My Period Won't Go Away!

You probably can try BC pill without anitdepressants. I have the same problem of the never ending period. What it is that I just don't make enough hormones to stop it. BC pills are nothing more than hormones. I even had to get a stronger BC pill after my son was born, because my period wouldn't stop on the one was I was using before I was pregnant. I was worried about a stronger one, but it wound up better than the other BC pill. My doctor even had studies on the new BC pills that said they help lower the risk of breast cancer, so that's a plus for me. I'll admit I didn't care much for the Tri-levlin, because the brown pills make you moody. The Desogen/Apri is great! No mood swings, and I know when my period will start and end without counting. Even the cramps subsided. If you want another kid, just go off of them for at least 3 months before having a baby to be on the safe side.

Hi A.!
This is going to sound like it's coming from far left field, but could you have developed an allergy to soy? My sister in law developed a sensitivity to soy in her late 30's...since there are low levels of estrogen in soy, she noticed crazy pre-menstrual like symptoms whenever she ate some (and it's in so much these days!)Just throwing it out there.

Take care and hope you feel better soon!

Go to your internist, get a full work up - as someone mentioned here, thyroid is a biggie. If you are not happy with your doctor's answer of pills/anti-depressants, get a second opinion. Maybe your internist can recommend one.

Before suggesting drugs, I would think your doctor would order a sonogram, or perhaps a hysteroscopy, to see if anything was going on internally. Could be fibroids, could be ovaries - could be anything! At least s/he ordered hormone tests, which are a step in the right direction.

I know you are miserable right now, but take it one step at a time. Make sure you understand what the issue is before you take drugs - and research any drug therapies before agreeing to them. The science is changing so quickly on what is helpful vs. what can cause more problems.

You could probably just do BC pills for 3 or 4 months to get your hormones back in sync. If the pills regulate it, it may stay that way when you go off. (I had to do this after being on the Depo shot, which was a nightmare for me). Your doctor probably recommended this because it is a quick and easy fix - although sometimes it takes a couple of different pills before you find one that works with your body and hormones. It is very safe as long as you are not a smoker, and at 30 it probably would be ok even if you are (but be sure to discuss with dr)

If you really don't want to try that, I think you're going to need to go with the posts that suggest getting your thyroid tested and your hormone levels tested. Then, depending on what the cause is, some kind of hormonal treatment like the pill, may still be what's recommended.

Good luck, in the meantime, take a multi-B vitamin. In college, the school health system put everyone requesting BC on some pill that made us insane (which no one figured out until after the fact). Individually, we determined B-vitamins helped immensely, we called them our "happy pills". Going off BC or switching to a different pill was what really helped though.

Hi -- sorry to hear about your problems. It's strange that your doctor isn't giving you a full answer -- you need to insist on that, or else find a new doctor!

In addition to thyroid/hormonal problems, ask your doctor about endometriosis and fibroids also.

Birth control pills can actually make PMS symptoms worse. It happened to me a few years ago, and only after doing some research did I see that it had happened to a lot of other women, too. So the pill isn't necessarily going to help the PMS (although it may the bleeding).

My doctor, who is Eurpean and more into natural remedies before medication, recommended the herb vitex (also called chaste tree). It was like a miracle! Again, this was for my horrible PMS symptoms, not for bleeding issues.

Good luck,
B.

You need to have this investigated by your doctor to make sure there is nothing else going on. Assuming there are no other issues, the thing which worked for me was a Mirena IUS (coil). I had terrible heavy periods and bad PMS (yelling at kids and husband, feeling really depressed every month).
I had it put in for birth control and to help with my periods, both of which it did, but it has also really helped with the PMS which I was not expecting. It has a low dose hormone in it which has just been enough to help with the PMS. I never got on well with the pill as it gave me a lot of side effects, but the much lower dose in the Mirena is OK.
My periods are much lighter now. They go on longer, but this is OK as they are so light. It is worth considering for your siutation.

I have a friend who had that and her progestian (not sure on spelling) was low and had to go on a hormone replacement. Someone else I know needed a D&C. Good luck, I don't think you need any anti depressants.

Hi A.,

I know completely how you feel. When I was in my thirties the same thing happened to me. I know medication is not what you want to do but dealing with hormone imbalances is not something that you can control. It caused me anxiety issues, depression, insomnia, and like you said not feeling like myself. I did take medication for a few years and then was able to get off and was fine. I am concerned that your doc is just ready to prescribe medication without a physical exam though. You could have a cyst or something else causing the bleeding. I think before I would panic I would get a second opinion. One thing that does make me angry about doctors sometimes is they just want to dismiss physical symptoms and medicate right away. With some doctors they assume for women these symptoms are usually emotional. I always hated the question "Is there something going on at home?" I wanted to scream "Yea life!! I was a SAHM with two kids. Go for another opinion, you may need an ultrasound to rule out anything physical first. If it is a hormone imbalance then you may want to consider medication for a short while. The way I looked at it was if I were diabetic I would treat that so if it is something that is out of your control then why not get relief. It did help me tremendously I was almost to the point of not functioning. I am going to be fifty this year and take nothing just watch what I eat and exercise. I must say for me my thirties sucked. There are some benefits to getting older LOL!! Take care, take a deep breath, and get another opinion. Good luck

Hi A.,
It sounds very much like what was happening to me when I started having trouble with my thyroid. My gyn never checked my thyroid and didn't know why I would have my period then still have pms symptoms and then start the cycle over again two weeks later with my period. it is a simple blood test to find out. I hope it isn't your thyroid,but if it is,it is not hard to regulate with medicine. Do you notice if your much more tired than usual,hair falling out which are signs of hypo thyroid or hyper thyroid speedy,losing weight?

Feel better

Hi A.
Sorry you are feeling so terrible!!
I had some problems where I thought I was going crazy and it was hormones. I was certainly older than 30 but it was real. I remembered my mom saying that menopausal women were put in insane asylums because their hormones were messed up, and when she was having some hot flashes etc she was glad they had some help for us older folks. The OB/Gyn recommended & I agreed to hormone replacement. It worked so well, I was afraid to go off of it, but finally I weaned off. Of course you realize that birth control pills are hormones and they are just suggesting that if after blood work when they prove that it is hormones, you be ready to take them. I suggest you research alternative medicine herbs etc and see what looks like a good alternative and when you go to OB/Gyn ask about taking it for a bit to see if it works.
God bless you
K. -- SAHM married nearly 39 years == adult children 38,33, and twins 19.

A.~
I'm so sorry that you're going through this. It really is awful! I know, I beat this drum in all the blogs I write, but here goes again: What are you eating? Doing (exercise)? Thinking (stress)?

Starting with food: What hormones are in the foods that you're eating? Get off meats and dairy that are not hormone free. (Becoming a vegan for a week you will see improvements).

Exercise: Move your mass! Walk, walk, walk and if you can run do that. The more you work up a sweat and your heart rate, the more you'll burn excess hormones. It'll balance your hormones.

Stress: The common denominator for moms. Breathe. I know that's hard to do sometimes. Well, you're always breathing, but taking deep breaths. Stepping into the bathroom and closing your eyes and concentrate on breathing: Breath in through your nose to the count of 4; hold for 8; out through your mouth on 4. Do it as many times as you can (or as the kids will let you). Do it often.

Be good to yourself. Add maca to a green smoothie; drink female support teas.If you need more support around this, please feel free to contact me. You are too young to be peri-menopausal.

Breathe~

First thing I would do would be to have my thyroid checked.

The second thing would be regular vigorous exercise. If you can't begin with vigorous exercise, I would find some various forms of excise and really work diligently and consistently at them begin with something that takes perhaps 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening to get started and build up to 30 minutes - 1 hour in the morning and in the evening.

Try simply things like taking the stairs or parking father away from your destination and walking at a faster pace than usual.

Deep breathing exercises can also help manage stress.

Being aware of myself also helps much. I used to torture my poor family as I PMS'd but I have come to institute regular exercise and meditative deep breathing into my regimen to help conquer PMS.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have also resorted to taking vitamins too. It all works together. When I feel that tension begin to creep up, I may choose to go for a 15-30 minute walk while focusing on my breathing.

Best wishes to you as you get back to normal.

Dear A., I'm sorry you are going through this. I also understand that you may not want to take pills. Do go in and have your progestin checked. As a woman who has taken hormones and now Bio-identicals I believe they can help. You may just have an imbalance which can be adjusted. Good wishes, Grandma Mary

A.,
Sorry to hear of your pain. Any lengthy bleeding CANNOT be normal. You are young to be experiencing premenopausal symptoms but that is not impossible. Have you checked for endometriosis (check spelling). I would seek another opinion and not stop until I get results also do your own checking on the internet in the interim. Physical discomfort like that does change your mood, I can vouch for that and depression is a serious disease but anyone would be depressed temporarily if they can't even enjoy daily life.
Let us know how it works out.
Good luck. Doctor's are not infallable.
J. S

A.,

It *_IS_* possible to be pregnant with your period. Every month, too.

Get another pregnancy test, and get a second opinion if it comes back negative again.

I have *heard* (not met) of another woman who registered so low on pg tests she tested negative all the way through her pregancy. Her little girl is 17 now. :) So it was a while ago and things have improved in testing procedures, but nothing is perfect.

You might have a polyp, too, or something else that would mess with your period time frame. Many things are possible, not probable, and just remember to remain calm and retain a spirit of 'let's find out why, but not go nuts doing it'.

Good luck,
M.

First of all you need t talk to your doctor pronto. This is not normal. I worked with 2 gyne and I've seen this type of symptoms many times. Since I am not a doctor, make an appointment and tell him or her exactly what is going on. They'll do blood tests and other tests to find out what is going on. If you are not satisfied with their results go to another. I suffered from PMS for a long time. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis a while back. Very bad pain and eratic periods with very bad PMS. I found that caffeine triggers it for me. So I switched to caffeine free tea. No chocolate for a while. I love chocolate. No sugar, no white products at all. This really helped me. I hope everything is ok with you. Take good care of yourself. You are still young. E. from NJ