The Pill or Uterine Ablation?

[lisabees]

Pros and Cons?

 

My periods are super, super, super heavy and come every 20-22 days.  I am anemic.

 

Originally, I was thinking the ablation, but after yesterday's PMS explosion, I am thinking that the pill may be better.  Seriously - where does that PMS rage come from?  It is so unlike me. And it is so unfair to everyone.  

 

Advice, please.  I hate both ideas, but I just want to be me again.

[purpleowl]

Have you considered Lysteda? You take it for the first few days of your period and it lessens/changes the flow. It works great for me.

[lisabees]

Never heard of it.

 

Off to check it out.  Thanks!

[regentrude]

How would uterine ablation help with PMS? I understand it helps with the heavy periods, but the hormonal mood swings?

 

[Miss Tick]

How would uterine ablation help with PMS? I understand it helps with the heavy periods, but the hormonal mood swings?

I read it that she was thinking ablation, but her PMS this month was so severe that perhaps the pill would be better. When I was on the pill, though, I think I was just always in a bad mood.

[regentrude]

I read it that she was thinking ablation, but her PMS this month was so severe that perhaps the pill would be better. When I was on the pill, though, I think I was just always in a bad mood.

 

My personal experience with pill was mood stabilizing. I never experienced PMS until I stopped (and had no idea why I was getting so angry until I figured it out)

Edited January 23, 2017 by regentrude

[Katy]

There's several things that have helped my cycled go from heavy and close together to normal:

• changing diet to either low fat vegan (even a week of this can drop your estrogen levels dramatically) and/or low histamine (avoiding cheese and aged proteins, as well as limiting tomatoes) both drop your estrogen levels and the estrogen/progesterone imbalance that causes heavy bleeding.
• a herbal supplement called Slow Flow taken the heavy days of your cycle helps.  You should also try drinking milk or chai tea with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses (unsulphored) mixed in twice a day.
• Get your iron back up.  The fastest way to do this for me is eating beef liver, and I choose to do that by eating beef fajitas from a mexican restaurant.  Most mix in about 30% beef liver, but you can't really taste it, and by mixing it with high vitamin C peppers and onions you greatly increase iron absorbtion.  Within 2 days of eating this once or twice my gums can go from very pale to normal and healthy pink.

Otherwise, I'd say the pill is a better option if you're having emotional swings too.  Ablations do nothing to regulate hormones.  I know several women who took the pill all the way through menopause and had no emotional symptoms at all.

[Katy]

The pill can both regulate and dis-regulate emotions.  Some women get depressed, anxious, and/or angry on the pill.  Others do fine on some types but poorly on others.  Some women find that intense PMS symptoms disappear entirely on the right formulation of the pill for them. If you find you're worse on the pill, change to a different formula immediately, and make sure your doctor knows you're using it to treat emotional issues and heavy bleeding rather than simply wanting birth control.  They will steer you to different formulas.

[kewb]

Ablation was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

It did not really do anything for my pms. Although over the last year or so that has mellowed. For me cutting back/eliminating dairy and avoiding chocolate and caffeine helps my symptoms.

Edited January 23, 2017 by kewb

[Plateau Mama]

The ablation was the best thing I ever did. PMS was never a huge issue for me but the one downside is it's harder to track that now since I have no bleeding. I will say after 3-4 months PMS didn't seem to be an issue at all for me but since I was never super hormonal maybe I just don't notice it anymore since I don't have anything to line it up with.

 

Is it possible to do the pill after an ablation? If it were me I'd do both if I could (and needed it).

[Carol in Cal.]

My increasing PMS in peri was just about entirely controllable with borage oil capsules.  YMMV.  

[lisabees]

There's several things that have helped my cycled go from heavy and close together to normal:

• changing diet to either low fat vegan (even a week of this can drop your estrogen levels dramatically) and/or low histamine (avoiding cheese and aged proteins, as well as limiting tomatoes) both drop your estrogen levels and the estrogen/progesterone imbalance that causes heavy bleeding.
• a herbal supplement called Slow Flow taken the heavy days of your cycle helps.  You should also try drinking milk or chai tea with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses (unsulphored) mixed in twice a day.
• Get your iron back up.  The fastest way to do this for me is eating beef liver, and I choose to do that by eating beef fajitas from a mexican restaurant.  Most mix in about 30% beef liver, but you can't really taste it, and by mixing it with high vitamin C peppers and onions you greatly increase iron absorbtion.  Within 2 days of eating this once or twice my gums can go from very pale to normal and healthy pink.

Otherwise, I'd say the pill is a better option if you're having emotional swings too.  Ablations do nothing to regulate hormones.  I know several women who took the pill all the way through menopause and had no emotional symptoms at all.

 

Wait.  You mention gums.  My gums have been bleeding every time I've brushed my teeth in recent months.  Could anemia be the reason???

 

Funny- we have been eating more vegan than ever, but I thought I needed the meat.

 

I do take Floradix with Vitamin C, but only half of the recommended amount.  It messes with my digestive system.

 

Are certain pills known to be better for emotions than others?

 

I am so sick of all of this.  I am 48, so my time is near.  

Edited January 23, 2017 by lisabees

[jjeepa]

I am severely anemic too from heavy menstrual periods while also being perimenopausal. Most women's periods become more infrequent and less heavy as they move towards menopause, but not me!  I've had 15-16 periods a year over the past two years, and they are very heavy.  

 

I've been slightly anemic for years and was aware of that, but over the past 12 months it's gotten much worse. When I had my blood drawn towards the end of 2016, and we saw how low the iron had dropped, my primary doctor sent me to a hematologist who insisted I receive an iron infusion. I've decided to wait on those (the side effects and risks are scary to me) and see if I can pull up my iron on my own. I met with my OB/GYN and we talked about the pros and cons of an ablation versus starting progesterone. I opted for progesterone for now and loved not having a period (or more) in the past 30 days. I just decided that the risks of a surgical procedure weren't worth it to me at this point. And, although my OB thought the ablation might throw me into full menopause, which I want, there wasn't a guarantee that would happen and I might have to go on the progesterone anyway. 

 

One thing I know about dealing with severe anemia is that you can experience a significant increase in irritability and emotional instability. All three of my doctors confirmed that. So, the PMS rage is possibly related to your low iron as well. So, even on the pill, you might continue with the raging until you iron recovers. My family is ready for my iron to increase  :001_smile:

 

Regarding the anemia, I finally found an iron supplement that I can stomach...literally. I've not been on supplements because all the various ones I tried in the past used to tear up my stomach. I now take vitamin C daily to aid in the absorption of iron, non-defatted beef liver pills, and Thorne iron supplements. I get my blood drawn in mid-Feb and I'm praying for some improvement!  I hope yours improves quickly too!

 

 

[lisabees]

I am severely anemic too from heavy menstrual periods while also being perimenopausal. Most women's periods become more infrequent and less heavy as they move towards menopause, but not me!  I've had 15-16 periods a year over the past two years, and they are very heavy.  

 

I've been slightly anemic for years and was aware of that, but over the past 12 months it's gotten much worse. When I had my blood drawn towards the end of 2016, and we saw how low the iron had dropped, my primary doctor sent me to a hematologist who insisted I receive an iron infusion. I've decided to wait on those (the side effects and risks are scary to me) and see if I can pull up my iron on my own. I met with my OB/GYN and we talked about the pros and cons of an ablation versus starting progesterone. I opted for progesterone for now and loved not having a period (or more) in the past 30 days. I just decided that the risks of a surgical procedure weren't worth it to me at this point. And, although my OB thought the ablation might throw me into full menopause, which I want, there wasn't a guarantee that would happen and I might have to go on the progesterone anyway. 

 

One thing I know about dealing with severe anemia is that you can experience a significant increase in irritability and emotional instability. All three of my doctors confirmed that. So, the PMS rage is possibly related to your low iron as well. So, even on the pill, you might continue with the raging until you iron recovers. My family is ready for my iron to increase  :001_smile:

 

Regarding the anemia, I finally found an iron supplement that I can stomach...literally. I've not been on supplements because all the various ones I tried in the past used to tear up my stomach. I now take vitamin C daily to aid in the absorption of iron, non-defatted beef liver pills, and Thorne iron supplements. I get my blood drawn in mid-Feb and I'm praying for some improvement!  I hope yours improves quickly too!

 

I can't thank you enough.  I wanted to cry after reading your post.  

 

Do you use Thorne Iron Bisglycinate or ferrasorb?

[Georgiana Daniels]

Pros and Cons?

 

My periods are super, super, super heavy and come every 20-22 days.  I am anemic.

 

Originally, I was thinking the ablation, but after yesterday's PMS explosion, I am thinking that the pill may be better.  Seriously - where does that PMS rage come from?  It is so unlike me. And it is so unfair to everyone.  

 

Advice, please.  I hate both ideas, but I just want to be me again.

 

I was in a similar situation as you and went with the ablation. The first few months were hard due to lots of continuous spotting, but now it's a dream. SO, so thankful for my newfound freedom.

[catz]

Are you done having kids?   If so I would totally go for the ablation.  Everyone I know who has had that is super happy with it.

[Katy]

Wait.  You mention gums.  My gums have been bleeding every time I've brushed my teeth in recent months.  Could anemia be the reason???

 

Funny- we have been eating more vegan than ever, but I thought I needed the meat.

 

I do take Floradix with Vitamin C, but only half of the recommended amount.  It messes with my digestive system.

 

Are certain pills known to be better for emotions than others?

 

I am so sick of all of this.  I am 48, so my time is near.  

 

Yes, anemia can cause bleeding gums AND heavy periods, as well as other bleeding.  My first effort would be to get your iron up.  In fact, look at your gums.  They are probably quite pale.

 

If you can remotely stand beef liver, buy some.  Be prepared for the bloody mess - it looks just like heavy menstrual clots when you cut it up, and smells terrible.  When it's still frozen, dice it up into tiny bits.  It's much easier to do this while still frozen - both for texture and smell reasons. Get a frying pan really hot and sear it with salt and pepper (and diced onion and pepper if you can).  Barely cook it - brown the outsides of the pieces, leave it rare in the inside.  Eat hot.

 

I can barely stomach beef liver when my iron is high.  I LOVE it when I'm anemic.

 

If you can't stomach it, go to a genuine Mexican restaurant (not a chain), and order beef fajitas.  They'll have liver mixed in.  Try to eat fajitas for at least 4 of the next 9 meals.  If the restaurants near you are anything like mine, ordering two beef fajitas to go will give you more than enough food for 4 meals.

 

Also take a tablespoon of unsulphored blackstrap molasses in milk or tea several times per day over the next 3 days. 

 

In 3 days, check your gums.  They should be much more pink. Your moods and energy should both be much better.

 

I don't know why iron from food is so much more absorbable than from vitamins, but it is.

 

If the mood issues are only due to anemia, an ablation should fix them as soon as you're healed and your iron is up.

[lisabees]

Are you done having kids?   If so I would totally go for the ablation.  Everyone I know who has had that is super happy with it.

 

So done having kids!  

[lisabees]

Yes, anemia can cause bleeding gums AND heavy periods, as well as other bleeding.  My first effort would be to get your iron up.  In fact, look at your gums.  They are probably quite pale.

 

If you can remotely stand beef liver, buy some.  Be prepared for the bloody mess - it looks just like heavy menstrual clots when you cut it up, and smells terrible.  When it's still frozen, dice it up into tiny bits.  It's much easier to do this while still frozen - both for texture and smell reasons. Get a frying pan really hot and sear it with salt and pepper (and diced onion and pepper if you can).  Barely cook it - brown the outsides of the pieces, leave it rare in the inside.  Eat hot.

 

I can barely stomach beef liver when my iron is high.  I LOVE it when I'm anemic.

 

If you can't stomach it, go to a genuine Mexican restaurant (not a chain), and order beef fajitas.  They'll have liver mixed in.  Try to eat fajitas for at least 4 of the next 9 meals.  If the restaurants near you are anything like mine, ordering two beef fajitas to go will give you more than enough food for 4 meals.

 

Also take a tablespoon of unsulphored blackstrap molasses in milk or tea several times per day over the next 3 days. 

 

In 3 days, check your gums.  They should be much more pink. Your moods and energy should both be much better.

 

I don't know why iron from food is so much more absorbable than from vitamins, but it is.

 

If the mood issues are only due to anemia, an ablation should fix them as soon as you're healed and your iron is up.

 

Ha.  Funny thing is when I went to midwife last week for more bloodwork, she had trouble getting blood!

 

Okay - I am totally going to find some liver-filled Mexican food.  It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.  :)

 

I'll check my gums when I get home; just finished subbing for the day.  I'll be sure to give you an update!

 

Thanks!

 

Lisa

[Matryoshka]

My best friend had an ablation, and she hasn't had a period since - but she's still not in menopause (that doesn't happen to everyone, but it can happen).  Talk about the best of both worlds!  Her sisters and her mom all had hysterectomies for the same problem about the same age (early 50's), and went through insta-menopause.  That was not nice...

[jjeepa]

I can't thank you enough.  I wanted to cry after reading your post.  

 

Do you use Thorne Iron Bisglycinate or ferrasorb?

 

Iron Bisglycinate.  The liver pills I take are desiccated beef liver from grass-fed cattle.  The brand is Perfect and I bought them through Amazon.  The vitamin C pills I take are whole food nutrients instead of synthetic and the brand is Innate.  I've done quite a bit of research and they all appeared to be the best supplements for me.  

[lisabees]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and your stories. I am so very grateful to all of you!

[Carol in Cal.]

Oh, you know?  I went back onto prenatal vitamins during peri.

I found that the iron in those did not make me constipated, not like other iron vitamins that I tried, and it did prevent anemia from setting in.