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[Focus]

Hello!

Find myself here after what's probably quite a familiar story...

My periods started changing about 6 months ago (clots, the occasional flooding). I didn't think much of it and thought that they were just one off occurrences.

Then a couple of months ago my periods started getting really, really heavy and much, much longer, from my usual four days (one medium, three light days) to eight unrelentingly heavy days. The clots started getting more frequent and really big.

So I went to my GP and she prescribed Tranexamic Acid. I took if for a couple of days, and it worked, but the side effects were really bad. I had to cancel going out to dinner with my fiancé to celebrate our recent engagement.

I went back after another eight day period. She told me I was too young for menopause, so didnt think it was that. 't discussed the different options open to me. They were in order of preference: the mini pill, the coil, the combined pill. I asked her straight out for the combined pill, as I'd taken it for 18 odd years from my late 20s, and it had been absolutely great for me, no side effects at all. She wanted to start with the least amount of hormones and prescribed Cerelle. It made me feel incredibly anxious from the very start of taking it, and I didn't really feel like myself at all. I  I took it for a week and got another heavy period.

By this point my mental health was really starting to suffer, big time, as I couldn't go to the gym at all or go out running at all because of clots, flooding, haemorrhaging, even after a few days of having a period when they would usually be much lighter. And it triggered my eating disorder from my late teens early 20s (when I ate so little than my periods eventually just seemed to fade away into nothing).

I called NHS24 one night I felt really bad and was referred. The doctor I saw suggested it was perimenopause and prescribed ten days of Norethisterone. I took it and my periods stopped - at last. I only took it for two days, so I have some left now, in case the nightmare starts again.

Anyway, I started googling and things started to make sense: insomnia, waking up after 4 hours drenched in sweat, a feeling of absolute dread and perpetual negativity (which isn't like me at all), rage like I've never felt, a total roller coaster of emotions in one day...

I went back to my GP with an emergency appointment the day after I went to the walk in clinic, and was pretty much hysterical at this point. I'm self employed. I can't call in sick, or start turning down work. I won't get paid and I won't get offered more work if that's what I start doing. I have a very active life as it really helps my mental health, and my fiancé and I like going away on weekend trips on really long walks  and sleeping in the back of his jeep. I really couldn't deal with the thought of not being able to do any of that.

She couldn't wait to get me out of the room and couldn't even look me in the eye. She basically asked me what I wanted. I told her the combined pill. She said it was really unusual for someone of my age (almost 49) but as I don't smoke, am not overweight, etc, she prescribed it. The lowest dose, she said.

I've been taking Loestrin 20 for a few days now and already seem to feel like myself a bit more. I've been able to go to the gym and go running again. My food intake is still pretty low though, but hopefully that go back to what it was once things even out again and I feel like I have a little more control.

Nightmare. This is an absolute nightmare.

[CLKD]

Sounds within normal limits from where I'm sitting and sadly, a lack of knowledge with the medics you have consulted. 

HORMONES    .  Some ladies find keeping a mood/symptom/food diary of use. 

GPs should realise that no woman is 'too young' for menopause    Some girls have 1 period B4 going into early menopause.  If your GP thought you are 'too young' she should have been on the ball to support you with appropriate HRT advice to protect heart and bones!

Oh by the way:    : I remember how I felt when we got engaged after a 5 year courtship [in 1974  ] and hopefully, your husband 2 B is sympthateit !   The Change doesn't arrive alone  .

Browse round.  Make notes ;-).  If you are bleeding a lot make sure that you don't become anaeimic.   Brisk walking can protect bones, 10 mins. every day in fresh air can ease mood too.  Read our threads of Vaginal Atrophy - forewarned is forearmed ;-).

 

[MomofSprinter]

Oh boy, I could've written this post almost word for word. Mine started changing at around 47 years of age. The hardest part of it all is the heavy, flooding periods with clotting that come roughly every 25 days. That and the feeling of being held a prisoner. I find it hard to plan anything, even just a few months in advance because my periods do their own thing now. I never know what to expect.

This forum is extremely helpful. And a wealth of knowledge. Just know you aren't alone and I totally agree that this is a nightmare.

[AG]

Hi,

From what I have experienced (peri menopause symptoms getting a lot worse over the course of this year for me, before that did not notice that much) I still find it astonishing that GPs think that at nearly 49 (I am nearly 49 now) one is "too young for menopause". There seems to be a complete lack of this part of womens' lives amongst many GPs. I hope you will be able to get back your life to some extent with the new pill. Things can be extremely unpredictable but for me exercise is what keeps me sane with all this. Anna

[jaypo]

You're not alone focus,unfortunately gps aren't the most helpful people when it comes to all things menopause,like you,mine just wanted the simplest solution & get me out.
All symptoms fluctuate,ok some days then in the pits the next
Can't really offer much advice sadly,was really just to say hi & we know what you're going through xx

[Focus]

Thank you for the kind welcome.

I had five days of normality on the back of taking the Norethisterone for a couple of days, both in terms of no period and in terms of how I felt.

Then last night, I got my period again. Complete with a clot.

I started feeling so angry. I like my life. It's taken me a long, long time to get to this point. I've not had the easiest life, and I've worked really, really hard to get to this point. And I was enjoying it and feeling great about myself and the future, for quite possibly the first time in my life. And now I have to deal with this?

Anyway, I went to bed and couldn't get to sleep. I was absolutely freezing cold. And really angry.

I had insomnia for eight or nine years and only slept four hours a night (sometimes when my insomnia was really bad, I was down to to or three hours sleep a night). I've been sleeping normally for three years now.

I'm back to the insomnia. Waking up after four hours sleep and not being able to fall asleep again. Except last night I couldn't fall asleep, and woke up after four hours sleep.

I feel absolutely desperate. My mental health is really going downhill.

My plan is to go back to restricting quite severely. I don't really eat much anyway. But I'd say my diet is pretty healthy and very varied. I just eat small portions and don't really ever snack. I'll just cut a lot of the variety out and cut my calories right down. It's a lot easier to do now than when I was in my later teenage years/early 20s...there was no internet then and not a lot of food had the nutritional value stuff printed on the back.

And I'll keep up my running. I've been running for a while now, is been a part of my whole shift to a stronger, healthier me that I'd been working on for the past few years. And I've been loving it. It's really transformed my life. I'm at the point where I now feel quite strong physically and can run for an hour and not feel too tired from it the next day, so I can run for another hour the day after.

So with restricting and more focussed running, and I'm hoping to be able to tip the balance into stopping my periods entirely.

There we are. I told you my mental health was going to pot.

[jaypo]

Hi again focus,I'd say yes,keep up the running,I used to do 5k 3 times a week,some days I really couldn't be bothered but forced myself & felt so so good afterwards but unfortunately I had a bad foot & had to have surgery,it's no better,in fact I'd say it's worse & I haven't been able to run since, I'm sure if I could again it would help with my anxiety that I get every now and then.Also re your periods,my daughter is convinced 100% her periods are much lighter since she started running,so keep it up if you can x

[Focus]

The aim of running and not eating enough is to get my periods to stop.

I absolutely hate my body at the moment. I feel totally betrayed by it.

[Focus]

I feel like the life I've worked so hard to make for myself over the past three years has been taken from me. And I can't stand it.

For the first time in my entire adult life, I've been profoundly calm and happy with everything in my life. I had that for just three years.

I can't stand this.

[Dancing Queen]

I`d be lost without running but can understand it must be difficult if you`re in floods. I feel for you xx 

[Focus]

Thank you.

I feel totally exhausted. I hate winter anyway.

I found some sites where I could order Norethisterone and so I have. At least I'll be able to attend the two business events at the end of January and again at the end of February that I've booked in for and paid so much money for. I know from experience it takes a few days to work, so I'll start taking it on the Wednesday before the event starts on the Friday. I don't mind my period being lighter on the Friday, as long as it's 'normal' lighter. And I know I can take one last dose on the Sunday morning of the event and still be OK for the rest of the day.

We're supposed to be going to check out our wedding venue some time in the spring. It's a three and a bit hour drive away in the middle of nowhere. So I'll take it for a couple of days then as well if I need to.

Apart from that, it's on my shelf after it arrives for now. I want to see how I get on with the pill my GP has given me, and don't really want anything to interfere with that.  Until I see her again mid January.

I had a nice long chat with my fiancé over the phone and a FaceTime as well. He is the loveliest, most supportive man I've ever met.  I just want to get back to our life of long, long walks, climbing mountains, rock climbing...and I want to train for a 10k (and then a marathon beyond that, although I've never told anyone else that, ever). And clearly it's not enough to run the distance. I was hoping to make a really good time for them as well.

Anyway, I've had my one small meal of today. Going on past restricting experience, the second day is always harder than the first, or the ones after. It's then that you feel hungriest. So tomorrow is going to be harder than today has been. It's been easy not eating much today.

Unhealthy? Yes, of course. I know that. But there you go. My body has gone haywire and this is the only way I know how to cope.

[CLKD]

Anorexic then?

However.  One needs to take care of heart and bones from our teens so maybe ask for a bone density scan which will give you an idea as to how to protect those bones.  Because getting a fracture will be far worse than periods. If hospitalised you will lose control even more.   It is also painful  . The best density is pelvis and hips and you can then adjust your restrictions to what will protect your bones.

10 mins. brisk walking daily keeps the long bones healthy.  Add to that a good calcium based diet with lots of fruits and veg. is over-all good.  Eggs are supposedly good but I can't digest them  .  As a recovering anorexic who ate enough to remain standing and not a bit more and even now have 'safe' foods, I never lost my periods.  Sadly as they were PAINFUL! and clotted and I would lay on a towel at night .......... bugga.

Trouble is I enjoy foods for a while then 'go off' them  .  So we have plenty of quick meals in the freezer.

   I found that eating little and often to avoid that light headed feeling was the best for me.  Including chocolate  'cos that has goodness in it, is easy to eat and as part of my diet, doesn't put weight on.  Now I have slow release food stuffs: dried fruits and nuts, bananas, a good muesli as 'fillers' which is what they do for me.  I feel fuller quicker ........ Pancakes for when anxiety takes over  .  Bovril in hot water with toast also keeps me going.

Running however is bad for us.  It's bad for the feet, ankles and knees - we aren't built to run for long.  Short spurts, probably.  But long distance, certainly not.  I know, lots of people do it.  But lots of those people look dreadful and are addicted to the 'sport'.  Also, many die in long distance events annually  .

Horse riding is supposedly good but they are huge with big hoofs.  Dancing ?  but that means my head would have to think, hard 

If you restrict you won't know where you might be in peri..  Let us know how you get on!
Oh a wedding, we haven't had a wedding here for a while ........

[jaypo]

You're right clkd,my foot is buggered, I know it was the running but that's just me,not everyone suffers & if I could do it again I definitely would.
Was a horsewomen for all my childhood & well into my 30s,got thighs that could crush a walnut 😂
Just stick to my cross trainer these days & walking the pooches

[CLKD]

I have walnuts from our tree   

I think that shoe wear is much better for those that insist on running, with gel pads etc..  But it is not good for our bones because we evolved upright. 

[Dancing Queen]

I think running is fine as long as you don`t overdo it. I don`t do more than 4 miles nowadays. Touch wood no joint pain yet, if I did I would give up. It helps with bone density. I also do dancing and walking so think you need to mix your exercise not go over the top on one type. I go stir crazy if trapped indoors so have to get out and do something every day whatever the weather!