monday from 6-9 a.m. and I keep missing her as those are quite odd times for me. She said she would call me if she found something, however, I never received a call. Instead, I got an e-mail from the clinic asking me to come back for a check-up. I called the clinic a few times (always when gyno wasn't there of course...) and ended up sending her an e-mail, to which I never received a reply. So I still have this worry in the back of my mind.

I am even thinking of going to a new gyno who is more reliable, however, I really hate the experience of the pap smear, which brings me to the idea that I would really, really hate being awake and alert during the removal of the polyp (even reading about it online gives me the willies!).

Any thoughts on this? Any of you who have had polyps and also felt this discomfort? Did any of you have polyps removed, and can you tell me about your experiences?

It's all quite shocking to me as I am only 25 years old, I expected a scare like this to pop up when I was older. Guess it's a good wake-up call!

[morphie91]

Also, I forgot to mention that I am now on the pill called yaz, which is quite low. Before that, I was on a progestin-only pill, which I liked but made me gain a huge amount of weight and get very oily skin. They do not know for certain what causes polyps, however, they thought it to be linked to swings in hormone levels / increase in estrogen. I wonder if my switch to an estrogen pill made this happen, and if going off the pill would make the polyp go away (or once they are there, they never leave?)

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

I have had a uterine polyp (I think the name is penundulated fibroid) and in my case it interfered with ovulation (by pumping out hormones). These things do not go away on their own, removal through laparoscopic type surgery (keyhole surgery) is the way forward. Mine was removed under general anaesthetic. The polyp did not cause me any discomfort but the endometriosis certainly caused a lot of pain to arise.

I would also see another gynae asap due to her own lack of availability and get a second opinion.

You will need to be persistent in order to get answers.
Deep pain during sex could be indicative of endometriosis being present (nothing to do with the polyp).

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

My polyp was there it was thought from birth so was nothing to do with any type of birth control pills. Its more likely to do with hormones like estrogen.

The polyp will remain there regardless of the type of pill taken; mine went only after surgical removal.

[morphie91]

So I finally got ahold of her, it turns out that I had a lack of flora in my vagina and two bad bacteria which is what likely causes the bleeding. The reason for this is because I was on penicillin to prevent a bone infection and I guess it wiped out all the good and let in the bad.

I didn't have a chance to ask her about the pain with sex, it is mainly in the beginning (very sharp pain the last few inches) and it might be all in my head.. I have had difficulty with tampons even, sometimes not getting them in the last inch. Before, I just thought it was because I was tense and not relaxed as I have always found pap smears and tampons painful (I have to buy the ones with plastic covers to decently use them).

Even the thought of a polyp freaks me out, I can just imagine this little flesh finger sticking out and everything (like a tampon) hitting it.

So sorry if this is TMI and way too graphic. My gyno told me I need another pap smear because they didn't get enough cells (likely due to the blood..), yet I still got the lab results back. I am for sure going to another gyno, one I feel more comfortable with and not have to chase after to see if it's good or bad news..