Tranexamuv Acid experience / advice

[Rainagainandagain]

I have awful dreadfully heavy periods that made me have a haemoglobin count of 40 and I had to have 4 blood transfusions and an iron infusion. I had a ct scan which showed thick endometrial lining and I was advised to have coil or mini pill. I don't want a coil due to migration but would mini pill cause the thickening to be worse? I got offered tanexamic acid has anyone had this and what is it like?

I'm beyond periods now, however I had gynae surgery recently to investigate post meno spotting. Boy did I bleed after that! It was bad and they gave me tranexamic acid IV first of all, and I continued with tablets for a few days after. It worked great. I still bled a bit but nothing like before taking it. No side effects at all either.

Others more your age with a similar condition to you will hopefully be of more help. I had TCRE procedure which removes the womb lining and takes out polyps etc. It is like an endometrial ablation which is often used to try and cure heavy periods. But it is usually done only if you are finished having babies! It might be an option for you, check with your GP and get a gynae referral if you haven't already done this.

Tranexamic acid did help with the level of bleeding for me and made periods more manageable. I didn't have a coil or the pill or anything, though I was advised Mirena would be the next step if TXA wasn't effective enough.

I gave blood not long after I'd been first prescribed it, so had to tell them about a change of medication (I could still donate) and the nurse checking my details was very enthusiastic about it from her own experience of being on it.

I found those acid tablets and the mini pill to be completely ineffective. The only thing that stopped my incessant heavy peri menopause bleeding was endometrial ablation. I was previously diagnosed with both PCOS and endometriosis and both contributed to my bleeding issues in peri menopause.

can well understand re the coil and the mini pill. My concern was that it would only treat (or not) the symptoms and not address the underlying causes. It’s cheap and does help done some women but not all by any means. Too many GPs to my mind try and treat the symptoms only but both symptoms and the cause need to be addressed.

Tranexamic acid is a non-hormonal medicine taken during periods to reduce blood loss. Since your haemoglobin was very low, it’s important to treat this rather than ignore it.

The first month I took it (around a year ago) it was amazing. Reduced my period by around 90%, no lie. It’s got gradually less effective but still better to take it than not and my periods are still at least 50% better. I’m now on the progesterone only pill (primarily for contraceptive purposes) which has made my periods far more manageable but much less predictable. I’m waiting for a hysterectomy due to fibroids which have swollen my uterus to around a 5 month pregnancy size which is the cause of my heavy periods.

Yep it’s amazing. Mine are much more bearable now and I’m not flooding anymore. I was also anaemic due to it and have been on iron tablets which have really helped. I’m 5 years into peri menopause and do not want another Mirena

Oh this sounds great as I can't cope with this flooding!

Exactly! i need t the cause to be treated! Thank you for your help!

I use tranexamic acid for heavy periods ( perimenopause and on blood thinners) and it works, but it does lengthen my period so instead of mega heavy bleeding for 2/3 days it’s medium for 4/5 days

no side effects either, other than low iron from the heavy bleeding

I found tranexamic acid a life saver. Went from soaking through super plus tampon and pad within an hour to a much more normal period. You only take it during your period, it’s none hormonal and it’s half life is really short - you notice if you miss a tablet - so if you didn’t like it it’s out of your system fast.

Thank you. The blood loss is ridiculous! I had 4 units but must have lost a unit just today. I feel tired like drained and also I feel weepy like I could cry and I dont know why. Sick of stupid heavy periods. Sat here and dreading standing up! Felt a horrible gloop feeling on loo before. So much blood loss I worry am going to get anaemic again. Got a gynae appointment next month. Hopefully get some answers. Could an ovary cyst cause severe period blood loss?

I'm sure you have looked it up already, but here's some information about endo ablation. It would be the same procedure on the NHS, although they seem to push for local anaesthesia rather than general. I'd definitely ask for a general anaesthetic for this!

https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/womens-health/endometrial-ablation

Push for this procedure, I don't think the hormonal stuff is as effective in the long run.

Game changing. I’ve had light 2-3 day periods all my life, but recently got diagnosed with fibroids that were causing me to flood through two lots of protection. Started on TXA, back to very normal if not light periods. I can tell if I miss a dose though.

I was prescribed the mini pill, Slinda, in January to stop my erratic periods - missing some months and then long ones lasting 2+ weeks, and really heavy, with flooding and clots. The last one was 5 weeks. An internal scan showed all was okay and the pill stopped that bleeding straight away. The end of the first packet I had a really heavy bleed, but I’m mid way through the third pack now and have had no further bleeding.
Bloods also showed low Hb of 9.8, and almost non existent ferritin, so I’m on iron tablets too.

Exactly this experience apart from the hysterectomy and the fibroids!

The progesterone only pill (Slinda) seems to be finally working after a lot of bleeding for the first 3 months. As @pourmeawine says, unpredictable periods but a million times better than my previous ones.

Was great for me - at 38 periods suddenly became awful, like i was wetting myself really. TA made them lighter than they’d been ever before, almost insignificant but lasted a day or two longer. Now 48 on HRT and a period every 3 or 4 months on average, don’t need to take it anymore.

I use transexamic acid and it has been fantastic. My periods have become short but very heavy and I hadn't realised how bad until I was prescribed this. I can now wear a super tampon for a 4 hrs rather than needing to change a super plus tampon and night time sized pad every hour.

It doesn't work for everyone but it's worth a try. I got too many sife effects from a mirena coil and the pill.

My GP is very much of the opinion that in this day and age, no woman should have her life disrupted by periods, so we would start with TXA, and then if that didn't work, step through the various options with the last step being hysterectomy, and we'd stop when we found what worked.

So try it, and if it doesn't work for you, go back to your GP. (Though be aware, not all GPs are as enlightened as mine seems to be.)