For fun I decided to measure how much blood I was losing a month

[PearDropKid]

Yes - the long nights simply fly by in this house!

In all seriousness, my periods are very heavy now. To be somewhat expected as I'm just 50 and they've been heavy for a couple of years now - really ramped up over the past 6 months though.

A scan shows nothing untoward. It's perimenopausal.

But I'm losing 170 mls at least over the 6 days of my period. It's becoming very difficult to cope with - flooding and clots aren't conducive to socialising and working

So my question is .. what can I do to stop this or slow down the flow? Anything I can take or do? My GP isn't seeing anybody right now unless 'urgent on the day.' And I'm clearly not an emergency

Any tips? I have modi bodi pants but they can't contain over what they say they will

OP, I would suggest you go to your GP and ask for blood tests to check your levels. Doctors can prescribe acid tablets to slow flow , I hope it helps and your situation improves

@Blackopal that sounds like an absolutely horrendous experience for you. I hope you're feeling better now. And I agree - women are treated appallingly

For me though - I know the 'why.' I don't have fibroids or anything like that - it's just the approach to menopause and how it's presenting itself with me. Which does not make it any easier to cope with

Im actually on the waiting list for a private menopause clinic as I want to be listened to and treated properly. But the waiting list isn't short so I just need a way forward for next month right now.

@Blackopal and yep I paid for private bloods the other month. My iron levels are normal but my iron stores are a little low. So I'm supplementing

That's another thing .. nobody actually tells you how much iron to take and for how long!

I am sorry people have had trouble getting their gps to take them seriously. Mine has been great, it’s just the NHS is so overloaded at the moment each stage of investigation is taking ages.
I saw my gp about it in July and I finally have a gynaecologist appointment at the end of November, having paid for a private scan which found fibroids.
There’s an NHS symptom checker online to judge whether you need to see a doctor about heavy periods- from what you have said op you do need to.
I wish I had gone earlier as my periods have been getting worse and worse till I lost at least 2 pints the period before last including one pint in 24 hours (measured by mooncup content, not including the overspill). Luckily last period was half that and I seem to be bouncing back much faster now I am on higher dose iron, but I wish it hadn’t got to this point because it is hugely interfering with my life as you can imagine.

Op do you know for sure you don’t have fibroids or anything else? Have you had a scan? I assumed mine was normal peri menopause but it turned out not.

Peardropkid

Thank you, yes life is a different game now I don't deal with the awful blood loss each month. I count myself very lucky as I got a resolution.

I always mention my experience when I see these threads. I was seriously ill and I didn't know, I just knew I was supposed to put up with it. I hate to think of women going through the same and not knowing they need real help.

Very glad to hear that you are awaiting an appointment at menopause clinic. I hope they can offer the support you need.

The iron can be a tricky one, are you taking tablets or liquid? I was taking tablets but I know others who found liquid gentler on digestive systems.

@IAAP

I'd phone a DEMAND an emergency consultation and DEMAND a referral -that amount of blood loss is worrying. Usually its about 20ml over 2-7 days. Tell them HOW much you are losing and tell them this is an emergency. It is.

You’re kidding me, if a moon cup holds 50mls as a PP said I used to fill one every two hours for a day and a half when I was in peri.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel gosh - 2 pints of blood? Definitely correct? That counts as a traumatic loss and your body would go into shock

I've had a scan and nothing untoward found. I don't have fibroids. I have no other symptoms and no pain.. just this terrible flooding for around 3 days out of the 5/6 days I'm on my period. So tomorrow will be day 4 of my period and this is the day I'd expect to experience improvement. The blood loss will slow - I might have one 'flood' at most but probably not - and I'll be able to just change a pad when it's convenient and not because I absolutely have to. And then day 5 comes ... and it's all over more or less. It just stops,
No tailing off

@Aposterhasnoname no no the moon up doesn't hold 50ml. The period pants do. My mooncup holds 30ml

But it goes to show doesn't it? The NHS states that a heavy period is loss of over 80mls for the entire duration.

Well, I'm losing that in a day

@Blackopal re the iron - you name it I was taking it. And I probably took too much tbh. I have the spray and I have liquid and spa tone and capsules

I wasn't taking them all of course but I was edging towards too much. Now I stick with 4 sprays

2 pints was over a week, with one pint of it in 24 hours. I imagine it would be dangerous to lose 2 pints in one go but over a number of days is a bit different. Weirdly I didn’t feel terrible during the heaviest day (just pissed off with the constant mooncup emptying) but it hit me a day or so later.

I was meant to have an ablation but after researching it a bit more I found as I have fibroids I wasn't a candidate. I recently had a polyp removed and a d&c, which hasn't really helped with my bleeding, though today has been very light. First time since March this year. I am having an iron infusion next week as my ferritin when I had my procedure was 3.
I tried a Mirena but due to the fibroids it got pushed out of position, so wasn't reliable for birth control, and one morning my body expelled it onto the bathroom floor. Not the most fun I've had at 5am I can tell you.
But, I really do understand how you are feeling @PearDropKid I would have evenings or days of dreading needing to cough as I knew I would flood. Or just move position on the sofa, or stand up, or even just go to walk my dog. I often thought about weighing my pads to see just how much I was losing each day.
I hope you find something that works, but you need to find the cause of it, and not just put it down to 'just' perimenapausal symptoms.

@Blackopal holy shit!

I had this as a teenager: they were literally constant and only varied in how heavy they were. At points I was flooding though a super plus tampon more than every hour and then bleeding through night towels on top. It's grim but actually I ended up weighing them, might this work for you re the pants? If you know the before weight you can accurately measure the blood loss that way.

I was put on the pill which did just fix it, so I'm very grateful for that.

That amount of blood loss is not normal and needs attention.
Another vote for the mirena here, I've not had a period for 6 Years after having a mirena!
You can get tranexamic acid without a prescription from any pharmacy, it'll be behind the counter so you have to ask the pharmacist for it.

I struggled for several years (in my late 40's) with heavy non stop periods resulting in me having to have a blood transfusion. I had uterine ablation and the mirena coil inserted at the same time, was life changing. After a few months periods were so light I just needed panty liners and in the past few years I only get a few bleeds very light bleeds a year. I presumed I just had to get on with it, thought it was just part of perimenopause etc, it wasn't until I started passing out and found out I was dangerously anaemic that I realised I should've done something sooner. I've had the mirena coil in for 7 years, since I was 47, if you're over 50 you can keep it for up to 10 years. Seeing a gynae soon to have it reviewed and discuss get.

@Blane

I struggled for several years (in my late 40's) with heavy non stop periods resulting in me having to have a blood transfusion. I had uterine ablation and the mirena coil inserted at the same time, was life changing. After a few months periods were so light I just needed panty liners and in the past few years I only get a few bleeds very light bleeds a year. I presumed I just had to get on with it, thought it was just part of perimenopause etc, it wasn't until I started passing out and found out I was dangerously anaemic that I realised I should've done something sooner. I've had the mirena coil in for 7 years, since I was 47, if you're over 50 you can keep it for up to 10 years. Seeing a gynae soon to have it reviewed and discuss get.

Discuss hrt that should say.

A mirena can really help. I should have had one a long time before I did.

I think a pharmacist can give you tranxemic acid after asking a few questions. The mini pill may be an option if you don't want to have a coil. If you Google blood loss period calculater there are some based on pads and tampons used to keep a diary that I found really helped when going to the GP to get across how big a problem it was.

@Polmuggle

I also measured it from the modi bodi pants - they hold 50ml before they spill over

I'm so confused! If a pair of pants is 50ml and 'heavy period' lose 20ml-100ml over their period, then surely you'd only need 1-2 pairs for entire duration?! But mine would leak well before then.

Well if that measurement is correct I lose more than 150 ml per day the first three days. I leak through three of those per day in the beginning.

Before someone tells me to see a doctor: I have pcos and know that my periods are heavy. What I didn't realise -until this thread- is how different they are from normal. No wonder that so many women just do everything while on their period. It must be nice to do stuff without being afraid you'll flood somewhere in public.

I had awful heavy flooding bleeding for about 3 months with very small breaks in between last year alongside many other menopause symptoms. My GP recommended the Mirena coil and Oestrogel which has been amazing stopping the bleeding and the gel improving all other menopause symptoms.

8 months after having the Mirena fitted, I get very small amounts of spotting where a period would have been but that's it. I'd got to the stage before it was fitted where my iron levels were very low even with strong supplements making me exhausted all the time and feel terrible.

Health wise it took my body a little while to get used to. My skin is not always perfect but my acne flared for about 4 months, manageable but definitely worse. I also had headaches for 2/3 weeks on and off more than normal when it was fitted but my body got used to it and that quickly got back to normal.

In all I'm very pleased with it and the benefits definitely outweigh the problems I had. When this one expires if my periods are still going, I definitely want another fitted.