Off-Topic Perimenopause :(

[acey]

Ugh! It's definitely happening. My periods have been a little wonky ever since my ob-gyn took me off the pill in 2012 because of high blood pressure (which was temporary and due to my divorce and drinking, but was pretty bad). But this month, I've been bleeding practically non-stop!

Sorry for the TMI, but I am seriously needing some support and advice from others who have gone through this. I have an appointment to see my new ob-gyn (I moved), and I'm thinking of begging her to let me get back on the pill -- preferably Seasonale -- for however long this thing lasts. What do you think? My blood pressure is fine now.

[BunnyHop]

I feel your pain!

I had a fibroid that ultimately required a hysterectomy, but while I was still trying to head off surgery, I did the hormone thing too.

Honestly? It was miserable.

Do make sure your doctor is the sort who understand about hormones and the various ways they can be used to regulate your symptoms. If they and their practice aren't capable of talking to you in helpful ways, definitely move on.

I had one OB-GYN whose nurse once asked me, 'so, you want some birth control pills?' when what I was trying to do was initiate a discussion of hormone replacement therapy and how it could be used to manage my symptoms. (Pardon me while I roll my eyes!) The doc wasn't any more articulate than the nurse, so moving on was a huge relief.

[Nancy511]

I had an ablation 6 years ago for the same thing...outpatient procedure that cauterizes the blood vessels in the uterus. It does require general anesthesia.

No more periods! But everything else is in intact.

I tried the Pill, the nuvaring, none of it helped.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works.

[BunnyHop]

I guess my memory of that time is kind of bad, probably a protective thing.

In my case, hormones didn't always help stop the bleeding.

Early on I had a D&C to see if that would help. Still did more bleeding in the aftermath, which hormones didn't help. Got antibiotics for something else about six months later, and it stopped for a while.

Some years later had another D&C, then a while after that was scheduled for an ablation. Turns out the specific type of equipment she'd planned to use for the ablation wasn't a good choice in my situation (uterine wall was too thin or something), so I went back on the hormone dance for a while. Sigh.

Eventually I got so tired and worn down and fed up with coping that we went ahead with the surgery. Not a great experience either, and it turns out that some of the misery I'd been coping with was likely a side effect of IBS, not specifically hormones, but it's done now, and my quality of life is much higher.

Sorry to ramble, but I guess what I'm saying is that persistence pays off, eventually.

Still taking estrogen daily, and plan to take it for about another decade on my OBGYN's advice.

FWIW, my allergy meds can effect my blood pressure too, so if you take something similar, discuss those with your doctor as well.

[desie]

The Mirena IUD works to prevent pregnancy by not allowing the uterine lining to build up. It is a very very low dose of progesterone deposited right where it's needed. It takes a while to stop heavy periods, they gradually disappear over several months. The next five years you have light periods or only spotting at period time. An ob-gyn has to insert it, then no maintenance until 5 years later when an ob-gyn has to replace it.

[Lori_Michigan]

I found that my peri symptoms have vastly improved since I changed my diet to mostly keto vegan, and really watching what I'm eating. A higher fat and low gluten dairy-free diet has helped with my bloatedness and heavy long periods (like weeks at at time). I was also having near daily headaches and couldn't lose any weight. My breasts just kept getting bigger and more sore. Giving up wheat, sugar, dairy has helped me. I also have really cut back portions.

[acey]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. Yes, I hope my new ob-gyn office will be understanding (I presume they are, as I have to wait until July just to get an appointment...) and work with me to find the best solution. I'd never heard of an ablation before!

[acey]

Hi VFers,

I apologize for pursuing an off-topic thread, but I looked for online forums that address menorrhagia and there are none currently active. I'm feeling very alone with this situation, as none of my female friends have it.

I went on the Seasonale birth control pill in hopes of reining in the bleeding. It worked for 5 weeks, then suddenly, 3 weeks of a uterine Category 5. At one point I was getting off a plane and I was almost humiliated in public; had to sprint for the nearest bathroom. My ob-gyn suggested doubling the dosage. It reduced things to a Category 3, but didn't address the fact that I now bleed 3 weeks out of a month!

I went to a women-specific healthcare center and they suggested a specific kind of endometrial ablation. We scheduled the surgery, but guess what? The Seasonale launched me into secondary hypertension - my blood pressure was through the roof. So now I'm on medication to get that under control, and have to wait for the cardiologist to clear the way for the ablation. And in the meantime, day after day, enslaved and terrorized by my own body.

One crumb of comfort is that I had to get thorough bloodwork done, which was overdue anyway, and the results of working out for 18 years (to videos!!) are clear - strong heart (maybe that's why I haven't had a damn stroke despite the sky-high blood pressure), good cholesterol, etc.

Sorry to vent, but honestly, I had nowhere else to turn (TMI on FB).

I'd welcome any more stories of women like me heading into the next life stage and having to figure out how to deal with out-of-control hormones...

[warriorprincess]

In the meanwhile, if you're dealing with heavy periods, get a Diva Cup. They're a pain to get used to, but after you use it a few times, you'll thank its inventor every day. It holds about 4 times the amount of blood that a super tampon will, so your clothing accidents will be less of an issue.

I would find a doctor that specializes in hormone balancing. Most Ob-Gyns don't.

[suzannaerin]

You might ask your doctor about Mircette, a low dose BCP. I took it for over a decade, all the way through menopause. I attribute my fairly symptom-free menopause to taking Mircette. It also got rid of my PMS and periods, pre-menopause/perimenopause.