Heavy periods - bleeding on and off since January

[ParksidePen]

I am 44. I started my periods at 11 and they were always irregular. I went on the pill at 17 and came off at 27. Periods remained irregular and eventually the GP said that it was probably PCOS, as having always been fairly skinny I put on a huge amount of weight the minute I stopped taking the pill. Cycles could be 60 plus days apart but when my period did arrive it was always 5 days of bleeding with one or two days of heavy flow.

I had my baby at 40 in late 2021. My period returned when my child was was around 18 months and have been horrendous. They are now multiple weeks of heavy bleeding, flooding and huge clots. I have to wear incontinence pants when I have a period as all other san pro is useless. My GP has sent me for two ultrasounds - one in 2024 and the other in 2025 - both of which have been normal. My GP’s view is that I am too young for it be perimenopause as my mother went through the menopause in her mid 50s. My mother had a ovarian cyst in her early 30s which resulted in emergency surgery to remove her ovary.

Late last year I had surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ and have had radiotherapy last month. Since the beginning of the year I have more or less had a period / bleeding / clots and spotting constantly. It’s stopped for perhaps a week / 10 days then started again. On one occasion, having not bled for about eight days, I suddenly flooded through to my trousers with no warning while I was out at a radiotherapy session with huge clots. I wasn’t using any san pro as I thought it had stopped and this came out of nowhere. The last lot of bleeding stopped about two weeks ago and has now resumed and is really heavy with clots.

I’m seeing the GP on Friday, and I really want them to make further investigations. I’m in such a state about my health having had the treatment for the DCIS. Please help me with any investigations I should be pushing for or questions I should be asking. Any experiences or advice I’d be so really grateful to hear. I’m so unhappy and uncomfortable.

You need a referral to a gynaecologist asap. Bleeding like this is not normal and it is something you should not have to put up with. Fibroids and endometriosis can cause such heavy bleeding as can constant rises
and falls of progesterone and estrogen. If finances permit I would see a gynae as a private patient at your local spire or Nuffield hospital for an initial consultation ( you will need a teferral letter from your Gp). In the meantime keep a daily pain and symptom diary if you do not already do this.

Thank you ever so much @AttilaTheMeerkatI really appreciate it.

Hopeful bump for evening crowd …

Definitely push for a gynae referral. I had a year of near constant bleeding, extreme heavy periods where I couldn't leave the house, it was awful and so frustrating trying to get help. They kept trying to treat the symptoms with different pills, tranexamic acid and nothing helped. I eventually had a hysteroscopy (under GA) to fit a coil and they discovered a large polyp that had grown into my cervix, meaning my cervix was constantly open. Once that was removed the bleeding stopped and my periods were so much more manageable! So it was an entirely physical cause in my case, not hormonal, and very simple to resolve when I eventually managed to get seen by the right person. Had a coil fitted a few months later and my periods are getting lighter each month, hoping they go for good!

It's so worrying and draining to live with every day, definitely keep going back to the GP and push for proper investigations. I hope you manage to get it sorted