Periods returned post partum. Forgot how bad it was.

[FightMilkTM]

I’ve always suffered with my periods.

Agonising pain as a teenager which left me vomiting every month. Very irregular which gave me anxiety as I never knew when they would hit and would be worried about being away from home. I then went on the pill which really helped as I knew when to expect them and they were far less painful. Except I then ended up on antidepressants, and being a teen I didn’t know about the link between mental health troubles and hormonal contraceptives.

Fast forward to my early / mid twenties I came off the pill as I became aware that hormonal contraceptives (particularly the pill) can have massive side effects. Cue me stopping antidepressants a few months later and not needing them since.
My periods were then ok for a while. Still not totally regular and some pain but able to deal with it all better, being an adult. Except they kept getting worse and worse over the course of a couple of years. I felt pretty helpless as I was sure I’d get told to go back on the pill as it had ‘worked’ previously. Went to the GP in desperation, queried endo but was told my periods weren’t heavy enough and given a prescription for the pill.
Fell pregnant the month after. Pregnancy and breastfeeding left me period free for just over 18 months but they returned recently.

Now on my third pp period. They are so much heavier (soaking a tampon every couple of hours for 2-3 days) but luckily not as painful. I’m still requiring pain relief though and I’d always been worried I had a low pain threshold. No, a 27 hour drug-free labour proved that .
I’m so wiped though. I’m still breastfeeding, I suffer from low blood pressure as it is. The baby had just started sleeping better (hence the return in my periods) and now I’m up multiple times a night changing my tampon, albeit only a couple of nights a month.
I’m so down about it. My periods control my life. The pill (I tried a couple) wrecks my mental health. I can’t have anything in situ (coil) as I have a bicornuate uterus. I was talking to my husband the other day, wondering if you can have an elective hysterectomy privately. It seems unlikely but the thought of living like this for the next 30 years fills me with utter dread.

Not really sure what I’m after but needed to get my feelings down.

I don't have anything to suggest but just to say I hope things get better for you. my periods/time on the pill took a while to get sorted. Could you go back to your gp?

Thanks, orange. I think I’m just scared off the gp now as they always want to put me on the pill. Also feels like I’m time wasting in light of covid.

I don’t understand why you can’t have a coil. I have a bicornuate retroverted uterus and am now on my 3rd mirena coil. It is a little trickier to have them inserted and I usually need to have it done with ultrasound guidance but once it’s in I don’t need to think about contraception or menstruation again for 5 years. Are you sure that this isn’t an option for you?

@katrinawaves interesting. I had to have consultant involvement during my pregnancy which also meant a consultant 6 week post natal check up. I asked briefly about birth control etc and was told that in my case they’d likely want to insert the coil under GA and therefore wouldn’t advice it

My first Mirena was put in under GA but that was 15 years ago at least. All the recent ones have been done just with ultrasound guidance (by a different doctor). Could you ask for a referral to a gynae and discuss it?

I think I’m the past I would have got the ‘this is normal’ spiel and given a prescription for the pill but I wonder if I could ‘scare’ the gp into a referral considering my bicornuate uterus.

I would try and get a referral via your GP to a gynaecologist and asap. Such problems anyway are outside a GPs general remit.

Has anyone ever mentioned the word "endometriosis" to you?. This is often a cause of ongoing and severe period pain and it can also start in teenage years. It can cause heaviness of bleeding but some women with endometriosis do have lighter bleeding too.

Thanks @AttilaTheMeerkat , I think I’m going to have to try and get a referral.
I’ve questioned endo in the past with my gp but was rebuffed as my periods weren’t heavy enough and I was given another prescription for the pill. (Didn’t fill it) 🤦🏼‍♀️
I think the fact that the pill makes the pain stop and then the pain gradually builds up over a few months once I stop the pill points to endo. Kind of seems like tissue is slowly growing when I stop the pill which is why things get gradually worse. That’s my uneducated hypothesis of course.

Have you tried any supplements? I recommend magnesium, vitamin b6 and you might need iron. Could also try evening primrose oil. Good luck X

Haven’t tried supplements as I’m never sure which ones to take but I’ll look at those suggested
I’ll need to see if they are all ok to take when bf

I’ve got a funny feeling I took evening primrose oil at the end of my pregnancy actually... does that sound right?

Went to the GP in desperation, queried endo but was told my periods weren’t heavy enough

This is bullshit. So many GPs stop people getting a proper endo diagnosis quickly with this false claim. Your GP is an idiot who needs to update their education.

Request a referral to gyne and don’t leave until you have one. EndometriosisUK helpline is a good place to go if you’re struggling with this.

@RedRed9 the gp who said that is an idiot tbf. I was ‘late’ for an appointment once and she gave me a proper scolding, reeling off statistics about missed appointments etc. When I could finally get a word in edgeways I told her that I’d been around 5-10 minutes early for my appointment but I’d had to queue to use the check in machine, once I reached the front of the queue I was too close to my appointment time to use it so I had to queue again to check in at the front desk. My check in at the desk was a horrifying 1 minute late . Was still all my fault though.

The whole practice is shite with women’s health too. I had raging hyperemesis in my pregnancy. Had an appointment at 9 weeks pregnant and had to get my husband to check in on my behalf and sit in the waiting room then collect me from the car for my appointment as I was sat in the car park merrily vomiting into carrier bags. That GP told me that vomiting in early pregnancy is normal and treated me like a total time waster. I went to my checking in appointment with my midwife that evening who took one look at me and sent me straight to the hospital. I arrived with ++++ ketones and was kept in for 48 hours on fluids etc and only left as I self discharged. Seems odd that after 5 weeks of vomiting it went from normal to requiring a 2 day hospital admission in the space of 4 hours.
They then repeat refused to prescribe me the one antiemetic that worked for me and told me ‘to see how I go’. Straight back to hospital on fluids as it (unsurprisingly) turned out

I’ve got no confidence that I’ll be listened to. I’m in a sort of schrodingers cat situation. If I don’t go to the dr I’ve got it to fall back on if things get worse. If I go now and get told it’s all normal, then what do I do?

I would register with another GP practice in your area as its absolutely no point at all in being with a GP practice that is neither helpful or communicative.

Do not be fobbed off here with regards to a referral to a gynae, you certainly need one of these.

Well, day 4 and I popped out of the house to take the baby for a walk, filled a night time pad along with a big ol clot for good measure (tmi but I’m so disheartened).
It seems my go practice has gone all online in light of covid but I’ve put in a digital appointment request / detailed my problems so we will see how things go. It was kind of useful actually as I felt I could get ALL the detail / history in. I made it clear I don’t want the pill.
We will see how things go.
If they fob me off I will look into a different surgery, but my husband has also mentioned going private if need be 😬
I hope it doesn’t come to that and I don’t know how it would work, but it’s nice to have his support.

Do let us know how you get on.

BTW I went private a few months back because of ongoing gynae related issues (I got to the point where I was really desperate) and am glad that I did.

Im booked in to see the gp tomorrow for a face to face appointment, after a telephone appointment this afternoon. I was shocked that a) they got back to me so quickly and b) they wanted to see me face to face. I questioned this and they said they want to do a vaginal exam but weren’t more forthcoming that that. I’m still on my period so it doesn’t appeal massively but as I had a baby 11 months ago I’m luckily not too worried about anyone getting up close and personal with the business end of things these days.
They also want to do a blood test on Monday, presumably to check that I’m for anaemia?

I would be seriously questioning why it is felt a vaginal exam is warranted. I was diagnosed with endometriosis and the way it was diagnosed is through a keyhole surgery op called a laparoscopy. No vaginal exam was ever performed although I had more internal ultrasounds that I care to mention. Those did not detect the endo deposits that were in my uterine cavity.

The dr didn’t mention endo but given the questions she was asking I feel that’s where she was going.
I kind of feel as though I’ll take any ‘diagnostic’ test offered because it’s better than being fobbed off but equally if I get told that she saw nothing after the exam and that’s that, I won’t take it lying down... no pun intended!

Done. The most efficient drs appointment I’ve ever had! Waited in my car then met the dr at the door on my appointment time.

She took swabs and is referring me for an ultrasound. No mention of contraceptives!
Not ideal but certainly not terrible! Will have the ultrasound and see what comes of that...

Be aware that the ultrasound may not show anything untoward at all. I have had more of those than I care to mention as part of fertility investigations and none of these detected the endometriosis present in my uterine cavity as these deposits are so small.

Swabs will not likely show anything either.

Oh absolutely! I’m not expecting them to find anything with an ultrasound but I feel as though I’m in the door whereas in the past I’ve been in the next town over and not even been able to SEE the door.
My plan now is that if they find nothing on the ultrasound I can counter with the argument that they thought my issues were worth investigating in the first place. I think the GP mentioned gynae referral actually if nothing is found on the ultrasound. I can’t quite remember though, I found the pelvic examination (speculum) difficult so I think I was a bit dazed when she was talking at the end!