… To consider A&E for this?

[imnotsurenow]

I am really not sure what to do.

I have been taking the Desogestrel contraceptive pill for the past 9 months, and experienced times of light spotting but nothing extreme.

The past few months I’ve been having extremely heavy bleeding, no rhyme or reason to if. This particular pill you don’t take a break from, so you don’t get ‘periods’ but of course breakthrough bleeding is possible.

Anyway, I was lightly bleeding 9-11th July, nothing extreme - and then it abruptly stopped on 11th evening and nothing more came of it. It then started again on 13th July but before the bleeding, I had severe stomach cramps and awful, awful nausea - nothing like I would get when I was having me periods (when I was on no contraceptive).

since 13th I’ve had heavy bleeding, stomach cramps, nausea, I’ve felt hot and clammy more often (but on and off through the day) and I’ve been passing what looks like small blood clots and (sorry to sound gross) uterine lining / tissue.

I shouldn’t be getting periods but it honestly seems like I am getting them regardless, with no particular rhyme or reason, they just come and go as they please.

This particular ‘wave’ shall we say, is really debilitating. I’m rolling around in bed trying to get comfortable, with horrendous stomach cramps and going through several pads and tampons a day.

This morning I woke up, and I’d bled through a maxi night towel and my pyjamas and through my bedding.

I really don’t know what to do. I don’t live in the UK any more (and the counter I do live in has strict views on contraceptives….) but the pill I’m on is from the UK (my Dr gave me a years supply and I’m 9 months in) I take the pill at the same time daily, nothing to worry about there..

Has anybody got any advice? I’m at the end of my tether and I am seriously considering an emergency room visit / emergency appointment for tomorrow.

Get a GP appointment and stop taking it?

GP. I don't think A&E is necessary, unless the bleeding is really, really heavy. They might run a blood test to check hormone levels and refer you for internal and/or external ultrasounds to check what's going on. It does sound quite a lot like the symptoms I get with ovarian cysts

I would have suggested seeing a family planning clinic in the UK, often connected to a sexual health clinic and sessions run by either a specialist trained nurse or a gynaecologist. I can't advise as have no idea what country you are in nor what medical care is available there? I'd see your GP and stop taking further pills. Have you done a pregnancy test?

This may sound odd but do you have any pain in your shoulder? If so, go straight to the emergency room.

If you go to A and E would there be any backlash with you being on the pill if it’s not allowed there?

I take desogestrel and this happens to me sometimes. A mixture of endometriosis, adenomyosis and perimenopause. Tranexamic acid really helps.

As you aren't in the UK it is hard for us to advise. What comparable out of hours/111 do they have where you are?

As someone who had an ectopic pregnancy this is the first thing that came into my mind when reading her op. I was on the mini pill, thought that bleeding I had was periods. Over a period of 2 days I had intermittent but intense pain. To cut a long story short my tube had ruptured and I was bleeding internally, I lost almost half of my blood by the time I eventually went to the hospital. I only had shoulder pain for about an hour 2 days before I went to the hospital. If you have a pregnancy test it would be no harm to do it just in case.