Is this normal and should I just put up with it??? (poss tmi!)

[Becaroooo]

I am 40 this year and started my periods when I was 10. For those of you gifted at maths that means I have been putting up with the ferocious bullshit of menstruating for nigh on 30 years.

Family history not great...mum had a hysterectomy at 34 for much the same thing and my sis at 36 for massive fibroid. Also several aunts.

Periods have always been abnormal...i.e. irregular, long, heavy, clots and v v painful.

Been to Gynaes when younger as I would have to have time off school/college due to blood loss/nausea/not being able to walk due to pelvic pain....you get the idea. Never came up with any solutions other than pain meds. Although my GP very helpfully told me at 17 that it would all "sort itself out" when I had a baby (It hasnt!)

I never knew when a period was due...until I went on the pill from ages 22 -29. It was bliss! Still painful, loads of clots and heavy, but REGULAR...didnt have to carry pads and spare pants with me everywhere!

Fast forward a few years, 3 mc and 2 dc later and if anything things are as bad.

I was told I could no longer have the pill as I have atypical migraines and am a stroke risk. Tried the POP pill but that made me feel awful so then tried the depo injection a couple of years ago (had it twice)....things really havent been right since. It made me put on 2 stone and put me in a psychotically bad mood! Been using condoms since.

I sort of know when I am due (within a 3/4 day window anyway) but I get v nauseous, bad headaches, constipated, pelvic pain and clots. Also v heavy for the first day or so. I also get a (tmi warning) discharge a few days before the period which means I have to wear a pad for that too. It is sometimes black, mostly browny/reddish.

I went to the GP about this time last year as I am pretty fed up of it all...she suggested the coil...I do not want a coil...dont know anyone who has had one without problems. (dh is sorting out a vasectomy btw!) She did a pelvic exam and said my uterus was "bulky" and took some swabs and bloods...swabs negative, bloods ok.

When I went back for results, saw a different GP and I asked outright..."so I just have to put up with it then?" He said Yes.

This month has been awful...felt really ill for most of it. Period now over but its all going to happen again in 2/3 weeks and I am dreading it.

Got an appt to see GP on 20th...am I wasting my time? Any advice? What should I be asking for?

Thanks for reading!

I would love to be able to give you advice for all your symptoms, as bar starting at 10 & the irregularity issues & more DCs, I could have written it myself, so I really do feel for you as know exactly how hard it is to live with -

I never got any answers either & also have the same family medical history as yourself & had to come off the pill for stroke risk, - I was also told it was because I hadn't given birth - yet when I did - it all got even worse

They one thing I can advise, is Feverfew for the headaches - I used to have this too & it was hormonal migraine - feverfew made a huge difference - taken everyday as a preventative.

I've now hit menopause & its such a massive relieve to have periods that are few & far between - after having DD I was literally housebound during them as just so heavy.

now I have hit menopause, other symptoms sent me looking into alternatives to HRT - again no good for me due to migraine - I read positive stuff on here about the Ladycare Magnet & found it to be a godsend - for me - it works!!

I have noticed on their website, they do other magnets too, ones for period problems, so it might be worth a try for you??

hope you get some ansers, better still proper help, as I know how miserable it all is :(

thanks rock I am so looking forward to the menspause!!!!

I had the merina coil and never had an issue with it, I gained a few pounds but that's a sacrifice I was willing to make for a light periods and some times not one!! Never had any migranes or anything while on it, my mum had it too and had no issues.

Maybe it might be worth asking everyone elses opnion on it here, as it lasts for 5 yrs you might be in luck!

Good luck hun, I feel for you! X

Thank you sassle glad it worked for you

You could ask your doctor about Tranexamic acid tablets (not sure if that is spelt right). They are supposed to reduce the bleeding a bit although they can make the bleeding last a few days longer. I am quite new to these --and hopeless with tablets-- so can't say a lot about them but maybe someone else has tried them and can let you know how they get on.

Geez, sounds horrific. Easy for a bloke to tell you to put up with it! Is hysterectomy too radical a solution ?

Have you taken any medication??

As you have finished your family I can't recommend enough ablation using novasure.

My op didn't go well - I reacted badly but even so it was completely worth it.

Periods are still irregular and long BUT they are light, wearing black cotton knicks is enough not even a pant liner required at all on any day.

Prior to that I just had for 7 days each time due to the flooding and pain etc etc

No experience but I don't think your GP's answer is acceptable. Surely a referral to someone who can talk through the options would be in order. It sounds awful, so sorry. I've really been educated on this topic by MN btw. I had no idea how much some women suffered

Has endometriosis been ruled out?

No you do not have to put up with it. Would suggest you change GPs if they are this unhelpful.

All your symptoms to me are very suggestive of endometriosis being present; the "brown" blood here is old blood and is characteristic of this, infact all the symptoms you present could well point to endo being the underlying cause. Many GPs have no great knowledge of such gynae problems so you should be referred to a gynae specialist asap. Do not take not for an answer.

Would suggest you keep a pain and symptom diary daily to show any gynae.

Its not picked up on ultrasounds, swabs and blood tests. Its usually only diagnosed via keyhole surgery called a laparoscopy.

That sounds awful Bec.

Your GP sounds very unhelpful and if I were you I would ask to be referred. I know that at our local hospital they have a clinic called the Menstrual Disorder Clinic, which I think pretty much says what it is on the tin Maybe there is something like this in your area?

We have a family history with gynae problems they finally diagnosed me with endometriosis. Luckily I was only 24 when they sorted me out. My sister on the other hand is in and out of hospital she is only 23 and has been diagnosed with endometriosis. She had surgery but things are no better they fitted a coil and put her on the pill. They now think all the cysts she had removed have all grown back within a few months! She is also being told that she has IBS or lactose intolerance. A number of days a month she can't move as she is in agony.
My mum only found peace after she had a hysterectomy but obviously that can be a bit drastic for some.

Its funny a lot of you mention Endometriosis - I was supposedly checked for this, but I did have other bleeding problems too, which stopped when I hit menopause - I'm now under a different hospital dept for other related problems & the specialist there thinks I may have had that too, just never diagnosed - I had rectal bleeding, always with my periods so I had taken the Gynae results that I didn't have Endo as accurate - when I look back, I do wonder now if they got it right, so I too would agree with going that route & keep pushing.

I was prescribed the trans acid drug, but found it no real help, it did lighten my periods, but it also pretty much reversed them & I just couldn't cope with 3 wks plus a month of bleeding, it wasn't light enough to ignore.

The other thing that I remembered, my cousin quite recently moved Cities, she too suffered badly for years - she was waiting for referral to new hospital & then collapsed one day & was rushed into hospital, turned out she had some sort of cyst - it was huge, but had been missed on previous scans - after a short stay in hospital, she tells me her health has improved massively, especially the headaches

hmm..no one has ever mentioned endometriosis.

I am going back to see a female GP and am just going to tell her I cannot deal with it anymore...and ask for a referral.

Thanks for the replies...