Heavy bleeding ‘too old’ for medication

[hardworkharriet]

I had quite a few episodes of flooding periods aged 50 - including one absolute bloodbath. Referred to hospital, biopsy and scans normal. Prescribed Provera. Bleeding eventually stopped.
Now 54 no periods for a year - hurray! Then a couple of days of bleeding. Referred by GP for a ultrasound - normal.
Nothing for months.Now bleeding heavily again. Told at 54 I am too old for provera and will have to have ‘surgery’. If I bleed heavily have to go to A & E. I asked how I am expected to travel for work, stand up and give presentations, attend meetings with clients etc.???
Hospital appointment not for 6 weeks. Is it really that bad to ask for provera or do I have to wear incontinence nappies for the next few weeks?
Feel absolutely distraught. Has anyone had surgery, despite womb lining appearing normal?

If you have had a year with no periods and then had another bleed, it's usual to do a hysteroscopy & biopsy not just a scan. (In fact it's usually both.) The can do a biopsy only easily- a gynae can do it in their surgery, like a smear.

I think your specialist needs to do a lot more investigations:
Was the ultrasound a vaginal scan which it ought to be to get a good image?

1 your hormones to try to see if you are still in peri meno ( blood tests can be unreliable but it's worth a try)
2 Scans to see if you have any follicles in your ovaries
3 You should be told the thickness of your endometrium
4 You should be offered the Mirena coil to control the bleeding.
5 Various medication such as Tranaxemic acid to take when you bleed.

I think I'd ask for a referral to another NHS gynae for a 2nd opinion or pay privately to get a faster appt and a 2nd opinion.

Thanks for that. I feel a bit better now. I still have some transexamic acid which I had forgotten about - will give it a try.

Your experience is a bit bizarre really because it's the opposite of everything I've read- which is at 54 your periods will stop any day now, so a hysterectomy for heavy bleeding is not usually offered. The answer would be a Mirena, but you ought to have some tests to be sure nothing else is going on.

Hysterectomies for heavy bleeding are very 'old school' now anyway; it's usually meds, Mirena or an ablation. And at 54 going on 55 you are very late for menopause anyway, so it would be unlikely for you to keep bleeding much longer.

Have these options and ideas not been discussed at your appts?
If not, Id really suggest you find another gynae- they aren't all the same.

I haven’t been to the hospital gynae for a while - latest ultrasound was GP referral as I had gone a year without bleeding. Then had a very light bleed for a couple of days.

Old GP just told me to take Provera. I was astonished this one said I was too old. She was exceptionally unhelpful and accused me of lying - until I pointed out her colleague had prescribed Provera long term. I will wait for the appointment, I will be 55 then. I have had periods/bleeding for 43 years!