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pinkpiglet
07-06-10, 23:16
My last period was an abnormally heavy one for me but i will spare you the fine details!!
Ever since this period (almost a week) I have been experiencing episodes of weakness, shakiness and unexplained fatigue.I have also had feelings of light-headedness or off balance and i have had ectopics (palps). I have resisted the urge to google, however today I have felt much worse than previous days and it as only just occured to me that I might be anemic due to my heavy period. As anyone else ever experienced this?? could i be right in assuming that my symptoms are related to anemia??

I can not wind down to sleep despite been very tired and my ectopics have kicked in ten fold. I have nipped downstairs and taken two multi vitamins with iron, i'm figuring that this is not classed as an over dose (or is is??) and that if it is anemia I might start to feel a bit better (i wish!!)

Please give me your opinions (if you have any!!)

Thankyou xx

mumble
07-06-10, 23:32
I had anemia already and felt similar, then during a bad period which lasted a month, it definitely made it worse - I was given medication to stop it, and take iron every day in the form of spatone, it's gentle on the stomach.

Going home
07-06-10, 23:35
Hi pink, anaemia takes a while to develop, so if you've had these symptoms before then having an extremely heavy period could just have been enough to show it up more, but if this is the first time for the heavy flow and these symptoms, i'd say it probably isnt anaemia, unless the blood loss was really excessive. Our body replaces the loss of blood in a period in a very short time, its only when heavy periods go on and on that anaemia shows up.

From what you say it sounds like it could be just hormonal...are you at an age where you are leading up to the menopause maybe? peri-menopause can start in the 40s and this is when the periods go haywire...heavier and longer and you can be very tired and full of anxiety...its actually a worse time than the actual menopause, which of course is when the periods stop...bliss :) but you can get hormonal changes at any age.

Have a word with your doctor or just one of the surgery nurses, they might suggest a blood test to rule out anaemia.

Anna xxx

pinkpiglet
07-06-10, 23:43
thankyou for your replies!
Yes Anna, the blood loss i experienced was extremely excessive to the point that I had to change every 40 minutes or so, even during the night. I went through to my clothes which is something I have never done before....EVER!!
I am 34 and my periods have been getting progressively worse for the past 6 months since i stopped taking the pill. One of them lasted more than week and i was given medication to stop it but it stopped before i got to taking it. I think I better go back and speak to my gp so i will make an appointment tomorrow. And Mumble, a while month of menstrual bleeding.....you poor woman!!! x

Going home
07-06-10, 23:53
Pink, it does sound like its down to hormone because of coming off the pill so your periods should settle down in time, although not very nice until they do i know. Losing blood so quickly will make you feel dizzy and anxious, and I well remember going to the casualty dept because i couldnt believe losing so much in a period could be normal, but the nurses didn't seem fazed at all and i was panicking like mad! They gave me something called Tranxenamic acid (usually given to haemophiliacs to slow down excessive bleeding and found they also slowed heavy periods too) and they really did slow my periods right down, and they are non-hormonal so no side effects. I'm really sensitive to progesterone so couldn't take this as a way of slowing the period down, they gave it as Norathisterone and these really knocked me about, spaced me out and made me feel reall weak so I had to stop them. I had the mirena coil fitted but because there is progersterone in this too, had to have it removed after a year because of these anxiety symptoms. The tranxenamic Acid worked a treat though.

Anna xxx