I really do not know where to start. I need some advice and hopefully one of you have some answers?
Well I have been struggling with alot of issues lately. I have been bleeding non stop for 5 years. The doctors have put me on birth control (I have tried 6 different types) and it just makes me lightly bleed for 1 week and then I start bleeding heavier again. It is getting really hard on me because I am 27 and really want to be able to have kids. I have been having abnormal prolonged cycles since I was 17. I am severly Anemic and this is just kicking me down.
I do have hypothyroidism, but I have been taking the medication for 2 years and now my levels are normal. I just do not get why are I am still bleeding on birth control. I am on the generic for Ovcon. I am very upset about this and just want to know if anyone else has been through this? Have you found any solutions? I am going to the doctors in 3 weeks to let her know my update. I really wanted this Ovcon to work, but it isn't and no birthcontrol I have taken has. I really hate being on this stuff, but all the doctors keep saying it should help.
I have been tested for many different things and nothing has come up. This is just really depressing and it is so hard when you are married and you can not even be close to your husband.
Let me know if you have any advice, I would love to hear it.
Im soooo sooo sorry! That must be the worst! I cant even begin to say i understand. I personaly have no help to offer other than the story of a friend...and a {{{HUG}}}
Im not sure if this is any help but i had a friend in High School who had a 7 month period...and after lots of tests and different BCP's one of her docs found out that her blood had a a problem clotting. I dont know anything other than that...or how it even would relate...so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with your case...but maybe that is something you could just bring up with your doc in a few weeks.
Im so sorry you have to go through this..i hope things being to look up for you and your hubby!
{{{HUGS}}}
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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ,Jackie
"Stick to a task,
'Til it sticks to you.
Beginners are many,
Finishers are few."
I take Balziva too. Ovcon turned into the chewable mint birth control and I wasn't having any of that!
I think you should get a second and third opinion. There are other, stronger birth control pills out there. Ovcon is one of the strongest but I'm sure there are others. There's also Seasonale, which supposedly lets you have 4 periods a year or something. I hope you can get your problem resolved. Welcome to SC!
When a generic for Ovcon was introduced many women complained of break through bleeding and said that the generic just didn't work as well. My friend was able to get the brand name Ovcon at the Target pharmacy and it was not in chewable form- it was a regular pill so they must have switched back. Instead of costing $10 for the generic it was $40, and it is too soon for her to tell if there is a difference between the two, but if you can afford the extra $$ it may be worth a shot. A while ago I happened upon a message board where many woman were complaining that the generic did not work as well so maybe that is just the problem you are having.
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Mini Goal- 140- REACHED 7/28/08!!! New Mini Goal- 130! - REACHED 10/10/08!!! 27 years old- no meds- trying to get healthy through diet and exercise
I can't imagine it going on for 5 years! I would bleed for months at a time but it was usually during the winter (not sure if it has anyting to do with my SAD). I had the same experience with BCPs, it either didn't help or made it worse. What other meds are you on besides thyroid? My problems were made worse with pamelor for depression and when I stopped it a lot of my problems did too. I'm not regular and since I'm not interested in kids it's not a big issue for me, I just wanted the constant bleeding to stop. Have you been seeing the same dr for all 5 years? If so you might want to switch! If you're taking antidepressants (since depression is common with PCOS) you might want to talk to your dr about trying a different one. When I told my gyn I stopped taking them and stopped bleeding for months on end he said anything that affects brain chemistry can affect hormones. But that's just what worked for me. So maybe get a new dr or talk your current one about switching meds if possible.
I couldn't imagine what that must be like.. I haven't had one is so long that I wish you and I could trade places for a while!
My only suggestion is to go see an internal medicine physician (internist) Here is a little bit about what the do:
What's an "internist"?
Simply put, internists are Doctors of Internal Medicine. Doctors for Adults. But you may see them referred to by several terms, including "internists," "general internists" and "doctors of internal medicine." But don't mistake them with "interns," who are doctors in their first year of residency training. Although internists may act as primary care physicians, they are not "family physicians," "family practitioners," or "general practitioners," whose training is not solely concentrated on adults and may include surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Caring for the whole patient
Internists are equipped to deal with whatever problem a patient brings -- no matter how common or rare, or how simple or complex. They are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time. They also bring to patients an understanding of wellness (disease prevention and the promotion of health), women's health, substance abuse, mental health, as well as effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs.
My cousin is one and she suggested I go see one (because she's not in my medical network range) because she said that they will stick with it and continue looking for all aspects of a problem you are having until it is solved. If they can't solve it- they will use resources & network other physicians to find the answer to the problem! You might go see one of them on top of your family physician.
Hope this helps,
Jamie
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Jamie (25) & DH Mike (26) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Married 12.21.06
Well, I went to the doctors and they are going to send me to a "specialist" because they are amazed that the birth control is not working. I just do not understand why they did not listen to me in the first place. I already knew it would not work because I have been on so many different types of birth control and none of them have helped. They want to send me to a gyno, but shouldn't I be sent to a endo?
So now I am bleeding super heavy, and the doctor told me to stay on the birth control because I would be bleeding super heavy anyways. That was not very encouraging to me.
Have any of you guys tried this over the counter medicane called DIM-plus? I used it once for 3 weeks and had normal cycles for 2 months, even ovulated. But the doctor said not to take it, eventhough she didn't even ask me what it was.
I am just do not understand this. I do not understand why I have had abnormal cycles for most of my life, and why I am bleeding non stop now. It just really sucks. I guess the one good thing is that the doctor is going to test my hormones to see what my body is doing with the birth control and hopefully see why it is not working.
I am just getting so burned by doctors because I have been trying to figure this out since I was 17, with no answers.
I am only on thyroid. I used to only bleed for 1-3 months at a time then have a break for 1-3 months, or bleed for 3 weeks, have a break for 2 weeks, etc. I never used to bleed this bad until 5 almost 6 years ago. One day it just started and it never stopped. I did not realize how anemic I was till I got really sick and had to go to the doctors. Then I finally told them what was going on. It just seems that the older I get the worse it gets. I just want to be normal.
I don't know that I would seen an internist. Having worked in the medical profession for many years I don't know to many internists both that I would trust to advise me and/or who would feel comfortable advising me on such an extensive problem. They are okay for most simple gyn issues but long standing one's that have failed traditional medical interventions are best delt with by a specialist. If you can find a gyn that you like fine but, if not don't hesitate to ask your pcp or gyn for a referral to a RE. Those guys are the experts at this stuff. If you haven't been worked up for clotting dissorders yet it may not be a bad idea to ask (VonWillebrad Disease ect.) Not that I'm a doctor or anything but just some things to consider. Good Luck.
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I'm so sorry to hear about your nasty AF experience - that must really suck! I have had long periods before (8 - 10 months) but never for 5 years!! I also took all different types of bcp and other homone replacements and nothing worked. I was checked for fibroids, tumours with nothing showing up. Finally the gyn did a d&c. I bled really lightly for a few hours afterward and then if finally STOPPED!!! I had "normal" AF for a few months(as normal as someone with pcos really gets - long, short, irregular. I never did get an answer as to why I had been bleeding like that but I was put on bcp and stayed on them for 7 years. The type was Demulen 30. Don't know if they have that type where you live, but it has very mild side effects and I didn't actually notice any myself. Now, 12 years later, after having a sweet angel join our lives and 2 nasty hemmoraging incidents where I had to be hospitalized, my newest gyn gave me the choice of staying on bcp for the rest of my non-menopausal years, hemmoraging once or twice/year or going back on the clomid. DH really wants us to have another, so guess what i'm taking? Keeps my cycle really regular (but long - 35 days)
Hope you get some answers and hang in there.
__________________ Kelley (38) DH John (40) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
5 years TTC - lotsa Clomid and 5 IUIs brought us our miracle - Margaret Elizabeth "Maggie" on May 12, 2004
M/c April 5 & 21, 2006 (HOM - some left me early, others tried to hang on)
Blighted ovum Oct 2006
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My only suggestion is to go see an internal medicine physician (internist) Here is a little bit about what the do: What's an "internist"?
Simply put, internists are Doctors of Internal Medicine. Doctors for Adults. But you may see them referred to by several terms, including "internists," "general internists" and "doctors of internal medicine." But don't mistake them with "interns," who are doctors in their first year of residency training. Although internists may act as primary care physicians, they are not "family physicians," "family practitioners," or "general practitioners," whose training is not solely concentrated on adults and may include surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics. Caring for the whole patient
Internists are equipped to deal with whatever problem a patient brings -- no matter how common or rare, or how simple or complex. They are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time. They also bring to patients an understanding of wellness (disease prevention and the promotion of health), women's health, substance abuse, mental health, as well as effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs.
My cousin is one and she suggested I go see one (because she's not in my medical network range) because she said that they will stick with it and continue looking for all aspects of a problem you are having until it is solved. If they can't solve it- they will use resources & network other physicians to find the answer to the problem! You might go see one of them on top of your family physician.
Hope this helps,
Jamie
I agree with Jamie; All of my endocrinologists have had diplomas up on their walls stating they are Internists. The only one I had that didn't dig when something wasn't right was an extremely OLD one who was from one of the "old countries" (I used to sit in the waiting room with 3 or 4 people all speaking to each other in their own language, as well as speaking to both the receptionist and the doctor.) All he did was deal with my diabetes, even though me made note of my PCOS, and once I was showing results from being on glyburide passed the buck to my GP.
When I went back to my Ob/gyn after I had DS#3 He gave me a referral to a lady Internist to, as he said, "find out what's going on", but she was way too far for me to travel with a newborn and a 2 year old. By the time I would have been able to, I had lost her card and didn't have her name anymore.
Look up on the forum here for a endo in your area that is recommended. Check out their credentials and see if they are internists too. Heck, for what you are going through, I'd get an Endo and an Internist if you can't find one that is both.
I can't imagine bleeding continuously at all. I have always had irregular periods and some are heavier than others but nothing like yours. You have my total sympathies. {{{HUGS}}}
I think the PP that mentioned the clotting factor has a good idea too. I would specifically say I want what ever test it would take to check that. I don't know about your doctors but mine do the tests I ask for without any fuss. They may question it but they have never said no.
I really hope you find the solution soon. I understand what you mean about your relationship with DH too. With my AF visiting once a month for only 6 days, my DH starts getting stressed and gets the man's version of PMS when it is in it's final day. Drives me I hope he understands that this isn't your fault and that it's hard to 'get close' at times. There are other cysters on the boards that can also tell you of their experiences.
Reaching out for some help. 
Im sorry, i dont know the answer, but im sure someone will be able to help
went to the doctors 
Internist and blood test for clotting 
I hope he understands that this isn't your fault and that it's hard to 'get close' at times. There are other cysters on the boards that can also tell you of their experiences. 
