Perimenopausal flooding (help!)

[violentovulation]

I feel horrible.

Late forties and on EVOREL 75, with Utrogestan two weeks of the month. This month my period ended as it usually does, lasted nine days, the last few of which were just light spotting. Three days later, and I'm now bleeding heavily again and it's like a tap! I know this is something that can happen, but the amount of blood I'm passing is scary and I feel so tired and crap.

It's bad enough that we have to bleed every month, but my uterus doesn't seem to want to die quietly. It's like she's objecting profusely to me existing (I have to try and insert some humour because otherwise it's harder to deal with), and wants me to be as miserable as possible.

This is the first month I've experienced flooding. When I stand up I can feel things moving and I'm passing huge clots. I have so little energy and I am quite pathetic and keep crying on and off.

Hormones are horrible.

I have been reading info with regard to flooding, and some sources say it's normal and some day if I bleed for more than nine days that I should speak to a doctor. I am probably anaemic as well but iron supplements make me really sick.

Can someone put me out of my misery?

Hopeful bump.

If you cannot tolerate oral iron supplements, try pushing for an intravenous infusion. When iron levels are low, your periods get worse so it becomes a downwards spiral.
When you get your bloods checked, ask for the actual results or look them up on the app - GPs are notorious for saying 'normal' when you are actually iron deficient and even anaemic.
Loads of previous threads discussing this. Really common problem unfortunately.

It can be the progesterone- get your dr’s opinion.

i had similar and am having a mirena coil fitted next week to stop the bleeding.

I have just filled an econsult form to do exactly that. Bodies are rubbish. I want a new one.

I think I will have to because the last time I took iron tablets, I was camped in the loo for ages.

Thank you.

I had this when I was in peri. I had a mirena fitted and it completely stopped it. Life-changing.

I would be contacting your doctor. This is way too long and way too much. One of my peri symptoms was flooding, but over time, HRT appears to have helped that to settle down significantly. This cannot be good for you.

Re iron, it's worth experimenting with different versions. Spatone can be taken at a double dose - not really going to solve genuine anaemia, but can help. Over the counter ones like the Floradix liquid is also good and a higher dose - and you can take a lot of it. I think prescription ones can vary as well - you do have options but if your iron is low, you need to sort that out .

Definitely speak to doctor, your symptoms are far too difficult for you to cope with.

Re iron, get tested and if low push for an infusion. I find Spatone excellent, I can't take tablets but spatone is naturally iron rich water, you just drink a shot or 3 each day. Really helped me, there may be similar alternatives on the market.

Mirena coil stopped my periods altogether, and although I now have anxiety, awake in the middle of the night, hot flushes- no periods!

Transexamic acid and a mirena coil were exactly what I needed.

I took transexamic acid when I was on utrogestan then swapped to the Mirena which has literally changed my life.

I was very utrogestan intolerant (and the pill, mirena was amazing by comparison).

But in the short term TXA is a miracle drug.

I no longer have clots the size of a small clementine slithering out of me, I was 13 in ferritin and I'm now 70, due to religious taking of ferrous sulphate. I never had any issues taking it, but I only took one tablet every 48 hrs, NOT three times a day as per GP instructions.

Thank you everyone. I will look into Spatone because my stomach is turning into a very grumpy sod.

I had this when I was on everol 100 with 200mg progesterone. It got so bad my HB dropped to 100 from 130 and my ferritin was 6. I stopped the progesterone and went back to lower dose combined patches.
I was only given oral iron which brought me up to 19, so ok as far as GP is concerned.
I had an ultrasound which showed a small fibroid, bleeding now much better and managed with mefenamic acid on the occasional heavy day.

The problem for me is my HRT is not really enough to keep the hot flashes at bay but the GP is not keen to alter my HRT. I think I might just have to put up with it as mirena is not an option for me and I can't risk going back to the flooding and clots.

This sounds very difficult! I had similar problems in my mid-forties a few years ago. Was referred to gynaecology and diagnosed with uterine polyps/fibroids/thick lining and an ovarian cyst. The polyps were removed and I had a mirena fitted. No treatment offered for either the fibroids or ovarian cyst.

Although I do still bleed with the Mirena it is not the flooding and clots that I was experiencing pre-Mirena. It is manageable and, with regular doses of Spatone, my iron levels are up to an acceptable level for probably the first time in my adult life! I also have oestrogel so am on HRT which has helped too.

I would recommend talking to your GP. Flooding is awful - it used to make work very difficult as I could change a tampon/pad and then have blood pouring down my leg 5 minutes later. The GP was sympathetic and immediately gave me a gynaecology appointment. Hope you can get things sorted too. You shouldn't have to put up with this and there are treatments x

Just spoken to a doctor. She's going to fit a mirena coil for me on Tuesday, and I'm being given traxanemic acid in the meantime. She's also going to take bloods from me to check my iron levels, but has issued me with ferrous sulphate regardless since I have a history of being anaemic. Hopefully this will fix me and I won't leak quite as much.

Thank you everyone for your advice, I really appreciate it. 🌻

@violentovulation look up the most efficient way to take the iron. My GP told me three times a day which was totally ridiculous as you need to take it on an empty stomach and 2hrs either side of caffeine or dairy...

I'm another one that couldn't be doing with pretend periods so had a mirena fitted. It did take a few months for the heavy spotting to stop, which was really annoying, but has been fine for 3 or 4 years now. I get the occasional bit of spotting and had it checked by the GP, but it is cyclic so just my natural hormone cycle still chugging away in the background.

I recently started taking Utrogestan again on the recommendation of a friend - one capsule at bedtime - which has stopped the night sweats and the vast majority of the dreaded 3:30am wake up. I still wake up occasionally, but again, I think it is linked to my natural hormone cycle.

I don't think enough women know that they might need additional progesterone.

I was told today that I can take them with food as long as the food doesn't contain dairy. It was also suggested I take it with some vitamin C to aid absorption.

Hopefully I will feel less like a battered bag of spuds soon.

I overheat at the drop of a hat, so night sweats have been hideous. I still have boxes of Utrogestan here, but the doctor told me I shouldn't need it with the coil. Experience tells me to hang on to it just in case I need to top up the progesterone.

@violentovulation there are a lot of threads on here about optimising iron.

I was told no tea or coffee (incl decaf as its the polyphenols that prohibit absorption), dairy and high strength vitamin C. I bought 1000mcg off amazon.

I took my iron on waking at 5am (left it on the kitchen counter so I'd remember. Took it with a pint of water. Then had my normal coffee at 7am. Every second day.

Honestly I went from 13-70 in 3 months. It was very easy.

@MagpiePi@MagpiePi I still had night sweats, so bad my vest straps were wet, even on 100mcg of Oestrogen.

I added sage leaf and red clover a fortnight ago. I haven't had a single sweat since then and it had been every single night.

I only tried herbal options once I had everything else as optimised as possible.

I was on the depo injection but having periods and spotting in between which was getting very annoying. I even bought period pants. I had the coil put in on Friday 13th and yes it was painful. I bled but the next day but that then tapered off and there has been nothing since. I was ready for something the first few months but so far (touch wood) nothing!

Only thing I will say is I now seem to have more and darker facial hair which is not good but I can deal with it.

Mirena coil was the answer for me.

Interesting. For years, I've found Omega 3 has really helped with the night sweats. But the last month or two, not so much. It's not really full blown night sweats so much as overall higher levels of sweatiness than I like. I will give this a go - I've suspected i needed to up my natural supplements (alongside the HRT) for a while. I'm also thinking possibly magnesium.

I take:
Mag glycinate
Sage leaf and red clover
Vitamin D
Zinc
Folate with B12
Anti histamine

I basically rattle.

The first three on the list I get from 'New Leaf' on amazon.

I was pleasantly surprised that the red clover worked. My GP had suggested anti depressants and I really didn't want to take them.

I don't really get sweaty which is the weird thing. Unless I've done a HIIT workout and even then it's only my cleavage.

But I'd wake up literally soaking between my breasts and apparently on my shoulders and in my groin too. Like I'd have to get changed in the night and I'd smell awful in the morning.

These seem to be a game changer.