My periods can last 7 weeks, really need advice

[H777]

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I'm not a mum, but I thought maybe at least one person on here might be able to give insight into this. I'm nearly 30.

Apologies in advance for the long post! To start with a bit of background:

For the past 2 and a half years my periods have been CRAZY. On average they last anything from 3-7 weeks. Light at the beginning and end, super heavy for weeks in the middle. I can get another period 1 or 2 weeks after the last one ended, or sometimes I wait over a month.

I've been on the Cerazette pill for about 7 years and the implant (which I am told are the same hormones as Cerazette) for 3 years before that. About 4 years ago, I was switched to Cerelle, the 'non-branded version' of Cerazette, but both me and my doctor thought perhaps that was creating the problem, so I switched back to Cerazette in January. The hell hasn't stopped.

I take tranexamic acid but I'm not sure it does much.

I had 2 scans a year ago and another one at the beginning of this year. The latest one suggests my ovaries are polycystic, but the doctor didn't seem very concerned about it?

I have now been referred to a gynaecologist where the doctor thinks they'll suggest that I have the coil. The appointment isn't until end of July.

Now to detour my story for a second: at the beginning of July me and my partner are going on holiday. This isn't really an ordinary holiday - in March, I lost my mum and it's the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I am desperate to go abroad with my partner, who has been amazing and whose birthday it is at the beginning of July. In order to get away, I have made myself pretty skint and spent a lot of money I don't have. Which is irrelevant - as long as we get away from it all and have an amazing, stress-free time, the money doesn't matter.

Every holiday we have been on in the past two and a half years - long holidays, weekends away, Christmases, birthdays, and new years, have ALL involved me being in the middle of an insanely long, insanely heavy period. For this holiday in July, for way more reasons than one, I really, really, really want to be period free.

Yesterday I started spotting. If my track record is anything to go by, this means my period will be in full swing by July and just get heavier each day we are away.

As mentioned above, my doctor has a feeling the coil could fix everything (but who knows), but I don't even have a consultation about this until after the holiday.

When I came on my period a few days before Christmas (after a gap of a week), I went into the walk-in clinic begging them for a solution to make it stop, but they couldn't suggest anything.

Does ANYONE have ANY advice, on how I can not be on my period for the first couple weeks of July. Has anything similar happened to anyone else? What did you do? I was thinking about just stopping the pill but of course, maybe that would make it worse.

Thanks so much.

My Dd has just turned 20, she's been on a constant bleed cycle with a 2-3 day break since 17. Originally prescribed Cerazette which worked, but then they shifted her to a different brand, followed by injection, implant, 2 more runs of Cerazette, and they've suggested the coil. She's finally got a Gyne appointment scheduled for in 2mths time after much pushing and a POCOS diagnosis. Sorry I couldn't contribute anything solution wise but am very interested in the thread and thinks it's crap women tend to get fobbed off a lot with treatment options.

*PCOS - as a side note my Dd's GP did state it can often be hereditary. I've never had any tests personally but I struggled a lot with the pill/mini pill on the 3 occasions I've attempted them. Although I did have Dd in my later teens and then opted for the copper coil. I've had it fitted three times I'd say that whilst bleeding for me continues to be extremely heavy, I have a clockwork 4 day cycle and no hormonal effects which the pill massively exacerbated for me over the years.

@FlyingMonkeys I totally agree with you. The more I look into it the more I realise women like us just aren't getting satisfactory answers or being guided to the right people, for such ridiculously long periods of time. It is crap. I do now feel a bit silly for not pushing for things sooner, but it is exhausting. I'm really sorry she's going through all that - if I do ever find an answer that works for me, I'll make sure to share it!

That is interesting about some PCOs being hereditary. I've never know other females in my family to have it but maybe they were just never diagnosed. I will seriously consider coil once i have my gynae appointment, and I'm also interested to see what I'd be like with nothing at all.