Ladies one - dysfunctional uterine bleeding

[countrygirl]

I am really struggling to cope with this my health anxiety is hyper. I am 46 yrs old and past year have been experiencing almost costant bleeding mostly spotting or slight bleeding but periods are horrendous with flooding.

I had all nec tests three months ago hysterescopy d&c biopsy and ultrasound and all normal so its hormonal. The gyny could only offer artificial hormones as in mirena coil or HRT or hysterectomy or put up with it and hope it resolves itself. I have to go back in 4 months and if still got the constant bleeding will have to have all the tests again! My gyny and my GP are pushing for me to have a hysterectomy but I am terrifeid of operations as you can all imagine.

If I was getting aneamic then I would have to consider hysterectomy but up to now this is not a problem my body is very good at taking iron from food it appears.

I was so pleased when the tests all came back normal and thought I could handle the problem but I find every day when I get the spotting or during the flooding periods I am panicking. Which means I am in a panic most of the time every day!!

Anyone else out there going through this?

[Allye]

Hello

I do not really have any advice for you just sympathy because I went through exactly the same last year. My problems however were down to a fibroid and my blood loss/flooding so so severe that I ended up with chronic anaemia. I had an op to remove the fibroid.

However as your tests are all clear it sounds as if it is hormonal. Have you thought about alternative therapies such as acupuncture?

[kazzie]

Ohhhhh Bless:hugs:

You so have my sympathy here:hugs:

I have a big fibroid on the neck of my womb and have had some horrendous periods as a result:blush:

I chose to go down the non surgical route and was given TRANSENAMIC AND MEFANAMIC ACID TABLETS

When I come on now I start taking them and they really help!!!!

Mine was so bad I had 3 blood transfusions in a year cos of anemia

I also take iron tablets

There is help out there that dosent involve ops

Pm me if you like

Luv Kaz x x x:hugs:

ps Im 45

[Allye]

OMW if my iron reading went one lower I was booked in for a blood transfusion - luckily it did not happen.

I was on those too for a bit but I needed something done because I wanted to preserve my fertility and the fibroid was getting bigger and twisting my womb round. I agree there are alternatives out there that do not involve surgery so you do not have to keep suffering. It really is horrible - your whole live ends up getting planned round your monthly cycle.

[Alisonj]

Huge hugs

I am going through something similar. My periods are normally like clockwork and very regular but for the past three months they have been out of whack. I have bleeding pretty much everyday. It goes from brown to red and heavy. I am sick of wearing pads.
I saw my GYN and he prescribed me some kind of hormone pill to take for three months but they have a ton of side effects so I never took them. But he wouldnt do any further testing which of course freaks me out.
So I defintely know how you are feeling. I have to be honest in saying that if my doctor would do a hysterectomy I would probably go for it but they wont.

[helenclaire]

Hi.
I have been suffering the same thing for the last couple of years at the moment my periods are very irregular, i can go for up to four months with nothing and then a couple close together.
They can last from a week to 3 weeks and can be light to very heavy.
I had a scan which showed i had a small ovarian cyst which the doctor was happy to leave.
It is such a pain though because i do not know when i am going to come on and how bad it is going to be. I had a blood test which showed that i could be menopausal so it has been put down to that i am 42 so i could still have a few years of this.
Meanwhile i suppose i just have to put up with it.
Take care
Helen

[countrygirl]

Thanks everyone for your support it really helps knowing I am not alone in this. I am trying herbal medicine and seeing a qualified medical herbalist and taking some foul tasting tincture every day but after 4 weeks it hasn't had any dramatic effect. I can but hope!

The constant wearing of pads is so annoying and literally irritating.

There is a hormone test that I could pay for that tests your hormones every few days for 28 days and tells you your ratio of oestrogen and progesterone etc but its £200 and not available on the NHS. All the NHS offers is the hormone screen which tells you if you are menopause and as in perimenopause the result can alter from day to day it means nothing, its only any use if you haven't had a period for over a year and can confirm you are menopausal. The ratio test is availabe in USA but of course we are always like the cows tail bringing up the rear in UK!!

[JennyW]

I went to see a gync. last year as I was sufferering from very painful periods. He said that it was highly likely that I was suffering with endometriosis. He wanted to perform a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy & D&C and whilst I was under, he wanted to insert a Mirena.

Anyway, it turned out I did have endometriosis so I'm cured of the pain and the Mirena controls the bleeding. It's been in 7 months now and I hardly have any bleeding at all.

My gync said that the Mirena is now the way forward instead of performing hysterectomies? Good luck :flowers:

Oh, whilst under discussion with him I asked what would be wrong with me if he didn't find endometriosis - he said that I would then be suffering from dysfunctional uterus but again the Mirena would fix this.

[helenclaire]

Hi,
I have also had the mirena suggested to me to help control my periods but i am worried about having it fitted as it is apparently painful and can make you feel faint. Unfortunately i have a real fear of fainting so this has really put me off.
Has anyone had one fitted that could tell me how bad it is cause i would like to be able to have it done as the periods are getting me down.
Many thanks
Helen

[Pink Panic]

Hi,

I have also had the mirena suggested to me for the same reasons as yourself Helen so if you do find out anything can you please let me know.

Many thanks :hugs:

Pink
x

[Dying_Swan]

Hello.

Kazzie's suggestion might be worth looking into. Mefenamic acid is good for painful and heavy periods. I'm not sure whether they would prescribe the oral contraceptive pill at 46, but that or the mirena coil could be an option.

I have Endometriosis and am currently trying to make decisions about management of that - I totally understand how horrible it is. I have Endometriotic cysts on both ovaries which will rupture if I don't have either surgery or hormones. Please, don't feel pushed into anything. My doctors want me to have a hormone therapy which I have so far refused. At the end of the day, it's your call. If you don't feel you can manage a hysterectomy, don't consent to it. It's a big operation, depending on how it is done. However, you may well find it's the best thing you ever did.

Ask the doctors to talk you through your options again. Mefenamic acid might help a bit with slowing the bleeding in the meantime.

Good luck and I hope you get this sorted

xxx :flowers:

[JennyW]

Helen & PP. From what I've heard, the insertion discomfort would be quite minimal so compared to the obvious pain and discomfort you are experiencing every month, it's probably worth bearing for. Lots of people have them inserted at the doctors so perhaps it's not that bad? Not that I'm trying to make it sound easy but they are not generally inserted under anaesthetic. I've heard that taking painkillers before the insertion can help. It's probably discomfort like a smear/period pain but I'm sure it can only be for a few minutes.

I found this:
It is a good idea to take some painkillers a couple of hours before the fitting - this will help reduce any discomfort. A good choice is Ibuprofen 400 mg, which can be bought over-the-counter at a chemist (please check that this is safe for you). Most women do not find the insertion procedure very uncomfortable - usually much less than expected.

[countrygirl]

It seems with the mirena coil you either are completely fine with it and have no side effects or you get ghastly side effects and have it taken out. I know about 5 people who have tried it and two of them have terrible side effects - huge weight gain - terrible mood problems etc etc and had it removed after a couple of months but another friend had one fitted and can't tell other than her bleeding has nearly stopped.

My reasons for not having it are purely that it uses artificial hormone which has a question mark over it and with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer is not something I should do. The coil provides large amounts of artificial progesterone and any hormone is excess cause problems so unless you have been tested and are seriously oestragen dominent then overdosing on progesterone is I think not a good idea but this is only my opinion and not something the Dr's seem to be bothered about as they don't even test your hormones for ratios!?

[JennyW]

The coil provides large amounts of artificial progesterone and any hormone is excess cause problems so unless you have been tested and are seriously oestragen dominent then overdosing on progesterone is I think not a good idea but this is only my opinion and not something the Dr's seem to be bothered about as they don't even test your hormones for ratios!?

This is not correct information.

The hormone contained in the Mirena is levonorgestrel. In the Mirena a much lower dose is released than when you take the Pill (about 1/7th strength), and is confined purely to the lining of the womb, rather than through the bloodstream whereby eliminating the common progesterone-type side effects.

Of course every woman is different so it's only right that anyone considering a Mirena should discuss it first with her doctor.

it can of course be removed at any time but for those suffering with pain and heavy periods, it seems to be the first choice now over a hysterectomy.

[Pink Panic]

Thanks for that Jenny.

I'm seriously considering getting it fitted now ..... all i need to do is get the courage to go through with it!

Pink
xxx

[helenclaire]

Hi,
I was just wondering whether anyone had yet had the mirena fitted as i am at that time of the month again and been getting horrendous bleeding for the last 3 days.
I really want to put an end to this but i am still really scared about having it fitted.
Thanks
Helen

[maz55]

HI

I suffered exactly the same as you at the same age, doc said it probably the start of menopause, and put me on HRT, which only gave me migranes, so deided to go my own route, ie reading all I possibly coulkd about the menopause, and the peri menopause, and managed to control mine with diet and relaxation, and hebal medicines, it was,nt all plain sailing but 7 years later is practically finished and i feel great , look on Amazon.com and type in perimenopause, it will bring up a list of books that are very good. Hope this helps, if you need more advice then PM me.

NB can also recommend getting sage tablets from chemists for hot flashes.

[amandaj]

ive had same but mines a fibroid have they checked for this xx

[helenclaire]

I had a scan last year which showed i had a small ovarian cyst, but they said thatwould not be causing the heavy bleeding and put it down as being hormonal. but that does not really help when i am going through it so i think i will have to go back to the doctor again. I dont go out much anyway due to agoraphobia but when the periods are this bad i cant go out at all due to having to keep rushing to the loo.
I maybe menopausal but i cannot put up with for next however many years.
Helen

[sheba2]

I had a mirena coil for four years. I had it removed 2 years ago. It was virtually painless having it inserted Not as bad as a smear test but I have had 3 children so this probably helped. Having it removed was totally painless I didn't feel a thing. Before I had it inserted my gp told me to take 2 paracetomol about 20 mins before my appointment. I also had to take a weeks course of antibiotics after to make sure there was no risk of infection.

The four year I had it were great hardly any bleeding no pain and great contraception. But they only last for between 4 and 5 years before needing replacement and strangely as the 4th year got under way I had very heavy bleeding which lasted for 6 mths. All the usual tests a hysteroscopy etc everything was fine. The doc told me that as the progesterone levels in the coil deplete this may have caused the problem. As it settled and I was approaching 50 I didn't have another fitted but I would have and sort of wish I had from a contraception point of view.

With regards to a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding there is another procedure where they remove strips of the lining I'm not sure what it is called but a friend has had that done last year and is fine no more bleeding at all and not as big an op as a hysterectomy.