Prolonged Periods

twinmommy · 04-20-2006, 05:38 PM

Hi,
I haven't been here in 2 years, can't believe it's been that long.

I have a question for anyone out there they may have this problem

I started my period around March 10 and have been having flow ever since. It's not overly heavy, just constant. And I know this is gross, but it's more brown than red.

I typically have the opposite problem, no periods at all. In fact I went 3 months without a period before this one started

Little background on me:
I currently do not take the pill, it seemed to be causing pain (dr. assumed edometriosis), once stopping the pill the pain stopped (pain so bad I ended up in the ER and they thought I was passing a kidney stone)

I was dx with PCOS in 1999 while TTC, I did successfully conceive twins on Injectible Repronex and Metformin, they were born healthy at 35 weeks

I did have severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome from the drugs, I guess this was related to PCOS.

My hair is thinning and I have acne. My weight is ok, just a little overweight (5'5" 160lbs.

If anyone has any insight to the constant bleeding let me know. Any insight is appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Kara

tabbi85 · 04-21-2006, 01:59 AM

I have had prolonged bleeding at least 3 times in my life now. I had one last for over a month when I finally went to the doctor. Of course he prescribed Prometrium and it usually helps to stop it and then start a regular cycle 7 days later but this time it didn't work. After 4 days on the Prometrium I called the doctor to let them know it did not stop the flow. He ended up putting me back on birth control pills for a month. He started my on 3 birth control pills a day for one week and then 2 a day for two weeks and 1 a day for a month. The birth control pills stopped the never ending flow and actually seems to have regulated my body back to normal now even though I'm not one the pills any more. Good luck with your problem. I would see your doctor because bleeding like that can cause other health problems.

a-mac · 04-21-2006, 03:17 AM

Don't wait for it to stop on its own! This is how my doctor explained it to me; normally, toward the end of your cycle your progesterone levels fo up for a while, when they drop again that signals your body to start af. if you don't have a progesterone jump, and subsequent drop your body just waits and waits, until finally the old built up endometrium pretty much just starts falling out. Because there was no real 'start' signal, your body doesn't know when to stop either. It can keep going forever. Bible readers may know of the account of the woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years! Before I had insurance I once waited 6 months for it to stop before I was able to go to the doctor. At this point I would highly recommend seeing your doctor asap and including plenty of iron in your diet. The brown blood that you wrote about is because it is old blood that has been in there too long. Hugs... I know this whole thing really sucks, I hope you find some answers.

Amber

twinmommy · 04-21-2006, 06:24 AM

Thank you so much for your input. I called my Dr. today and they put me back on bcp. We'll see if that works. The Dr. thinks it's hormonal and the fact that I didn't have af for 3 months, and more than likely didn't ovulate before this af.

This board is so great, it's nice to know you're not alone out there w/ PCOS.

Thanks again!!

Thanks again and

krbear · 04-21-2006, 11:59 PM

I have this SAME PROBLEM! My bleeding started on March 3 and still hasnt stopped. My dr. prescribed prometrium, didnt work. I went to see a specialist in another town and she started me on BCP. Didnt work. I had the same thing where I didnt have my period for 2 months then I would get it for a week or so. The longest I ever bled was 2 wks.
So Monday I am going into have a D & C to make sure there is nothing else going on. Unfortunately, my body has pretty much bled straight through. It let up 2x but for the most part it has been steady. This sucks. Looking forward to possibly getting more answers.

twinmommy · 04-22-2006, 07:05 AM

krbear,
i hope the D&C helps you, and that you get some answers.

I have a question for you... Has your bleeding been really heavy? Mine all seemed fairly normal until today. Now it's so heavy I'm bleeding right through tampons within an hour. I don't start the BCP until Sunday, but thought this was weird. I can't belive there is any blood even in there. Right before this the flow was brown/dark red, now it bright red. MY BODY CONFUSES ME!

TIA!

Kara

krbear · 04-23-2006, 05:40 AM

Ok, this might be TMI but mine flow started "normal" medium to heavy for the first week or so, then i seemed to be just have some heavy spotting. Unfortunately, this heavy spotting lasted for 3 weeks. Then it seemed to lighten up a bit but on Thursday(2 day ago) it started very heavy and with LOTS of cramping. I thought since I am on week 7 there would be nothing left in me to bleed out. I was hoping I was pretty empty at this stage. Not enjoying this at all!
I am intersted to see how things come out on Monday cause I am miserable right now!

Carrie

twinmommy · 04-23-2006, 07:22 AM

Carrie,
Keep me posted. It's like we're having the same cycle!! Good luck, I hope you get some answers. I'm hoping BCP help for me, I'm starting them tomrrow. I also read that taking Ibuprofen helps with heavy bleeding so I've been taking a few a day. At least it's helping with the cramps.

Kara

krbear · 04-26-2006, 03:38 PM

Kara-
Sorry I havent replyed in a couple of days. The D & C went well. Having a hard time recovering from the anestisia(sp??). The dr. didnt find anything abnomal in my uterus. She thinks that I might have had a hormonal imbalance and that is what might have set this off. Dont know for sure. They are going to biopsy some tissue that they took from my uterus and we will know more then. Atleast the bleeding has stopped.
How are you feeling?

krbear · 05-10-2006, 08:41 PM

Not sure if you are still reading this thread but I got my results from the D & C and reason for the prolonged period. It seems I had 4 uterine polyps that needed to be removed. Will stay on birth control for 2 more months then we start TTC all over again.
Carrie

twinmommy · 05-10-2006, 11:38 PM

krbear,

wow, guess it's good you had the D&C. Sorry I didn't reply to the last post. I couldn't find it to reply. Anyway. I'm doing better. I'm on BCP and the bleeding has stopped. I hate BCP because when I'm on them I get a lot of pelvic pain (dr. thinks could be endometriosis), but when I'm not on the pill I don't have it. oh well, like you said at least the bleeding has stopped.

Hope you recover ok, maybe now that you had the polps removed it will help with TTC?! I will be sending baby dust to you!!

Good luck and keep me posted!!

Kara

debir · 05-11-2006, 01:23 AM

I had to reply to this thread because I also had prolonged bleeding, and also because of no insurance didn't seek help from a dr for a long time (a year!), finally I couldn't take it anymore and went asked a Dr. to put me back on metformin and within a few days the bleeding stopped!
I have had two normal cycles since starting the met also, but the last cycle I had alot of painful cramping.
They did a blood test to see if some issues I am having was related to thyroid, but everything came back great, except I am anemic! Well, go figure, but it has been two months since I stopped the constant bleed, so not sure why I would still be so anemic (enough they wanted to give me a blood transfusion and asked me if I had been fainting or dizzy LOL). They did put me on iron pills which I start tonight.
I am pretty sure that the constant bleeding was caused by wacho hormones from the PCOS, but was relieved when my pap came back normal.
Very interested to hear what your dr.s had to say about you all! Thanks for the post on this topic

twinmommy · 05-11-2006, 05:26 AM

Debir,

I can't imagine dealing with the constant bleed for 14 months. I'm not surprised you were anemic. I was having a lot of dizzy spells during that time and I guess that must be why. I understand your feelings about having a normal pap. I have had abnormal paps and have had to have all the biopsies and a couple of surgies to remove the abnormal cells, that is not fun and we think it contributed to us having trouble TTC. During the constant bleed that was in the back of my mind.

I think mine is all hormones with the PCOS. At my next annual, I want to ask my Dr. to just put me on Metformin. I had great results using it when TTC, we're not TTC anymore, I just liked that the Metformin helped me stay regular and helped me to maintain my weight.

Good luck to you!

Lullaby Dreams · 05-11-2006, 09:00 AM

Wow. I just had to post here. I'm brand new and this is my first time here. I wish I'd come across this sooner. lol

I can completely relate to the constant bleeding. I have been going through it for nearly 3 years. The "cycles" are just as you are describing. Some brown, some light, some REALLY heavy. I have no insurance, and am nearly out of sanity.

I had a colposcopy done last May. Oddly enough, for a few months I had regular, although long, cycles. My last period ended in October and didn't start back until January. From January to April, I bled. I finally bit the bullet and went to my OBGYN for a transvaginal ultrasound. He said chances are, without testing, I have PCOS. He prescribed 5MG Aygestin (Norethindrone-generic). I'm to take these beginning at the first of each month, and take them for 10 days.

Within 2 days of taking the meds, I stopped bleeding. Once they were over, I had a regular cycle! This is my second month and I have just taken my last pill. I'm on CD15 and am having a little bit of spotting. I don't know if this is normal or if my meds aren't working.

Anyway. Good luck to you guys. I hope we all find a solution!

charlestontess · 06-21-2006, 05:08 PM

Ladies,

I am reading your posts with great interest as I too have been experiencing a prolonged period that started May 5th after a 7 month absence of cycles. I let it go three weeks, then went in to see my doctor and had a D&C done. Since then I have been on a double-dose of BCP's (Yasmin) which doesnt seem to be helping, in fact it is just getting heavier and I am still passing large clots. (Sorry to be gross) The blood is bright red and I am soaking through about 3-4 pads a day. I am now wearing overnight super pads even to work during the day. The doctor says to just stay on the BCP's for another 2 weeks and if it doesnt stop then I am to come back in to see her. I am so tired and sick of the cramps and the way I feel. I can't concentrate at work and to top it off, I am supposed to be leaving for vacation on Friday and am so frustrated I have to deal with this on top of the 18 hour drive.

I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I wish I had some advice to offer but I am at a loss on what to do here as I am just trying to follow my doctor's orders. I am going to try something however: I have a container of natural progesterone cream that I had used before trying to get pregnant over the summer. Correct me if I am wrong here, but is it the Progesterone that's supposed to stop the shedding of the uterine lining? If so, than it cant hurt to at least try it on top of the BCP's, right? The worse that can happen is that I feel nauseous and that's what I'm going through already with the BCP's. I'll keep you all posted on if it works.

Hang in there and just try to rest when you can. I find that if I go home a take a short nap after work the flow slows up some and I feel better. I would also reccommend a good multi-vitamin with iron to help you avoid becoming anemic.