I can’t cope with my periods anymore.

[MyTruthIsOut]

I’m 39, have two children and I have awful, awful periods. I

For the first two days my bleeding is horrendous……I just constantly leak blood and huge clots. I have to sit and sleep on towels, I can’t really leave the house because I can flood at any given time and I’m just bloody miserable.

I’m sat here on the toilet, looking at my jeans and thighs covered in blood, I have massive clots in my period pants and I’m just listening to the blood drip out of me and into the toilet bowl.

I’ve got work tomorrow and I’m dreading it as I have to take spare underwear and spare uniforms with me because I know I will flood at some point, or two points.

I use period pants as sanitary towels and tampons are just a no-no, but I’m still having to change my period pants every few hours due to flooding. People have suggested a moon cup but my clots are huge and would instantly just take up all the space in them.

For health reasons I can’t take the Pill or take Tranaexemic Acid (or however it’s spelt) and I won’t have the coil due to two previous awful experiences.

I went to the GP about 18 months ago because my periods were so intolerable and I was sent for an USS to look at womb lining and they said it was normal. This was about two days after my period had ended though so I didn’t expect there to be anything for them to look at.

My GP basically implied that a coil was my only option and as I’m not willing to have one then it’s tough shit.

So I’ve been carrying on living with them (and the pain) but I just can’t cope. It affects my day to day living and I just can’t take it anymore.

Im horrendously anaemic which my GP says is because of my periods, but again, because I won’t have a Coil I’ve just been brushed aside.

I was so tempted to post a photo of my clots to see if anyone else has them like this so I wouldn’t at least feel so some, but I thought that would be quite grim.

I just don’t know what to do.

I’m just venting really 😢

Have you tried norethisterone or provera?

Go back to the GP. It's been two years so it may be worth investigating again. I'm so sorry you're living with this, it's awful. Is there no alternative less bleeding meds? I think naproxen and mafenamic acid are options too? But you need to keep going back. Even if you get checked again and there's no endo etc there you need better pain meds at the bare minimum

When I was in your position, OP, I was offered and had a TCRE. Looks like it's still a go to treatment.
Completely cured it, got me happily through to menopause.
Ask about it. Best of luck. You should definitely not be suffering this.

Gynaecology Trans cervical resection of the endometrium TCRE.htm (royalberkshire.nhs.uk)

your periods get heavier, your iron/ferritin. goes down. This cycle continues and you become anemic. And ever month it continues getting a little worse every time. I know because this was me.
what helps? An Iron Infusion. Followed by taking iron tablets and regular - couple of times a year - monitoring of your ferritin levels.
also an iron infusion and then raised ferritin levels will help with your period. It should be less heavy.
Yes you can take iron supplements but it’s a slow old process and you need prescribed ones because over the counter are not strong enough. Also you may not be absorbing iron and so not all of it will be absorbed by you.
So push for or pay for an iron infusion privately.

Ask to be referred to gynae. They can help and should.

I have been on prescribed iron medication for about 4 years now. I take 210mg tablets, three times a day and it does nothing.

I can’t take any kind of hormonal contraception where the hormone is on my blood stream as it stops other medication working that I have to take for a chronic condition I have. That’s why I have only ever had the Coil since I was about 19 beciase it’s the only form of contraception my doctors have been happy for me to use.

I had a c/a for both my births and I wish at the last one I had asked to have the whole lot to be removed 😢

Thank you for the links and tips to possible other treatments and when I have got my children to bed I shall have a look into them 👍

I had very similar issues around the same age, mine was actually the start of early menopause. I have autoimmune issues that triggered it off. I took the mini pill and then started proper HRT alongside that and it sorted it out, mostly.

What are the issues relating to taking the pill? Have you tried both types, combined and mini pill?

I had a mirena coil for all the reason you mentioned and it changed my life. Periods tapered off after about 2 months. No spotting at all after 3. It's been 7.5 years and I have no regrets.

I can’t take hormonal contraceptions as it is contra-indicated with other
medications I take to manage a long term heath condition.

I was exactly the same as you. Hormonal contraception had never suited me so I didn't want the pill or the mirena coil. I had a friend who had it for bleeding and it made it worse and mine was so awful and restrictive I didn't want to take the risk. Tranexamic acid made no difference.
I researched my options and asked the GP about being referred for an endometrial ablation and he agreed.
This was about 15 years ago and it made a huge difference and my periods were very light up until menopause.

Maybe you're a candidate for ablation?

When I had my first coil put in (2004) it was purely for contraceptive reasons, my periods were absolutely fine at that point.

I had Mirenas for about 10 years and during that time I didn’t have periods.

I had it taken out when me and my DH wanted to try for a baby (2014) and I got pregnant immediately so I didn’t actually have a period post Mirena removal.

I then breast fed for almost three years after his birth and I continued to not have periods as a result.

When I stopped breast feeding I had another Coil put in for contraceptive purposes and it was awful. Even though I’d had no problems with my first two coils, this time I bled almost every day for 8 months so I had it removed.

I then got pregnant, followed by another 3 years of breast feeding which meant I had another almost 4 years of no periods.

When I stopped breast feeding (2020) that’s when I started having proper periods again for the first time in about 15 years and they were immediately awful and have continued that way….in fact it feels like they’re getting worse.

You might not want to take a photo for us, but take one for your GP.

So sorry you are going through this.

I really kept pushing with the GP how the heaviness of my period was affecting my life and mental health. I was a teacher and on my heaviest days couldn't go a whole lesson without needing to change which just wasn't practical. I do appreciate that things are different post covid and waiting lists but I just kept going back again and again to my GP

Solidarity OP! I started HRT recently and that he helped but I was sleeping in period pants, with a sanitary towel and jogging bottoms because I’d flood. Clots made tampons impossible. It was only when I suffered an early MC that I found out it wasn’t normal!!

Get to a menopause clinic as periods issues get worse as you enter peri. Very few GPS know anything about menopause, so a clinic referral helpful.

I had all these same horrible problems and had them cured with an ablation. I thought it was my endo causing it but a scan showed it was very obviously adenomyosis. Even the ultrasound tech was able to say straight away.

The ablation was life changing.

Can ablation be done under local anaesthetic?

I was offered it as a general but I believe I read it can be done otherwise.

I think maybe some local with sedation?

Bleeding getting heavier is one of the symptoms of perimenopause.

The other condition you have might be relevant or another poster might have experience of both?

I had an ablation and it has improved my life so much. I really had to push for it though & GP made me try a coil first (I bled so heavily the coil wouldn't stay in!) I had the ablation under general, I don't know if local is an option.

It’s epilepsy.

And how was post-procedure recovery??

I found the post procedure recovery nothing much. I have had laparoscopies and it was nothing like that. I was able to walk around. Hardly took any pain killers. My hips were a bit sore because they are hyper mobile and I assume they got moved in an uncomfortable way for the procedure.

Regarding the menstrual cup, perhaps you could use one for a cycle as a way to measure the blood loss and clots. I did this and it was a useful way to highlight to the GP how bad the blood loss was. I could say how much blood a morning etc and the volume of a clot.

Good luck, it is such a tiresome bother.

I don't have direct knowledge, but my ex SIL did and she chose Depo Provera. Anecdotally for me, I bled on destrogel but not on norethisterone or Medroxyprogesterone. I didn't get on with any IUD or IUS, which I think was more the physical item than anything else.

The information seems to suggest that it's oestrogen that increases the risk of seizures, not progesterone - the issue for progesterone is that it tends to be less effective as a contraceptive as a result of the anti convulsant meds instead?

The Epilepsy Society suggests discussing it with your neurologist.

Sorry if that's stuff you already know, but they clearly want to avoid women conceiving whilst taking teratogenic medications, so it would be an area for neurology to be concerned with.