Bleeding inbetween periods

[hanabananaa]

Hi, new here, but have often found really interesting advice on this forum when googling for advice and info!
I’ve had heavy periods since my 20s and throughout my 30s I experienced a worsening of my periods (very heavy, clots, severe cramping) and an increase in spotting between my periods. I had lots of investigations and they’ve told me repeatedly that they can’t find anything wrong. Over the past two years the spotting inbetween periods has progressed to red spotting and bleeding. It starts after ovulation, with a few days of brown spotting, then red blood then sudden gushes of blood that leave my clothes soaked and I have to sit on loo for hours. This is NOT my period, the blood is bright red and thin consistency with huge clots. I’m anaemic and exhausted. A few days after this red bleeding, I start my period (I count first day of period by the change in consistency and cramps). My gp has referred me back to gyne after an appointment a year ago where they did internal ultrasound and said all looks fine apart from a small fibroid which is located in a place which the gyne said wouldn’t cause this bleeding. My cervix is healthy and all blood tests came back normal. Previous progesterone 21 days were a bit low but last one was normal. Apparently hormone tests don’t indicate perimenopause and I’m ovulating (so they say based on results). I’m so upset by all of this. The bleeding honestly has ruined my life. I only have about 3 days a month with no bleeding. I always have to wear pads and feel tired. I’m on large doses of iron but even that won’t keep my ferritin levels up. I’ve been offered the mirena coil a few times but reluctant because I want to know why it’s happening and the underlying cause treated. Plus, although I’m now 40 and well aware of age and declining fertility, I’d love to try for a child as have only in last few months started a relationship. I have never been pregnant. All of this is causing so much anxiety and I’ve no idea what to do. Any thoughts or suggestions would be really appreciated.

[QueenoftheNights]

You need to push your GP to refer you to a specialist and if you've already seen one, see someone better!

When you say this is not a period because the blood is bright red etc etc, why can this not be a period? It sounds exactly like one.

TBH it sounds very much to me as if you are in peri menopause. What you are describing are long, irregular periods. ANY bleeding as you describe is a period- it can't be anything else. The period starts the say you being spotting. The colour and extent of the blood doesn't count- it's still a period!

It's just going on for a long time.

If you want a child my honest advice is that find a good, private gynaecologist (because the NHS wait will be far too long for someone your age) and get a full profile of your hormones and what is going on. Blood tests in peri are unreliable but a good gynae will be able to offer some suggestions.

Pay for an appt ( if you can), get taken seriously, and take it from there.

The Mirena would be a good treatment but obviously if you hope to conceive, it's a no-no.

[hanabananaa]

Thank you so much for your advice :)
The reason I said it’s not my period is because the consistency is different and the bleeding is very different from my usual period. I do get a period every 28 days and that hasn’t changed. My period blood is thicker and well, like a period! This other bleeding is like the blood i’d get from a cut finger and I get no cramping or any of the physical changes that I get with my periods :(. They’ve done all my hormones and they say they’re all perfectly normal and although I don’t know how it’s tested for exactly, they said there’s nothing to suggest that I am in perimenopause - although at this age I’d expect to be. It’s so confusing. I’m hoping at my next gyne app they’ll take a look inside. At times the blood also looks to be mixed in with yellow fluid (again, NOt what I get on my period). It’s really distressing

[QueenoftheNights]

You really can't go on what the blood looks like. I have 'false' periods now I'm on HRT ( it's like a withdrawal bleed from the Pill) and the blood loss is totally different from my old natural periods- it's thinner, redder and the flow is faster. But it's still the womb lining coming away.

It sounds as if you are bleeding early, which is often linked to low progesterone levels and incomplete cycles. This is hormonal.

You need an FSH test between days 2-5 of a cycle, and this has to be repeated at least twice ( so over 2 months) to get an accurate reading.

They also need to test your estrogen levels.

TBH it sounds as if your cycles are all over the place.

If you really want a baby, my advice is you step out of the NHS and consult a fertility gynae asap.

[hanabananaa]

Thank you. I’m going to follow your advice. The nhs treatment I’ve had so far has been less than adequate. They just send me away with the pill and try to tell me it’s normal. It’s making my life a misery. My recent FSH reading was 6 (I think) and I did 2 tests myself on 2 other cycles (day 2 of cycle) and they were normal. But my progesterone has been low several times when tested over the past 6 years (although recently was normal but I don’t think it was tested at right time). I get LH surge each month and fertile discharge but I don’t think I could possibly ever get pregnant when I start gushing blood a few days after ovulation. One dr said she thinks it’s endometriosis - that was many years ago but they didn’t offer any treatment or help or confirmation.
I’ll go to private gyne after the next nhs app in 2 weeks and pray they can do something.