Extreme flooding & progesterone

[Breathmiller]

I am in the midst of a very long and heavy perimenopausal bleed. I'm 49.

I have now been bleeding very heavily for 17 days. On Tuesday I went to the doctors as it just wouldn't stop and i was sitting on the toilet with it just pouring out of me. I felt very weak.

She said I was clinically hemorrhaging and if we didn't stop it I could end up quite ill and/or needing a transfusion.

I have never wanted to take hormone changing medication, i have avoided the pill and hormone contraception my whole life.

But she highly suggested I took progesterone tablets to stop the bleeding as it was getting to a dangerous stage.

I took them for 2 days and my bleeding did slow down/stop. So as she said to do , i stopped the tablets.

But it started pretty much straight away again and yesterday I started bleeding really heavily again. It's just gotten worse through the night and I'm worried again.

I had read that I could bleed again when I stop the tablets so I'm not sure whether to go back on them again or not?

The worry for me is that when i stopped taking them I experienced extreme low mood on Friday. Like really low. Just out of the blue.

So, I'm scared to take them again. But I am bleeding again substantially.

Im thinking of phoning NHS 24 but wondered if anyone had had similar and had any advice.

TIA

How horrible! Poor you.

You should do as your dr says. If you don't - and you maybe are now- you will be anaemic and that will need treatment.

You shouldn't get low mood when you stop- it usually happens while taking them in some women. But that's just something to put up with at the moment while a better treatment plan is worked out.

It would be interesting for you to re-think your aversion to hormones (in medication.) Hormones are nothing evil! Sometimes we need medication whether it's aspirin, vaccinations or something to help our hormones.

For heavy bleeding like this, the advised treatment is usually the Mirena coil, or if that doesn't work, an ablation (surgical treatment of the womb lining.)

Short term treatment like progestogen pills (did you get Northisterone?) are always tried first.

Phoning the NHS would be a pure waste of time - yours and theirs. What can they say other than see your GP?

You've had advice, and your next step is to pursue further treatment, either the coil or using Tranexamnic acid tablets every month which would slow down the bleed.

Don't mean to sound unsympathetic but if you want to stop the bleeding you need to accept treatment offered and further treatment to stop it happening all the time.

Thank you jinglingbells

I do hear you on getting over the aversion to hormone medication. I'm aware that its not that healthy (my aversion)

Because I had read that when I stopped taking them I would probably bleed again, I didn't know whether this was that kind of bleed. And would I just keep taking them then stop, then bleed again.

Interesting to hear that low mood is usually while on the tablets (yes northisterone). I felt terrible on Friday having had the tablets Tuesday and Wednesday. I experienced a very short term psychosis episode straight after having my last child and it felt close to that. It wasn't fun.

Thank you for the advice.

How long did she tell you to take them for? Why did you stop taking them after 2 days. I would call 111 for advice if I were you

I had similar flooding problems and am now taking Norethisterone and the bleeding has stopped. It's a revelation as I'd been bleeding for several months.... and it had got very heavy in the last month.

My specialist told me to consider a Mirena coil to address the problem. I know they are not popular. But my brother in law (who is also an O&G consultant) has said the same thing......

She told me to take them until the bleeding stopped. She specifically said if I stopped in a few days just to stop taking them. So I did.

I just wasn't expecting to start again straight away. But I read that thats normal to start again after you stop.

I think that means for those that want to pause their period for other reasons, the period then comes after you stop. I'm not sure as I've never used them before.

I'm just not sure whether I will always start again after I stop the tablets? Is that normal then the post tablet bleeding will naturally stop? It seems strange to just take them and stop bleeding, then start again as soon as I stop taking them. I'm a little confused.

Just to clarify, in regards to the 111 call, I would just be phoning for advice as it's a Sunday, I'm not actually stressing too much and thinking of rushing off to A&E.

Thank you Dodie6

Thank you Midlife

Bleeding heavily months doesn't sound fun. I feel for you.

Can I ask you how long you have been taking Norethisterone? Have you had any side effects?

Ask for a referral to a gynae.

The tablets will stop bleeding BUT you will carry on bleeding until all the lining has come away. If you have erratic cycles- missing periods- you get a build up of the lining. It has to come out sometime.

Honestly, you will not get good advice from 111 , These are not medical people. They read from a script. They have no training in the finer details of periods and menopause!

You need advice from a gynaecologist, not someone in a call centre!

Go back to the tablets. Take them for another week or so and meanwhile see your GP and ask for a referral.

I suppose that's one of my queries though.
If I need to shed this and I will when i stop the tablets, what is the benefit of taking them? If its only delaying the inevitable?
What is the benefit to delaying bleeding til next week?

I get what you mean about hormone pills.

I've started desgosterone a few months back due to very heavy periods where it would pour from me.

First 6 weeks I had 2 periods lasting 10 days each but they were lighter and more chemical iyswim? I also was extremely emotional during this time.

But now 6 weeks on I've not had a period at all and my mood is fine. And it seems plenty of woman have started it around my age (I'm 39) and taken it until mid 50's and menopause.

I'd honestly suggest giving it a go for 3 months and letting everything settle. I'm really happy now with my decision despite questioning it for the first 8 weeks of taking it.

If I need to shed this and I will when i stop the tablets, what is the benefit of taking them? If its only delaying the inevitable?

This is why you need expert advice. In the short term, you need to get your iron levels up and stop the blood loss or you will feel even worse if you are anaemic.

Many specialists would fit the Mirana coil now, straight away.

NHS advice here

www.nhs.uk/conditions/heavy-periods/

Thanks everyone. This is all really useful

This was me 5 years ago, horrendous flooding which I let go on for far too long until I was so anemic that I passed out cold and needed a transfusion. I like you had read all the horror stories about the mirena and was adamant I didn't want one. Out of desperation I got one and it's the best decision I have made, after a few months of spotting my periods stopped completely and it's been so liberating. I've had no side effects at all and because I'm not anemic anymore I've been able to increase the amount of exercise I do and have lost loads of weight.
You need to look at why you are so against hormonal treatment when It could be a simple Answer to your bleeding, either way you need to do something as this level of bleeding is not normal or safe.

Breathmiller You have all my sympathy, it is so debilitating. I went through something similar during my perimenopause and was prescribed Provera. I took it for about 5 weeks but stopped because it made me feel quite mad. I was referred for a scan where I was found to have fibroids and polyps. I ended up having an operation to remove the polyps and that greatly reduced the amount of bleeding; although I still had heavy periods, they were more manageable and I didn't have to spend hours just sat on the toilet as you have described. Thankfully I am now through the menopause and it is FANTASTIC not to have periods!! Hold on in there, it does get better, but do try to get a referral to a gynaecologist so they can investigate properly. Good luck.

Thank you so much boiledegg That is all so heartening to hear.

I have had a good result from my doctor. She is usually really good so I shouldn't be surprised.

She agrees that hormone treatment is not the way forward as I am clearly very sensitive to it. I had issues with the pill when in my early 20s on it and it put me off and then this extreme reaction last week to Norethisterone.

So, I am going in to collect my prescription for tranexamic acid and iron tablets. And she has already referred me for a scan.

I'm very pleased with the outcome today.

And I am feeling a lot better as well anyway. My bleeding has lightened ever so slightly and I have energy and feeling lighter mood wise.

Thank you all for your support. I will stay on this thread and update.

Woops i thought this was the other thread. But it was good to read your experience boiledegg

Breathmiller I'm so pleased to hear that you have been referred for a scan and hope that will be the first stage of getting your problem resolved. I also found that iron supplements made a big difference (I had to have liquid iron as I was so anaemic that I had difficulty swallowing). I think it took a couple of weeks to feel the benefit, but when it did kick in it made me realise just how exhausted I had been with the anaemia.

@Breathmiller For future reference, the Pill and HRT are totally differnt formulations. The Pill is a high dose of synthetic estrogen and progestins.
HRT is not. It's identical to what we have in our own body (if you use that type.)

Please don't be one of 'those women' who dismiss HRT or the Mirena coil based on experiences of the Pill.