Anyone else with this medical problem?

L

lorax

Cathlete
Hi guys,

This is kind of personal but I'm hoping someone else might be familiar with my situaion. I have a
doctor appt. on 4/22 but until then am looking for information.

I was on birth control pills for 20 years non-stop, no break whatsoever. In August of 2002 I decided to get off them. I anticipated heavier periods which happened but in the last six months
it's been out of control, heavy bleeding lasting 2 wks and then maybe 3 days off and then back to bleeding again. Since this March I have been bleeding heavy every single day so I'm going on 6 wks non-stop. I started taking my bc pills again in March in hopes that would straigten things out but it hasn't. My doctor's office said not to get another pill pack - they were Mircette and probably too low dosage. They will be doing a biopsy on the 22nd to rule out uterine cancer but believe it's probably more likely hormonal (I hope). I'm 39 (40 in Sept.) and I have been having night sweats for quite some time. The bleeding does seem to get heavier still if I get stressed.
Aside from the annoyance and pms I don't feel that bad, just more tired, probably from lack of blood!

I read about something called "dysfunctional uterine bleeding". Anyone else ever hear of it. Any advice or information anyone may have to help me until my doctor appt would be most appreciated!

Thanks,
Lorrie
 
Lorrie:

Hormonally, I am at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from you. However......

I don't know all the details of this but what you describe happened to my eldest sister. She could not stop bleeding, she became so severely anaemic her health was at risk, she would soak through tampons and pads combined in seconds and it began to rule her life, affecting whether she could go out or not or go on holidays, how far she could go from a bathroom, etc. In the end she had a hysterectomy and now is the picture of health again.

I am not saying it is the only solution, I am no medical expert. It was the solution for her, however.

It sounds drastic to you I am sure. But just bear in mind you need a solution that will restore your health to you. You cannot go on bleeding like this.

I hope you find a solution that works for you real soon. In the meanwhile, baby yourself a little more because you are losing a lot of iron, that will ake you tired. Can you take iron supplements? Eat iron-rich foods definitely. Get more sleep and maybe easy up on the workouts for a little while, since exercise also places the body under more stress. Do you have a significant other to help look after you? maybe older children? Enlist all help posible! Now is not the time to be superwoman, right?

Best of luck, my fingers are crossed for you.

Clare :)
 
Hi Lorrie,

I'm sorry you are going through so much.

Your issues could be due to a number of things.

My mom is 43 and started having hot flashes, night sweats, and really irregular periods- none or lasting a month- around age 40. Pre-menopause

My sister has a bleeding disorder called Von Willebrandts, and that causes her to bleed a lot- very treatable, but you need a specific blood test to find out

As you said, it could be hormonal, and I definitely hope that whatever it is, it's not serious and is treatable. I've never heard of dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

Hang in there, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Good luck!

Gina
 
I have nothing of import to add other than I'm glad you are seeing a doctor for this condition ASAP. Heavy bleeding is not normal so this needs to be checked out. There are any number of reasons why this can be happening...we women are not the luckiest beings on the planet when it comes to things like this.

One of my sister's has also had a partial hysterectomy due to heavy, frequent bleeding and she was also passing very large blood clots. Anytime a surgical procedure is recommended get a second opinion just so you know you've checked out all of your option's.

Goodluck to you and I hope you find the cause/solution sooner than later. And do make sure you are getting enough iron. Your doctor should do a CBC and recommend a iron dosage for you until you get this all worked out. Severe anemia is indeed a dangerous lifethreatening condition so don't take this too lightly.
 
Hi, had same problem but not after bcp but related to menopause. I also had the uncontrollable bleeding for long periods of time, would almost stop and then start all over again! VERY GOOD that you are having uterine biopsy to put your mind at ease - I did the same and followed up for a couple of years because of course the big scare is the big "C". As my doctor said the bleeding is a "concern". Initially got the bleeding stopped with bcp -- missed a pill and it started over again just as bad or worse. Then doctor prescribed progesterone which did the trick -- got it all stopped and no problems since. I too suspected that it was "hormonal" and indeed it was. The night sweats was the first symptom of menopause for me and proved to be very uncomfortable. Just received Suzanne Sommers new book "The Sexy Years" -- have not read it completely but she talks about stuff that I agree with. The most important: Have hormonal level checked with lab work - baseline hormone level. This was the most important thing I did and HAD TO ASK FOR IT BASED ON INFORMATION GIVEN TO ME BY A FRIEND. See a doctor that specializes in menopause and hormones; I suggest seeing an endocrinologist as well. I think Suzanne's book could be very helpful to you. I know how fightening it is to have such excessive uncontrolled bleeding let alone all the time you spend "taking care of it". Wishing you the best and let me know how you are doing. :+
 
I have a fibroid tumor that causes me this kind of trouble. I have decided to have a partial hysterectomy by laparascopic surgery to get rid of it once and for all. I am 57 years old, though, and I feel like I have been going through menopause forever. HRT on premarin never really worked for me because of the fibroid, but for several years I was on loestrin bcp and then migrogestin bcp. This seemed to control the bleeding. With all the news about hormone therapy being bad, I have tried to get off the low dose bcps, but every time, it starts to bleed again--sometimes huge clots of blood. I then found out that laparascopic surgery was an option, with a much faster recovery than conventional surgery for hysterectomy, and since I am now going through another bleeding spell, I have decided to do it--as soon as the school year is over ( I am a professor ). Just my experience--but maybe you have fibroids.
 
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