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What would cause very thick uterine wall with prolonged bleeding with normal hormone levels ( non menopausal 43 yr old_

By October 21, 2008 - 2:23pm
 
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I am 43. Tests shows very normal levels of hormones. I went to the doctor for I have always had regular periods which lasted 4 days and were typical. Normal typical flow the first 2 days then tapering off. No cramps except in the past few years I'd get them in my right leg. Wow! painful ones on the 3rd day then they'd go away. My periods have/had been like clockwork from the time I started at age 15 until I began my period this past August ( which was late by 5 days) and it just wouldn't stop. Not heavy... just kept going and going... Saw OB-GYN 2.5 weeks ago who put me on Provera for 10 days to stop it. It finally stopped last night.( Last time I had even seen an OB-GYN was 7 years ago. ( I know... not wise) Had ultrasound done today and was told my uterine wall is extremely thick with an even extra thickness in one section. I am to have a EMB on the 29th. (biopsy)

My blood levels were actually good. No anemia. Was told I am NOT even pre-menopausal.

I had a tubal ligation done in 1988 after my son was born and have never taken any birth control pills.

Any idea what's going on. The tech couldn't tell me what my doctor is looking for ( which I can understand) but patience has never been a virtue for me in areas like this.

Good, bad or ugly...
Would like to have some idea.

Thanks!

Dawn

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

My name is alyse, I am 24 years old. I am constantly on my menstral cycle last time it was a year when i was travelling out east and when i came back to my home town i went and seen my doctor immediately i found out my hemoglobines were low and my blood count was 85% which was really not good he put me on iorn pills i was still having my dizzy spells, i went to a couple ultra sounds and they said things were fine than i went for a second one and i was told my uterus walls are thick, i had a still born in 2008 when i was 20 years old. ever since my body has not been the same, im always bleeding and the only time that it has stopped is when i take birth control ill be than off my menstral cycle for five six months now i stopped it and ive been bleeding ever since. i believe since february. i have always felt little tickings in my belly under neath my belly button i was always told it was phantom movement. it doesn't happen so much nemore but periodically i will have like a shock of pain like a phelopian tube was flicked or somethings being pulled, i have taken pregnancy tests and i am not pregnant, i just don't know im to young to be having problems. i am also diabetic but not insulin or medication dependant i have it regulated under a special diet which i am funded. lately ive been finding myself wanting to sleep all the time, and my feet feel like there going to explode, or they swell when i even have the slightest bit of salt. i can't have menopause already could i? maybe i have ableeding disorder? ive had blood work done and i don't have any std's and my hormones are normal i just don't know.. im waiting for a genecologist to call me back for a rescheduled appointment that i could not make but still no word from her im wondering if i should look into someone knew, i also have g.a.d (general anxiety disorder) but to the third digree any sudden noise i panic anything and i never used to before i went travelling, ive had p.t.s.d (post tramatic stress disorder) since i was 12 years old seems after i got into a car accident when i was told and had a severe concussion and well im not gonna say brain damage but i often wondered. i find im paying for it now than ever. could all this be linked? like i said ive never had any of these problems before i found out i was pregnant, sure my menstural cycle was irregular and i woulnd't get if for about three four months at a time but it would only last for normal amounts which is like 5-8 days. please please please if anyone has any similar stories or events or just any basic knowledge they have found or know please let me know . thank you very much. *fingers crossed* i feel like im getting knowhere with doctors or its like nobody takes me seriously. and i must say its putting a strain on my sexual activity between my fiancee and I . :'(

p.s. sorry if my story seems backwards or hard to understand ive had that issue since i was in a car accident at age 12

May 22, 2013 - 4:46pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

and another thing i don't know how to edit my questions or story .. but i also find out i am annemic . which was why i was was also put on iron pills. they also tried to put me on an anti depressant but i read the side affects and noooo way was i putting myself through that i already have enough going on. i found that not relevant at all to what i was seeking medical attention/ advice for.

May 22, 2013 - 4:51pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I too have had strong bleeding and clotting that will not stop. I have been on the patch and now added some extra estrogen to stop the bleeding. My Dr scraped some cells from my uteran wall and they will be sent to the lab. I am scheduled for a sonogram this week but am scared for I am only 29 yrs old without any children. I did eventually want children but I don't know what the outcome will be. All your information was very useful Dawn. I just hope its best that I can get myself ready for any outcome.

October 11, 2010 - 2:41pm
Expert HERWriter Guide Blogger (reply to Anonymous)

Anon - Thanks for writing, and we're glad you found the information from Dawn to be helpful. I know it can be hard to wait for results and to go through tests. Please let us know what you learn. If you have any questions and we can help you further please return to the site and use our "Ask" feature so we will be sure to see that you need support. You're not alone in this, and we wish you the best results possible. Pat

October 11, 2010 - 5:36pm

Dawn, I'm interested in how they are sure that it's not endometriosis, since your ultrasound technician wasn't saying more about what he saw.

Try not to let your mind run away with you. (Easy for me to say, because I do this all the time myself). Technicians have been trained specifically to NOT diagnose. They're not doctors and they could unnecessarily scare a patient by commenting on something that's completely normal. Their job is to get the best picture they can. I remember how scared I was one time when after a mammogram they called me back for a better look. I was sure that the technician had seen something, and was frustrated that she might not tell me anything. Turns out that, afterall, they just needed a better picture. All my worry and anxiety was useless, and caused me huge stress. Since then there have been a couple more times where a tech has been quiet or studious when I've been in a mammogram or ultrasound, and I just realize that they're trying to get a really good picture.

Can you call your doctor and see if you can get in for a consult before the biopsy, or see if he will give you the results of the ultrasound over the phone? He also has an incomplete picture here -- he wants the biopsy to see if the tissue there is normal or abnormal -- but if that information would help, you could certainly call and ask. Doctors aren't always certain about how much information each patient wants; and every doctor's bedside manner is different. Don't forget that after the biopsy, he will need more time to get the results from it as well. So you may need to wait a little longer than the 29th to find out what's going on. Hang in there!

October 22, 2008 - 8:51am
(reply to Diane Porter)

i. This is Dawn. I wanted to update on what was discovered.

The biopsy showed cancerous cells throughout the Uterine wall. They wanted to do surgery as soon as they found out but I asked them to wait until I was able to see my 1st grandson born which was due on Dec. 3rd. They weren't too pleased with my request but gave in. I had intended to travel to Texas to see y daughter Bobbi. Well,That didn't happen for we took a short trip locally at Thanksgiving which was about 3 hours driving ended up with me such extreme cramping that my husband said No Way. Glad he has common sense. :o)

Anyway, I had surgery done on the 13th. I was scared to death! I'm only 43 and though I had desired 1 more child for I remarried last February and we had discussed it... My husband loves my children. ( They are grown though) He got me a kitten. :o) And jokingly said, " Honey, since they're taking all your goody stuff... If you want... You can have a boob job next year. ( I like mine just how they are)

I will have the results back on the 26th for my doctor sent out whatever it was to the lab but he said he got everything! Just being extra cautious for I did fail to mention earlier in my post that I am in remission from CML. Have been for 14 months now.( A type of leukemia- But I look at it like... Hey! Of all leukemia's; If you're going to get it- this is the one that's best treated!) I take Gleevec daily and other than my checkups... Never give that much thought.

Whether of not I have to do radiation is unsure right now. But what IS IMPORTANT IS:

Though My pap was normal. ( which involves just the cervix) I knew my body and my doctor ( though he kept me on edge for what seemed like a lifetime) LISTENED TO ME and step by step- through elimination- found the answers and has been so wonderfully supportive.

He is not placing me on any HRT at this time. I am walking around well and after a week finally got food to stay down. :o) I'm not sure what to expect from all this for I am now in immediate menopause. Things like...

What changes will happen with my body?
Will sex still feel the same? ( I think my husband is worried on that one too)
What does a "hot flash" feel like?
Will I have them?
Why do I have NO appetite?
I have lost 14 pounds since surgery. I went in weighing 115. I now weigh 100lbs which I have been at that weight before. I am 5ft tall. Is it normal to lose like that?
These kind of questions are in my head.

Other than the gas pains from hell which have laid me out twice while shopping at Walmart this week (LOL- I actually had to lay down in aisle 5 and my husband wasn't sure whether to be scared or to laugh) and being more tired than I would like to be- which I'm hoping will go away soon enough for its been less than 2 weeks since surgery... I AM HERE!!!!

Dawn

December 24, 2008 - 3:12pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to BDT816)

I have search and searched the internet this week. And so far this is the most helpful information I've found. Thanks for posting. I am almost 43 and was told I'm likely pre-menopausal and have few "good quality eggs" left and have skipped a few periods over the past 1.5 years. This year my pap came back fine. However, 2 days later I started my period...it went on and on and on. I had skipped 2 months so I thought I was just catching up but after 2 weeks I call my doc. I was seen after 19 days on my period. The doc decided to do an in-uterine sonogram and they thought they saw a growth. So then he inserted a tube (OUCH!!!) into my uterous and squirted water in there and decided it was NOT a growth BUT that part of the uterine was was thickened. So NEXT he took a sample of the wall to send off. He wanted to give me a shot but I declined as I had read in the past that a side effect is fainting and I have neurocardiosyncope so I did not want to risk it. So instead he gave me a script for Provera (2 pills 2x a day for 3 days and 1 pill 2x a day for 4 days). When he spoke to me in the office he gave me a brochure for Novasure and suggested it would be a good option for me. I am now waiting for the results of the biopsy and praying (again) that it comes back ok.

November 26, 2010 - 6:14pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I read your story which I must say ... it was like looking in a mirror. Everything that happened with you is going on with me. With the exception of the( neurocardiosyncope) Step by step. I am now waiting to find out the results of the scraping they did about a week ago. But the bleeding will not stop and the clotting .. OMG ... this is insane. My kids want to go to the hospital tonight, but I keep refusing. I feel that I need to get the results back first. I am 43 and my doctor said it's not menepause but a thick entrometrial wall in which he laughingly said ... "You can blame your kids for this" But I know all this clotting and bleeding is not normal! Today is May 18th ... I started bleeding April 8th. I have had normal periods (no more then 5 days) my entire life.

May 18, 2011 - 4:05pm
Expert HERWriter Guide Blogger (reply to Anonymous)

Anon - Thanks for writing, and I'm glad the information was helpful. We also hope your biopsy results will be good, so please let us know what you learn. If you have additional questions or need more information after your appointment we would be happy to help. Good luck ! Pat

November 29, 2010 - 5:49pm

Dawn, since we can't be definitive yet, let's look into some of the individual aspects of your question to see if any of it can shed some light for you.

You mention that in the past few years, your cramps have gotten worse and you've even had pain in your leg. Those symptoms can be a sign of endometriosis or of sciatic endometriosis. Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining of your uterus, which normally grows and sheds each month, begins growing in areas outside of the uterus. It can attach to various places in the pelvic area and, fed by your normal hormones, it also increases and causes cramps when you have a normal period. The fact that your cramps changed a few years ago could be an indication of this. Here's a page that discusses endometriosis:

http://www.endo-resolved.com/symptoms.html

If you scroll down to the bottom third of the page, it also talks about how some endometriosis can affect the sciatic nerve. In one case it was diagnosed with an MRI:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2322887

Here is some information on excessive bleeding from an expert forum:
"Many times with bleeding like yours, the doctor will get an endometrial biopsy. That is an office procedure where a thin instrument is placed inside the uterus and a few cells of the lining are scraped out and looked at under a microscope. It is a screening test for uterine cancer and also tells if the lining is normal or abnormal. Sometimes doctors get an ultrasound of the uterus to see if the bleeding is due to a polyp or a fibroid. Both are benign problems but can cause abnormal bleeding."

Here's more information about endometrial biopsies:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/endometrial-biopsy.htm

And here's some good information on fibroids:

http://www.4woman.gov/faq/fibroids.htm

Please let us know when you find out more information! And I'm with Alison, I feel like your doctor should have told you what she has the tech looking for and why. Don't be hesitant about asking all your questions. We have to be our own best advocates when there are things going on with our health.

October 21, 2008 - 6:07pm
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