Heavy period, freaking out

[AlbaAurora]

I have always had heavy periods. Usual pattern is first day is fairly light then really heavy day 2-3 then lasting up to 6 days.

This month has floored me. The first 3 days were incredibly light which is very unusual. Today though (day 4), from the second I woke up I have been passing tons of clots and flooding. Going through a super plus tampon every hour plus period pants for back up. I am weak. I've also had the worst insomnia for the last 4 days (related??) so I feel pretty broken.

I'm 36, I was hoping too young for peri but wtf 😢 my GP is dismissive and useless but I know I should get in touch. I have low iron but they don't care that I cannot take tablets due to the gastric symptoms they cause me.

Can you ask to see another gp or go to the hospital? If this isn’t the norm for you and you’re feeling weak then it sounds like you need some medical help?

I agree that you should at least call 111 for advice if you’re feeling weak from blood loss. I’m really sorry to ask but is there any possibility that you’re pregnant?

Call 111 and get advice OP. Better to be cautious.

longer term - have you tried tranexamic acid?

Thanks everyone for your concern and advice. I may call 111. I definitely can't be pregnant, thankfully.

I tried tramexenic acid a few years ago for heavy periods but (ironically) nowhere near as heavy as this. I had horrible side effects with dizziness so I stopped it.

I'm just completely caught off guard by this and the thought that this could be my life every month now is overwhelming. There is no way I could leave the house. My cycles are already so short now (23/24 days) which doesn't help.

Its so crap isn't it . Debilitating, embarrassing, expensive, annoying..

At 36 it's probably a miscarriage if you have had sex last month.
Otherwise it could be hormones reacting to anything. No one really has any answers unfortunately.

You need a referral OP. Definitely call 111 for that level of bleeding.

I have got adenomyosis and fibroids. I bleed really heavily and take progesterone, tram acid and naproxen for a few days when it’s really bad, with omeprozole for the gastric side effects.

You don’t need to suffer.

Please get seen OP. This is not just ‘women’s stuff’ to be dismissed. It’s heavy bleeding and you need to be seen in gynae. My poor gran had the same and never did anything about it (turned out to be fibroids) and she eventually left it so long she needed surgery.

Thanks all. I'm going to contact the GP. About 2 years ago I did go about my low ferritin (11) and heavy periods but to be honest they genuinely didn't care. Iron tablets keep me on the toilet all day and I do try to push through with them but ultimately I have to stop. I was told I wouldn't be eligible for iron infusion.

I need to be more assertive with them. This a new level of hell. I do think it could be fibroids. Let's see if I can even get past the receptionist and get an appointment within 3 months.

I'm post meno now but I used to flood the largest tampon, or a mooncup, and leak onto towels in an hour. Not for 4 days though.

When my GP discovered (I was anaemic), she said no way put up with it. I was prescribed tranexemic acid for when at home and norethisterone if I needed to delay a period completely for a holiday. TA doesn't work for everyone but when it works it really works and gives you your life back.

I did have fibroids and they may have caused the heavy bleeding but the position was such that surgery short of a hysterectomy was risky.

I found ferrous fumerate was better for the side effects that ferrous sulphate, and be careful to take vitamin C in some form with every meal or tablet, avoid tea and coffee (tannins) within 2 hours of meals or tablets too, etc etc. You will feel better when you are not anaemic.

If your GP surgery is unhelpful do move to another GP practice .

If finances permit I would contact your local
private hospital and determine if you can see a gynae for an initial consultation. Do not put up with such heavy bleeding. There is a cause and it’s in your interests to find out what it is as anaemia can also arise from it.

I found TA tablets to be ineffective but they can help some women. Again the cause needs to be determined as well as treating the symptoms.

Sorry you are being ignored, this is pretty serious.

Once you have been seen and diagnosed or supported, could I suggest potentially going on non cyclic progesterone so you can have a break from the periods.

I fear the GPs will suggest the coil, and worry it may make things worse for you, so wanted to let you know you can take the progesterone to stop periods, it does the same as the coil.

Presuming you’re not pregnant, that does sound like perimenopause. It took me a while to realise I’d started peri. First sign was my cycles became shorter. Then they became heavier. I’d flood a Super tampon plus a Nighttime pad in an hour. Once I bled so much in the hour or two I was out of the house, it ran down into my shoes (not exaggeration - it literally did).

I found normal ibruprofen taken regularly on the two most heavy days helped reduce the flow. It was still heavy but not so extreme.

As you’re still in your 30s, I’d try to see someone just to check there’s nothing strange going on.

Not to worry you but a previous poster had this and it turned out to be an infection and she nearly lost her life. With that level of bleeding I would deffo be calling 111 and personally would be at an and e. Feeling weak and dizzy is not good and needs to be checked out.

It does also sound like fibroids or a polyp. I had both and my periods got utterly horrendous until I had a coil put in. Finally settled down after a year.

Please see a doctor.

I had period like this when I couldn't leave the house for bleeding. The mirena coil was a lifesaver for me

I can so relate to this, I have fibroids. I'm constantly on iron tablets, my periods usually last around 9-10 days, & approx 3 of those days are horrendous. The second I move from sitting to standing I have to rush to the toilet because i flood, huge clots too. I have to change myself during the night, put an blanket underneath me to save ruining the bed clothes & still soak through 2 pairs of pants, 2 'large' sanitary towels & a super plus tampon! My sister was exactly the same, but her bleeding continually got worse until it was constant flooding & she ended up in hospital having a blood transfusion & emergency hysterectomy. She had several fibroids but one was as big as a water melon (she's fine now- had the hysterectomy in January). Definitely speak to a GP, women shouldn't feel as though they have to 'put up' with it.

It could be fibroids, I have one thats growing and is causing heavy bleeding every month, day 2 to day 5 of my period is horrendous. Coil didn't work for me. Tranaxemic acid helps a little so definitely ask for that. I would call 111 for advice though, especially if the Dr's are being useless.

@AlbaAurora you have my sympathies your situation sounds horrendous, I've no direct experience of heavy periods but my poor DD suffers terribly. She's now gone on the contraceptive pill as it's the only thing that controls the bleeding and pain she experienced. She was taking tranexamic acid which helped and the GP told her to take 2 ibuprofen every 4 hours, apparently ibuprofen really slows down the blood loss and my DD found this to be a big help. Wishing you luck and maybe try a female gp.

I am so sorry you are going through this.

I've been through it myself. I made an emergency appointment after I fainted due to blood loss and weakness. I was immediately given the mini pill which has reduced the bleeding massively, I now just have spotting every 6 weeks or so. Blood tests showed I'm anaemic so was put on iron tablets. They have referred me to gynae too. I'm 37.

NHS recommends that if you are soaking a pad an hour you need investigations. If the GP can't help today I would suggest the local urgent treatment centre.

You need to contact a medical professional about this, it could be dangerous and it's at the very least unpleasant.

Iron deficiency and profuse bleeding can go hand in hand. Each can make the other one worse.

I have been iron deficient a few times in my life, due to problems absorbing iron from food. I am lucky in that I don't have an issue with the tablets (minor intestinal discomfort). However, if you do, try a different salt (fumarate, gluconate, bisglycinate). I now take iron fumarate tablets as well as iron(III) carboxymaltose solution as drops on alternate days. It is not as well absorbed but is absolutely gentler on the stomach. As I am not in the UK, I am not sure whether it's available where you are; I buy it in a pharmacy without a prescription. With iron, it's often about trying several things and persevering; it certainly will not get better with a lot of bleeding if you take no supplements.

If this continues, push for an iron infusion. Again, for me - not in the UK - it would have been a simple request, but I keep reading about how difficult it is in the UK to actually get one.

Thanks everyone. All of your replies have been a comfort and made me feel less overwhelmed and alone.

I called this morning and have a GP appointment on Tuesday. I am happy to report back about how it goes if anyone is interested. Your replies will also help me prepare for this.

Now to crack on with work looking and feeling like death, out all day for training tomorrow and praying it dies down and I finally get some sleep tonight.

Being a woman can just be so awful.

You can get some iron tablets from vitabiotics that are slow release. They do not upset your stomach. Or Holland and Barrett do an iron and molasses that does not upset your stomach.
i was having terrible heavy periods and would feel ‘knocked out’ with quite a short cycle too. I went on the mini pill cerrazette. I actually don’t like being on the pill but I don’t like heavy periods every two minutes either. I don’t have them anymore. Literally nothing. Every now and again I get a little more than spotting for a day or two. Life is so much better and easier this way. (I was getting a period every two weeks initially but it did settle to nothing before too long so don’t be put off if that happens if you do decide to try it)
it might not be for you but it is an option if you are interested.

@AlbaAurora you said you were anaemic - ironically heavy periods can be caused by anaemia, as well as heavy periods causing anaemia. It's an endless loop

Point out that if you could tolerate iron tablets you wouldn't have spent two years feeling shit just for the sake of it and ask for an iron infusion.

GP update for anyone interested:

Was offered the coil. I didn't want this due to the horror stories I've heard. Or was offered the mini pill. I took the combined pill for 10 years and it seemed to agree ok with me. She thought she couldn't prescribe this if over 35 but turns out it's now over 40 so she said this is a better option than mini pill as less negative side effects. I also asked for the period delay tablets as another option. Not decided if I will start the pill or not.

I mentioned the potential for fibroids and she said they would normally wait to see if it was that bad 3 months in a row first, but she has made a referral for an ultrasound anyway because it will take months.

And I have to wait on someone calling me to make an appointment for a blood test.

I had the coil put in under general when I had fibroid removed and it has been life changing in its action. I was nervous about it as I had read horror stories but I have had no horrible things at all.