Heavy painful periods, what have you done to aleviate them??

[inthepink]

That's it really, dreadful, heavy periods, have had tests at the doc's but she can't find any reason for them, could be my age!

doc suggested the mirena coil (she seems to be pushing me in that direction) but was wondering if anybody had an alternative answer and what worked for you

TIA

mooncup helps I find, honest! Still hurts but less dragging and period over much quicker..

Long term drug use not an option I'm guessing? I went through a phase where I had to take ponstan at the start of every period for about a year. Just once - once the pain stopped it stopped for the next few days.

But not really a solution, i see that!

have you seen a gynae? I'm seeing one next month about mine

Ooh I remember Ponstan - had v. painful periods before I had kids. I went on the pill to sort it, but guessing from your comments about "age" that is a no-no.

Have they looked at endometriosis?

Bling - it's hard to get proper pain relief here without seeing the doc (codeine is illegal !!) and to be honest it's how heavy they are that is the main problem, have to change tampon approx every 1 - 2 hours and wear a towel as well, have to take iron supplements as making me anemic to boot

don't know much about the mooncup or where to get them from, would they have them in the middle east??

Haven't seen gynae, perhaps that is the next step, not sure if the medical insurance here will keep paying out for all the tests I keep having

A good combination vit b - taken from the day before the first day of the period until the last day of the period. half and hour excersise a day through the rest of the month. A lot of green vegtables and wholemeal foods, cut out as much sugar as possible/sensible.

my periods are also very much lighter since I have been sterilized and only last 3 days

have a look at the susan clark atlernative health website for other ideas that may work for you.

forgot to say thanks for all your replies

thanks 44christmaspuddingsinarow, will give that a try and will look a the website

might get sterilized as well - anything has to be better than this every month

Puppymonkey - I'm 43 (though very much in denial about my age ) so don't think I should be on the pill (although I did take it this summer so I didn't spoil our summer holiday )you can buy it over the counter here

I had this problem for years. I was on Tranexamic acid for many years which worked well.
Since dd2 I have a Mirena which has been miraculous.

Ponstant isn't codeine, I think. Might be worth asking your doctor about? I know the no-codeine rule in the ME but I have a feeling ponstan might work around that?

good luck though - I know how awful it is.

Are you on the pill? that can help too.

Sterilisation will not alter your periods.

The reason the doc has suggested the mirena coil is that it contains progesterone. This affects the lining of the womb (makes it thiner, so you have a lighter, less painful period. (If you are really lucky you may not get any periods).

It takes about 6 months for the coil to become effective. It needs changing every 5 years.

It contains a much reduced dose of hormone then the oral contraceptive pill, so is healthier as well.

Has reduced the level of hysterectomy by 80%.

Will answer any questions if you want me to answer them.

I had the same problem, had a mirena for a year - worked wonders with the periods but I suffered terrible mood swings. Not sure what to do if the problem comes back after ds3 born so I'm interested in any responses. From memory the other possibilities were hysterectomy or endometrial ablation?

I had a hysterectomy-drastic but it cured mine

I was offered an opperation to remove the lining of my womb..

tranexamic acid - I was literally having to change tampons every 20 mins at times before I started taking it. Great stuff!

If you take progesterone for a few months before having a Mirena put in, it can minimise the side-effects. Also, the drug in the coil doesn't get into your bloodstream as much, whereas with the mini-pill, you will have a high amount of progesterone in your bloodstream. (I'm not an expert, but I see a very good gynae who explains everything in detail.)

I have very heavy periods too. Just live with it every month. Sometimes i have clots of blood too which isn't nice. Both my mum and my nan had hysterectomies in their mid forties cos of awfully heavy periods. Mum said she used to get clots the size of grapefruits!!!!!!!!

Had a mirena in for about 18 months but it really didn't suit me. Have a normal coil in now which, i guess, makes my periods worse. The dragging sensation is the worst thing - and feeling so tired, i take iron every day (spatone not tablets).

I'm having similar problems to saramoon's description and really need to sort something out. Last time I went to the doctor's he just suggested a coil and I didn't really want to go down that route. At the very least, can anybody recommend the best painkillers for the job?

I tend to have two days of agony, including one night of no sleep, with days of headaches before and after and hot water bottles strapped fore and aft - and they're so so heavy - an d, sorry if tmi, clotty. It's really depressing tbh.

Have you had a scan to check for fibroids?

Inthepink

You should be referred to a gynae as a matter of course. These problems as well are often outside a GPs general remit of expertise. You should be evaluated to see if endometriosis and or fibroids are present. Both can cause heavy bleeding.

Please do not put up with this - you don;t have to.

Hi janeite and saramoon

What I have written to inthepink also applies equally to you to. I remember hot water bottles as well; in my case the underlying cause was endometriosis. Yo both need to see a gynae; the underlying CAUSE needs to be addressed, not just trying to treat the symptoms.

Endometriosis is the second most common gynae problem seen in women after fibroids. Not many GPs know that - I as a lay person knew more about endo my GP did and put him right when he told me that endometriosis was not common (that assertion is wrong) because I have endo myself.

Thanks Attilla. I was being investigated for endometriosis before I had my first child and the periods now are differently unpleasant than they were at that time, if that makes sense!

I'm more or less resigned to the monthly inconvenience and discomfort, as I'd rather not go down the fiddling with hormones etc route but would love recommendations for the best painkillers for letting me cope with a day in the classroom without needing my hot water bottles!

if you haven't considered tranexamic acid janeite i would definitely recommend asking the dr for some. It has made a HUGE difference to me. I literally couldn't stray more than a few minutes from a toilet for the first few days each month. The dr recommended it rather than go down a hormonal ie. contraceptive pill route.

Hi janeite,

Re your comments:-

"Thanks Attilla. I was being investigated for endometriosis before I had my first child and the periods now are differently unpleasant than they were at that time, if that makes sense!
I'm more or less resigned to the monthly inconvenience and discomfort, as I'd rather not go down the fiddling with hormones etc route but would love recommendations for the best painkillers for letting me cope with a day in the classroom without needing my hot water bottles".

You have my sympathies - am all too familiar with the hot water bottles. What you need is a referral from the GP to a gynaecologist. Am not sure what tests you had done initially but any test short of a laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) will not detect endometriosis if it is there. I have endometriosis and I had all manner of blood tests and ultrasound scans done beforehand. It detected one gynae issue but that was not endometriosis. My endo was diagnosed following lap type surgery.

Please do not resign yourself to the monthly inconvenience and discomfort; you don't have to put up with it. I would seriously consider getting a referral to a gynae asap re this problem and when you meet ask loads ofquestions as to his knowledge of endometriosis. Lap surgery is not fiddling with hormones; a good surgeon will remove the endometrical deposits when located. Some gynaes are far better informed than others re this particular disease.

Would also suggest you look at www.endo.org.uk as it is a mine of information. The more you know about endo the better as it will help you when it comes to making treatment decisions. Knowledge is power!!.

Transexamic acid and the like are only short term solutions at best and certainly does not do anything to any existing endo deposits. What you need to do is to tackle the root cause rather than just treat the symptoms.

On a wider level you would also think that some GPs would be better informed re endo but many are not.

Thanks again. I got as far as the appointment for laparoscopy and then discovered I was pregnant the week before the appointment! This is 13 years ago though. Since the children were born it's come in phases but currently seems pretty bad; it's not been this bad for about six years.