Could this be fibroids?

[StuntNun]

I have been back and forth to the GP over the past six months or more about frequent, heavy periods, nighttime insomnia and fatigue (needing to sleep during the daytime.) I had thought perimenopause and possibly hypothyroidism were the cause. My thyroid tests came back fine and my sex hormone tests didn't indicate perimenopause so the GP couldn't prescribe HRT. All good news BUT that doesn't help with any of my symptoms. My period started yesterday, only 20 days after my last one started, and I know I'll be bleeding for 7-8 days in total. It has been so heavy today that I've already gone through three nighttime pads and I'm on my fourth at just after 9 a.m.

Does anyone have any tips for next steps? I was wondering whether fibroids could be a cause. The GP wanted to put me on the pill but I refused because I've had hormonal contraception before and it made me feel terrible. She didn't offer any other treatment and she didn't think a referral to gynaecology was warranted. I'm really struggling to cope with the sheer amount of blood loss, not to mention spending one week in three on my period.

Go back to your GP and ask to be referred for an ultrasound which should be able to diagnose fibroids (or not). They should also be able to prescribe tranexamic acid to help to reduce the bleeding. Do not let them fob you off that this is normal!!

Thanks Emma. She didn't say it was normal but her only option seemed to be the pill. She kept going on about how I needed to have it for contraception as well. Um no I've managed to avoid unwanted pregnancy so far, thanks!

Get a referral to a gynae. That's not normal and you shouldn't have to put up with it. Don't be fobbed off by gp - just tell them you want a referral. I've had a hysteroscopy where they look inside the uterus with a camera, and I have a fibroid and a polyp. I have heavy periods but at least they are a month apart and don't last as long as yours. I'd be sleeping standing up if they did.

In my experience the GP needs to have tried everything they have available before referring you to gynae and this usually includes the pill or mirena coil. But they should still investigate the cause of the bleeding either ultrasound and/or hysteroscopy.

@emmathedilemma

In my experience the GP needs to have tried everything they have available before referring you to gynae and this usually includes the pill or mirena coil. But they should still investigate the cause of the bleeding either ultrasound and/or hysteroscopy.

Not in my case. It must depend on the gp. There's no way my gp would have told me I had to go on the pill or the coil before a gynae referral. He tried me on progesterone tablets to see if it helped and when I told him the following period was much worse he offered the gynae route straight away.

That's interesting, @Notaroadrunner did gynae not try and push either of those options on you?

@emmathedilemma

That's interesting, *@Notaroadrunner* did gynae not try and push either of those options on you?

The gynae suggested the coil but I declined. She did a hysteroscopy and d&c twice - can't remember why now but on the first there was a fibroid and the next time there was a polyp too. That was about 4 years ago. By now god knows what's in there 😫. Thankfully I don't get much pain each month and the bleeding is manageable with tampons for extremely heavy bleeding.

The NICE guidelines suggest that you should be referred so if you feel comfortable you could take them along?

“If treatment is unsuccessful, the woman declines pharmacological treatment, or symptoms are severe, referral to a specialist should be considered for further investigations and alternative treatment choices”

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/menorrhagia/

I was referred for an ultrasound and the results of that led to a gynae referral.

I found out Id fibroids during an emergency c section. My periods were exactly as you described, v heavy & frequent.
I was back & forth to GP and she kept pushing for the coil which Im refusing. I was taking transmic acid & ibuprofen on really heavy days.
Im on low dose pill about 6 months and it has helped slightly with heaviness & frequency.

Im 42 & had some peri menopause symptoms which the pill has helped with like hot flushes.
My gp maintains they dont like to remove fibroids and the coil is the first thibg they will try for tge heavy bleeding.

Hi op, I’ve had very heavy and painful periods for over 18 years. I went to the gp and put on the pill, after a few days I decided to quit as it made feel very exhausted. They later suggested the coil and after reading about the side effects I could not understand why they would suggest something like that.
Four years ago I finally had an ultrasound, polyps found and removed. From January I’ve been going back and forth to the doctor’s. Thankfully the moment I mentioned having had polyps I was referred for an ultrasound scan immediately. A fibroid was discovered and got another referral to the gynaecologist for a hysteroscopy, where more polyps were discovered and was also told that my uterus lining is thickened. The doctor also suggested a coil implanted when I have my polyps removed.

I was really wondering what reasons other pps have to have declined the coil, I am not too keen on it either.

Thanks for the replies, it seems there are quite a few of us suffering with heavy periods.

Hi, I had similar - unusually heavy periods all of sudden and my tummy is huge. The GP was lovely and said I can't love like this and prescribed transemic acid (sp?), told me to book in for bloods and swabs and referred me for an ultrasound.

A week later and my blood and swab results haven't come back (dr said she'd phone me with them) and my ultrasound is not until May. But at least I've been referred so the ball is rolling

@SallyAnn32

Hi, I had similar - unusually heavy periods all of sudden and my tummy is huge. The GP was lovely and said I can't love like this and prescribed transemic acid (sp?), told me to book in for bloods and swabs and referred me for an ultrasound.

A week later and my blood and swab results haven't come back (dr said she'd phone me with them) and my ultrasound is not until May. But at least I've been referred so the ball is rolling

*Can't live like this 🤦🏻‍♀️

I hadn't realised fibroids could make your stomach look bigger SallyAnn. I've been feeling down about mine because I'm slim everywhere else but my stomach sticks out and looks bloated all the time. I just thought I needed to lose weight. Yet another reason to push for an ultrasound. I hope you get your results back quickly.

@StuntNun I've kind of self diagnosed but just waiting for the tests to come back with a yes or no. But definitely try and push for an ultrasound x

Another vote for ultrasound. I’m having surgery next month for their removal. They doubled in size over a year. My bleeding has been horrific and made me poorly with anemia. There is no way I’d take pills without knowing the cause but surgeon said he will fit a mirena for 3 months to stop uterus walls from collapsing post-surgery. Really don’t want it as I’m hormonal at the best of times. Best of luck. Might be worth paying privately for an ultrasound to out your mind at ease.

@SallyAnn32 as well as measuring fibroids for size in cm, they often referred to your uterus as being equivalent of x weeks pregnant. I had a 5-6cm fibroid and a couple of smaller ones and was quoted as being 14 weeks. So if you're slim and were pregnant that would probably be starting to show!

@emmathedilemma that's really interesting thank you. I do look pregnant and I'm wearing different clothes to what I usually wear to cover it up. I'm a petite build and just keep going out and out on my stomach. If it wasn't for the amount of blood I was losing each month I would have questioned whether or not I was pregnant! No poor babe could survive that.

I've taken the financial hit and booked a private scan.

I've spoken to the GP and she has referred me for an ultrasound scan. She also wants to fit a Mirena coil to help with the heavy periods.

@StuntNun that's good! I had mine earlier this week and have no fibroid but thickening of the lining of my womb. The sonographer gave it a fancy name that I can't remember but I need to wait for the report to go to my GP to discuss further. My uterus was the size of a 12 week pregnancy

At least there's no fibroids SallyAnn. Will you have to have endometrial ablation for that?

@StuntNun I'm not sure. On reflection I'm a little annoyed at the sonographer for saying it wasn't a big deal and live with it and at myself for not pushing for more information - especially when I've paid through the nose for the private scan. I've requested I get w copy of the report as well as my gp and when I meet with the gp next week I will discuss the results with her and see what she recommends. My back is in constant achey pain and my tummy is getting bigger and bigger. But I'm hopeful the gp will send me for another scan or further tests. She should give me my full blood results too. Obviously I've googled it lots since the scan and it seems like it would need further investigation to fully diagnose. I'm just pleased that at this stage it seems to be nothing sinister x

SallyAnn have a look at the guidelines for treatment of endometrial hyperplasia.

@StuntNun

SallyAnn have a look at the guidelines for treatment of endometrial hyperplasia.

Thank you! That's really useful. The link didn't work but I searched the topic and found it.

As a complete coincidence my report had just come through from the hospital reporting heterogeneous myometrium and no focal fibroids 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oh no sorry about the dead link. I'll blame my phone and not my fat fingers!