Month long period??
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kylakesgal
Posts: 952 Member
Hi there....I've been going through perimenopause now for about 2 years. It took me nearly a year to recognize what was going on with my body lol. At first, I felt I was going nuts until I researched online and checked out the symptoms of menopause and yes I had nearly all the symptoms! Well I've always had my period like clockwork until recently and now it's just crazy lol. I've had really heavy bleeding for about 6 months which has been so bad I wouldn't want to leave the house. Well now my period is really light but has been going on for nearly month.....I stopped for a couple of days and it started back up. Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this? My mom had a hysterectomy when she was 31 so she never went through this and I have no friends that are going through this either. With the constant bloating, it really is difficult to lose weight. I eat really healthy and clean, exercise 6 days week and drink tons of water. Anyone find that losing weight during this time is possible?
Also, the itchy crawly feeling drives me insane. I lay down at night to go to sleep and it feels like insects are attacking me. Is there anything I can take or do to help this? Also not sleeping so well either. Seems like black cohosh helps with the night sweats though. Exercise seems to help with the symptoms too. Any imput is greatly appreciated:) Thanks and please share your story:) Feel free to add me as a friend and we can swap useful tips!
Also, the itchy crawly feeling drives me insane. I lay down at night to go to sleep and it feels like insects are attacking me. Is there anything I can take or do to help this? Also not sleeping so well either. Seems like black cohosh helps with the night sweats though. Exercise seems to help with the symptoms too. Any imput is greatly appreciated:) Thanks and please share your story:) Feel free to add me as a friend and we can swap useful tips!
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Why no one teaches women that as we approach mentalpause,
that heavy bleeding can occur,
is a mystery to me. Near as i can tell, few women seem aware this heavy heavy bleeding can occur right before periods cease. I also experienced such drastic bleeding, it was off the hook, just had to wear tampon AND multiple pads and had to change everything every 30 minutes, AND i became dizzy, pale, sweaty,
i was hemorrhaging.
No one had ever told me to expect this as part of the change, so i let it go on for way too long. I had some pals also experience this type of profuse bleeding, and they also had no idea to expect it.
I suspect the next generation WILL know to watch out for this, as they are so google-oriented to get info that their mothers and doctors don't ever warn them about.
There is help for this. Go to your doctor.
Sometimes it is treated with hormones, sometimes, the doctor can ablate the lining of your uterus, and after this 'Novasure" surgery (outpatient) most women never ever bleed again. (some exceptions).
Profuse or prolonged bleeding can be very deleterious to your health. In meantime, be sure to eat tons of iron, to help reduce your probable anemia.0 -
did your itchy "insect crawling" sensation begin before or after you began black cohosh?
Not everyone agrees that black cohosh is safe, and the recommended dosages have recently been reduced: (read page TWO of this thread, and do google "side effects of black cohosh" you could be messing up your liver, among other things)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/637149-what-s-your-best-menopause-survival-tip?page=2#posts-10824742
Here is a thread, on strange skin sensations, on a mental pause forum called "Power Surge", you are not alone:
http://www.power-surge.com/php/forums/index.php?showtopic=359860 -
Thanks for your response Bluejean:) It's good to know, I'm not the only one experiencing the long periods. I also have to wear pads and tampons if I"m going out and even take an extra pr of underwear and pants in case I have an accident! Thanks for the terrific info and I'll be sure to check out these links.
I didn't know that black kohosh had bad side effects until this morning. I was reading up on it. I think it said you shouldn't take it longer than 6 months. I was having the itchy crawly feeling before I starting taking cohosh. Is there anything naturally that is safe to take?0 -
My fabulous ObGyn told me to expect either: really heavy, or really light periods, and really frequent, or really infrequent periods and really long or really short. In other words: she warned me to expect my "clockwork like" periods to go haywire. She was right, or course.
Although for me, the bioidentical progesterone does help keep it *somewhat* on a pattern.
OP: I'm sorry yours went the heavy, and long route. NOT FUN!0 -
Not to state the obvious here, but you HAVE consulted your doctor, right? Yes, "normal" can take any number of forms, but that much bleeding could be an indicator of something other than peri-menopause. And since your mother had a hysterectomy at an early age, you could have a hereditary issue that should be taken care of.
Again, sorry if this seems insulting -- clearly you're a grown woman and know you should call a doctor when you're sick. It's just that sometimes women assume "it's just the change" and try to muddle through on their own. I'd feel better if I knew your doctor has confirmed that your body is finding its own normal, not needing medical attention.0 -
Yes that has happened s to me too, though not as heavy as your sounds but a similar cycle. Seems to have eased off now though... famous last words.
Also what megleo said.
Best wishes.0 -
Not to state the obvious here, but you HAVE consulted your doctor, right? Yes, "normal" can take any number of forms, but that much bleeding could be an indicator of something other than peri-menopause. And since your mother had a hysterectomy at an early age, you could have a hereditary issue that should be taken care of.
Again, sorry if this seems insulting -- clearly you're a grown woman and know you should call a doctor when you're sick. It's just that sometimes women assume "it's just the change" and try to muddle through on their own. I'd feel better if I knew your doctor has confirmed that your body is finding its own normal, not needing medical attention.
^ Yes, this. Please get yourself checked out. I had bloating (although no period issues) for a few months, went to my doctor and ended up having a hysterectomy in May. Turned out I had complex ovarian cysts that were fortunately benign, and fibroids in the uterus. My Mum had a hysterectomy at the same age as me (I'm 51) because she had incredibly heavy bleeding which was a result of ovarian cysts.
We are all different so we can never be sure what's going on inside. Good luck. Hope it's resolved soon.0 -
YES! Great reminder.Not to state the obvious here, but you HAVE consulted your doctor, right? Yes, "normal" can take any number of forms, but that much bleeding could be an indicator of something other than peri-menopause. And since your mother had a hysterectomy at an early age, you could have a hereditary issue that should be taken care of.
Again, sorry if this seems insulting -- clearly you're a grown woman and know you should call a doctor when you're sick. It's just that sometimes women assume "it's just the change" and try to muddle through on their own. I'd feel better if I knew your doctor has confirmed that your body is finding its own normal, not needing medical attention.0 -
I'm on board with those who've advised you to see your doctor. I had all your symptoms and it turned out to be uterine fibroids - twice! I passed on the hysterectomy the first time and just had the fibroids removed. I got new ones. The second time I had a uterine ablation (not sure if I spelled that right), but despite having a great deal of my uterine lining burnt away, I STILL have some fibroids! Just get the hysterectomy and be done with them! Next came ovarian cysts. My GYN put me on the pill for a month. The cysts went away but my hot flashes returned and have been flaring since (over a year ago). I take peroxetene, which is non-hormonal, and helps some with hot flashes. It's a prescription. I also take an herbal supplement that contains, among other things, black kohosh. Nothing completely gets rid of the hot flashes, but it's made them easier to live with. For me, real hot flash triggers are alcohol and chocolate - yes, that really sucks! But I always have more frequent and intense hot flashes after I've ingested those things. Menopause is not fun, but it really helps to communicate with others who've gone through it or are going through it. We shouldn't suffer alone!0
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You've had some great advice from the other ladies re the heavy bleeding, so I thought I'd pitch in about the other issues. Please watch what you're doing with the Cohosh - the advice regarding it has changed dramatically even in the last three years; so they are obviously still finding out about it. I know that there is at least one woman in America waiting for a liver transplant due to overdosing on it. It was helping with the hot flashes so she thought she would just take a bit more, and a bit more....................and the rest as they say is history.
For the crawling sensation - you could try B vitamins, I think it's B12 in particular, but I take something called Qu B + C by Quest Healthcare. It's all 8 B vitamins plus 500 mgs of Vit. C and seems to have done the trick for me. Also, if you're experiencing bad flashes/sweating - are you keeping hydrated? I am a real water hound - I drink about 4 or 5 litres a day - but I was sweating so much at one point I resorted to taking rehydration salts!
Hope you get some relief soon.0 -
I came here to see if my symptoms were normal.
I am 53, fit, have been regular up till last week. I got my period on Labor day as expected. I still have it !!!!!! I have been bleeding for 12 days. Not heavy, so I am not worried {at this point} about a low blood count or anemia. My poor husband, bad enough living with a woman who bleeds for 5 days, ....but 12 and counting!! The worse part is that the flow is not heavy enough for tampons, and wearing a pad all the time is irritating to say the least. I am tired of wearing my "period panties"!
How long will this go on?0 -
I came here to see if my symptoms were normal.
I am 53, fit, have been regular up till last week. I got my period on Labor day as expected. I still have it !!!!!! I have been bleeding for 12 days. Not heavy, so I am not worried {at this point} about a low blood count or anemia. My poor husband, bad enough living with a woman who bleeds for 5 days, ....but 12 and counting!! The worse part is that the flow is not heavy enough for tampons, and wearing a pad all the time is irritating to say the least. I am tired of wearing my "period panties"!
How long will this go on?
I remember this!! Don't want to alarm you, but there were times when mine dragged on for 3 weeks or more. As you say - not quite heavy enough for tampons, but just trickling away. Arrrrrggghhhhhh!!! Terrified to wear light colours, pads and tampons in every bag, pocket, glove compartment - even my golf bag! Didn't happen often, but very annoying when it did.0 -
I also had the problem of prolonged bleeding and I went to the doctor again and again and then I remembered something that someone had told me years ago- when you are past child-bearing do not go to an OB/Gyn but find a gynecologist. I did just that and she was the first one to explain to me why I was bleeding to death and she knew exactly how to treat it. And it was easy peasy. Years of suffering that could have been dealt with so quickly if only I had seen the right person.
Find a gynecologist. Not all practices have one since obstetrics is where the money is.0 -
Yes I have been to the doctor and she seems to think it's nothing to be concerned with. It is very light now but still quite annoying. I also can't wear light colors and carry pads everywhere with me now. I wanted to hear it from other women that are experiencing this......like I said earlier, my periods have always been heavy with bad cramping so this isn't so bad just going non-stop like this is frustrating though! I know everyone is different so it's really hard to know what to expect. I'm completely in the dark here and hearing your stories relieves my mind some to know that this is normal. I'll stop for a day or two and start back up. The constant bloating is another thing but I'm having no other PMS symptoms. (no cramps which I'm thankful for) For the last few months, I feel the only time I have feel sane is when I'm on my period. I guess that's due to my low estrogen. I've read that soy products contain estrogen and it's a good idea to buy soy products. Anyone else find that soy helps? So thankful for all your imput:)0
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I've been researching everything I can on menopause and really would like to find something natural to help with symptoms. So I'm going to share what I found. Flaxseed reduces night sweats, ginseng is a mood booster, St. Johns Wort for depression, for itchy skin increase Omega 3, Vit. B, Increase water, moisturize after showers & use gentle soaps. Foods that promote estrogen are soy, apples, alfalfa, cherries, potatoes, rice, wheat and yams. We all are on the right track exercising. I have noticed since I've been watching what I eat and exercise that the symptoms aren't nearly as bad as they were. So glad to have other ladies to vent & share with:)0
