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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Fed up of going round in circles...

21 replies

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 12:41

Please can you sell me your contraception, my GP won't be helpful so I want to lead the conversation.

I am 39. Done with having babies.
Feel like an angry maniac for about a week before my period. Feeling more stable is my main priority.
Periods are horrendous and keep me off work. No pain just heavy and leave me feeling weak. They are also slightly irregular.
I have PCOS.
I am not overweight but not a honed gym bunny either.

I was on microgynon for 7 years with no problems about 10 years ago.

Thank you PLEASE

OP posts:

DustyLee123 · 16/05/2024 18:05

Mirena coil. I spotted for a while after, but I wish I’d had it years earlier. No more periods for me.

BlueMum16 · 16/05/2024 18:08

I switched from microgynon to mini pill around age 40 due to headaches and stroke risk. Absolutely love it. No bleeds are all. Moods seem to level out (although DH might disagree). I'm 52 now and still taking it no issues.

StarryNorthernLights · 16/05/2024 18:09

@sunandfog

If you take the pill without a break you don't get a period? Could you ask for an hysterectomy as you are done with children and pms is badly affecting you . I've gone through the menopause and ergo no more pms and my life is so so much better with out pms . If I had known how I feel now I would definitely had asked for a hysterectomy.

Quitelikeit · 16/05/2024 18:09

Take antihistamines for the week in the run up to your period. They have been shown to reduce symptoms of PMDD

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/05/2024 18:11

Do you have a long term partner? Would they opt for a vasectomy? DH had one years ago as knew he never wanted to have children and sings its praises to other men.

Otherwise, I’ve had copper coils for 15 years (open marriage, so I still need the back up.) Some women find they make their periods heavier, but mine didn’t change at all after the first one was fitted and have actually become lighter since the second one. No synthetic hormones, no margin for user error, nothing to worry about for 10 years (or 5, if you opt for the shorter duration.)

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/05/2024 18:14

Ah, sorry - just saw that you want to regulate your own hormones as well. Have you always had PMS in this way? If not, it’s worth investigating whether you’re perimenopausal and whether you could address symptoms other than with contraception.

Pettyman · 16/05/2024 18:18

I was feeling the same as you OP. GP prescribed cerazette to be taken continuously. She explained that as it would stop ovulation it would help with my awful PMT. It did

Original poster

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 19:28

Thank you to all of you that have replied so generously.

I have a long term partner - he probably would get the snip but pregnancy isn't my main concern. I just want to feel more stable and not have my life ruled by hormones and heavy periods.

I have had blood tests that show I'm not peri. I know they can't be relied upon 100% but for the sake of this thread let's assume I'm not!

It sounds like coil or mini pill... But which!?

OP posts:

Original poster

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 19:29

@Quitelikeit intrigued by this suggestion. I will pop one right now!

OP posts:

Jeezitneverends · 16/05/2024 19:31

mireana coil…I had it for 20+ years as contraception and now as part of HRT, not one single issue

Original poster

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 22:10

night time bump

OP posts:

AFmammaG · 16/05/2024 22:14

I also have the coil, no periods for 4 years has been an absolute blessing. Very light pain around that time, don’t notice it most months.

Still feel absolute rage once a month but now it’s maybe 2 or 3 days as opposed to weeks. I know it’s not for everyone and it did take about 6 months for the bleeding to sort itself out but I really recommend.

LeopardsRockingham · 16/05/2024 22:17

I had an ablation - where they burn the lining of the womb.

I had tried the coil but it didn't work for me and hormonal pills made no difference to the flooding and horrificly painful periods.

I was on the waiting list for 5 years but mainly that wasn't helped by covid. It should have been about 18 months.

Best thing ever, for me, I haven't had a period in 18 months! No pms symptoms either.
You cannot become pregnant afterwards as its dangerous for you and a pregnancy wouldn't be viable. So I also had my tubes tied at the same time. You have to be sure you don't want any/more children.

Original poster

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 22:28

@LeopardsRockingham thank you - if you don't mind can you please explain what you mean by the coil 'didn't work'?

It seems like the obvious choice for me but my sister found it uncomfortable and that has put me off...

OP posts:

WilliamButt · 16/05/2024 22:33

Mirena. According to my GP, it's the best thing that's happened in women's medicine for a long time (the bar is low, but that's another matter). I've had mine for a year and wish I'd tried it sooner. I persevered for years with microgynon, mini pill, ring, patch, copper coil and accepted all the side effects, whereas with the mirena I don't have side effects (other than not getting periods).

LeopardsRockingham · 16/05/2024 22:45

@sunandfog
I was trying to gloss over it as it's an off putting story, and in no way is indicative of what happens to most women.

When mine was placed it wasn't put in correctly and somehow my uterus went into spasm and tried to expel it through labour like pain.
I'd also had a hysterscopy and a biopsy that day without pain relief so I thought it was that initially.

It took 3 weeks of going to the GP, a&e and finally back to the gynaecology dept, where I then had to threaten to pull it out myself for them to take a look. Then the Dr went "ohhh yes it's placed incorrectly, your body thinks you are in labour"

It was horrific. So I refused to have another one placed.

But I've never heard of that happening to anyone else. I was just unlucky.

Original poster

sunandfog · 16/05/2024 22:50

@LeopardsRockingham thank you for trying to protect me and sorry that happened to you. If I do go ahead then having your story in the back of my mind will help me feel confident to shout louder if I feel something isn't right.

OP posts:

Amicompletelyinsane · 16/05/2024 22:56

Coil. I'm on my second now. No periods. No other side effects. It's been life changing for me

jjpolly90 · 16/05/2024 23:00

Another vote for the mirena coil. I'd suffered from the very beginning with horrendous periods. I'm on my second mirena now and I wish I'd gone for it years ago!

saltinesandcoffeecups · 16/05/2024 23:59

I loved(!) the depo shot when I was younger. Sadly contraindicated for me now but was a little shot of heaven that kept everything on an even keel for years.

The key was to get my shot about a week earlier than ‘normal’.

acrossthebeach · 17/05/2024 07:25

Mirena coil for me - game changer. My periods (that had started becoming very heavy and unpredictable) stopped altogether, and although there was minor brief discomfort when they put it in I've had no issues since.

I know many others with the mirena and they've had no problems either. I also have oestrogel due to now being peri/menopausal.

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