46 Mood swings and heavy periods

[KellyMarieTunstall2]

Hi
I'm 46, I had a baby 17 months ago. Since then I have had regular but heavy periods and mood swings. My doctor dismissed peri and advised to have a Mirena fitted which would reduce my bleeding and cure the PMT. I declined it based on all the bad experiences I'd read on here! I opted to try the mini pill, after speaking with the practice nurse, but after 3 months my sex drive had disappeared and I felt very depressed all the time.
I've been reading that a low dose combined pill could help, and I've also been considering seeing a consultant privately who specialises in hormones.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi, i've been advised to have the coil fitted to help with pmt but when I had it years ago it never helped me then so doubt it will now. I had DS at 41 and am now 47 and feel horrendous 90% of the time but am reluctant to try hrt or any type of pill as my body and mind don't respond well to drugs.
You might be totally different though so perhaps worth a try. Def a good idea to try a specialist as gps just prescribe and dont know what to say. Good luck x

Thanks Booseysmum. Sorry you are feeling horrendous, it's really depressing that women have to struggle with this. I going to start looking at hormone clinics, before I end up divorced!

@KellyMarieTunstall2.. thank you. I'm at the same point..me and DH had a blinding row last night and it was when DS was there. It's so wrong we have to suffer like this and a super huge injustice that it goes on for years as well
I hope you get your symptoms under control ..Good luck with the clinics. Post here again with updates if you like

@KellyMarieTunstall2

@BooseysMom

Just a couple of points.

HRT is not 'drugs' in the true sense (it's replacement) and it's totally different to hormonal contraception - it's much smaller dose and the HRT used is exactly the same as your own natural hormones. HRT just tops them up.

The oral contraceptive pill is sometimes recommended for women who are youngish and in peri ( that's mid 40s) . Qlaira is one that is used because it's similar to your natural hormones.

Please don't feel you have to spend hundreds of pounds on a private hormone clinic. You will end up possibly paying for (meaningless) blood tests and at the end of it all, be given what is available on the NHS.

Read about body-identical HRT ( website of Dr Louise Newson is a good place to start) and have a conversation with your GP.

@Kelly- your GP is talking nonsense to say you can't be in peri at 46. This is classic time for peri to begin and last a few years.

Don't base your choices on bad experiences on forums- many women love the Mirena but they are getting on with life not posting on forums.
It would control your bleeding.

It might not help your mood swings but the best option is to use the Mirena and add in estrogen (HRT) as well.

JinglingHellsBells, many thanks for your advice. I'll see a different GP first and discuss the options.

Hi OP

Do you know why your periods have become heavy? It's not a natural side effect of getting older, there's usually a cause. I had this from 44-47 and it was caused by fibroids. I couldn't cope by the end, they were just horrific, so I had an ablation (where they burn off the womb lining; winds worse than it is!), removed my fibroids and fitted a Mirena.

Six months on, my periods are now like two drops of blood. I did go through a low patch about 3 months after the Mirena where I felt sad for no reason, but I'd heard great things about it (I chose to ignore the bad things I read) and now I'm back to normal.

I think the Mirena has the lowest dose of progesterone you can get in a contraceptive, I think it's lower than the mini pill.

I was soooooooo reluctant to get a Mirena as, like you, I heard horror stories. But in the end I just couldn't cope with anaemia, flooding, clots, and dizziness every 3 weeks (lasting for 12 days), so I took the plunge. Really glad I did.

Ask your GP for a scan to discover why your periods are so heavy, though. Or a gynae appointment.

Good luck!

@Mollylips Periods become heavier in peri because usually cycles are irregular or without ovulation. This means that the cycle is not completed (no progesterone) so estrogen makes the lining continue to grow= heavy period.

I agree with other replies, such symptoms seem definetely not ok and I recommend you to talk with your GP too, have an examination and make some tests. I suppose that it's connected with hormones in some way, especially considering that this started after your pregnancy and it often causes various hormonal imbalances. It can be connected with your age too because through aging body produces less hormones and their lack can lead to different diseases too, like in case of human growth hormone for example.
In your case such symptoms can be caused with low progesterone for example. They include for example mood changes (with depression and anxiety too), weight gain, fibroids, reduced libido, migraines, problems with menstrual cycle and so on www.healthywomen.org/content/article/low-progesterone-symptoms .
In some cases this imbalance can be treated in natural ways and in others there's a need for hormone replacement therapy www.hgha.com/benefits-of-progesterone-replacement-therapy , that depends on a certain patient. So everything will depend on your GP's diagnosis.