Dr. Hive perimenopause craziness

[Shellydon]

I'm 47 and I've been experiencing perimenopausal symptoms for several years. The most annoying is extremely heavy periods that last 10 days. This month my period ended and always normal for three or four days, but now I've been spotting for 5 days. I don't have a regular gynecologist, I just do female health stuff at my regular doctor. I've seen a urogynecologist because I have pelvic organ prolapse. Has anyone had this and what kind of options were recommended to stop the bleeding? 

[fairfarmhand]

I am on the pill and my dr says I can stay on this till menopause. 

[Shellydon]

8 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I am on the pill and my dr says I can stay on this till menopause. 

Thanks. I wondered if that was an option. 

[Pawz4me]

You probably should be checked for fibroids.

[Shellydon]

3 hours ago, Seasider too said:

 

Echoing the period tracker app. One of my girls has issues and the doctor loves the printout she brings in to each appointment. 

My bleeding got so bad each month that it was a game to stay out of the emergency room. Pills were an option but since I since we also knew of at least one fibroid, decided on an ovary sparing hysterectomy. A nurse wheeling me into recovery said I was going to be super glad to have that gone, and the surgeon said, yes, your uterus was a mess! I had three big fibroids and a cluster of smaller ones.

BCPs were an option but both my doc and I felt that was only delaying the inevitable. 

At some point I will have a partial hysterectomy and repair my pelvic organ prolapse situation. However,  recovery from that surgery is six to eight weeks. Right now I just don't have six to eight weeks to be down. 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Shellydon

[Noreen Claire]

I'm having similar symptoms. My midwife recommended an IUD. I'm going to stick it out for now.

[Bambam]

Before menopause, I had 21-24 days between cycles. Gyn said that first option would be to put me on a birth control pill and that would regulate timing. 

[Robin M]

I took bc pill Nora-B which stopped my periods altogether and the crazy mood swings went away as well.  I stayed on it until I was 55 and in menopause.  

[Wheres Toto]

When I was in that situation, my doctor first wanted to try an IUD.  But I had spent a lot of time on the pill and no longer wanted to do hormonal anything.  I ended up getting an ablation.  I felt crampy that day but was fine the next day.   It's been about two years and everything has been great.

[Shellydon]

On 12/24/2019 at 6:22 PM, Robin M said:

I took bc pill Nora-B which stopped my periods altogether and the crazy mood swings went away as well.  I stayed on it until I was 55 and in menopause.  

Thanks!

[Shellydon]

Because of pelvic organ prolapse, neither an IUD or ablation is doable.  I'll ask about birth control pills.

[Ottakee]

I did some hard resets with provera.  That helped.

I went 18 months with nothing and thought I was free and clear.   NOPE.  Then very heavy....had to do all kinds of tests since it has been 18 months   then nothing for 5 months, spotting for 3 days, another 8 months free, and guess what today🤦.   Ugg 

Just don't do like a friend who had fibroids and avoided surgery (honestly had good reasons due to family stuff) and got to the point where she almost needed blood transfusions she was so anemic even with iron. Had surgery and is much happier now.

[BeachGal]

For prolapse, VSculpt can help.

https://ca.vsculpt.com/collections

This article explains how it works:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/photob.2019.4618

[Shellydon]

1 hour ago, BeachGal said:

For prolapse, VSculpt can help.

https://ca.vsculpt.com/collections

This article explains how it works:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/photob.2019.4618

Thanks!!

[Terabith]

Just as a shout out...I had to have a hysterectomy in June because of a 20 pound ovarian cyst.  Because it was so huge, they had to do abdominal, vertical incision.  13 inches or so.  Honestly, I was more or less back to normal by my two week recheck, at which point I was cleared to swim and do anything except sex and massive weight lifting.  I know surgeons differ in how long they tell people not to do things for, but my surgeon said there really was no evidence for the "do nothing for 8 weeks" thing and to just go by how you feel.  (The prolapse thing might make things a bit different, however.)  I had joined some hysterectomy groups, and some people do have a harder recovery than I do, but I'm fat, out of shape, and 43.  I was nowhere near menopause, still totally clockwork, but the whole no more periods has been a lot nicer than I expected.  And I didn't have bad periods at all.  Just doing my "hysterectomy doesn't necessarily mean completely out of commission for 6-8 weeks" PSA.  

[Katy]

I worked in nursing on an OBGYN floor for a while. Hysterectomies are hard for some people, but others were telling me they already felt better and were wishing they'd made the decision years ago less than 12 hours after surgery.  It's so highly individual.  If the prolapse is bothering you I might opt for it sooner rather than later.  You SHOULD get checked by an OBGYN, sudden heavy periods are not only a sign of perimenopause, it can also be a symptom of uterine cancer.  I would at least call your doctor.  Of course if you've had recent imaging & hormone panels done maybe that's been ruled out already.

Birth control through menopause is absolutely doable, and it makes many women not have any symptoms.

[Pawz4me]

7 hours ago, Katy said:

I worked in nursing on an OBGYN floor for a while. Hysterectomies are hard for some people, but others were telling me they already felt better and were wishing they'd made the decision years ago less than 12 hours after surgery.  It's so highly individual.  If the prolapse is bothering you I might opt for it sooner rather than later.  You SHOULD get checked by an OBGYN, sudden heavy periods are not only a sign of perimenopause, it can also be a symptom of uterine cancer.  I would at least call your doctor.  Of course if you've had recent imaging & hormone panels done maybe that's been ruled out already.

Birth control through menopause is absolutely doable, and it makes many women not have any symptoms.

I didn't feel that way 12 hours later (because post anesthesia nausea is a bad thing for me), but between 24 and 48 hours later -- Oh my goodness, yes! I'd forgotten what it was like to feel so well. I probably did way more than I should have, starting just a few days afterwards, but it was really hard not to since I felt better than I had in many years. That was 15 years ago, and I haven't experienced any repercussions from doing more, and doing it sooner, than my doctor advised. I just listened to my body (really listened) and let it guide me.

[Shellydon]

I saw a gynecologist today. I go back in two weeks for an ultrasound and uterine biopsy.