Anyone coping with very heavy menstrual flow (TMI)?

[Anonymous]

So this may be a thread a lot of you don't need to read, but I need suggestions. I've always had really heavy periods, but it's getting to the point of being ridiculous. On my heaviest days I go through an entire 32 count box of tampons plus a half dozen pads. This is normal for me. I've been checked out and my gyno says it's nothing to worry about, but I cannot stand it anymore. Every month I live in fear of accidents, sleeping through the night is impossible, and I sometimes feel weak and dizzy from all the blood loss. After doing a little research and talking to my doctor it seems my options are the following:

1) Go on the pill or use an IUD to lessen the flow.
2) Get ablation -- where they basically burn the endometrium and that makes periods extremely light.
3) Get a hysterectomy
4) Do nothing.

I'm 51 years old and long done having kids. I use a diaphragm for bc; I've been on the pill before but disliked the way various ones made me feel. Gained weight on Ortho Tri-Cyclen, felt strange on Yaz, and others gave me elevated blood pressure. I've never done the IUD, but the idea of it isn't too appealing to me for some reason.
I'm thinking about either ablation or hysterectomy. If I knew menopause were close I'd just wait it out, but I think I might be facing 5+ more years of this and cannot seriously take it.

Has anyone here had the ablation who can share their experience? Anyone just gone for the hysterectomy? TIA for any advice.

[Anonymous]

at your age your gyno should make you RUN from hormonal BC.

get a copper IUD YESTERDAY! i got mirena and i only spot. before having kids i was on depo shots one after the other because i would lose so much blood... i would get dizzy and faint, i was severely anemic too. i got to the point I'd sleep over a waterproof pad and throw it in the trash next morning so i could get a full night of sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:at your age your gyno should make you RUN from hormonal BC.

get a copper IUD YESTERDAY! i got mirena and i only spot. before having kids i was on depo shots one after the other because i would lose so much blood... i would get dizzy and faint, i was severely anemic too. i got to the point I'd sleep over a waterproof pad and throw it in the trash next morning so i could get a full night of sleep.

Copper IUDs can actually make your period heavier, so that's no good. Option 2 or 3 sounds best. Is an ablation a surgery typ procedure like a hysterectomy or is it an in-office thing?

[Anonymous]

OP, just about everyone I know from 43-51 is complaining about their heavy periods, myself included. Two people I know have friends who have had ablation (both were in their late 40's) and ended up never having their period again! I am going to speak with my dr. about it. To me, a hysterectomy is the last resort; I'd try everything else before I'd have one.

[Anonymous]

My friend had an ablation. Totally an out-patient surgery and made a HUGE difference.

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. When I have my period, I sleep on a towel and if I go to bed at 10, try to get up at midnight, 2pm and then 6. Work is a bitch. I definitely try to eat more iron-rich foods when my period is here.

I suggest looking into the ablation, but also suggest switching doctors. You should NOT be going through an entire box of tampons in one day. That's more than one an hour when they're supposed to last up to 8 hours. Something is off in your body.

[Anonymous]

I know several women who had ablation and are extremely happy with the results.

Hysterectomy can cause a lot of problems, I would not recommend it if not absolutely medically necessary.

[Anonymous]

My sister had an ablation and was very happy.

[Anonymous]

This is definitely something to discuss with your OB. I will say that after birth I also had very heavy periods. My OB put me on a new type of hormonal BC where it's a lower dose, but longer time that you take it and my periods were lighter and shorter. There may be other options as well. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Hysterectomy is major surgery and not something to do unless you have to. I had it done vaginally (for prolapse) and it was close to 3 weeks before I was back to normal. I'd go for ablation.

[Anonymous]

My doc recommended Mirena too, odd. I heard ablation works well to

[Anonymous]

I had the ablation done. I have extremely light periods now.

[Anonymous]

My doctor prescribed lysteda which I just take on the "heavy" days. Works great! I'm not using any other birth control with it.

[Anonymous]

I started using a menstural cup because it holds more than tampons. The directions of mine -- the Diva -- say that it can stay in for 12 hours so you only empty and re-insert it twice a day. For me, on my heavy days it fills up in about 6 hours. Still, that is way better than changing tampons every couple hours and constantly being worried about leaks.

[Anonymous]

I had a vaginal hysterectomy and was fine within a week. Bonus because they did a bladder sling which cured my stress incontinence and now I can run.

I'd do it again.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the great answers! This is the OP. I'm changing OBs and plan to discuss this in more detail. The ablation option sounds like it might be best for me, but we will see what the new doc says.

Thanks again.