stilllllll bleeding

[drowningmermaid.livejournal.com]

At what point would you go to the doc if you've been bleeding for almost three weeks?

It's not a heavy flow at all, more like spotting on some days, more like a regular flow on other days. But it's almost been three weeks (and I'm on Seasonale generic HBC and nowhere near my inactive pills) and I'm so damn tired of bleeding and buying tampons and making sure my string isn't showing up for 2x/week swim aerobics.

I mean... I'd have called the doc already but what exactly could she do? It's not like she can stop the bleeding. Right?

Comments

[slinkslowdown.livejournal.com]

I'd go see the doctor at this point. I wouldn't call this dangerous at all, but it's definitely no fun. I went through that for three months on Alesse.

Your doctor may choose to switch your brand of HBC, as it could be the cause of the bleeding. Even if you've been on it for a while, bleeding and spotting can start up at any time--HBC can be fickle like that.

[faithful-summer.livejournal.com]

I had a similar problem on Lybrel (after having no issues with it for a year or more I then started bleeding constantly) and my doc had me try a month on a higher dose BC and then go back on the Lybrel, but it only temporarily fixed the problem. What finally (*knocks on wood*) seems to have worked for me was to go ahead and take a week off like you would non-continuous active pill BC and then go back on it. The bleeding stopped immediately and so far (a month later) seems to still be gone. You might call your doc first before you try it, but it might be something to try. (My doc oddly enough never suggested that. He in fact told me that surely if I took a week off it would make the bleeding worse, but after nearly a YEAR of dealing with this and reading several web forums discussing similar issues, I just decided to try it. I was to the point of being ready to ditch the Lybrel altogether if that didn't work. The only reason I had stuck it out that long was because it had seemed so fabulous the first year or so I was on it.)

[anowyn.livejournal.com]

I'd be going right about now!

Yes, she can. My situation is different than yours but I was bleeding for about two months straight after a few successful months of having a copper IUD. It just decided one day to up and hate me forever. Once removed the bleeding stopped. Before that, though, another doctor (who I didn't go to again for other various reasons) Rx'd me Provera. Just Provera. It's a hormone replacement therapy pill I believe. It stopped the bleeding in its tracks, but it was only a temporary fix. :\

Like SSD said up there you may have to switch pills. Definitely go see your doctor and talk about your options. I hope you can get it fixed asap :)

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's not a sign of a health problem. It's just an inconvenience to you. If you'd like to switch pills, then a doctor's visit may be in order. If you would prefer to stick it out awhile before switching pills, you might as well do that without the doctor's visit.

[kuradi8.livejournal.com]

A different brand of pill might suit you better. Ask your doctor.

Instead of tampons, how about a menstrual cup? Google them for more information and then if you're interested, start at http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/tag/faq for size and capacity charts to figure out which brand would fit and suit you best.

[drowningmermaid.livejournal.com]

I usually use the Instead brand cup because it's disposable and I can (sometimes) have sex while using it, but I'm almost out and I save them for heavier flow days. I almost feel like it'd be a waste to use them right now. Also, I'm having the hardest time finding them in my local stores, including Walmart, Target and Walgreens. I searched all over the place yesterday with no luck:/

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

I always just rinsed and reused my Insteads, personally.

[io2012.livejournal.com]

So I've got some sad news for you - prolonged spotting/light bleeding is either A. Just annoying, nothing to worry about, or B. A symptom of some more serious gyn issue.

I have irregular cycles and at one point when I was off HBC I bled for 8 months STRAIGHT (yes it sucked). I was checked for anemia, but since I was a relatively healthy person otherwise, losing a bit of blood each day didn't seem to cause any serious problems for me. It was due to a hormonal imbalance, which was nothing that was serious, and can require a lot of experimentation with different hormones/doses....hence the 8 months. I personally knew someone else who bled (off and on, but never with more than a day of a break) for 1.5 YEARS for the same reason.

On the other hand, prolonged bleeding can be a sign of an ovarian cyst, uterine fibroid, or pelvic infection. All these things need to be addressed by your doctor and may or may not be serious.

In the short term your doctor can usually give you a type of hormone to help stop the bleeding and reset your cycle.

As long as you have no severe abdominal pain, fever, or nausea, it's probably not emergency room material, but an office visit might be smart. :-)

[drowningmermaid.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. I have a lot of paranoia regarding my ladybits since my sister had been diagnosed with PCOS, then infertility, then endometrial cancer. I've been checked due to the paranoia, but it still doesn't mean I don't get scurred from time to time. No abnormal pains, fever or nausea though, so it does reassure me a little. I'm still going to call on Monday and get an appointment. I have other issues I need to be dealt with anyway so hopefully it'll kill two (or three, four, five) birds with one stone.

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

I'd go to the doctor now, in case it *is* something serious. Bleeding for so long, even if sometimes it's spotty, is not "normal." It might be a simple fix, but she needs to know so she can test for anything that might be more serious.