I'm a little embarassed to be writing this, but I'm also pretty desperate. I got my period for the first time 9 1/2 months after I gave birth. I should mention that I was nursing then and am still nursing. My period was extremely heavy to the point that I was bleeding through tampons and pads combined in anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. In desperation I called the doctor to find out if going on the pill would help. They said possibly and put me on a progesterone only pill- Jolivette. I have to admit, I didn't see a major difference, but by day three of my period I was making it about 3 hours between changing of feminine products.
Well, 67 days have went by and I received my period again on Thursday. Thursday was normal, but yesterday was another story. I'm bleeding as much if not more than the last time. I'm tired and afraid to leave my house. I'm still nursing my 11 1/2 month old son two times per day. I didn't experience this the first time around because I stopped nursing at 4 1/2 months and didn't get a period until I went back on birth control at 8 months. My period then was normal and arrived every 28 days to the hour.
Does anyone have any insight, experiences or suggestions? If it weren't Saturday I'd be calling the OB/GYN.
You could be aneamic, go to your Doctor and get checked, it is not normal to be bleeding so much, I hope all is well...
After I gave birth to my second child (our first son), I was having similar issues. My doctor didn't put me on a birth control pill (past family issues have made me hesitant to take them). He did give me a prescription for a stronger dose than the over the counter version of Aleve. For some reason, it helps to slow the bleeding.
I've been having the same problem since the birth of our third child (second son) last August. I didn't get my period until he was about 4 months old but it has been heavy to the point of leaking through a super tampon and a pad at times. Usually I don't leak through if I am careful to check about every 90 minutes the first 3 days. After the third day it trickles down to almost nothing. I am exhausted during those first three days to the point that I wonder if I am anemic during those days. I started taking the Aleve again when I'm cramping, bleeding heavily and exhausted and have found it helps a little. Just enough that I don't have to change the tampon quite as often and I only need the pad backup on the first day.
I know it has to do with out ever changing hormones but it really is quite a nuisance and when I am that exhausted it makes caring for my kids difficult. I don't know if the Aleve will help you but it is worth asking your doctor about. Like I said, it doesn't take care of everything but it helps.
Good luck.
Never be afraid to call your doctor! You may need a larger-dose pill with estrogen in it as well. This happened to me in highschool and it was awful. They used to give me estrogen-only pills to stop the bleeding. (after the second or third time they had to do this, I went on the pill)
Hi D.-
This happened to me--and I totally freaked out! Same as you, I nursed (until 13 months) and got my period about 10 months or so after giving birth. Believe it or not, it is normal. I had about 4-6 periods like that and then everything went back to normal. I know it really sucks, but I talked to a few friends when it happened to me and they said it happened to them too. If you don't see a difference in another 2-4 periods, I would see your doctor. This is just my experience--and only some friendly advice. I'm no doctor, so if you feel really bad, call your OB. Even if it is the weeked!
Good luck,
Jen
Hi! Sorry I didn't see this until today - I was at work (I'm a labor and delivery nurse) this weekend and am just getting to my emails this morning. Anyways, I agree with Sharon that you should ALWAYS call your doctor whenever you have a serious issue going on with you or anyone in your family. No matter what specialty doc you're looking to reach, there is always someone on call on the weekends. Simply call the office number and you'll get an operator who will take a message and call the on-call doc and/or nurse. You should get a call back within 1 hour.
The next thing I want to tell you is that having an irregular and especially heavy period several times after giving birth (no matter how long between delivery and period starting) is normal. I would recommend you call the office today and ask to be seen. It can't hurt to be sure there isn't something else going on, but nursing tends to hold off your period for a while and then the first period is pretty heavy. Your body is just re-figuring things out after having your baby.
I wish you all the best. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to email me.
Hi...I had a similar problem with my periods after the birth of my first daughter. After months of questions and tests someone I worked with recommended I request to have a thyroid level drawn. My test came back over four times the normal level. My doctor started me on thyroid medication and my periods went back to normal. I still go every three months for blood work just to stay on top of it. I also feel less tired. Just thought it might be worth checking out.
Hi D.,
I'd call right away if I were you, just to be sure everything's OK. Does anyone else in your family have this?
2 days after having my son i got a depo shot. i nursed him till he was 7months. i stll havent gotten my monthly friend. and wont till i go off the shot. u may have some break threw bleeding on it but nothing much. good luck!
It is a scary thing and it sounds like your obgyn is like what ever. Is there family history on you side? I know with my family that i have to watch out for a lot of medical things, To me that is not normal, no matter who u are. I would push to gt answers. My one friend mom goes threw that much bleeding and she needs surgery but they can't do it. My mom had a hsterymamy after having 4 children because the periods in between where so bad.
Ask you mom and found out if she ever suffered from the heavy bleeding and see if she knows anyone in the family that suffered from it. And don't let the docs tell u that there is nothing and that it is normal. Let them know what your concerans are. Best of luck and hope that everything turns out ok.
D.,
I personally think anything that you feel is not normal warrants a call to the dr (if one of your kids were sick would you care that it's Saturday?). If your ob/gyn didn't want to be called on a weekend they should have a different job. There should be a dr on call so someone should be able to offer you advice.
Hopefully, by the time you're reading this you have already called the dr and are feeling better.
Good Luck,
S.
I have a friend this happened to when she went off the pill. I'm not sure how many cycles it took to straighten back out, I think they had given her a low dose pill to help, but my understanding was this was due to the body readjusting to other hormone levels - like yours is doing, and hers from going off the pill. If you are still concerned, call your OB/GYN - even if it is Sat!
I would def call your doc, but my sister uses Red Rasberry Leaf to lighten hers up (GNC).
Oh my goodness, D.! That has got to be rough!
Have you ever tried a Diva Cup? Something like that might help you. Instead of absorbing the menstrual flow, it collects it in a reusable silicone cup (which is VERY comfortalbe, eco-friendly and saves TONS of money). I've had mine for 3 or 4 cycles & I LOVE it!
Also, have you been evaluated for fibroids at all? Are your periods painful? Heavy bleeding is a red flag of fibroids (which are more of a nuissance than cause for real concern. They are extremely common & are totally benign).
I would request an ultrasound just to be on the safe side. Just FYI though, if they tell you it's endometriosis, it is HIGHLY over-diagnosed! Many women needlessly have hystorectomies because of it!
Other than that, I would go to a really good health food store & see if there's an herb that you can take, make sure you get lots of iron while you're on your period & are drinking plenty of fluids & look into getting a Diva Cup (online might be the easiest/only place you can find one, depending on where you live).
I hope that things improve for you soon! That sucks!
A.
I went through the same thing after having my son. It was very upsetting - I felt like I couldn't even leave my house during my period. I was so exhausted and bleeding through everything. I had never experienced anything like it before pregnancy. A close friend of mine (who is a nurse and has 3 of her own kids) told me she went through the same changes after each of her pregnancies. So, I just dealt with it and about a year after my period resuming it started to become 'normal' again. Meaning it was much less severe with the bleeding, PMS, and exhaustion. It is just my opinion that medical intervention sometimes causes more harm than good when there is no medical problem. I really do wish you well - sometimes it seems so difficult to be a woman!
Hi D.,
I have heard lots of different stories from periods being very heavy to very light after having a child. But if your period is making you feel weak, then I would suggest calling your Drs after hour line. They will probably send you to the emergency room - but all OBs have an after hours service that can at least listen to you and have a Dr call you back.
Good luck!
J.
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Hi D.,
I agree you should call your Ob/gyn and talk to them about getting an ultrasound to check for fibroids. I also agree that you should be wary if anyone suggests endometriosis. My strong suggestion is to see a good endocrinologist for a thorough checkup. (The endocrine system controls all of our hormones, and we all know how important they are.) I recommend Dr. Swarna Varma, who has offices in Heidelberg & Ohio Valley Hosp & St. Clair Hosp; she is fantastic - but I must also tell you she runs hours behind in her appointments all the time. Nonetheless, she has been a lifesaver to me. (If you make a 1 o'clock appt, just call the office periodially after one and show up around 4 o'clock and you'll be all set.) My pcp also recommended Dr. Buonocort's practice near S. Hills Village.
