Heavy periods, smear refusal

[wannarunfromitall]

So I've had ridiculously heavy periods for about 5 years. I soak through a super plus tampon and a max pad in under an hour on my worst days, and then when I take out the tampon have to sit on loo for clots etc to pass. It's horrendous and bathroom looks like a crime scene every hour. It's affecting my ability to hold down a job as I'm so anaemic and exhausted the week of my period and really all month.

I need to sort it out. I'm early forties and am done having kids.

I also have a bicornuate / heart shaped uterus if it's relevant.

I due to sexual trauma, cannot manage a smear test. Please don't judge me or push me on this, I've tried and tried for years including taking meds to make me chill out. I can't do it.

I probably need to see a gynae. Will I be able to get a referral for this without first having a smear? Ive read threads on here saying things about endometrial ablations or tranexamic acid or even hysterectomy are the way forward, I need something life changing tbh - but I'm worried I can't make any progress without a smear test. So I've gone on for years like this .

I can pay for a private referral if that helps bypass my GP saying he won't do anything until I have a smear.

I'm sorry you are going through this. I cannot see any reason that a lack of smears would be a reason for refusing a gynae referral at all!!! The gynae would generally ask if you are up to date with them, but wont suddenly grab a speculum and insist on one though. They may want to do an internal though. How would you cope with that? Have you ever had an internal (TV- trans vaginal) ultrasound? How did you cope with internals having the children? Would it help to have someone with you? Have you had any counselling/CBT?

Sorry, pressed button too early. I agree, you need to get this sorted. The anaemia will make you incredibly tired and susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. When I was anaemic, I got recurrent UTI's, tired and brain fog.

Have you discussed the heavy bleeding with your GP? They can start you on transexamic acid whilst awaiting a gynae referral and try other things to help x

I can’t see that an up to date smear would be an essential requirement for a referral. I have been referred to gynae for heavy bleeding, I don’t think a smear was even mentioned. My scans were all trans vaginal though.

Did you know you can get NHS home test kits to do your own smear?

Thank you for your kind reply.

I had c sections so no internals. Well I had some, they were early in pregnancy and used a dildo type affair and they let me stand up and were very gentle and I did manage. Other internals done lying down with stirrups I did not manage.

I don't really know what a gynae would involve tbh.

I guess a scan to check for fybroids would be a good idea? I have had one before and none were there but that was a few years ago.

I'm not overweight and try to eat low carb as I feel it helps my hormones. My stomach used to be flat in my 20s and 30s but now I can't fit into any of my old jeans. Haha guess that's just middle aged spread! But I want to know if anything wrong. But without a smear

What you can get a diy smear? That might be game changing. I'm sure I asked the nurse about that (although it was years ago) and she laughed off the idea that it could be done as a home diy test.

Do you actually mean a smear or just you don’t want an internal exam?

I don't know. I can't do smears. I don't know if I can do a transvaginal dildoey exam thing any more. I'm willing to try.

But it would be a huge barrier to me accessing treatment if it's needed.

I don't think you should postpone treatment because of this - seek out the referral, let them know your limitations, see what they can offer.

They could certainly treat the anaemia even if there might be some barriers to treating the cause.

Good luck

It’s a DIY HPV test, there are no DIY smears. But people get confused because even though they still do smears, they also do an HPV test and only look at your smear of you test positive for HPV. Do with the diy “smear” you’re just doing an HPV test and sending it in. If you test positive, then you have to go in for an actual smear.

Well, I think you need to see a gynae, but I don't think the smear issue is actually relevant as it's an entirely optional screening procedure.

You might not need an internal examination. My gynae didn't feel the need to do an internal when I saw her about horrendous perimenopausal periods, but went straight to a hysteroscopy and inserting a Mirena coil under general anaesthetic. The Mirena stopped my heavy, erratic periods completely, btw.

I had endometrial hyperplasia, maybe you want to look this up . It caused insane heavy clotted bleeding at one point I couldn’t leave the toilet . I have a private gynae from my days of multiple miscarriages and then second go at ivf after DD so she did take a sample which came back with a certain type of cells I think then I found myself a surgeon to perform further biopsies and to put in a mirena coil under sedation . Luckily the further biopsies came back with a good result of not the kind that can be a cancer risk although I think they always want to treat either it can still turn bad eventually I understood . I had the coil in for a year and a half two biopsies 6 M apart to check if the progesterone was treating the condition and it was cured by it . I wanted to leave it in to prevent possible further reoccurrence and also the coil really suited me I loved the no periods etc but then I had elevated blood sugar for the first time ever so I had it taken out to check if it had effected things but no change as far as I can tell so I think I’ll have to go back once more to put it in . Im afraid you’ll probably have to do a some sort of sample in any case . This is no way to live and also it could turn serious so I hope you can work it out !

I have endometriosis and adenomyosis

I was told trsnsanemic acid but it made me feel very spaced out

Could you maybe do it if you were sedated ? Maybe this is possible to arrange privately ? I myself have issues with this and trauma from childhood but I’ve managed somehow to get through all the internals etc to do with miscarriages , smears , birth of DS . It’s always hard to go have gynae things done though and I’ll never have a man doing any of it if I can help it . Now that I’ve made peace with the fact that there won’t be more kids ( I have 2 ) I’m actually very relieved I don’t have to put myself through any of that stuff again .

I had another really heavy period as the first one after coil came out and there’s a shortage of that acid country wide and none anywhere at least not without prescription apparently when DH was looking for it for me . Thankfully it passed after a few days and I managed but I had horror images from the past when I bled for weeks on end due to the hyperplasia . I didn’t notice any side affects from it . I’d love to have some for emergencies at home !

I had an ablation, but did not need a smear first, nor an internal exam.

My periods were so heavy and I was anemic. I did need to get my iron levels up first.

Ablation was life changing for me.

Good luck.

Yes, if there’s sedation like what my DD gets for her needle phobia, that might work? Whatever they put in the IV for her sends her to cloud cuckoo land and it blurs her memory too so it’ll be over and as she’ll be coming down will ask “when are they?” And I’ll go, oh sweetie, it’s all done and dusted you were very brave and in a few minutes we can go home.

Pay for a private referral and consider feedback to the GP practice. A more sympathetic approach is needed here and he is stonewalling you.
Is your anaemia being treated? Poor you, you must feel dreadful!
You can get an online HPV test from Superdrug, if it helps. As previous posters have said, if it’s negative then it cancels out the need for further investigation and you can do it yourself at home.