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Why am I bleeding for so long? How can I stop it?

By July 18, 2016 - 5:07am
 
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Hello,
I'm 36 year olds had 3 c sections. I had my last child July 2015. 8 weeks later i was given a depo shot. In October i had the Essure procedure done to block my tubes. In January I went in to make sure the procedure was successful. It was. Several days later i got my first period since my child. It lasted 6 weeks was gone for several days and then back. This went on for 5 months. Then i went to my Dr and she did an ultrasound and a pap. I had stopped bleeding the day before I saw her. She said she could see I was getting ready to have another period. Pap came back normal. I was put on provera 3 weeks on 1 week off. My bleeding never stopped and was slightly heavier with some cramping. I also was severely emotional and started thinking life was better without me. I was told to stop taking the provera right away from the nurse. Who aslo pressed that i needed to see a psychiatrist. I was never given any alternatives and now I have been bleeding for 3 weeks again with no slowing down. And i cant seem to get the dr office to call me back. This has taken a toll on my life in so many ways including my relationship with my husband. I just want to be back to normal. I had my thyroid removed in 2008 for cancer and all 4 parathyroids were destroyed so i do take supplements and i suffer from chronic pain (fibromyalgia). Those are my only other major health issues.

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Guide

Hello Jnaps5,

Welcome to the EmpowHER community. I am so sorry to hear about what you have been going through and will do my best to guide you.

Has your physician checked your hemoglobin and hematocrit? Prolonged menstrual bleeding has put you at risk for anemia.

I cannot diagnose why this is happening or how to stop it, but can offer general information.
It sounds like menorrhagia.

Menorrhagia is the medical term for menstrual periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding. Although heavy menstrual bleeding is a common concern among premenopausal women, most women don't experience blood loss severe enough to be defined as menorrhagia.
Jnaps5, I think you fit the bill.

In some cases, the cause of heavy menstrual bleeding is unknown, but a number of conditions may cause menorrhagia. Common causes include hormonal imbalance, dysfunction of the ovaries, uterine fibroids, polys, and adenomyosis, which is a condition that occurs when glands from the endometrium become embedded in the uterine muscle.

Menorrhagia is most often due to a hormone imbalance that causes menstrual cycles without ovulation. In a normal cycle, the release of an egg from the ovaries stimulates the body's production of progesterone, the female hormone most responsible for keeping periods regular. When no egg is released, insufficient progesterone can cause heavy menstrual bleeding.

My suggestion is to find a new gynecologist and schedule an appointment. If indeed you are diagnosed with menorrhagia and the cause is identified, then proper treatment can be implemented.

In addition to oral contraceptive and oral progesterone treatment, some doctors will prescribe tranexamic acid. Tranexamic acid (Lysteda) helps reduce menstrual blood loss and only needs to be taken at the time of the bleeding.

Surgical intervention include a D & C. If uterine fibroids are the cause,a uterine artery embolization, focused ultras, which destroys, and endometrial resection, which removes the lining of the uterus, leads to lighter periods.

A hysterectomy, which is the surgical removal our uterus and cervix, is a permanent procedure that causes sterility and ends menstrual periods.

Please keep in touch,
Maryann

July 18, 2016 - 8:30am
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