GP making me feel like I am being ott re periods. (WARNING TMI)

[JamesZebra]

I am putting this here for traffic - please be nice as I am feeling quite fragile and worried about it.

My periods have always been very heavy and very painful. Most months the first day of my period is so bad I just need to dose up on pain killers and stay in bed. The flow was so heavy that I would often flood through a tampon and pad and I hated going out during the heavy days as I kept having accidents. I have bled through clothes onto my work chair on several occasions as I would just get a wave of blood out of nowhere. I would also get massive clots which was quite scary. I have had many an occasion where I wake to what looks like a massacre scene where my period has flooded all over the bed- thankfully I have a very understanding dp! No Dr has ever taken this seriously even though I have been chronically anaemic for years!
About a year ago I noticed my periods had started to get lighter (I was 30 when this started) and the blood instead of being thick and red was watery and pink with no clots at all. Now whilst this sounds amazing (which to some extent it is) it's such a dramatic change from what I am used to that it worried me. I called my Dr and he was like "why are you moaning- this is good?" which to some extent I agreed with but I was concerned that the dramatic change might have been a warning sign of something more serious. Eventually he agreed to do some blood tests (day 3 & day 21) of my period which showed I had raised prolactin levels. Nothing more was said about it and I was told not to worry and just get on with my life. Since then I have had a smear test and it all came back fine.
This month my period arrived on time - however I had spotting for about 5 or 6 days before hand and my period has been so light I barely had a need for a towel. I have gone from needing to change my pad constantly to using the lightest absorbency available, but bleeding for nearly 2 weeks of the month which is just annoying. The flow is super light. I spoke to the GP again and I could hear from the tone in his voice that he thinks I am making a fuss over nothing. He didn't offer any tests just told me this is normal.......it doesn't feel normal at all and I am worried. DP and I have been not using contraception for over a year and I haven't got pregnant (GP is aware of this) and I think that there is obviously a problem. My periods are still cripplingly painful and if anything the pain has gotten worse and lasts for more days now instead of just 1. I am so sick of being fobbed off and treated like I am silly when this is something I have to put up with every month. I called the Dr's surgery and asked to see a different Dr and they are insisting that I see the same Dr- I said i wanted a second opinion with a female Dr and got scoffed at by the receptionist.

I am not sure what to do or if I am being ott- I would just like reassurance from someone that there isn't something wrong with me- if I can't have more kids I would accept that the same as if I am going through early menopause.....I just want to know what is going on because it is worrying me. I feel like I have gone from one extreme to another.

You’re not being OTT, although IME it is common to be fobbed off with period pain.

Do go back and demand to see another GP, and in turn ask for a referral.

Please push for a better GP. I’ve had female GPs dismiss my period pain too as if you’ve not suffered it then it can be hard to imagine just how bad it can be.

I had appalling periods for years and was eventually prescribed mefanamic acid which at least deal with the pain (after about 10-15 years of being fobbed off with ibuprofen) .... but as I wasn’t sexual active I didn’t know if I was fertile and never bothered on that front. Being on the pill helped. Now I’m off the pill and trying, my periods are much lighter and chances are I’m perimenopausal and too old to get fertility treatment on the NHS and have pretty much given up.
But I do think I might have had endometriosis and that it could have affected my fertility. Makes me angry not one GP of many considered this or thought to refer me. Wasted years. Wish I’d pushed for someone to take me seriously, trusted them too much and didn’t realise how easily these things get dismissed.
Hope you get some resolution.

@JamesZebra my advice would be to pester them until they refer you to a gynaecologist!

I suffered with really painful periods and the first day, I would be in so much pain, I'd spend the day crying.

One doctor told me 'Plenty of women suffer each month but they don't feel the need to come and tell me' followed by 'My wife has NEVER suffered!'

I found female doctors were sympathetic but never had any answers.

I saw a new doctor who was FANTASTIC! He sympathised as his daughter suffered badly and immediately referred me.

I've found that keeping really hydrated really eased my cramps.

Do not give up! If you're not happy with one doctor, ask for a second opinion. Ring up every day if you need to and don't take no for an answer. 😊

You need to demand to speak to another dr and really emphasise how this affects you both mentally and physically. Be explicit, don't hold back or sugar coat anything.

I have had heavy periods since the age of 10 however they are not as painful as you describe anymore. I used to bleed for 7 days every 28 days. My cycle is now about 42 days and I bleed for 10-14 days. I was told by a dr that it was something I would have to live with but they would not investigate further despite me being chronically anaemic and having shed loads of hair fall out. I put up with this for two years but when my period started lasting over 14 days I pushed to speak to a female dr and finally got referred to gynaecology. I have had a scan on my cervix which was healthy thankfully but am due to have a scan on my womb as my gp is concerned it could be fibroids. If it is something I just have to live with, I will accept that but at least it is finally being investigated.

I kept getting told I was tired because I had two young children with a small age gap, the fact that my anaemia had gotten worse despite taking iron tablets( eating copious amounts of broccoli and livers) and my vit d levels were not investigated until I kicked up a fuss saying how unhappy with life I was( I would fall asleep whilst taking care of my babies). I ended up having an iron transfusion and my levels were so low the dr was amazed I had been able to carry on as I had.

I resent the fact that I had to cause a ruckus before I was taken seriously but I think you will need to do the same. Really hope you get taken seriously this time around!

I'd be tempted to sit in the waiting room without a pad or a tampon and bleed everywhere to prove a point. But I'm a belligerent twat sometimes.
If it's a big practice you can find out who specialises in women's health maybe?