QuestionI am a 22 year old women from Utah. In late September I had what I thought was a period but it lasted for 3 weeks (it was very very heavy bleeding as if I had just had a child type of bleeding) in which I went to the doctors and he did a blood test for a thyroid problem (which came back negative) and he gave me some medication to make the bleeding stop. I took all the pills (they lasted 7 days). I stopped bleeding while taking the pills and the day after they were gone I started bleeding again. My husband and I would like to try and have another baby but the doctor isn't giving me any answers as to why I have been bleeding for almost a month. I am worried that there is something very wrong and that I wont be able to have another baby. I keep calling my doctor and he said that this is my regular period but I know it is not a regular period. I have never had a period like this. In July I did get my IUD out but I had a regular period in July and in august i was 2 weeks late and in September is when all this started. Is there something that the doctor could be missing? I am starting to freak out and I am tired of bleeding through my extra super huge tampons and going through 5 to 8 a day. I know its not normal and I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time.
-Whitney
AnswerHello Whitney from the U.S.,
I think your doctor is not taking you seriously enough. If you continue bleeding through extra super huge tampons, the risk is that you could be getting anemic and that can cause other health problems. The BCP's to stop your bleeding was okay but he needed to follow that up with another cycle of BCP's for one cycle to help restart your uterine lining. These are the recommended steps when abnormal bleeding is encountered:
1. Hormonal testing: FSH, LH, TSH, Prolactin, Estradiol
2. Pelvic ultrasound examination.
3. Endometrial biopsy - to rule out endometrial abnormalities such as hyperplasia (a precancerous condition) or cancer.
4. Diagnostic hysteroscopy - to rule out polyps or fibroids in the uterine cavity.
You might want to seek out a second opinion from a Gynecologist in your area to get checked out. It is possible that your ovaries are not functioning correctly which leads to hormonal imbalances and abnormal bleeding. That could certainly affect your ability to get pregnant. The bleeding problem needs to be solved but not just by putting you on the birth control pills. That is a temporary measure, and of course, you can't get pregnant. If the ovaries are not functioning correctly, for instance, you may need fertility medication, or if there is a fibroid in the uterine cavity, it may need to be removed. The appropriate treatment needs to be done so that you have the ability to become pregnant.
Good Luck,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf and facebook @montereybayivf
