Anyone else fed up with AFs approaching mid-life? Stay away if squeamish!

[anorak]

I thought about changing my name for this but I can't be arsed. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Anyone else experiencing irregular/heavy/exhausting periods at an age approaching the change? I'm 45 and so sick and tired of being out of action 30% of the time, having to rush to the loo every five minutes, changes overnight interrupting sleep, and so bloated that I look like 6 months preg. Also suffer from hot flushes and constant wind

Does this have anything to do with having a coil? Would it be better if DH had the chop and I had the coil removed? Sorry for so much detail but I'm so effing sick of feeling like this. I have family history of this kind of problem too. My mother had a full hysterectomy by the time she was my age, and my younger sis has fibroids.

Would like to hear from mums of similar age what is their experience.

well I've been reading up about it

I am forced to lower the tone of this thread to point out that if you go on the Pill it'll be like a red rag to a bull as far as your DH's concerned.

Anorak, I have found the mooncup is really useful with the AFs from hell - as well as saving me a fortune. It is worth the hassle of getting used to it. It has some other benefits as well - for some reason, mooncup users often find their periods are less painful when they switch to a mooncup; and if you are in any doubt about how heavy your periods are to describe to your GP, you can guage much more easily when you empty the mooncup, which can hold up to 30mls. When your flow is unpredictable, it is a real boon as you just empty it when you go to the loo, wipe it out with tissue and reinsert - if you are in a cubicle with a sink then you can rinse it, but it doesn't matter if can't every time.

Some people find the Mirena coil great but after reading another thread on MN where posters were giving their views on the problems they'd suffered, I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

My GP referred me after I became anaemic last year, and the consultant recommended tranxamic acid and ibuprofen. These have worked, up to a point, but in recent months everything has gone haywire again, I am anaemic and the nature of the flow being so unpredictable is making life miserable atm. So I am being referred back to the hospital consultant again.

You may already be keeping a menstrual diary, but there is a good one on a site I discovered today, menstrual diary

For the instructions for the menstrual cycle diary instructions for the menstrual cycle diary

You should see a gynaecologist, not a GP. Ask for a referral.

Thanks for starting this thread Anorak. My experience is similar to Dazzlincaz's as have been to see the consultant gynae twice now and he's beginning to sound like a stuck record. Option 1. the pill, option 2. the marina coil, option 3. hysterectomy.

I am 41 and when i saw the doc this week, she said the symptoms i described sounded like i could be approaching menopause...! The thing is, i like the idea of having a second child so the options are not for me at this stage. My idea was to have a baby then get the lot whipped out then.

Last month my period was 9 days early and i was a troll bitch from hell who thought she was ovulating. I am constantly exhausted and sometimes cannot move or get out of bed.

My period although usually very bad, was the worst ever - it was like being in labour for 5 days. I took that many painkillers that they actually sent an emergency doc out as i had taken toxic levels apparently. Trying to look after a demanding 8 year old on my own whilst not even being able to walk or talk was no fun.

Most of the month i look 6 months pregnant (especially in the evenings) and am spotty and greasy. It never used to be like this! I have a consultants appointment mid September and will mention some of the things that have been suggested on here. That should hopefully shut the consultant up!

I would definitely suggest as many others have and get referred to a gynae - the sooner the better as the initial appt can take a while to come through. Thanks Dazzlincaz for the menstrual diary - i have printed one off to take with me. Good luck Anorak.

Thank you for the menstrual diary, have printed off and will use for a while to see if any patterns.

I actually ordered myself a mooncup just a few hours before you posted! When I had this replacement coil fitted the doctor told me not to use tampons. I was surprised because I used them for the last 5 years when I had the previous coil and had no problems. But I thought I ought to try not using them. As you know, with unpredictable heavy flow not having the insurance of a tampon and a pad can be worrying. You feel a release and can't tell how much it is , have to rush to the loo, fear embarrasing leaks, etc etc.

I also find the flow is not painful but so uncomfortable and sometimes itchy that it wakes me up at night too.

Why doesn't anyone ever talk about these things! I know it's not a fun subject but I'm cross about the way 'women's business' is such a taboo topic. We need to share information if we're to deal with this in the way that's best for us each individually.

I remember when I was a teenager seeing an ad on the TV for pads and my dad saying 'I don't understand why they allow that on the telly, people don't want to see that.' I tried to explain to him that we need information to choose products just like with anything else. But most people thought like that then, and some still do.

Sympathies to you all and thanks for staring this thread anorak - it's helpful reading for me too.

I'm 41 and have very heavy periods roughly every 16 days which seems ridiculously short and exhausting.

I need to make an appointment to see a gynae (my mum had fibroids at my age and started her menopause early). The trouble is I need to make the appt to see the gynae when I won't be 'on' which is tricky and now my period has gone completely AWOL and hasn't started at all; I don't know where I am with it all.

Also now seem to get awful PMT which I never ever used to suffer with. I'm either in a foul mood, having a period or both it seems.

Ooo TinyGang that sounds awful, every 16 days! Can you not make the appt with the gynae and then postpone it if you come on? They must be used to working around this problem.

Yes it's horrid. I should get on and make the appoiontment, I suppose they must be used to this kind of dilemma, you're quite right.

I can't really think what solution I would like though. Don't want a hysterectomy - don't have pains, thank goodness. Don't want hormone treatment - trying to get away from all that. It's never anything glamourous is it?

I was on the combined pill from the age of 18, only coming off at 30 to have my babies.

After them, at 34, I thought I would give my body a break from pills and then put up with heavy periods (on the first day the dragging, aching sensation was unbearable sometimes). The PMT was awful too and I mean really awful.

I'm now 41 and fed up with living only half a life for most of the time (what with the PMT making me a monster for half of the month) I went on to Cerazette, the mini pill.

No oestrogen going into my body put my mind at rest at taking a pill at my age.

For the first 3 months I bled almost continually, but only very light.

On Month 4 I had a light show for a couple of days and that's how its been since and the nurse has said that may go altogether.

The best thing for me though is the PMT vanished almost overnight.

Bit late but I think I'm starting to go through this. I'll have one period every 2 weeks for a while then nothing for 5 weeks then back to a normal cycle etc etc. And really heavy - I haven't had anything this bad since I was in my teens. DH tells me to go to the GP but what's the point?

I've been noticing recently (over the last 6 months or so) that I have virtually no sense of smell. I don't have a cold or hay fever although I often get a sniffle or two first thing in the morning. Every now and again I get a really strong whiff that almost makes me gag and then nothing again. I also have phantom smells - I could smell sewers all day yesterday and no-one else could smell it. Ditto a very strong smell of petrol when I first get out of my car - DH swears it isn't there. Any ideas what's going on? Not worried just confused...

Sorry - wrong thread Please ignore.

TinyGang, it sounds awful. If you haven't already, get an appointment with your GP to at least get your blood levels checked, as losing heavily can make you anaemic (=more iron going out than you can keep taking in, even with a good diet). Don't worry about the timing of a gynae appt. If it is impossible to examine you at that time, they will likely give you a number to ring when you can be examined. Or, like my GP, said if it was okay with me, it didn't bother her that I had a menstural flow! Guess they see worse..... Anyhow, my point is, you can be leaving things go by for months on end, and it does catch up with you. At worst it can become really debilitating to the point where you are too ill to work/care for your family. Don't ignore it, please - it ain't gonna go away by itself, unfortunately. Some forms of treatment are straightforward and can make a big difference. Although it is not a choice I would make, some women find the Mirena coil suits them brilliantly. (Not everyone is so lucky from what I read on the other thread.) Medication hasn't been the total answer for my problems but it's helped me cope and I would have been anaemic again a long time ago without it. The medication I am on isn't hormones, btw.

Joelallie - you DO need to see your GP too. Same reasons as for TinyGang, you can become anaemic easily when you lose heavily and often as this. If you aren't already keeping a note of how often you menstruate/how long you bleed/how heavily, try the menstrual cycle diary, as it is easier to show your GP what is happening with some written evidence. But don't wait for that, go and be seen NOW, ask for some blood tests to discover whether or not you are already anaemic, because that in itself can make you feel grotty. It is a vicious circle, but it is important to look after yourself. (Voice of experience )

Take care all, and thanks Anorak, for starting this thread, you are right, we do need to become better informed. I think you are likely to find the mooncup will make life a lot easier with a heavy and unpredictable flow - I still use a pad with it as my problems are currently rather extreme, but at least I can feel it is safe to go out of the house.

What a lovely post dazzlincaz - thankyou.

Blood test done and was ok, but I am rather worn out it's true. You've all spurred me on to get this looked at more carefully. It's finding the time though isn't it - but I will.

Hope you all feel a bit better soon and get what help you can. Gosh what a grim club we seem to belong to!

Dazzlincaz is right in that the cumilitive effect is quite debilitating and it's crept up on me until I feel quite worn out all the time but have sort of got used to it.

Take care everyone, chatting here has helped

This is a very interesting thread and thanks all for your experiences.

I have had recurrent thrush-like symptoms for months whenever I am not having my period. That itself is every 23 days (sigh) and lasts anything up to 10 days. Probably why I am anaemic.

Is any of this linked to the coil? Mine apparently is sitting very low. Have apt with GP to check it (but we need to fix it mid cycle which is frankly hard to do!) and also having ovarian cyst out...sometime. Is any of this linked? anyone know?

Would the mirena coil be an improvement? but not keen on more hormones at my age (42).

No-one has mentioned Tranexamic Acid as treatment for heavy periods. I started it and it was brilliant. You start taking it when your period starts and it reduces the amount of bleeding. Brilliant.Am 45 and have found that my last couple of periods have been less heavy and shorter lasting. If that had not worked i would have asked for gynae referral.

there's a lot of info about being perimenopausal (prob something on the NHS website aswell)

What upsets me the most is the way GPs deal with this all - I feel totally let down by my GPs to the extent that I will probably change surgery now. My mum had to have a hysterectomy at 36 due to her severe menstrual problems but all I get from the GPs is that I can't possibly be suffering from what I am because I'm only 33 therefore they won't even bother to run the tests (apart from one for anaemia which showed I was anaemic!) to check whether there's something going on or not.

Really, in all your shoes, I would try the GPs first plan of action. If that doesn't work and they are not coming up with much else, I would really push for a referral. Rather stupidly, I trusted my GP and almost 2 years later, I'm in a much worse position and I really regret that I didn't do something about it all earlier.

Hi all,
I started another thread on this yesterday but didn't get any replies. I've been reading up on the menopause as periods are still regular but have last only a day or too. When you read all the symptoms on websites though it's terrifying.

What I can't find the answer too though is - all the side affects like sleeplessness, memory loss, irritability etc - do these pass when you come out the other side of the menopause or is this a permanant part of you. Anyone have any experience?

Toby is now 6 months old and I breastfed until he was 10 weeks old. I had my first post birth period in August, which to me seemed normal. However, I had a bleed on Sunday which I thought was the start of my period but I haven't had any more bleeding since.

Anyone know whether this is normal or whether I should be going to the GP?

I'm 47 and my periods have been irregular in timing and quantity for several years. I did visit a consultant, and he scanned me, but basically said that unless I found it unbearable, get on with it! Since then, things seems to have evened out a little, although I can still have two periods within 30 days, sometimes heavy, sometimes not.

No hot flushes yet though!!

Message withdrawn

oh Anorak lol{grin] not at you but your descriptions, Not quite up to speed with you yet but can be a bit windy on days!!!!!

Thanks for the link to this thread. Periods more frequent and getting heavier here. My memory is going and My Moods.. I'm 43 .

This thread helps