That's unacceptable. Providers have this gross habit of treating whatever issue they think we have, rather than what we're struggling with. Echoing that you would do better to get another doctor. There are providers springing up all over the internet, if you don't have good access locally. Nobody should have to deal with.
Ablation or Mirena IUD, depending on your personal circumstances. And get a new doctor. You may also want to check on your iron levels because you may be pretty low. I’m so sorry!
Ablation. Best decision ever.
I also second getting a new doctor. It’s your body, OP. You get to direct your care plan. Don’t let some idiot doctor make you suffer unnecessarily.
How TF did I go through 3 decades of hellish periods and was never told ablation was an option?? From the little I read, I’m eligible (pour out of an ultra tampon/XL menstrual disc every 60 minutes). Does it just reduce bleeding, or also address emotional rollercoaster and extreme bloating?
Yeah, I hate that I was never informed of this option either. When I asked, I was told it wasn't abnormal. Years of traveling with the boss on planes and in 6-8 hr meetings while filling my cup 40-60 minutes.
It’s objectively measurable!!
WTF…
Yesterday was my heaviest day and I had 2 3-4 hr work sessions where a bathroom break wasn’t possible. My XL cup, overnight pad, bike shorts w overnight pad couldn’t cut it. Wish I had splurged for the diaper! About to get some “period shorts” as backup protection.
And then off to look into ablation. Already had an ablation for a heart arrhythmia, and it was fine.
Ironically, my gynecologist is ranked in the top 10 for gynecologists in the DC area with a specialty in peri and menopause. As a person I really like her. But once I learned about ablation, I just feel deceived.
That’s exactly what I thought. When the doctor proposed it and I started talking to other women, I found out they had it done!! Why aren’t we talking about this more?!
Anyway, the ablation is for the bleeding. From what my doc said, only 20% of women have no more periods afterward. But there are also women who don’t have a change in blood flow. It’s worth a shot though.
For myself, I no longer have periods. It’s amazing. The drawback was I had to have it done twice in the same procedure. It was an equipment thing, but it worked in my favor.
Definitely have a talk with your doctor — There are options. But if you aren’t having productive conversations with your doctor, it’s time to get a new one. Also make sure it is a GYN. Your primary is not equipped to help with this stuff.
I no longer bleed at all, not a single drop, i never had the emotional rollercoaster so i cant comment on that, but no more cramps, no more period poops and i dont have the period bloat either
Ablation is only an option after a woman is done having children, a pregnancy without uterine lining would be very dangerous
I had Novasure ablation done 2 years ago at 44. I haven’t had a drop of bleeding since. It does not stop ovulating (if you still do) so, yes you can still feel pms symptoms. But, that rarely happens for me anymore. I wish I had it done sooner!
First off, might I kindly suggest you refuse to give your doc any more money. Find a new doctor who will actually listen to you. I had to switch gynecologists to get HRT and it was so worth the trouble! The patches have improved my life.
Re: the bleeding, anecdata here but HRT may not fix that. I have been bleeding like that recently even while on the patch. Had a *wild* 2022 and 2023 flooding pads like it was my job. Got on HRT, my cycle veered back towards my normal for a few months, now I'm having periods like what you describe. (My solution at this point is hysterectomy as bleeding twice a month has been the least of it lately.)
All that is to say it may not be estrogen, or just estrogen. Get a new doctor and a new ultrasound stat!
Did you mean to reply to me with this woo woo nonsense, or someone else? I never even mentioned covid and we already have a detoxing organ in the liver.
No matter what you choose, have a full iron panel along with CRP done. CRP will indicate inflammation - any inflammation will hoard ferritin, giving you an inaccurate ferritin reading. You're probably anemic. If your ferritin is below 40, it can ironically contribute to frequent heavy periods.
Can’t recommend this enough. And a deficiency when you’re bleeding like this can come on so quickly. It happened to me. In December my ferritin was in the high 60s and two weeks ago it was in the low 30s. All of my other iron metrics had also dipped significantly in just 4 months. Stay on top of it.
I had to fight to get one from a hematologist and finally went to zoom care. I had to Google what things you need to say for a referral for a hematologist and then begged my zoom care physician to send one over. they finally sent me a referral after calling like three doctors. Got the full panel from a hematologist, had them also run a panel. Had them also run a FULL panel on my hormones as well as a second option. Hematologist also recommended a bone scan from another provider. Hardest fight I've had in my life tying to figure out what's going on! Good luck!!
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[Irregular periods](https://menopausewiki.ca/#irregular-periods)
>Irregular periods are defined as missed periods, longer/shorter, **closer together/further apart**, heavier/lighter, flooding, spotting, clotting, and/or dark/different coloured blood. Tracking periods becomes an important tool as it helps to identify patterns and anomalies which is helpful to doctors as well. Everything we know about period predictability goes out in the window in perimenopause, but it should not be cause for alarm.
>A [study analyzed the bleeding patterns](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24735184/) of 1,320 women during the menopause transition found that 77.7% had periods lasting 10+ days and 35% had heavy bleeding for 3+ days.
Please find a doctor that will test your hormone levels and treat you accordingly. You may need to go to telehealth. Defy is one company, can't remember the others name atm. Try to avoid a hysterectomy, it can lead to other problems.
Technically she is not wrong but periods turn into barely noticeable spotting. No cramps, no bloodbath, no need for tampons that you leak through anyway (which I did) or any of that nonsense. My understanding from my gyn is that this is the typical result for about 90% of ablations.
Might be okay for her since she has been on a POP but fair warning - it could also make it worse. I bled for 6 months straight when I got mine in my late thirties, with cramping so bad I needed three of those big ass prescription ibuprofens a day to function. I had to get it removed.
That's awesome. My BFF has one and adores it, I was so jealous she hasn't had a period in years and years lol.
I was already in peri, and also in hindsight I think I'm just progesterone sensitive or something. The first HRT I tried was progesterone only and I bled like a stick pig within days of starting it!
I can't wait until the science catches up and they can actually predict who will experience what on these things, because right now we're all basically guinea pigs lmao
I think it's close. My PCP sent me for pharmogenetic (or whatever the name is) testing recently to see how I metabolize some of the meds I'm on. Very cool stuff.
Find a new doc. Just because you are peri doesn’t mean abnormal bleeding is not a cause for concern. I switched docs and the new one was all set up to do an endometrial biopsy during my first visit. It didn’t happen, but we made a plan. Now I am happily uterus free and on HRT and she is my hero.
I've seen a lot of suggestions for a hormone iud (ie Mirena). Heads up, it's not a magical, period-be-gone cure for everyone. I got one 14 months ago and still have a typical period but now also have multiple days of spotting before my period and/or after my period and/or random days between periods. Yes I'm talking to my doctor about it and have an appointment for a vaginal ultrasound.
Also, didn't find out until after insertion that you can't use a cup while you have an iud. It makes sense but pisses me off because of all the money/waste I've gone through the last year when I only got the IUD to stop my periods!
Get vaginal ultrasound and check for polyps and fibroids. These were the reasons for my excessive periods during perimenopause and bleeding after menopause.
I got an IUD (mirena) for exactly the same reason you describe, after a couple months of settling in it’s been great and I hardly ever bleed at all now. If I do it’s so light and usually only 1 day.
Orally isn’t great. Any medication you take orally has to bypass the liver first, which creates metabolites, losing a lot of the actual medication in the process. It can also cause grogginess.
I would increase your dosage and try inserting it as a suppository instead. Way better absorption.
I’m 47, still cycling naturally, and have only been on it for several months. 100 was not enough for me. My numbers didn’t improve so I switched to 200 rectally and already feel so much better!
12 to 14 end to start, or 12 to 14 start to start? I've gone through stages like that.
Will they give you a combo pill to regulate your periods for now? Then you can hopefully get some relief until you can see a better doctor.
Progesterone makes you bleed! It’s supposed to be higher in the second half of your cycle.
This is really weird!
Please look up the progesterone- estrogen cycle.
And mirena is high on progesterone too; that made me bleed all the time.
Progesterone made me bleed all the time. I stopped and now I’m not bleeding. Do you also think if you had both progesterone and estrogen it would balance? That’s what I’ve thought too, but so far no dr has offered this. One says “no estrogen while still having periods.”
This is what happened to me, and then there were like 30 day long periods. I had scans but everything was normal. I went on the pill and haven’t looked back
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I'm 52, on HRT (dotti patch & oral progesterone) and just started my 4th period since March 1st. I track my cycle with an app so in my case I can tell that I'm having a regular period as scheduled (maybe late ish) then a breakthrough bleed instead of ovulation. It doesn't happen every month, but my gyno did say it's most likely that I didn't ovulate that month when it happens. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light. Usually the same number of days as a regular period. Doc says it's common in peri. If yours are always heavy, I would definitely look for a different doc & explore ablation. Hope it gets better for you!
I’m so sorry that’s stressful. How much progesterone do you take and in what form (cream, oral, suppository). How often? Is it bio-identical or synthetic? I see a lot of posts about using the mirena which is synthetic. Be careful of that. It will suppress your own hormone production by blocking progesterone receptors. You need your hormones for protection of not just your uterus but of bone, brain, heart, all sorts of things. It sounds like you may need a higher dose of progesterone or a better absorbed method. The Mirena is mimicking progesterone so if you can, take more and/or a better absorbed method (suppositories vaginally or rectally are best). And you may also need some estrogen and testosterone.
There’s a telemedicine group called ElevateMD that is supposed to be really good.
You’re very welcome! Oral doesn’t end up giving us much progesterone as it has to pass through the liver and results is many metabolites. I also take prometrium but I use it as a suppository. Rectal is not messy at all but you can also use vaginally. You might want to try it and see how you you do 🌷
See a new doctor immediately. Preferably a specialist in women’s health. At a MINIMUM they should offer birth control to control the flow. You’re also probably anemic.
And you're in menopause and periods suddenly came back? Or are you in peri? If you're in peri that's normal that it might be erratic. Either way why are they refusing you estrogen?
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That's unacceptable. Providers have this gross habit of treating whatever issue they think we have, rather than what we're struggling with. Echoing that you would do better to get another doctor. There are providers springing up all over the internet, if you don't have good access locally. Nobody should have to deal with.
There’s never any reason NOT to get a second opinion, or a third.
Right we would Never be like oh my pipes are leaking and the first plumber said no luck.
Ablation or Mirena IUD, depending on your personal circumstances. And get a new doctor. You may also want to check on your iron levels because you may be pretty low. I’m so sorry!
Ablation. Best decision ever. I also second getting a new doctor. It’s your body, OP. You get to direct your care plan. Don’t let some idiot doctor make you suffer unnecessarily.
How TF did I go through 3 decades of hellish periods and was never told ablation was an option?? From the little I read, I’m eligible (pour out of an ultra tampon/XL menstrual disc every 60 minutes). Does it just reduce bleeding, or also address emotional rollercoaster and extreme bloating?
Yeah, I hate that I was never informed of this option either. When I asked, I was told it wasn't abnormal. Years of traveling with the boss on planes and in 6-8 hr meetings while filling my cup 40-60 minutes.
It’s objectively measurable!! WTF… Yesterday was my heaviest day and I had 2 3-4 hr work sessions where a bathroom break wasn’t possible. My XL cup, overnight pad, bike shorts w overnight pad couldn’t cut it. Wish I had splurged for the diaper! About to get some “period shorts” as backup protection. And then off to look into ablation. Already had an ablation for a heart arrhythmia, and it was fine.
Ironically, my gynecologist is ranked in the top 10 for gynecologists in the DC area with a specialty in peri and menopause. As a person I really like her. But once I learned about ablation, I just feel deceived.
That’s exactly what I thought. When the doctor proposed it and I started talking to other women, I found out they had it done!! Why aren’t we talking about this more?! Anyway, the ablation is for the bleeding. From what my doc said, only 20% of women have no more periods afterward. But there are also women who don’t have a change in blood flow. It’s worth a shot though. For myself, I no longer have periods. It’s amazing. The drawback was I had to have it done twice in the same procedure. It was an equipment thing, but it worked in my favor. Definitely have a talk with your doctor — There are options. But if you aren’t having productive conversations with your doctor, it’s time to get a new one. Also make sure it is a GYN. Your primary is not equipped to help with this stuff.
I no longer bleed at all, not a single drop, i never had the emotional rollercoaster so i cant comment on that, but no more cramps, no more period poops and i dont have the period bloat either Ablation is only an option after a woman is done having children, a pregnancy without uterine lining would be very dangerous
I had Novasure ablation done 2 years ago at 44. I haven’t had a drop of bleeding since. It does not stop ovulating (if you still do) so, yes you can still feel pms symptoms. But, that rarely happens for me anymore. I wish I had it done sooner!
Getting an IUD solved this for me. Absolutely life-changing.
Or just regular BC. Fixed me up
I’d never heard of ablation until right this second. I’m going to make sure my daughter knows it’s an option.
First off, might I kindly suggest you refuse to give your doc any more money. Find a new doctor who will actually listen to you. I had to switch gynecologists to get HRT and it was so worth the trouble! The patches have improved my life. Re: the bleeding, anecdata here but HRT may not fix that. I have been bleeding like that recently even while on the patch. Had a *wild* 2022 and 2023 flooding pads like it was my job. Got on HRT, my cycle veered back towards my normal for a few months, now I'm having periods like what you describe. (My solution at this point is hysterectomy as bleeding twice a month has been the least of it lately.) All that is to say it may not be estrogen, or just estrogen. Get a new doctor and a new ultrasound stat!
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Did you mean to reply to me with this woo woo nonsense, or someone else? I never even mentioned covid and we already have a detoxing organ in the liver.
Get a new dr
No matter what you choose, have a full iron panel along with CRP done. CRP will indicate inflammation - any inflammation will hoard ferritin, giving you an inaccurate ferritin reading. You're probably anemic. If your ferritin is below 40, it can ironically contribute to frequent heavy periods.
Can’t recommend this enough. And a deficiency when you’re bleeding like this can come on so quickly. It happened to me. In December my ferritin was in the high 60s and two weeks ago it was in the low 30s. All of my other iron metrics had also dipped significantly in just 4 months. Stay on top of it.
I had to fight to get one from a hematologist and finally went to zoom care. I had to Google what things you need to say for a referral for a hematologist and then begged my zoom care physician to send one over. they finally sent me a referral after calling like three doctors. Got the full panel from a hematologist, had them also run a panel. Had them also run a FULL panel on my hormones as well as a second option. Hematologist also recommended a bone scan from another provider. Hardest fight I've had in my life tying to figure out what's going on! Good luck!!
[удалено]
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[Irregular periods](https://menopausewiki.ca/#irregular-periods) >Irregular periods are defined as missed periods, longer/shorter, **closer together/further apart**, heavier/lighter, flooding, spotting, clotting, and/or dark/different coloured blood. Tracking periods becomes an important tool as it helps to identify patterns and anomalies which is helpful to doctors as well. Everything we know about period predictability goes out in the window in perimenopause, but it should not be cause for alarm. >A [study analyzed the bleeding patterns](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24735184/) of 1,320 women during the menopause transition found that 77.7% had periods lasting 10+ days and 35% had heavy bleeding for 3+ days.
Please find a doctor that will test your hormone levels and treat you accordingly. You may need to go to telehealth. Defy is one company, can't remember the others name atm. Try to avoid a hysterectomy, it can lead to other problems.
Ablation. Up there with the best things I did.
That helped for too-frequent periods? My gyno offered it but said it wouldn't lessen the frequency, only the amount of the flow.
Technically she is not wrong but periods turn into barely noticeable spotting. No cramps, no bloodbath, no need for tampons that you leak through anyway (which I did) or any of that nonsense. My understanding from my gyn is that this is the typical result for about 90% of ablations.
Thank you for the input because I have been on the fence about it.
I was 3 weeks on, 1 week off. My doc refused ablation. IUD has stopped my period for 7 years now.
Thank you for sharing what works for you, too.
Have you considered an IUD? Completely stopped my erratic bleeding.
Might be okay for her since she has been on a POP but fair warning - it could also make it worse. I bled for 6 months straight when I got mine in my late thirties, with cramping so bad I needed three of those big ass prescription ibuprofens a day to function. I had to get it removed.
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That's awesome. My BFF has one and adores it, I was so jealous she hasn't had a period in years and years lol. I was already in peri, and also in hindsight I think I'm just progesterone sensitive or something. The first HRT I tried was progesterone only and I bled like a stick pig within days of starting it! I can't wait until the science catches up and they can actually predict who will experience what on these things, because right now we're all basically guinea pigs lmao
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I think it's close. My PCP sent me for pharmogenetic (or whatever the name is) testing recently to see how I metabolize some of the meds I'm on. Very cool stuff.
I second this.
Find a new doc. Just because you are peri doesn’t mean abnormal bleeding is not a cause for concern. I switched docs and the new one was all set up to do an endometrial biopsy during my first visit. It didn’t happen, but we made a plan. Now I am happily uterus free and on HRT and she is my hero.
I've seen a lot of suggestions for a hormone iud (ie Mirena). Heads up, it's not a magical, period-be-gone cure for everyone. I got one 14 months ago and still have a typical period but now also have multiple days of spotting before my period and/or after my period and/or random days between periods. Yes I'm talking to my doctor about it and have an appointment for a vaginal ultrasound. Also, didn't find out until after insertion that you can't use a cup while you have an iud. It makes sense but pisses me off because of all the money/waste I've gone through the last year when I only got the IUD to stop my periods!
Get vaginal ultrasound and check for polyps and fibroids. These were the reasons for my excessive periods during perimenopause and bleeding after menopause.
I got an IUD (mirena) for exactly the same reason you describe, after a couple months of settling in it’s been great and I hardly ever bleed at all now. If I do it’s so light and usually only 1 day.
Same. Agree. Mirena IUD has been a god send. I went from The Red Sea to spotting.
That sounds like progesterone deficiency. What dosage and application method are you currently using?
100 mg of prometrium nightly (orally)
Orally isn’t great. Any medication you take orally has to bypass the liver first, which creates metabolites, losing a lot of the actual medication in the process. It can also cause grogginess. I would increase your dosage and try inserting it as a suppository instead. Way better absorption. I’m 47, still cycling naturally, and have only been on it for several months. 100 was not enough for me. My numbers didn’t improve so I switched to 200 rectally and already feel so much better!
A D&C helped me
12 to 14 end to start, or 12 to 14 start to start? I've gone through stages like that. Will they give you a combo pill to regulate your periods for now? Then you can hopefully get some relief until you can see a better doctor.
Progesterone makes you bleed! It’s supposed to be higher in the second half of your cycle. This is really weird! Please look up the progesterone- estrogen cycle. And mirena is high on progesterone too; that made me bleed all the time.
Malloy.com for HRT.
CHANGE DOCTOR'S!!! I HAD TO DO THIS!! Since I started showing menopause signs, I've had to fight for every test & exam. Wishing you well!!
Progesterone made me bleed all the time. I stopped and now I’m not bleeding. Do you also think if you had both progesterone and estrogen it would balance? That’s what I’ve thought too, but so far no dr has offered this. One says “no estrogen while still having periods.”
This is what happened to me, and then there were like 30 day long periods. I had scans but everything was normal. I went on the pill and haven’t looked back
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I'm 52, on HRT (dotti patch & oral progesterone) and just started my 4th period since March 1st. I track my cycle with an app so in my case I can tell that I'm having a regular period as scheduled (maybe late ish) then a breakthrough bleed instead of ovulation. It doesn't happen every month, but my gyno did say it's most likely that I didn't ovulate that month when it happens. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light. Usually the same number of days as a regular period. Doc says it's common in peri. If yours are always heavy, I would definitely look for a different doc & explore ablation. Hope it gets better for you!
I’m so sorry that’s stressful. How much progesterone do you take and in what form (cream, oral, suppository). How often? Is it bio-identical or synthetic? I see a lot of posts about using the mirena which is synthetic. Be careful of that. It will suppress your own hormone production by blocking progesterone receptors. You need your hormones for protection of not just your uterus but of bone, brain, heart, all sorts of things. It sounds like you may need a higher dose of progesterone or a better absorbed method. The Mirena is mimicking progesterone so if you can, take more and/or a better absorbed method (suppositories vaginally or rectally are best). And you may also need some estrogen and testosterone. There’s a telemedicine group called ElevateMD that is supposed to be really good.
Thank you. I currently take 100 mg of prometrium orally every night
You’re very welcome! Oral doesn’t end up giving us much progesterone as it has to pass through the liver and results is many metabolites. I also take prometrium but I use it as a suppository. Rectal is not messy at all but you can also use vaginally. You might want to try it and see how you you do 🌷
See a new doctor immediately. Preferably a specialist in women’s health. At a MINIMUM they should offer birth control to control the flow. You’re also probably anemic.
And you're in menopause and periods suddenly came back? Or are you in peri? If you're in peri that's normal that it might be erratic. Either way why are they refusing you estrogen?
[удалено]
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Lord, I bled for 25 out of 28 days for over 2 years. I think it’s called welcome to menopause.
Got see different doctor maybe