To think the male GP just mansplained?

[FuckingFabulous]

I have called today to speak to a GP because for the last eight months I've been having an issue with my periods. Rather than a light to medium flow for five days , I've been having a light flow for five, a crazy heavy flow for one abs then back to light for three days. And I mean crazy heavy. I know many women have it worse but on that day I'm changing super plus tampons every 40 minutes and waking up absolutely flooded three times a night. I feel light headed and trembly on this day and the two days after too, and I get a lot of sparkly/flashing lights in my vision for about a week after.

So. GP. I called the GP when the second period was like it and was told to monitor it for six months. By a male GP, just in the interest of full disclosure. I called again today. And the GP told me I should consider myself lucky that the full eight days aren't like it and what I need to realise about the menstrual cycle is that all women have a varied cycle and sometimes it's extremely heavy and sometimes it's extremely light. It's all normal. I said I didn't find it normal to be bleeding through super plus protection in under an hour, despite it only being a 24-36 hrs event in my monthly cycle. I use more protection in that one day than I do in the seven others! And the feeling of being so light headed for days and the visual aura make me feel unsafe to drive. I explained that I literally go wobbly and start to get that darkening at the edge of my vision so need to put my head between my legs, multiple times a day. He sighed and said "oh, I'm afraid it's part of the trials of being female. You'll get used to it. There's nothing I can suggest except take yourself to bed with a hot water bottle or go out for a jog."

What. The .Fuck?! Firstly, I'm a mother of three and can't just fuck off to bed. Go out for a jog when I'm bleeding like I just gave birth?? And I've been having periods for 25 years- I know what they are! Get used to it, indeed.

I'm so annoyed. Years ago I had Mefanemic acid or something similarly named for heavy bleeding, but apparently now there's "nothing" and I'm to just appreciate that it's not for the full eight days.

AIBU to be pissed with his attitude?

This sounds horrific. Are you up to date with your smear tests?

Ridiculous absolutely.
I finally had my gynaecology appointment today after a year wait need Polup(sp?) removing after really heavy bleeding my iron levels are so low I need a blood transfusion.
If you feel dizzy chase it up again. I should have been more proactive and pushed my gp more but the consultant was shocked the gps have been so relaxed about it.

WTAF

"Go for a jog"???

Ask to see someone else.

Utterly unacceptable. Complain about him and then do some reading/ research and go to another GP armed with some facts. I’m afraid a lot of this nonsense is still around. I say that as a menopausal woman and mother of a daughter with endometriosis. You have to be firm and use the Nice guidelines to get what you need. It is absolutely not normal.

I’m a gynaecologist.
That is atrocious management, and yes, mansplaining.

Take the NICE guidance on heavy menstrual bleeding to this GP and ask if there’s a reason he’s decided to ignore it

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng88

@Overdueanamechange

This sounds horrific. Are you up to date with your smear tests?

I am, yes, all clear last feb.

Tranazamic Acid to help with your periods, your GP is a dick.

[quote quince2figs]I’m a gynaecologist.
That is atrocious management, and yes, mansplaining.

Take the NICE guidance on heavy menstrual bleeding to this GP and ask if there’s a reason he’s decided to ignore it

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng88[/quote]
Hi, thanks for responding. Ought I to consider myself potentially perimenopausal at 37?

Have you been for a smear test recently? I had the same as you, just suddenly started to have super heavy periods. Went for a smear test, was referred to hospital after and they found pre-cancerous cells in my cervix. Once they had been removed and I had healed my period went back to normal again.

Hope you get it sorted!!
Sure some male GPS are brilliant , but we visited an out of hours dr with my then 11 year old dd- she had had period for 3 weeks and then had bleeding just like you describe- 111 said dr asap - according to the male locum "do you not understand this is what periods are like? What am I supposed to do??" ( he did prescribe tranzemic acid and mefenamic acid though)
When I said I'd go to our gp to check things out - he told me id be wasting their time!!!
Ignored him and turns out dd had underacive thyroid ( not diagnosing, but if you have colieac disease, thyroid is linked and can cause period probs)
Good luck xxx

I was like this starting the menopause, was complerely finished at 40.
Perhaps ask another gp for some tests.
When I was young I was prescribed Ponstan Forte.
I'll never forget them as they were the size of horse tablets

Yeah, just go for a jog.
That will sort it out. Can you imagine a man suffering from abnormal bleeding being told to go for a jog?
Report the feckerv

I’m so sorry, OP. I had horrific flooding periods a few years ago and bled right through super-plus protection. Someone on here recommended Lillets Jltra and they saved my life! They’re SUPER absorbent. They’ll be a godsend on your horrible flooding day.

Here’s a link to them on Boots.com but I used to bulk buy them from Amazon..

YANBU. Haven’t read whole thread but I once went to GP for cystitis. I was about 20 and I had no idea what it was and what to do. Male older GP basically told me it was because “women are built wrong” I was shocked but too young and naive to complain!

Ultra, not Jltra!

Ridiculous! Sorry, haven’t RTFT but if even if the GP has some objection to you seeking an explanation / solution for this debilitating change in your cycle itself (which he obviously shouldn’t; it’s misogynistic nuts) then he should be prepared to do a blood test for potential consequences like iron deficiency anaemia.

If you’re gf you shouldn’t be having malabsorption problems I don’t think? Dd is coeliac and was anemic but has been ok since being gf. 🤷‍♀️

I’m just wondering if there’s something else causing it. So 8 months of heavy periods would do that. But did you have low ferritin prior to that?

That's horrendous.

I used to work with a female GP who was working in another role. She was regularly horrified at what female staff were putting up with when she found them crying/fainting/flooding in corners and spent ages giving them advice and sorting them out.

Bloody hell 🤬 that’s appalling.

Feeling faint, losing a lot of blood and he tells you to go for a jog?

I second going to nurse practitioner. They are far more understanding and clued up.

Your GP is a twat. I hope you can get a second opinion and a suitable referral.

Years ago, in a clinic where I'd been referred for excessive menstrual flooding, the male gynae registrar mansplained that an entire period only sheds an eggcupful of blood.

Yanbu. Gynaecology in UK is shocking. My gynaecologist told his nurse he picked that subject because it was easy to pass the course. Because there’s so little course content! No one bothers to study women, so little is understood compared to other ‘prestigious’ areas of medicine.

Anyway. Call again and demand to speak to a female GP. But even with that, because the NHS are so crap at gynaecology, they probably won’t be able to help you.

Suggest you do a private transvaginal colour ultrasound to check for polyps / fibroids / ectopic pregnancy, but if is something like endometriosis (which takes an average of ten yrs for NHS to diagnose) that probably won’t pick it up, worth a shot though. Suggest you also ask NHS for a referral to a gynaecologist or endocrinologist.

Disgraceful. I’d write a letter of complaint and point him in the direction of the NICE and RCOG guidelines which define heavy menstrual bleeding as ‘excessive menstrual blood loss which interferes with a woman's physical, social, emotional and/or material quality of life’. You meet those criteria and deserve proper care. Patronising prick.

Bloody hell, that's infuriating! Go for a jog? FFS, what an idiot. You need to see someone else, this doesn't sound like something to just put up with.