anyone successfully used natural therapies on heavy periods

[thekingfisher]

I currently on Mirena and generally pretty unhappy on it - however it does control to some level my heavy periods. I am not good on hormonal stuff and really would prefer to not put artificial hormones in me. But am just terrified of alternative and know that without it periods are basically just going to get worse.
Have 2 small fibroids which are probably the culprit which can't be removed or zapped due to their positioning.

Any thoughts gratefully received!

i've read about wheatgrass juice. there was a thread here. some people were very happy with the results.
tranexamic acid helps a lot. it's not hormonal. ask your gp.

Thanks coffeein bed - have been down road with tranexamic acid and I'm not good with nsaids - however I havent given them a REALLY good try so that is something to look at
tks

I've used tranexamic acid for about 10yrs for my heavy bleeding due to fibroids. I did try to approach it all naturally (diet, supplements, etc) but it was too much effort & expense for little if any gain. I don't do hormonal stuff either, esp as it was probably the Pill that gave me or accelerated the fibroids in the first place.

You are supposed to take the tranexamic acid before the bleeding gets heavy & then take the regular doses on time so there's no chance for the heavy bleeding to break through. Do you get stomach problems with NSAIDs? If so, you may be able to take some kind of PPI with them altho I'm not sure if that is advisable on such regular basis.

I started taking red raspberry leaf extract capsules to see if it would help my debilitating cramps. It did, and it also seemed to lessen the bleeding somewhat. That may hav been coincidental though... I will say, the cramps were miles better!

nOw I didnt really get cramps and my issues with the nsaid were that they were not good on my tummy and then you need to take ppi's as well and its seems to spiral into more and more medication iyswim.

I am going to look more closely into the wheatgrass - not sure if I can take it with the mirena coil or if it interferes with absorption (or something)

Has anyone heard of black cohosh or is that just for PMS/PMT type stuff???

When I looked into natural stuff for treating my fibroids I ended up with a mixed opinion on raspberry leaf & also black cohosh & avoided it. I did, and still do, take Agnus Castus/Vitex which is said to regulate the cycle & is used for other things like PMT & PCOS. It takes 3-6mths to see an effect.

Ideally you should consult a qualified naturopath to get advice & dosages tailor made for you.

I know a herbalist whould she be able to help or is her remit too narrow?

I would seriously consider seeing your GP to ask for a referral to a gynaecologist to obtain a second opinion on the fibroids.

Natural therapies are not going to be of much if any benefit with regards to the two fibroids already there. Treating the root cause rather than just the symptoms is the way forward here.

Just to say Tranexamic acid is not an NSAID. It is antifibrinolytic (stops bleeding). Not same class of drugs at all, so I wouldn't avoid for that reason.