Periods & clotting - worried sick

[miss_moose]

I'm crying so much right now, worried sick about my periods.
I started my periods when I was 12 (I'm now 28), and they've always been really heavy, lasted around 7 or 8 days, and with really painful stomach, back and leg cramps.

They also have lots of blood clots in them, which up until recently i thought was normal, but then i accidently read something about Endometris, I wasn't googling my symptoms, I was googling to see what a "Mooncup" was.

I read it can lead to women being infirtile if it goes on for a long time, and all my symptoms fit.

Now i'm in a state, i've never had a smear test, being Agoraphobic and People phobic makes it really hard just to leave the house or speak with anyone. But I thought blood clots during periods was normal, does it happen even if theres nothing wrong, or is it something to be concerned about?

Thank you

[kirstynic]

Hi

Please don't be worried, I have always had heavy periods and lots of clotting, I have really bad clots. I have had a laporscopy for endo and did not have it. So don't be worried it does not mean you will have it and there are other symptoms for it which I had and still do have. I am going through worry at the moment as have had constant pelvic pain for over a week now and had a smear test yesterday now got to wait for results.

[swgrl09]

My mom had endometiosis. Honestly, I don't mean to be harsh, but the only true way they can diagnose it is surgically, so you may as well not worry about having it. The doctors did not know my mom had it until she had a hysterectomy at age 47 and had the hysterectomy for other reasons, not related to endometriosis. My mom probably had it since her 20s and she had three kids!

Are you on/able to be on a birth control pill? I am not a doctor and do not know your health history. I just know that my doctor told me (I'm 23) that one way I can prevent getting it (only because I would be at risk due to fam history) or that I can treat it if I have it already - and I had bad periods from the time I got them at 13 years old on - would be to be on a birth control pill, because that prevents the endometrial lining from growing, as I understand it. They also make my periods a lot more manageable.

It's something to discuss with your doctor just to ease your mind, but it does not mean that you necessarily will not be able to have children. My doc says that she has no worries about me being able to, and obviously my mom was able to and she had no treatment for it!

[Artemisia]

I'm post menopausal now, but when I was younger I used to worry myself to death about what my periods were and weren't doing.

MissMoose I had heavy periods when I was in my teens and twenties, they usually lasted anything from 7 to 14 days and I always passed clots. As far as I know, there was never anything wrong with me at all, although it is obviously uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Nowadays, I'm sure there's more that can be done to make your periods better, so if you can find the courage to see your doctor, then that would be great. I have been phobic level about smear tests all my life but in later years had some psychotherapy for it which led to my being able to have a smear test for the first time.