To take a photo of my menstrual loss?

[Perplexed0522]

I have the most awful periods.

I pass the most awful of clots throughout the day, I can flood through 3 layers of clothing easily, I have to lie and sit on towels, I have to carry spare pairs of clothes around with me at all times, I usually can’t leave the house for the first few days and I’m dreadfully anaemic.

I’ve been on iron supplements for over 2 years now and my levels are still low and it has been attributed to my heavy periods.

I had an USS scan about 6 months ago, which was done about a week after my period had finished, and I was told everything was normal.

It’s been suggested by various Doctors that I have a Mirena Coil but I’ve had two in the past, which didn’t suit for me various reasons, and so because I said no they’ve washed their hands of me.

I have also been suggested to try Transaexemic Acid (sorry, I don’t know how to spell it) but I have a chronic condition which TA isn’t compatible with.

Im currently on my period now and I’m just so bloody fed up with it. It has a huge impact on my life and the Doctors just don’t care and aren’t interested.

In total frustration I’ve just taken a photo of the sanitary towel that I’ve just changed because of how totally flooded it is and because there are huge clots on it too. I want to show it to the GP so they can see how heavy it is and explain the flooding and the clots happen constantly (I have to change my towel every few hours), just so I can prove how bad it is.

I think they think I’m exaggerating about how bad it is, but I’m not.

My DH said it’s really inappropriate to take a photo to show them, but surely the GP will have seen worse?

I just can’t take it anymore and just want my life back. I feel beholden to it every month and I’m so fed up.

If it’s seriously impacting the quality of your life then that should be justification enough. It’s ridiculous the hoops women have to go through sometimes in order to receive adequate female health care. Have you had your iron checked recently? At the very least, with the regular blood loss you are experiencing they should be monitoring your iron and ferritin levels.
Failing all that, would you be able to pay to see a private gynaecologist for an initial consultation? I have done this for other health issues, I can not afford full private healthcare but the consultation usually helps you get onto an NHS waiting list.

Yanbu.

This is TMI - I had what turned out to be a mildly prolapsed bowel, it was only present when I'd done a bowel movement. So I photographed it. I went to the GP, explained the issue and told him I'd taken a photo, which he asked to see. He actually said it was really useful as it wasn't present all the time and forcing it to appear could be bad.

Obviously don't just present them, but having them can't hurt.

YANBU. I am a midwife and it is so much easier to see what women are talking about when they show a picture of their pad rather than trying to describe. Also weighing is a good idea. I do this with blood loss all the time. Weigh the pad and then when it is wet and deduct the pad off. Sounds awful. I hope you find a resolution!

I know how u feel and this was me. It was a blessing to be pregnant ( 6 times!) to stop it. My whole life was run around my periods as it stopped me acting normal. I had blood transfusion due to loss and literally was at wits end. I have now had a hysterectomy and OMG zig is amazing. My life is back. They can offer partials if ur young. They finally found my problem. Severe endemotrisis!

Document it all.Weigh your pads. Take photos of the clots with something to give perspective of size. Provision for womens health in this country is appalling and you deserve much better treatment than this.

You poor thing. I had periods like that. Sorry if this sounds stupid but have you tried taking the max dose of ibuprofen from the day before your period is due? I don't know why but I've found that makes a huge difference to my flooding, much more effective than tranexamic acid.

You should absolutely take a photo, and times, frequency, notes of how you felt - anything that can help paint a picture for the doctor. Anything that helps reduce guesswork is a good thing. As women, we really need to stop being squeamish about our bodies - and our men really need to understand our bodies better too.

😂😂

I’m not sure anyone wants to see that 😂

I was you a few years ago. I could fill a tampon in the time it took to walk from my bedroom to the downstairs bathroom. I had to buy clothes in the supermarket. I was uncomfortable doing anything as the clots were the size of two fingers together.

Id an ablation - which changed my life. I didn’t want any more kids.

and our men really need to understand our bodies better too.

I think DH would be horrified if he saw how much blood I lose and the size of my clots.

I often wonder what men imagine a ‘normal’ period to be like.

Id an ablation - which changed my life. I didn’t want any more kids.

Can I ask how long it took and whether you had to stay in hospital? And how long it took you to recover?

I don't think its inappropriate to take pictures.

People's interpretation of heavy is different. Someone will complain their period is heavy when they soak through two pads a day, when someone else's heavy is soaking through multiple tampons and pads, through to their clothes.

So I think If someone goes to anyone complaining of a heavy period, it can be easily dismissed therefore a bit of evidence/proof is useful for them to go "damn that really is heavy".

Also, my partner is a pharmacist. Many times prople have unprompted presented him with pictures of their bits.

A gp will not be phased by pictures of period blood

I'm sorry you're suffering like this. DD has horrifc periods and in the end the only way to get the GP to take them seriously was for her to photograph every pad for the 15 days of her period. She kept a 50p piece in the bathroom and another on her so that each pad could be photographed with it for scale and she time and date stamped each photo. She made it clear that there were loads to show them and six shots in the GP caved and referred her for investigation.

It is not only completely appropriate but probably the only way they'll take you seriously.

Sounds to me like you need to change your Doctor. I have suffered (now menopausal) similarly to you, and had to use multiply good quality (not the home brand ones) maternity pads overnight to stem leakage (mostly). Daytime it would be super size tampons and at least one maternity pad, very regularly changed.... I would have clots coming out as I wiped myself after toileting.

However telling my female Doctor the amount of pads, size, and frequency of change and that was good enough for a referral. As I'm not in the UK this is the closest thing I can find which describes the procedure:

www.pat.nhs.uk/downloads/New%20NCA%20Leaflets/Gynaecology/177%20-%20MyoSure%20Hysteroscopic%20Polypectomy.pdf

My womb points in the opposite direction to normal ones, so I found the procedure uncomfortable until the specialist pointed out to the junior specialist they had to change what they were doing, which helped. It's best not to have a shy personality either. the following period was terrible, but thereafter I had small amounts of bleeding and then nothing for 6 months. I suspect that was being peri menopausal though..

Sending you big hugs, I totally understand what you are going through. xx

multiple ...

If a doctor has ruled out the progesterone only mini-pill (which you take every day - no break - it keeps your womb lining thin and after 3-4 months most women's cycles stop altogether), has your GP mentioned Utrogestan instead?

Do you have night sweats or any other perimenopausal symptoms?

i could of been you a couple of years ago,was so fed up pouring with blood every month,then i had a small operation cant spell it where they microwave type thing the lining of the womb it ,made such a difference i only now have a 2 day dribble every month,but you can only have it done once you have finally had all your children,as you cant get pregnant i was told after it,the coil did not agree with me, i went on several pills,good luck, i found a good lady GP who really understood how bad i was every month,in fact during a visit to her i bleed through my clothes on to the chair while i was seeing her

My DH said it’s really inappropriate to take a photo to show them

What's inappropriate is that he has an opinion on this at all.
None of his business.
I think you should talk to your GP again and show them the photo.

Do you have night sweats or any other perimenopausal symptoms?

No, nothing like this.

My periods have been like this since I had my first son (he’s 8) and my only respite has been when I was pregnant with DC2.

The strange thing though is that despite how awful they are, I don’t have any cramps or pain at all.

Op I haven’t RTFT but I have had similar symptoms although your periods actually sound heavier than mine and I know how much mine affect my day to day life. I did have to go private (luckily covered by my employer) and had to see 2 different gynaecologists as the first completely dismissed what I was saying but the second one agreed to do a laparoscopy to investigate endometriosis. It can only be diagnosed via laparoscopy and can’t be seen on a scan. He did find an endometrial deposit which he removed during the same surgery. I’ve not had a period yet since my surgery but I’m so hopeful it will have improved something. Please get a second opinion! You know your body and when something isn’t normal

How old are you, @Perplexed0522 ? I was like you after the birth of my third child - it was a massive fibroid and I ended up with a hysterectomy.

best thing I ever did. No more planning my life to be within a few feet of a toilet on heavy days, no more sleeping on a towel, no more feeling washed out and anaemic.

Please go and see your GP and push for a gynae referral. Or pay for a private one if you can. There are LOTS of options apart from coils and hysterectomies and it's not right that you are suffering so much.

Bloom and Nora's maxi pads are game changers for flooding, I know if doesn't solve the problem but it helps day to day. DD was filling a night time bodyform every 20-30 mins but a Nora maxi lasts her 4 hours minimum without leakage.

You could have fibroids OP, def take a photo.

This isn't normal but you will have trouble persuading a gp unless they are particularly knowledgeable about what is normal for women, which is unlikely as women's health care is woeful. If you can, seek a private consultation with a specialist or push to see to specialist with your Dr. You shouldn't be suffering like this. Take all evidence with you. Your DH can go sit in a corner as he has no idea what normal is either and unless he wants to see his wife in pain or suffer future health issues because of this, he should be coming with you and helping you get referred rather than being all squeamish and pathetic. Of course a Dr has seen worse - they have to stick their fingers up old mens bums so a little menstrual blood is nothing.

About 8 years ago, periods were awful and like you describe. I replaced mattress after mattress because no protector worked. I could not leave the house, it went on for ages and I wore nappies. I was fobbed off, but insisted on a gynae referral. Ultrasound was normal, but he also did an internal camera which showed a large number of fibroids. He had no idea how many until he operated. There were 26 in a bicornuate uterus; some big and some small. I had an endometrial resection (like an ablation but better for women with abnormal uterus). Life changing and while I still got periods after that, they were very light. Please see a female GP and insist on a referral.