I am 45 and have not used contraception for the last 13 years as husband sterilised.

saw gp back in december and had a ultrasound scan which found a couple of very small fibroids. Had been experiencing a bit of brown spotting between periods. Everything then settled down again. Getting period every 25 to 28 days. Was light on day one then fairly heavy day two and three and finished by day 5. Also had a clear smear this year.

End of june this year going on holiday abroad so took Norethisterone a progesterone hormone to delay my period. Took it for 10 days and then my period start a week later (as stated in the leaflet). Have used this before with no problems. This period was a little heavier than normal but still only lasted 6 days.

August, period was a week late, started a week last Sunday, first four days were fairly light for me, then wham since Friday Ihave been bleeding like a stuck pig, seems to ease off for a couple of hours then gushes out, sorry for being so descriptive.

This last weekend has been awful, i had to stay near a toilet, change tampon every hour. Sunday night i was up nearly every hour, getting back into bed and sweating. Was able to work from home yesterday. Went to docs who said wasnt sure what had caused it but to take tranexamic acid tablets, 2 tablets 3 times a day for four days. These cause the blood to clot more and slow down the amount of blood loss.

It is now tuesday and have had two days on the tablets, today has been slightly better, but as soon as they wear off it comes flooding out again. The other strange this is that i normally get really bad period pains. This time all i get is very mild stomach ache and all i can describe it as is a nervous feeling in my stomach.

Is it ever going to stop, it seems the tablets are only reducing the amount, what is going to happen after the four days. I have been on this period for 10 days now and it aint showing no signs of stopping.

Even worst next monday we head off for a camping week, we only have a porta potti in tent and will be using campsite loos all week. It is our weeks holiday and if it is still going on like this it will be ruined.

Would you advise going back this thursday if nothing improves and asking for some other form of drugs, (whatever they may be) to try and stop it. Even going back on the pill after 20 years would be preferable.

Is there anything else they could give me. I am sick of this, it looks like it could ruin my holiday and i have so been looking forward to it.

Sorry for the long rant but just wanted to know if anyone else had been through similar. Could it be the Norethisterone thats caused this.

thanks

jan

I think that one thing they can do is give you a large dose of progesterone by injection, but that might not be the best thing for you. Also, there's no telling how you might react or what side effects you would have, so it's probably not a good option if you are vacation bound within a short period of time.

dont worry, i went like that for 60 days straight... more then once, that was last year , this year ive had 1 period for 6 days , there is no ryhme or reason for this crap....

Have you tried provera which is derived from the progesterone.. I had a very long bleed which lasted approx 12 weeks.. Initially given like you given tranexamic acid tablets.. Which slows down the blood flow only and primolut which is the med you were taking.. I had eventually a D&C and a iud placed which slowly releases provera which in turn targets my fibroid.. Provera is prescribed to control bleeding and growth . You mentioned you had a ultra sound last December could be some changes, your two small fibroids could have grown a wee bit.. Was your endometrial lining normal thickness at that time . I would see your Dr before you go on your trip.. You dont want this to spoil your holiday..
Talk with your Dr you could be due for another ultrasound..

Yeah, I had the d&c -- no Provera though. I can attest the d&c worked wonders for me, but I don't think that would be practical for you so close to your vacation.

thanks for all the answers, if it is no better tomrow i will be ringing up doc as dont want this draggin on into holiday

I am thinking of trying the natural mexican yam alternative to the progesterone cream
has anyone ever tried this?
and what about black cohosh.......is there anything natural which may lessen my bleeding...
I,ve tried tablets,Mirena etc and would rather find an alternative before I go down the surgery route
I,ve had all other blood tests done now and it seems I,m JUST suffering from DUB
well that problem is ruining my life!

NOOOOO ... don't take anything with "estrogenic" properties -- no soy, yam, black cohosh, etc. I'm not sure I believe that these supplements actually do anything at all, but IF they perform in an estrogen-like way, they will make you bleed more.

i agree, at 45 you are probaly needing more progesterone than the natural " wild yam" which is like a natural estrogen, and more than likely at your age you are probably " estrogen dominet" and adding more E would be crazy and could cause more harm with the bleeding...

sorry thought you were orig. poster, but still stand by my statement even more so, your only 37, and probably have more E then you need,

What a coincidence! I could have written much of your post (the graphic parts!) and still signed it "Jan".
All of a sudden my periods started getting really whacky in the last few months. I skipped 3 1/2 mos. then resumed in June. June's was rather light not too bad only 5 or 6 days as I recall. July's was 5 days "early" and kicked my butt. Now August...started yesterday 11 days "late" as the case may be and I've been in terrible pain ever since yesterday about 3pm. I'm alternating my meds between Tylenol and Motrin, taking one or the other every three hours. Don't usually use Motrin during this time but I can't take enough Tylenol to kill the pain. I'm changing tampons and pads every hour (I can't really make it to the hour mark!) and lots and lots of clots. I'm seriously thinking I need a D&C if this doesn't correct itself next month. When I had a sono back in Feb. it showed an endometrial lining of a bit over 7mm but I don't know what it is now. Should be ZERO based on the amount of blood I've passed in the last 24 hrs.!!! This really stinks ... my daughter is throwing a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband this evening and I'm not so sure I want to venture out and have to deal with the possibility of a flood with all those people around. I could wear black pants but still!!! UGH, when will this torture end for us???? I'm about ready to reach "up there" and rip my uterus out with my own bare hands at this point.

thanks ladies,for your advice
I,m afraid I,ve only just read these posts and have to say that I didnt buy the yam or black cohosh....but I did get a big tub of agnus castus!
the lady behind the counter recommended it.Its too early to say whether its working,but apparantly it can help with heavy bleeding and balances the hormones.can also help with depression.I am reluctant to take AD's though sometimes I think,'to hell with it and just get some!'
I thought yam was more progesterone?

anybody else tried agnus castus? or have I been conned?

after my hysteroscopy,I found out my uterine lining was 15 mm thick
not bragging
can you imagine the awful blood loss! why arent the doctors worried?
If I have the ablation,that might not work either......I feel like saying stuff it and have a Hysterectomy
but there's a whole new loads of ifs and buts that come with that
life can be just **** sometimes

The vitex (agnes castus or chasteberry) is one of the things that is supposed to help with the bleeding. It supposedly regulates your progesterone and estrogen to get them in balance. I've not tried it myself. I had thought of taking some during the worst of my problems, but then read that you wouldn't see results for like two months. That was just too discouraging a prognosis so I gave up.

It must be something in the air or a strange planetary alignment. My cycles are still regular but mine is as heavy as yours. This is nuts. I just had an ultrasound--couple of small fibroids all is normal. If that's not bad enough, I just found out that I am anemic. My theory is that it is my thyroid. If you are hypothyroid doesn't that cause heavy bleeding?

I've heard that it does but only anecdotally, meaning not from a doctor. It makes sense to me though. Hypothyroid causes so many other problems that it wouldn't surprise me if it causes heavy bleeding. AND, I'm "ever so slightly" hypo according to my labs in February. Not low enough to start taking something though. I had an appt. with my PCP the other day and will see him again in two months so will ask for another round of blood tests. I want to see if some of this fatigue is due to any hypo anything. I've been depressed lately and anxious but it's at least partially situational. Not really sure how much is situation and how much is peri. makes me more than a little crazy these days wondering what exactly to do about it. I tried Lexapro and I had a severe adverse reaction to it so can't take that. It's been determined that I should not take any serotonin uptake inhibitor ADs so I've decided to try to tough it out for now. The heavy bleeding and terrible pain associated with it is just making everything that much worse. For awhile I was thinking I was getting through all this pretty easily but things have changed and it's gotten much tougher of late. if it continues, I'll be looking for a D&C to see if that helps. Can't imagine doing this again any time soon!

I,m now beginning to wonder if its my thyroid,rather than the Peri.....
is the LH test the thyroid one?
my results were 2.6
I have put 3 stone on ,as well as the heavy periods,am depressed,tired and weak in the mornings till about dinner,have a little energy spurt,but by tea time,need to lie down again.I,ve just walked up stairs and am puffing like an old man who smokes 40 fags a day.I dont smoke.
my doctor said to continue with the iron
thats all well and good,until my next period when i will be wiped out for at least a week.
I feel I am being fobbed off again
I will keep on with the agnus castus,though 2 months is a long time to wait for any results,what have I got to lose,but many more pints of blood! sorry,slight exageration there!

No, the thyroid tests are TSH, T3, T4 I think the LH test you are referring to is the lutenizing hormone which is a "female" hormone.

I know what you mean when you describe how you feel. I'm not quite that bad but do have the same symptoms...depression mixed w/ anxiety, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, weight gain and little endurance. I can climb a flight of stairs no problem but take me up three and I'm VERY winded. I don't smoke either so it's not that. Just curious, how much iron are you taking? Are you taking it once a day or more than that? Are you also taking Vitamin C at the same time? If not, you need to start doing that, it helps with the absorption of the iron. Eat lots of red meat, fish, rice, dark green leafy veggies (spinach, kale, etc.), these things are all rich in iron and will be absorbed much more readily that a pill. If you like organ meats (liver, etc.) eat that at least once a week. They are LOADED w/ iron. But watch out for the cholesterol...if your's is high you might want to skip this but an occasional helping of your steak and kidney pie wouldn't hurt! Hope you feel better soon!
hugs
Jan

I used to take tablet form iron,until one day it just didnt agree with me.....
My stomach would bloat and I would get awful cramps and terrible diarrhea
I did some research on the net and found liquid iron...Spatone,which apparantly is only really available in the UK
It is from the Welsh mountains in Trefriw {where my Great Grandma was from!!}
there is something similar available in the US,though I cant remember the name now.
One lady tried ordering Spatone from the internet but found it was a year out of date when it arrived.

My body is much more able to absorb it.I pour a satchet in a glass of fresh orange,twice a day,sometimes 3 if I,m very weak {I try and have 3 a day,leading up to my period}
the stuff is a wonder,as my HG went up in just 2 weeks from 10 to 11
My goal is 13,because thats when I had energy to do all the things I used to.If it ever gets as low as 7 or 8 again,I will have a Hysterectomy

I eat lots of fruit & green veg but unfortunately I hate all forms of red meat.I cannot stand liver,so much so,that when I worked as a cook,I would not even handle it.The smell in a butchers makes me feel ill.....and kidney.....bluergh,horrible stuff
I love raw spinach,so I reckon I,m eating enough,its just not staying in my body!!
my cholesterols just a little high 5.4
I did have the Mirena coil which calmed it down,but it came out (twice} so now I,m waiting for the ablation.
its funny,because when I had the coil,the bleeding stopped nearly completely.I only needed 3 panty liners for one whole period!!! It cut the blood loss by 99.9% the breast pain went and so did the pain in my right ovary.
Since the coil came out,those problems have come back
I,ve had a scan,hysteroscopy,laparoscopy etc ,no fibroids or cysts found
the bleeding is unexplained
I wish I could just have a shot of progesterone!! that is whats causing the lining to grow so much....I reckon I,m estrogen dominant.
I cant take the pill as I have high blood pressure...wish there was a simple pill to take to sort it all out
todays a good day though,my house is tidy,I,ve done some shopping and I havent had a crying episode or shouted at the kids for nothing
I,ve even booked myself for a hair appointment on Thursday and am going on a rare girls night out on Sunday
Hope things get better for you too,Jan

((hugs))

While containing high levels of iron and calcium, the rate of absorption is almost nil. The oxalic acid binds calcium into an insoluble salt (calcium oxalate), which cannot be absorbed by the body. The same applies to the iron, as it is bound, leaving only 2-5% of the supply actually available for absorption.

I agree with you with the veggies,but the Spatone really does make a difference.The blood tests have proven it.
You can taste the metallic taste in the orange! I wouldnt advise it on its own or in water,,tastes vile!!!

Like you Miserablemum, I love spinach too. My iron levels are good at the moment but thanks for telling me about Spatone, it's worth knowing just incase I get to the point where I need iron supplementation again....I hope I dont!

I'm glad you're feeling better --- Enjoy your night out with the girls on Sunday!

aw thanx evening primrose
if i feel well enough,I might just get plastered!!! I shouldnt really,as my hangovers last weeks!! but,I am ready for a night out,and its with friends who I,ve known since my teens so it should be a good laugh
x

Floradix is a liquid iron sold in the US. Someone on the board recommended it to me. I purchased it at a local health food store. This is only my third day using it, but I read reviews of it on Amazon and it sounds like most people love it.

[well this whole thread could have been written by me LOL had a heavy period like you have described in late March, have had to date, a D & C, the procedure where they freeze my uterus, still bleeding... then they did the one with the water 2 weeks ago, so far still spotting but that's it. Provera would only slow the bleeding down not stop up. All the biopies are fine, a small fibroid, that's it. Just a very thick lining on my uterus and once I start bleeding, it's like the floodgate opens and I don't stop.

This last procedure was the last stop. if this doesnt' do it I have surgery, of course, while examining me to see what kind of incision they found the mother of all hernias. Of course they did! So now I have to get that taken care of as well.

Getting older is not for sissies