Hi everyone! I was hoping someone might have some advice or help, or just have been in the same boat as me at some point.
I'm 21 years old, and have been having on and off period problems with no real solution since I was about 16. Basically for a year at 16 I had no period at all, and then had a period that lasted a full year (most days very heavy, with very few days of reprieve.) I had been dismissed by the doctors at 16 as stressed, my periods would come back eventually, I had a difficult home life and exams and thus stress was all that was wrong. When I was bleeding for a full year I had multiple blood tests to check everything and everything was normal other than iron, which if it had been any lower I'd have needed to be hospitalised, apparently. Anyway. I was first prescribed the mini pill, which did nothing. Then a mix of tranexamic acid and menefamic acid, also nothing. I was then given norethisterone which worked for a time but another doctor started me on provera, citing that norethisterone was a less safe option. In amongst this I'd had more blood tests, an internal and external ultrasound and two visits to the hospital gynaecology department, with two gynae doctors expressing that nothing physically was wrong after doing internal examinations and that I was just stressed because of my A Levels and then University, plus my continued difficult home life. Basically since then I have just been taking provera. I've had the hormonal coil offered to me, but I'm anxious to even try it in case it doesn't help and also in case I have to be put under general as I haven't had children (a possibility according to the family planning/women's health gp at my surgery) I have been reassured that I am fertile, but it may "take more time than others." This really gets me down and I feel like I have just been dismissed time and time again, and I don't want in 10 years or whatever's time when I'm trying to conceive to be told oh no actually it won't happen for you.
Anyone got any advice? Right now I'm not in pain, I have no periods, my iron levels are controlled and I only get some breakthrough bleeding every few months when I'm stressed usually (dunno if coincidental or no.) I'm not sure where to go now, but worrying about my fertility and having mood swings/pain really gets me down and makes me feel like less of a woman and worry for the future. I don't want to be told in years to come I actually have endo and can't have a baby etc.
Thanks if you got this far! x