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Original poster

DD erratic very heavy periods (bit tmi perhaps)

38 replies

Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 18:32

DD is 18 and has always had erratic periods - one every 2 -3 months and they have always been quite heavy when she has them with smallish clots and a need to wear a thick pad with period pants and change very frequently - after each 1 hour lesson at school to avoid accidents.

She didn't have one for about 3 and a half months and now it has started it is here with a vengeance - 10 days and still going strong - biggish clots (per NHS website size of a 50p is big and she has those) and usually a few per pad. Today she phoned from school to say she stood up after a lesson and there was a really big gush making a mess over the chair through 2 thick pads and a pair of period pants.

I've made a GP appointment for tomorrow but I know from my own experience that they don't tend to take these things all that seriously. I was thinking of insisting that they do a blood test for anemia as she says she feels really faint, nauseous and dizzy and is tired all the time. Should I be asking for anything else as well? (She wants me to go with her as the GP isn't the most sympathetic.)

OP posts:
Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 18:34

Sorry - didn't meant to put voting on. Also before anyone asks I thought I'd post here as the women's health boards don't seem to attract a lot of attention

OP posts:
RincewindsHat · 17/09/2020 18:38

Ask about the likelihood of fibroids or endometriosis - her periods are not normal, so don't let yourselves be brushed off by a GP. Push for answers and if they don't know, push for a way forward where you can get an answer.

Charley1984 · 17/09/2020 18:42

Yes take her to the GP to see if she has endometriosis and ask for a blood test, don’t let them fob you off

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 18:47

Thanks very much - what sort of blood test would that be - is there one that clearly shows endometreosis (I thought it was quite hard to diagnose - or at least get a diagnosis).

I also wondered about PCOS? Does anyone know anything about testing for that as NHS website seems to imply its a bit of a default diagnosis after nothing else works?

OP posts:
Sorryusernamealreadyexists · 17/09/2020 19:10

I have very similar periods although I have been having 2 a month. I really feel for her, I’ve also leaked through 2 lots of protection onto my work chair Sad

I’ve recently been given the progesterone only pill for them, so I’m following in interest :)

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 19:51

I'm sorry to hear that sorry that must be really grim. At least at school at the moment they have to wipe their chairs down after each lesson as part of Covid rules. Has the pill helped and what tests have you had?

OP posts:
Pringlemonster · 17/09/2020 20:22

I’m on the progesterone only pill ,you take it every day without a break
No periods ever .
Might be worth asking for op

bigchris · 17/09/2020 20:29

I found taking ibruprofen during my period really slowed it down, so that could be a short term solution until the doctor hopefully sorts something out

TakeMe2Insanity · 17/09/2020 20:42

Sounds very much like fibroids.

toomanyspiderplants · 17/09/2020 20:45

lack of iron is both a cause and symtom of heavy periods. ibuprofen can sometimes help. avoid a1 protein in dairy. The period repair manual by lara briden is a brilliant and very informative read. .....In my experience gps tend to just offer medication rather than finding an actual cause. I have periods exactly like your daughters..I have a fibroid. good luck!

HerNameWasEliza · 17/09/2020 21:03

My daughter takes Tranexamic and Mefenamic acid which really helped with v. heavy flow. I found that pads/ period pants just can't cut the mustard. Even if they absorb a lot it's not quick enough for a gush and the clots are not really absorbable. Internal protection is also needed (tampon, moon cup). I hope the GP is helpful, this is really horrible for your daughter.

Sorryusernamealreadyexists · 17/09/2020 21:16

I’m not due my first period since taking it yet, but so far so good. I do feel more hungry than normal and a little more bloaty. If I can at least ease some of the heavy bleeding though I’ll be happy Confused

No other tests, I’m taking iron tablets thoughts I do get chronic anemia

Sorryusernamealreadyexists · 17/09/2020 21:17

*Though

BigPlanes · 17/09/2020 21:20

Do not let yourself get fobbed off. This was me as a teenager and doctors just didn’t care. Left me with infertility in my 20s. Horrid. Thankfully I now have a child after fertility treatment but it’s been an ongoing problem.

tillytown · 17/09/2020 21:21

Hi OP,
can't help with the irregular periods, but high dose vitamin D tablets and B injections reduced my ridiculously heavy 8 day period down to a light 3 day flow, got rid of the fever, insomnia, headaches and back pain, weird 'joints made of water' feeling and dizziness. It took years of complaining to a doctor before they took me seriously, hopefully your daughter gets better treatment

Nacreous · 17/09/2020 21:21

I had periods like this until they got so bad I couldn't go to school (bleeding through a super max tampon and nighttime pad in half an hour). We actually worked out I would have bled to death in a few days at that rate.

They had tried me on tranexamic acid before that point and it didn't fix it so the doctor put me on the pill at aged 13 and it resolved it. It took years before I didn't keep bleeding heavily until several days into my new pill pack so I used to take 3+ packs at a time (still do).

I know not everyone gets on with the pill but it was a life-changer for me.

Serenschintte · 17/09/2020 21:23

You poor daughter. What a nightmare.
Having experienced similar my suggestions are:
Anemia can cause heavy periods and clots. And it’s a viscous circle - as the periods gets heavier so does the anemia. Ask for a blood test. Don’t be fobbed off with over the counter iron tablets. Not strong enough. Also possible is an iron infusion. I’m not sure if they offer them in the Uk.
Mefenamic acid tablets reduce the blood flow. There is also Tranexamic acid but I have not used that
The only issue with the pill is that prescribing the pill isn’t finding out what is wrong. It’s suppressing ovulation- so possibly when your daughter were to stop taking it the problem is still there and she could waste valuable time later in trying to find out what is wrong.
There are various endometriosis charities out there. It might be worth getting in touch.
She is so young I hope you manage to find out what the problem is.
At the very least I would ask for a referral to a gynecologist so your daughter is in the nhs system.

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 22:57

Thank you so much everyone - she is really going through the mill at the moment with this and year 13....

I've had a look at endo and fibroids but I am now really starting to worry about PCOS as she has massive problems with weight (originally due to a binge eating disorder) and finds it absolutely impossible to lose and insulin resistance seems to be a problem with PCOS (as does the depression that triggered the ED in the first place). It's starting to look like a bit of a vicious circle. Has anyone had any experience of this?

I agree that this is hideous - and I've always had very heavy clotting periods (even worse at perimenopause) and even then not like what she is going through so there is clearly something wrong here.

Incidentally if anyone is interested in the marginalisation of women the MN spell checker doesn't recognise the word "periomenopause" ot the plural of fibroid - another thread but just saying....

OP posts:
OPTIMUMMY · 17/09/2020 23:09

There are quite a few things it could be OP. Adenomyosis has similar symptoms as well. Hormones can wreak havoc with weight loss. I’ve been told that Keto and low carb work better for women with PCOS, or adenomyosis etc. Good luck, hope the GP is able to offer some solutions.

BlingLoving · 17/09/2020 23:10

Except for the weight, she sounds like me at that age. Confirmed PCOS and went on pill to manage it aged 19. I soooo remember the awfulness of bleeding through during one class. Also suffered from low iron as a result.

I would hope your gp would take seriously. If not, is it possible for you to take her to a gynaecologist privately? Both as a teenager and again in my 30s when trying for a baby, my pcos was very quickly confirmed with an ultrasound (in 30s went through blood tests blah blah only to have gynaecologist blithely say, 10 seconds into ultrasound, "yup, there you are, definitely pcos".

It's definitely not normal and please dont let gp brush you off.

BlingLoving · 17/09/2020 23:12

If your name is accurate, I can recommend a lovely, empathetic and kind gynaecologist in london!

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 17/09/2020 23:27

@BlingLoving thank you I've pm'd you. She is finding the whole thing traumatic and it has been clear for a long time that the weight is an issue beyond the ED to the extent that I'm starting to worry she might tip the other way as nothing seems to shift it.

@OPTIMUMMY - thank you - I've never heard of that before - will investigate.

OP posts:
Twigletfairy · 17/09/2020 23:32

Push for a referral to gynae. Don't accept an ultrasound scan unless it comes with a referral to gynae.

Endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids would all be top of my suspect list. Hormone imbalances often occur with those too which could contribute towards erratic periods, but you're right to also question PCOS. I'm not an expert by any means, I've just been through many, many, many years of pain due to GPs not taking this sort of thing seriously

user1471598758 · 17/09/2020 23:44

I had these kind of periods as a teen. Did have some improvement on Mefemnic Acid tablets, but as I was supposed to take them 3 days before a period started and mine were totally erratic, it wasn’t a huge help. I ended up severely anemic and even had a couple of blood transfusions. I moved around a lot and doctors were a bit crap at getting a diagnosis, so I never really found out what caused it. But since having my babies I’ve been on a pregesterone only pill and I don’t really have periods anymore. One day of very light spotting every fortnight is all I get now. Which is utterly dreamy compared to how it used to be!

Lightningrain · 17/09/2020 23:48

Mine were awful as a teen and I ended up ok iron tablets, transexamic acid (helped but had digestive issues as a side effect) and then the pill. I was much better whilst on the pill but it all came back again when I came off it to try and conceive.

I’ve been told I have fibroids plus evidence of an old cyst and low ovarian reserve (not sure whether this is connected or just coincidence).

In my experience GPs tried to fob me off and prescribe something which evidently masked the issue rather than sorting it out. One female GP even said to me that ‘some women’s periods are just heavier than others’, basically implying I had to put up with it.

Really push for some tests as there may be underlying issues that need to be addressed.