How to deal with heavy menstrual bleeding

[Norajane]

As I've gotten older, my peiods have gotten heavier, to the point where there are a couple of days each month where it seemed like a veritable flood. No pain or anthing like that, but as annoying as hell.

I had the doc run all the tests for endometriosis, cysts, etc., and all came up normal. So her recommendation was to put me on BC pills to regulate my periods. I've taken the pill before and didn't have any bad side effects, but I felt that didn't really address why I was getting these heavier periods - it just treated the symptoms - and the symptoms would return when I went off the pill anyway.

I had done a bunch of research online, and discovered that an iron deficiency and a Vitamin A deficiency might cause menorhaggia. I also learned that menorhaggia can cause an iron deficiency, leading to a vicious cycle. Vitamin A can help your body absorb iron, so also helps counter the deficiency. So I suggested to the doc that I try taking extra iron and the Vitamin A for a while and see if that helped before going on the pill.

So, for the last 30 days, I've been taking my daily women's multivitamin, extra iron, plus two weeks of 25,000 IU of Vitamin A twice a day. And wow, did it work! It decreased my flow to less than half of what it was the previous month, and all the big clots were gone. (I use a Diva Cup for my periods, and I'd been tracking the ounces each month).

I'm posting my experience with this just to encourage people to look into all the alternatives when seeking medical care. Obviously, you should always confer with your doc before trying anything, but I would highly recommend going into the discussion after doing some research and being well informed and not being afraid to ask questions. It saved me from automatically going on the pill without addressing the underlying causes of a problem I don't have anymore!

 

[Guest]

I love you!
Now I have to go to the store..

 

[Norajane]

I love you!
Now I have to go to the store..

You did read the part where I mentioned you should talk to your doc, right?

 

[Guest]

 

[Norajane]

Thanks Norajane...I'll have to pass this info on to my wife. She has been dealing with heavy, used the evra patch for several years to help control flow, but after a while that wasn't working either. She started taking something else instead (I can't pronouce it) temporarily but also had some fribroid cysts removed recently. I know she has taken iron supplements in the past (not sure about everything she takes now....between her, me, and one of our kids, you should see what's in our medicine cabinet) but I've never heard of the Vitamin A thing. This is interesting.

Would it be possible to provide some links to the infor you researched?

Thanks again.

Most of the sites point to the same Vitamin A study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=847567&dopt=Abstract


I'll post some of the places that had comprehensive information:

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C384826.html

http://www.althealth.co.uk/services/info/ailments/menorrhagia1.php

http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articl...ymptoms_heavy_menstrual_bleeding_000080_6.htm

http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/library/healthguide/en-us/Cam/topic.asp?hwid=hn-1042002

http://www.marilynglenville.com/printable/general/menorrhagia.htm

 

[bisexplicit]

Thats quite interesting - my mother is in her mid/late 40's and has been dealing with the same problem since her early 40's. She was put on birth control for it. I might have to send her some of the links.

Thank you for the info.

 

[bobsgirl]

Thats quite interesting - my mother is in her mid/late 40's and has been dealing with the same problem since her early 40's. She was put on birth control for it. I might have to send her some of the links.

Thank you for the info.

Yes, heavier and longer periods can be one of the more aggravating signs of peri-menopause.

 

[Norajane]

Thats quite interesting - my mother is in her mid/late 40's and has been dealing with the same problem since her early 40's. She was put on birth control for it. I might have to send her some of the links.

Thank you for the info.

I'm happy to help!

I found it really aggravating that most of the standard medical sites primarily recommend BC pills, and that no one has done any follow-up studies on the Vitamin A connection. I know there are all kinds of reasons for menorrhagia, and A might not help everyone, but jeez, it seems like it would be pretty simple to give it a try before immediately going to BC pills and hysterectomies.

 

[Norajane]

Yes, heavier and longer periods can be one of the more aggravating signs of peri-menopause.

I'm only 38 and I've been bleeding like this for about a year!

 

[Guest]

 

[NaughtyLil1]

Thank you for the info. I have always been a heavy bleeder, BC or not. It's like it's gentic as my mom and now both my daughters have extremly heavy flows.

 

[Stegral]

Thanks !!

Thank you for the info. I have always been a heavy bleeder, BC or not. It's like it's gentic as my mom and now both my daughters have extremly heavy flows.

Me too... All the females in my family have had hysterectomies before they were 30... I have been dealing with the same problem for years now & am also Anemic but cannot take iron in pill form...toss in a problem with high insulin levels plus depression & I am a mess...
Thanks for the links.. I am going to be reading & printing for days & going in to see my DR.... I sooooo get side effects from BC & much prefer natural methods as there is not as harsh a side effect if something doesn't work...

Steg

 

[bobsgirl]

I'm only 38 and I've been bleeding like this for about a year!

Yep, I've had trouble with it off and on, for about 10 years and I'm 51. I'm really really ready for this to go away.

 

[hdlynnette]

My experience

Since that faithful day when I was 11 years old I had problems with my period. Cramps, heavy bleeding, bitch from hell...all those symptons. 19 months ago it got worse. I was having periods that lasted 15-20 days with very heavy bleeding, clots and all. I became anemic and had to take 3 iron supplements a day. My regular Dr put me on hormones to get me to stop bleeding so I could go to a GYN for an exam. My GYN sent me for all the tests, and made an appointment for me to have a ultrasound. By the time THAT appointment rolled around, I was bleeding again but they still done the test. (Lovely experience) Test results showed several large tumors in and around my uteris. My GYN said the magic word....hysterectomy. During surgery she discovered a cyst on one ovary which ruptured during surgery. She removed that along with my uteris and life has been wonderful every since. During the first check-up after surgery she told my my uteris had been "boogered" with tumors, basically nothing but tumors. I was 42 years old when I had that surgery and feel better now than I have in years.

Please, if you are having heavy period, see your Dr. It could be very serious.

 

[Succulent-one]

As I've gotten older, my peiods have gotten heavier, to the point where there are a couple of days each month where it seemed like a veritable flood. No pain or anthing like that, but as annoying as hell.

I had the doc run all the tests for endometriosis, cysts, etc., and all came up normal. So her recommendation was to put me on BC pills to regulate my periods. I've taken the pill before and didn't have any bad side effects, but I felt that didn't really address why I was getting these heavier periods - it just treated the symptoms - and the symptoms would return when I went off the pill anyway.

I had done a bunch of research online, and discovered that an iron deficiency and a Vitamin A deficiency might cause menorhaggia. I also learned that menorhaggia can cause an iron deficiency, leading to a vicious cycle. Vitamin A can help your body absorb iron, so also helps counter the deficiency. So I suggested to the doc that I try taking extra iron and the Vitamin A for a while and see if that helped before going on the pill.

So, for the last 30 days, I've been taking my daily women's multivitamin, extra iron, plus two weeks of 25,000 IU of Vitamin A twice a day. And wow, did it work! It decreased my flow to less than half of what it was the previous month, and all the big clots were gone. (I use a Diva Cup for my periods, and I'd been tracking the ounces each month).

I'm posting my experience with this just to encourage people to look into all the alternatives when seeking medical care. Obviously, you should always confer with your doc before trying anything, but I would highly recommend going into the discussion after doing some research and being well informed and not being afraid to ask questions. It saved me from automatically going on the pill without addressing the underlying causes of a problem I don't have anymore!

Really watch this. I bled more heavy month after month and they wanted the birth control thing. All it did was mask it. I bitched about it and they wanted to give me prozac....Geeze....I said NO. It fianally got to the point where I went through 23 overnight pads in one day. I am standing in the doctors office with it running down my leg. I told the jerk I wasn't going anywhere till this went away. They took blood work, and I had bled out so much they wouldn't let me drive home. I almost died. Had I let it go on for several more days I would not have made it. I was so low on my red blood cell count they couldn't even do surgery for a month. I was on 4 birth control pills a day, and masive iron pills, before they took it all out. DO NOT LET THEM MAKE YOU WAIT. Demand something be done. This is your life we are talking about. This is NOT NORMAL. Please PM me if you want to talk.

 

[SweetErika]

Norajane, was the Vitamin A sold as that, or as Beta Carotene? I'd like to get some and try this.

 

[Norajane]

Norajane, was the Vitamin A sold as that, or as Beta Carotene? I'd like to get some and try this.

I'm looking at the bottle right now - $2.99 Walgreens store brand, Vitamin A 8,000 IU per softgel pill. Ingredients: Soybean oil, Gelatin, Glycerin, Fish Liver Oil.

I am also taking the Slow-Fe iron - over the counter, and timed-release, which they say absorbs better. Some iron can give you intestinal distress of some kind, but I didn't have any of that, so maybe the timed-release helps with that, too. I'll be taking that for a few more months, though I've stopped taking the extra Vit A, and get 8,000 IU per day from my multi-vitamin.

Good luck!


Edit to add: Whoops - I forgot that the articles said to stay away from high doses of Vitamin A if there's a chance you might be pregnant or might get pregnant! I think beta carotene is ok, but not the Vitamin A...

 

[Bert Notorius]

My wife suffers from this. She has been looking into a procedure that cauterizes blood vessels in the cervix but has not made a decision- but she's almost 50. It concerns me.

 

[Succulent-one]

My wife suffers from this. She has been looking into a procedure that cauterizes blood vessels in the cervix but has not made a decision- but she's almost 50. It concerns me.

This is a serious issue, one that people put off. What ever proceedure she chooses, at her age a temporary solution may not be the best one. One of the best things that ever happened in my life was to get that hysterectomy done. My quality of life improved, my sex life improved. And best of all, I am alive to tell you this.

 

[SweetErika]

I'm looking at the bottle right now - $2.99 Walgreens store brand, Vitamin A 8,000 IU per softgel pill. Ingredients: Soybean oil, Gelatin, Glycerin, Fish Liver Oil.

I am also taking the Slow-Fe iron - over the counter, and timed-release, which they say absorbs better. Some iron can give you intestinal distress of some kind, but I didn't have any of that, so maybe the timed-release helps with that, too. I'll be taking that for a few more months, though I've stopped taking the extra Vit A, and get 8,000 IU per day from my multi-vitamin.

Good luck!


Edit to add: Whoops - I forgot that the articles said to stay away from high doses of Vitamin A if there's a chance you might be pregnant or might get pregnant! I think beta carotene is ok, but not the Vitamin A...

Wonderful, thank you! I was planning a trip to Walgreens tomorrow anyway. I didn't know high doses of Vitamin A could cause birth defects; it's not an issue now, but is certainly something to file away for the future.

I've been taking Solaray brand Iron Asporotate on and off for years. Apparently iron supplements often cause constipation, though that's more of a risk for those who don't eat a lot of produce and fiber. The Solaray capsules contain a blend of herbs to guard against that, and I just stick with them because they seem to work well, haven't caused problems, and are inexpensive. I'd imagine you're right about the time release versions being more gentle on the system as well.

 

[GldnAngl]

My ob/gyn recommended 1500 mg of calcium the week before my period, which has helped me a lot.

I will discuss the Vitamin A and iron with her. I've had a long history of heavy periods, though, and haven't noticed them getting heavier with age.

 

[LadyPolgara]

Firstly i would like to say that i now feel better about my menstral cycle than i have ever done. I thought mine was bad but reading this i realise it isnt.
Since the age of 10 i have had heavy periods at the age of 13 i was prescribed birth control. Two years ago(32) i was found to have cervical cancer and after being successfully treated i was taken of my pill. My periods came back with a vengence and my choice is to have the lot removed. My cycle is every 14-17 days and the a bleed for 7-9.But the worst is the pain it is so bad i can only just function and woe betide anyone who knocks my stomach. Normal painkillers just dont work and Pms is a huge problem. my partner says its like living with 2 woman.Only having one child and wanting more i dont want to have the lot taken away. So each month i suffer and dread going to work(my uniform is white trousers, and i work with men).It is nice to know i am not alone