To ask about your experiences with taking the contraceptive pill to manage difficult periods

[CaragianettE]

Not really an AIBU, posting for traffic. I'm 44 and feel like my periods have become increasingly unmanageable in terms of how much they disrupt my working life each month. They are very heavy which gives me recurring anemia (which I'm now on iron tablets for), but from a few days before the period starts till about day 4, I also feel so tired, brain foggy, struggle to make decisions or motivate myself to do anything, basically just want to sleep till it's over. Sometimes I can rearrange my schedule a bit to make things easier, but the times I've had to push through I'm really aware of how much more poorly I'm functioning. I feel like I'm losing about 4-5 properly functioning working days a month.

So, I want to do something. Seen GP who has recommended trying the contraceptive pill for 3 months - but she says it can have very different effects for different people, helps some, might make things worse for others. If you have difficult and hormonally disruptive periods like me, and you've tried it, I'm just wondering how you found it?

YABU - it didn't help me
YANBU - it was gamechanging, get on it now

Different situation, but i get bad PMS and headaches related to hormone fluctuations. I now take a combined pill (a low oestrogen one - millinette 20) and take it continuously. It's been a game changer for me - no period as such (I still get a few days of bloating and feeling rough, occasional spotting but no bleeding as such)

I tried various progesterone only pills as that was what the GP preferred with me being in my forties, but none of them worked for me, either gave me bad mood swings, continuous bleeding or killed my libido entirely. However I think I was unlucky with those as I know a lot of people find they work well.

Thanks for the reply. Glad you eventually found something that worked for you!

Wondering if anyone else has thoughts on what worked (or didn't) for them?

I was pretty much on it from 17 to 48 to manage difficult periods

At 17, I did have a boyfriend, but then tried coming off it in my 20s a couple of times. Going back to horrendous periods was such a nuisance for work - so I just figured I'd stay on it.

I miss it, but my periods are definitely better than they were before. I've only been off it for about a year so it is possible that they will go back to as bad as they originally were when I was a teenager. I'm really hoping they don't. fingers crossed, almost 30 years of being on the pill might have made them lighter. I now have three days of them being heavy and then they're tolerable for the rest of it

I always went to work with them. Don't get me wrong. But there was a lot of taking ibuprofen, etc etc

That awful feeling of just having the life drained out of you literally, especially when you don't want to have children, and you're just sitting there going "what is the point of these organs?"

My mum was given painkilling injections at one point, but it was before I was born so I don't know what that was about.

I would say the first week of taking it, I experienced some very slight nausea but that was it. no other problems.

some women really suit being on the pill though and clearly I am one of them.

Mini pill - absolutely amazing. Had very minimal bleeding/spotting for 3 months and then it stopped completely and never returned. I used to have hideous period pain and menstrual migraines, I don't miss them.

Has your GP suggested a Mirena Coil? Lots of my friends think that's amazing too.

I had mirena fitted at 40 odd as periods became even more unmanageable. Im 3 years in (and use estrogen patches) and wish id had it fitted years ago.

For first time since a teen, Im no longer constantly anaemic.
So Id say give it a try. It took 6 months for my periods to settle with mirena and then another 6 until periods stopped

@Hankunamatata when you say it took 6 months to settle - what did that mean for you? I’m waiting to have one fitted for heavy periods and am unsure what to expect. A lot of people have said it takes a while to settle but I’m not sure if that means daily bleeding or something else?

I didn’t have the other symptoms but take cirelle (mini pill) as my periods were very heavy and irregular and it has definitely been a good choice for me.

I take the mini pill for menstrual migraines- total game changer, no migraines & added bonus of no periods.

The coil made no difference to my heavy periods. It was making my job in the community impossible for a few days every month

Now I take desogestrel back to back and it’s revolutionary

I found surgery was the only thing that worked for me (I did have conditions which I won't go into), but the surgery was quick, only 1 night in hospital, and had very light periods since.

This. Cerelle is literally amazing.. a month or so of spotting and I'm like a new woman. Why did no one suggest this before ? No weight gain (if anything weight has stabilised so well) literally no side effects and no periods. Can't believe it. I'm 48.

I was on the combined pill for around 13 years which really helped me with very painful periods. Reduced them to a manageable level. Didn't help with PMT though, but pain was the main consideration. This was over 20 yrs ago.

I take Cerelle, it’s amazing! About 3 light periods per year and that’s it, would definitely recommend!

I took the combined pill for years.

Then I went on Cerazette/Cerelle POP and it suits me and I have no periods on it. I know that hasn't always been out but it's been a game changer for me as I had troublesome periods and I wish I knew about it earlier.

I'm peri now, came off the POP but periods were still awful, even on HRT so went back on it.

I was on the combined pill for 30 years and it was a game changer for me, it made my periods and PMS manageable. I've had to come off it now because of my age and I'm so upset. I loved being able to run the packs back to back if I was doing something so I wouldn't have to deal with periods or PMS. I stopped it last month and I'm now trying to decide whether to take HRT or the progesterone only pill - I really want to stop my periods rather than have them every month.

Brevinor or Norimin were the only pills that worked for me and I would have happily signed anything to say I understood the risks so I could carry on taking it!

I was having very heavy irregular bleeding- periods that last two weeks. My irregular bleeding continued for 6 months but it happened less and got lighter and lighter (my womb linkng hd to thin out). Then from 6 months the odd cycle bleed then absolutely northing from a year onwards.

Really grateful for all the replies, thank you. Sounds like I should have got on it years ago...

Very draining op isnt it. My dd 20 takes Microlite. Was fainting some months. Suits her well. Im on 3rd coil helped my heavy bleeds Im 50s. Would you do coil. Hard know what suits one might not suit another.