What to do with horrible periods? don't want Mirena.......

[jollymary]

Having increasing problems with very painful, heavy, clotty periods. Have been worsening over last 3 years, GP now fed up of giving me more and more mefenamic acid, pushing me to have a mirena. Had a scan, which surprisingly diagnosed polycystic ovaries. Am trying to persevere with mef. acid, but can't seem to take it at the right time, as still in (alot of, and am no wimp) pain, do you have to take it at set times?
Don't want mirena as is diff. to quickly remove if not suitable. Have history of anxiety, also skin problems and have to watch weight, also severe migraines when on hormones, so don't think mirena a good plan. GP says is no other option.
Really struggling now..... anyone have any pearls of wisdom? Is tranexamic acid any good, or are there any herbal remedies you have found useful?
Very grateful for any replies or experiences.

Another one here that's had ablation. I had it done nearly two years ago and now have much lighter periods and often miss a couple of months too. I would really recommend it.

I also didn't get on with the Mirena. Had to have it out after six months as had constant spotting and other side effects. Unfortunately the NHS love the Mirena and will try and push it. Don't do it!

Hope this helps.

I would love to have an ablation but my GP wont refer me for it unless I have tried the Mirena. I had a bad reaction to the pill so am very reluctant to try the Mirena, its a shame its so heavily pushed by the NHS. My previous GP (same practice) also wanted me to try it...

jajas

Knowledge of endometriosis to name but one gynae problem is scant amongst many GPs. It is the second most common gynae problem seen in women after fibroids.

Will GP not refer you to a gynae instead of continuing to mess around in ignorance?. I would insist on a referral to a consultant gynae. Would stand firm with the GP too re the Mirena if you do not want it, besides which you've already tried it already without success.

Has anyone ever considered the possilibity of endometriosis actually causing your underlying symptoms?. Its a common cause of consistently painful and or heavy periods.

To those whose gp wants the, to try the coil first, try another practice. I had a fight but once I explained all my reasoning why - and I took a screen print of a thread on here with me they were ok. You need to have an understanding gp.

Hmmm, I would second Attila and others re endometriosis. My GP (actually, 2 different GPs) and - more depressingly - one consultant were pretty crap at diagnosing the cause of my agonising pain. They even misread a scan and insisted I didn't have a cyst when in fact I did - that was spotted instantly from the same scan by the endo specialist I eventually paid to see.

I did have a Mirena in the end, though, and I think it helped a lot, but I feel it also caused weight gain, which I was v about. I know most GPs will deny this (though the fab endo specialist was more open-minded) but that's my instinctive feeling about it.

Sorry you're having such a crap time, OP, I know how utterly miserable it is. I really do suggest you try to get referred to a gynae with expertise in endo - not all of them are that clued up, alas.

Attila I was very lucky in that I got referred to a good gynae. I was found to have endometriosis which was most likely the cause of my heavy periods. I also had a chocolate cyst which was removed at the same time as the ablation. However the cyst was only aspirated and returned six months later.
I then had to have another laparoscopy to have it removed properly.

Sorry if I've hi-jacked a bit OP.

Just saw my consultant who is referring me for an ablation- my last 3 periods have been a month long each, and so heavy- so will be VERY happy to get this sorted!

Was going to have a hysterectomy/mylectomy but I have too many adhesions & pelvis is locked downwhich makes the op too risky (could end up with a colostomy which would be worse) so this is really my only option- feeling v happy to hear so many people have had this and the results are good!

Hi, I too had appaling periods, very heavy blood loss and health issues related to being constantly anaemic. I also didn't want a mirena for all the reasons mentioned. I went for endometrial ablation in October last year, I was in for the morning, home and in bed by lunchtime. Surprisingly little pain afterwards and bleeding rather like lochia for about 6 weeks. No periods or pain since then and would happily recommend it. However, my consultant still pushed the mirena, they must be on a commission, and he told me I'd still have pains. So just before I went down to theatre I ended up agreeing to one against my better judgement. A week later, I suffered the most horrendous and intense feelings of despair and depression, I went to the docs in a terrible state and can only put it down to having the mirena. A week after that I had it removed and felt so much better in the following days and have never looked back. My advice would be to look carefully into every option and do not be bamboozled into having anything you don't want. The endometrial ablation has worked for me, my iron levels are back up and I feel like a new woman. Its quite a new procedure so you might be best to approach a younger doctor in the practice you go to as they seem to be better briefed on the latest developments.
Good luck.

Also, forgot to say, I was on mefanamic and tranexamic acid, you do have to take them together. The tranexamic shuts down the blood vessels to stop the bleeding and enables the mefanamic to work better. You only take them for the 1st 3 or 4 days of your period, but the tranexamic can cause awful side effects on the stomach, which for me were as bad as the heavy periods, but that's different for everyone so it would be worth trying before surgery. You can't have children after the ablation so you need to be sure.

Did you have the novasure ablation?

I had heavy, painful, clotty periods for over 20 years. I did find mefenamic acid helpful but I was still in pain.

I have been ttc for quite a while now and because I wanted to feel like I was doing something whilst waiting for tests on the NHS, I had acupuncture. Several months on, my periods are much, much less painful, not clotty at all (I think a lot of the pain is caused by the uterus cramping to force clots through the cervix) and still heavy but are over more quickly (they could stretch to 9 days in the past, now they are done in 4 or 5). It was not an instant cure though. I would say the improvements became really noticeable after about 6 months of going twice a month. But then improving my periods was not what I was trying to achieve with acu, it just seems to have been a happy side effect.

I was not a believer in acu before I went and have never had it before, but it has had tangible beneficial effects on my cycle.

I have PCOS and heavy periods. The gynae I saw told me take ibuprofen (the max dose) for at least 3 days before period starts and for at least the first 3 days of the period. It was magic- cut down the amount of bleeding by more than half.
I had tranexamic acid and I hated it- didn't seem to work and made me feel sick

Hi I had the novasure ablation in December.

Unlike many of you, I only had 2-3 really horrible heavy periods, and my practice nurse pushed for me to have the mirena coil, but said I would need a referral to a consultant gynae before it was put in to rule out any potential probs.

When I saw the lovely, lovely gynae, I explained that I didn't really want the coil, and because there were no big fibroids, and we have finished our family, she was happy to recommend the ablation.

Like others have said, it was very simple and pain free. Done under GA in the morning and home in the afternoon, with loads of painkillers that I didn't need or use, and v v light bleed for a few weeks. Since then I have had 2 very light periods, and feel great.

My understanding is that ablation is not suitable for all women, and you cannot have a baby afterwards so is only suitable once you have finished your family. It has about an 80% success rate, and is a relatively minor op.

I don't know if I mentioned above but the surgeon came to see me the morning of my op. said they can't do it in all cases and if ok with me they would just put in a merina.

He looked horrified when I spat at him no way. He said standard practice. I said standard on other women but not this one.

So are you saying the surgeon didn't know if he was going to be able to do the ablation?

Surely he had already done all the tests and scans before agreeing to the surgery? Or am I missing something?

I've had novasure ablation and had my tubes clipped at the same time (gynae said you should still use reliable contraception after ablation as you can get pregnant again although it may well kill you...)

My op didn't go great - I was screaming in pain in recovery and needed morphine and took a long time to get over it (plus got an incision infection)

However it was very very very worth it. Very very very slight spotting/bleeding for 7 days per month - I have my life back tis great

I've been peri menopausal for about three years now - my periods had all but stopped but about two months ago one started and carried on and carried on and carried on...went to the docs who gave me some tranxamic acid - whcih didn't work - went back and got put on norethesterone (sp) sorry can't be arsed to go downstairs and check the spelling . That stopped the bleeding as the doc wanted to examine me, bnut i felt suicidal, scouldn't stop eating, wanted to rip my boons off they were so sore and thought sex was from Hell!! Stopped taking them and i have now had what can only be described as the worst bleeding I have ever known - I've been using a super plus tampon and a towel virtually hourly since thursday and the pain is indescribable. I have gone back on the tablets as I cannot bear it. Going back to docs on weds for blood tests and exam, but has anyone esle been through this??? Sorry to hijack a bit...have wanted to ask MN but just thought maybe it was normal??? (I'm 47 btw)

I had endometrial ablation by the Novasure method (the method with least ikelihood of side effects)about 5 yeras ago and it's totally liberating. I've posted loads in the past if you search.

Tranexamic acid reduced my period to just about manageable while at work and considerably less likely to flood. Would recommend it.

sairygamp

Hope you get it sorted it sounds horrendous.

Another tip is don't use aspirin-based pain relief as it increases the flow.

Thank you randonmess and I've just gone panicking to check that anadin isn't aspirin based as have been taking that all day!!!

The Mirena is 'heavily pushed' because for many people it is the ideal solution. It can be fitted at a GP surgery, isnt particularly expensive and works really well for the majority of women who use it. 80% of women who use it for heavy periods are satisfied with it - thats a huge number.