Am I going to bleed to death?

[Seema1234]

Warning - before I get numpties telling me to call 999 the title is tongue in cheek, but an accurate description of how I feel.

Age 48, apart from a bit of insomnia I've been ok with perimenopause. Cycle reduced from 28 to 21 days which I considered annoying. But what I didn't know was what my uterus had planned next. I've been on my period for a whole month. 28 days of bleeding. What fresh hell is this and why did I know this was a thing ?

I have a GP appointment tomorrow. What should I be expecting ? Ask for?

Everytime I think the thing has gone , it comes back again. How is it possible to bleed this much and not be dead?

And if DH tells me one more time how tired he is I will scream..

Why is this not spoken about ? It's like a taboo.

I had this in my 40s and put up with it for far too long

In the end, I saw my GP and she suggested Mirena. It was miraculous. (I get migraines and carried on getting them).

I am post menopausal now (so I thought) but heavy prolonged bleeding has returned and is being investigated. GP has prescribed norethisterone which she thinks will stop it.

Definitely get help. Don't put up with it .

Did you have to go for scans and test ? I really don't want intimate examinations done.

@Seema1234 I agree, I would hesitate to be so open with my friends who are roughly my age. We all want to project an image of sailing through ageing (I think, perhaps)

They wouldn't give me the mini pill until they'd scanned me to rule out a fibroid, but that was fine, not too invasive, they did do a vaginal scan too to check my ovaries. That wasn't pleasant but it wasn't terrible. This was at a women's clinic in Ireland so I was grateful to be able to get it all done on the one day but 155 euro for the scan and the apt and the pill and the tranexemic acid! Another expense of being a woman that men don't bear.

The only thing that could make this worse would be no NHS!!!

They have to check you out to make sure they've not missed anything. Pretty routine, no worse than a smear. Once its done, its done. You'll be fine.
Being a woman at this particular age is a bag of shite though. You're not wrong

I hate them too. I thought about taking a valium before a smear test. But then they said they'd need somebody to take me home. LIke I couldn't fall in to a taxi on my own.

But this scan was nowhere near as bad as a smear. I hate smears.
This was ok, I was chatting away to the woman. When I have a smear I'm like a lunatic, I count backwards loudly from 20 and say to them this better be over by the time I get to zero

@Seema1234

Did you have to go for scans and test ? I really don't want intimate examinations done.

Back then I was sent for a scan to rule out fibroid

I have recently had more scans. Honestly they aren't that bad.

This happened to me in January, a period that lasted a month. It had happened once before, a year ago. This time my GP gave me progesterone and that stopped the bleeding. Said he would refer me to a gynaecologist if it happens again. Then at the start of March I had a normal period. It's the uncertainty that I hate, not knowing what's causing it and if it will happen again. Being in your late 40s is the worst.

I’m 45 and had a copper coil but my periods were just getting heavier and heavier to the point that I didn’t want to leave the house. I switched to mirena around 8 months ago and they’re now more or less non existent. I still get pretty bad pmt though

I've just had 3 periods in about 8 weeks OP, one of which was about 3 weeks long. It basically felt like I was on a period for 2months! I had a blood test last week to rule out certain things but as it's settled back down and I haven't bled for 4weeks, the GP thinks it is hormones. However she said she'd refer me for a scan if I want, and I think I will just to be on the safe side. I've had one before and it's fine. I don't really. Have any other symptoms apart from general irritability and I get achey.

You can't deal with that long term. You'll turn into a zombie from fatigue and lack of iron.

Longest I ever had was 19 days and ended up diagnosed with endometriosis, fibroids, and more.

I know you don't want to go to a gynaecologist or well woman clinic but it's got to be better than what you are dealing with. Getting the bleeding under control will really improve your life.

I have some experience of this . A couple of years ago I had an odd bout of heavy bleeding , flooding really samples taken hormones normal nothing in a biopsy gyno gave me progesterone tablets which I didn’t need it settled down then I did ivf my lining was normal etc and then about a year and a half ago after a cyst was spotted in a ct scan for something else it had then disappeared by the time I had an ultra sound but lining was too thick it was sampled and diagnosis was endometrial hyperplasia without atypia thankfully so no precancerous cells or what ever it was . It was treated with a mirena coil for a year and two 6 monthly samples were taken to check if it worked . Mirena reversed the condition and I was declared “cured “ life with virtually no bleeding for the past year has been heaven I haven’t noticed any major side affects but I’ve now had to remove the coil temporarily at least for other health reasons .

Get help. If your GP isn't helpful, find someone who is.

Mine was great when a routine blood test showed I was very anaemic as a result of very heavy periods - tranexemic acid for normal life, norethisterone for holidays. I think I may be done now, but I've spoken to several GPs since and they have all said if those stop working, come back to us, there are other options and there is no reason to live like this. I had a scan to check everything was OK, too.

Try not to worry, but do not be brushed off.

Been there done that and it was horrendous. Teenage girls simply don't know the meaning of flooding when they use the term.

Thankfully I'm out the other side now but it was very difficult, I'm intolerant of synthetic progesterone so never got on well with the pill and stopped taking it many years earlier, some HRT products made me suicidal, thankfully never tried the mirena because of it.
HRT did help once I was on the right stuff. Still bled but it was light and very manageable compared to the chainsaw massacre episodes I'd been dealing with. I also had thyroid trouble which probably didn't help.

Yes you should go for a scan and blood tests in order to rule unpleasant things out.

I've just seen your comment about a scan - please try not to worry about that. I've had loads and the operators have always put me at my ease, and it doesn't hurt. Much better to know there is nothing sinister causing the problem, and then you can get on with a good management plan.

I am pretty sure I won't be able to have the Morena coil or mini pill as I get migraines

I have both the mirena and mini pill combined and they totally stopped my bleeding and my migraines

I had the same - not flooding but needing to change a tampon every 15 mins at one point and in the end using both pads and tampons. I bled for 6 weeks straight up, it was awful.

I got an urgent referral to a gynae and had endometrial ablation and a biopsy done. Specialist said lining of the womb was thick (he said that was common in women of my age (51 at the time). The biopsy was normal.

I havent had a period since then - I shall be 55 this year. I had a pelvic scan about a year ago which showed lining of the womb still very thin.

I know you dont want an internal examination but trust me, having that done and a procedure if they think you need it, is the only way to rule out if anything untoward is going on.

My ablation was the best thing that happened to me, the doctor said periods can come back in some cases after ablation and if that happens, they will do a hysterectomy. But so far so good.

Meanwhile, a lonley box of pads and tampons sit in the bathroom. I dare not throw them away in case I jinx my good luck and the periods come back to taunt me.

Good luck though, I know how hard it is.

Also I do have to say that for your health you might have to just go in and do some tests . I don’t think anyone on earth enjoys them some mind less than others but it could be something serious so you do need to get it checked . I have always found gynaecologist, smears etc unpleasant if not painful sometimes too but after having children and ivf and several miscarriages etc I’ve become more accustomed to it . They will most likely to be able to help you so contact a doctor asap .

I had horrendous flooding in late 40's. One occasion was so horrendous - I was in a complete state. Bled for weeks on end and became v anaemic.
Really struggled to keep standing at times.
I was sent for a scan / hysteroscopy and biopsy. In the end it eventually settled down.
Do go for the tests if they suggest them. And . I know how difficult it is when you're going through it.

I had exactly this, age 46. Heavier and heavier periods, closer and closer together, culminating in the mother of all bleeds that just didn't stop, for five weeks. In the end I was prescribed Tranexamic Acid, which stopped it overnight, and was sent for an ultrasound scan. I was also knocking back iron tablets at this stage, as I felt like a limp rag.

Scan revealed nothing sinister, but the radiographer mentioned that my ovaries looked very "shrivelled" (her exact words ) and she strongly suspected menopause wasn't far off. She was spot on - I had one more brief period, then it stopped. For good. That monster bleed was the final hurrah.

Hope you get sorted, OP. Worth going to the GP as it may well be something they can address. The ultrasound was vaginal, but felt way less invasive than a smear test, and was painless.

My flooding was also horrendous. It lasted only a few days per month but, omg - the amount.

If I used a moon cup (hilarious, like trying to stop a dam with an egg cup), I’d fill it every 10 mins. At 30ml a time - this equates to a lot of blood.

If I stood up, the sudden loss of blood and clots would nearly make me faint. Not surprisingly, I was horrifically anaemic.

I had a scan and was almost wtf when they said my womb lining was thin! HRT seems to have resolved the issue - for now.

I had flooding for a time when I was peri-menopausal at the age of 43! It's a while ago now but I don't think I will ever forget one occasion where I met family at a castle and I ended up having to smuggle clean trousers into a nasty toilet to get changed! Nightmare!

Most of the time I had to stay at home when I had my period otherwise I had to go to the toilet to change my Sanpro every half hour! I recommend investing in some period underwear! I wish I'd have know about it then. It would have been a game changer!

Luckily the flooding didn't last. I then got hot flushes, insomnia and mood swings! Cured by HRT though!

I had that, it was endometriosis, I was put on norethisterone to stop my periods & after investigations had a hysterectomy after a fight to get funding, it was the only way to guarantee that it would stop, everything else was a case of try it & see if it worked & I hadn't the strength to wait & see, my iron levels were through the floor but 6 weeks after the op my iron was back to the high side of normal.

Gah! Now I'm confused. I just spoke to the Dr as they offer triage by phone if you call earlier enough and charm the grumpy receptionists sufficiently.

She told me she wouldn't prescribe me anything to stop the bleeding as they need to see where it's coming from.

She told me to come in for a pelvic exam by a GP and for swabs for infection to be taken and then another appointment with the nurse to have my overdue smear. So, that's 2 intimate examinations. Apparently the GP can't do smears and the nurse can't take samples for infection. Wtf.

Only after that she will refer me for a scan.

I don't understand why this has been suggested as it's different from what everyone here has said happens.

Why would I need a pelvic exam with a GP when I can just have a scan? What are they going to be able to diagnose from doing an internal ?

Why is she testing for infections ? I have no sign of infection and no way of catching one anyway.

Why would I have a smear when I'm bleeding given you're meant to go between periods?

I did say I might not have any blood left in me if she leaves it that long. I don't want to have all these examinations anyway but especially whilst bleeding.

Should I try and get a second opinion? I mentioned HRT and she kept saying I'm not menopausal so I don't think she knows what she's talking about.

Different experience to me, but I am not medically qualified so can't really comment.
How soon can they see you?