To think Im too damn old to be suffering with periods this bad?

[LumpenproletariatAndProud]

In my teens my periods were horrendous, painful, heavy and every 2 weeks.

In my early 20's they calmed to light 3-4 day long periods. I went on the mini pill and it stopped them altogether, bliss.

I had a child, I stayed off the pill and they were still light, short and painless.

I have another child and they returned 8 months post birth. They were horrendous, went to doctors, had a polyp and got it removed.

That was 4 years ago, today they are still horrendous, a second scan last month showed no return of any polyps, smear and STD test is clear and periods are every 30 days like clock work.

Yet they are so heavy. In an hour I got through 4 super plus size tampons. 10 minutes after changing one I was flooding right through it, the clots are the size of half the palm of my hand, and Ive had to just sit on the toilet before to let it run out because there was simply no point using a tampon as minutes later I would flood.

I have a prolapse uterus and bladder, thats the only thing thats 'different' I can no longer use a moon cup et al because of this.

I went back on the mini pill thinking it would stop my periods again, but has it bollocks. The combined pill makes me insane and menefenamic acid does precisely fuck all.

Im sick of bleeding, Im sick of spending a fortune on Spatone because I get really ill otherwise. Im sick of periods.

Oh and Lumpen if you haven't had one in the last week or so you need a full bloody count checking to make sure you're not too anaemic even with the iron tablets and if it becomes terrible again just go to A&E. It's a common presentation to A&E and pretty much guarantees you'll see gynae who'll check you out and give you advise about the next step depending on blood tests and examination. Roll on getting that mirena!!

drugdge the idea of a hysterectomy crosses my mind more and more. If I was 41 not 31 then Id be begging for a hysterectomy.

Ralph that could be so many things, have you seem your GP? Hijack away, maybe someone will have experience in that. X

Thanks Betty you sound like the voice of proper knowledge.

lumpen hadn't realized that you are only 31. I hope the mirena coil works for you. For any one older please don't spend all your 40s and 50s putting up with this and thinking that the menopause will soon rescue you-it can go on for ages.
My GP was trying to avoid referring me for a gynae appointment but the hysterectomy was the best thing I did. I'm not sure I made it clear how bad it was. When the hospital saw my blood count they thought I had some sort of internal bleeding-perhaps from an ulcer. I told them I thought I had the explanation right away.

I feel like you are my future drudge. I've always been relatively resigned to the fact that I will be begging for a hysterectomy at a certain point in my life.

Im glad to hear its worked out so well for you. Im rather envious.

If you have to go for it in the future lumpen don't be afraid at all. The periods I was having every month were worse than the operation and I felt so tired and washed out and so much better a coupe of months later.l

I hope you can find something that helps until you get to your late 30s but if it carries on after that I really would think about it.

Do you have endometriosis? That can give you heavy and painful menstrual cycles.

My mother had to get a hysterectomy because of it.

I had exactly the same symptoms as you.
Three weeks ago I had a laproscopic hysterectomy. My recovery has been brilliant, no pain and very little bleeding.
Still can't believe I'm never going to have a period again, hurrah!

Bulbers its a small possibility I suppose but two things are making me think not - I had periods like this in my teens, they suspect endo, I had a laparoscopy and the computer said no.

Also, I had a polyp removed last summer, I wondered if the would notice whilst in there if I had it.... Although that was in utero and my understanding is endo is on the outside so perhaps Im wrong.

I remember that the aftermath of a simple laparoscopy was agonising though, so Id really rather avoid that like the plague...

Nice one Jessy enjoy. It sucks that it takes such an extreme thing to stop this, doesnt it???

It does, but I was so worn out with the near constant anaemia, I was getting very breathless every few months.
I don't cope well with the iron supplements, they wreck my digestive system.
I also hated that for a couple of days each month I was housebound due to excessive bleeding.

Tranxemic acid initially worked for me, i have to say the GP's were great and my local hospital outstanding. They fitted a myreena coil and my life improved dramatically, i was a bit hesitant at first and did my research, but oh boy at least I got my life back and could get out of the house again. The medics were v. thorough and tested and scanned etc before fitting. I feel for you Op as I have been in your situation. Good luckxx

Hi
I haven't read every post, but as a (slightly) older woman who has been through similar may I suggest you see a chinese doctor (in fact a chinese medicine practitioner).
I still have painful, bit irregular, clotty periods but have sorted myself out with the support of my accupuncturist and herbalist. I still take pain killers, but do other things as well to manage.
Also please don't rush into hysterectomy - you are really young and that is what makes us women.
Women's Bodies, Women's wisdom is a great and useful book too.
Our doctors don't have all the answers as women seem very mysterious to most of them, and they want to medicalise us.
Best of luck with whatever you do.

Lumpen Have they outruled Endometrial Hyperplasia?

Thats what I have. Since teens too. Pill reduced them to 8 days, but still v heavy.

Came off pill in my thirties - flooded, flooded, flooded. Quality of life went down the pan. Advised Mirena, had it put in under GA and it was only once inside & they looked around they realised I had EH. I'd had an Vaginal Ultrasound a few months before which hadn't picked it up.

Mirena completely cured it. No periods, and no active EH. Bliss! I had it removed to conceive & conceived 3 weeks later!

It'll prob return after birth - I don't mind now I know what to do. Another Mirena!

BTW, it was a D&C that diagnosed it, if I remember correctly. They did that at the same time as Mirena insertion.

So I'm no longer a woman.

Thanks Isitraining

Isitraining I find the idea that it is having a womb and having periods that makes is a woman a bit odd.
Someone asked me after my hysterectomy if I felt less of a woman,

Hell no! I felt like someone who had been liberated! I had been ill for ages.

I am surprised that anyone would think what makes us a woman is our reproductive organs-but I am thankful that they did their job and I had my childre

Thanks for the advice upthread, I'm now on day 4 of serious cramps and still no bleeding so have booked an appointment with my GP.

All the best to you Lumpen.

Us not is

Thank you, it definitely seems as though Mirana works miracles!

Annarose how come you had it put in under GA?

I think it was because the previous Vaginal U/S (which I was referred to for the menorragia) had detected a small polyp, so they were going to remove that at the same time. So I guess they had to go up with a camera and snippers etc.

But they didn't know at that point what was causing the bleeding, the polyp looked an unlikely cause - the Mirena was offered to me as a cure for whatever the Hell it was, basically.

Then once inside apparently my endometrium was so built up that there was barely any space at all. They did a D&C and sent off for histology and I got the results at the follow up that it was EH. Mystery solved!

Its a hormonal imbalance and I was assured that the Mirena would sort it, which it did thankfully. When the Mirena was removed my endometrium was so normal that implantation was a breeze.

The thing about EH is that if you leave it, it can become pre-cancerous. So I may have to have a Mirena in as a preventative treatment for as long as I choose to have a womb.

I don't mind that at all - I loved the Mirena. And tbh, it was a relief to get a diagnosis of something that made sense of it all.

I see. Id have thought they would have noticed that last summer when they removed the polyp I had. I was intending to ask them to put a coil in then, I really regret not doing that now.

Perhaps it looked within reasonably normal limits - apprently mine was as thick as Bigfoot's coat inside.

Or perhaps its not your condition - don't want to get all armchair doctor on you!

I guess when you ask for a Mirena you could ask for them to obtain a sample for histology at the same time. Might mean GA? Not sure, tbh. Maybe it was just me!

I have the same thing. Only I bleed for 20 days. My cycle is 28 days. So I literally have a week odd a month. For three days of the bleed, it is unbearably heavy. I soak the biggest tampon and the biggest sanitary towel in an hour. I struggle if I have to leave the house, and I have to take a change of clothes. Sometimes I flood and have to run for the loo. I can never wear light coloured clothes. Exercise is very difficult.

I have been like this for four years. I am now 36. I feel dirty, humiliated, depressed and exhausted.

My life is a complete misery. I can rarely have sex. I don't have kids, but any hope of starting a family has gone. How can I get pregnant when I can't even have sex? I'm not the Virgin Mary.

I have been back to my doctor literally dozens of times. I have tried: Mirena coil (twice), progesterone, mefenamic/tranexamic acid. Nothing helps. I have been for two scans, which have found very small fibroids. I am now on a waiting list for more tests, and it is taking months.

They won't consider endometrial ablation because of the fertility implications. But since I can't have sex as I am, and thus can't fall pregnant, I am stuck in a catch 22 situation.

I feel demeaned by the complete lack of any concern the medical profession seem to have for women with this problem. If I were a man who couldn't get an erection, I'd be treated with far more sensitivity. Yet this is a far bigger problem, and I've repeatedly been told that I'm 'normal'. I'm not sodding normal.

Right now, I would do anything to make this stop. Anything.

*off, not odd