Long/Heavy Periods

I have always had long heavy periods. Well, I did until the last three years. I was always irregular and when I did have a cycle it was extremely painful and heavy. Midol works. If you can an asprin will help with the clotting. Good luck. Try not to worry.

I've had 2 c-sections and my peroids are like that too. After the first one my peroids were normal for me. After my 2nd c-section (2 yrs ago) my periods have been super heavy too...like a super-plus tampon plus a pad every 1 1/2 hours. Now after 2 years of it its finally starting to lighten up a little. It goes month by month. Thats all i can tell you. I havent asked my doctor about it, i'm just dealing with it.

W.
www.ubah.com/P2249

I don't know if this was mentioned, but the nurses at my obgyn told me that if I have to change a super tampon every hour than they want me to come see the doctor.

Hi K.,
I've had the same problem. I had a c-section 8 months ago & my periods have been horrible. Mine is related to my thyroid being low. You might want to have that checked. Good luck!
T.

After two c sections my periods went from light, 3 dayers to heavy 7 day long cramping, emotional roller coaster, nightmares. I'm not sure if it's from the c sections, but it only happened after I had them. I would say talk to your doctor. There are birth control pills that are avaliable that can "control" your period and your obgyn might have more info on them.

Just a question: are you on birth control? After I had my son, I decided to try a different birth control (ortho-tricyclen low) and my periods went crazy. I would go less then 3 weeks in between periods and they lasted 7-9 days. They were very heavy with huge clots. I also started having higher blood pressure when mine was normally very low. After a few months of this, I decided to go off it completely. Other birth controls did not affect me like this one. Every bc can affect people differently and they all have major side effects. Hopefully this can help!

I was interested in the responses you receieved.

I have ALWAYS had heavy and irregular periods. In fact they put me on birth control when I was 12 years old to help. I have found that on birth control my periods are lighter and are shorter -- however, for me the cramping is more intense.

After I stopped BF at around 11 months, my periods were AWFUL! I did not have a C-section, but I literally ended up using a tampon (changing every 1/2-1 hr) and at night laid one of my sons diapers in my underwear so that I could sleep with out making a mess -- talk about embarrassing!! I called the Dr. and although they were a little concerned, they said that it was fairly normal.

I did start my birth control pills around the same time and things have now evened out (2 months later). I do however, pass a lot more big clots -- I plan on speaking with my Dr. at my yearly at the end of the month. If you learn anything, please let me know. As I stated, I have always struggled with this and I was surprised to hear many of the women say that there was a medical problem that could be treated.

I don't know that I have any advice, but just to let you know, you are not alone. Ever since the birth of my son, I have been the same way! It gets so frustrating! I went from before only having maybe 3 days to now a week and longer (and very heavy too). My DR just told me it was normal. Bleck. I wanted a magic cure for it.

K.--
I had the same thing happend. By the sixth one it was gettting normal, I would ask your OB anyway. Mine said it was normal. M.

I have a 12 month old and my last period was very heavy as well. He was my second c-section and my tubes were tied. I have a ob appointment in Dec. Hopefully it wont happen again this month!! The first part was a whole 7 days and 7 days later it was another 4! This could be from changes in my life?? New season, stressed, eating...?? I dont know, but I am not fond of it!!

Good luck!
Deb

K.,
I had the same thing after I had my 3rd baby two years ago. I finally went to the Dr. and found out I had a cyst on my ovary (not the cause of the bleeding) and that my uterine lining was "ungodly thick". I tried birth control plls and 800mg of Ibuprofen as the Dr. recommended to stop the bleeding and finally ended up having an endometrial ablation(sp?) to remove the lining from my uterus. It was a simple procedure and I missed work the day I had the procedure and then took the next day off as well. My periods are so much better now, no cramping or heavy bleeding like before.
Before I went to the Dr. I started keeping a journal of the intensity of my cramps, the # of pads I soaked in a certain amount of time, etc..(They measure the heaviness by # of soaked pads, not tampons...VERY inconvenient when you work outside the home)
Don't wait too long before you go to the Dr. It is not worth the discomfort or mess.

Good Luck!

My doctor told me it is a good idea to see your doctor whenever your period changes from what is normal for you. Especially if it gets heavier. Frequently, the cause is normal and there is nothing to worry about, but sometimes it could be a sign of something else that is wrong with your body. You should talk to your doctor. Especially because it seems to worry you.

I recommend that you go see an ob/gyn. While most times this is normal, it can indicate serious problems too. Do you have any other symptoms such as severe cramping or a sensation of heaviness in your pelvic region? In addition to your regular pelvic exam, they can do an ultrasound or CT scan to determine if you have an ovarian cyst, endometriosis, adenomeiosis, or a tumor.

I have always had these kinds of periods. My are heavy for about two to three days and I have to change my tampon every two hours or so. It's runs in my family though. I also have a 40 day cycle, and during my teenage years I was irregular to the point that I might have a period after two month or two weeks. My friend told me about Instead Soft Cup, it's not something I would try or use but check it out. It will hold up to 12 hours without leaking. I looked it up on the internet and found out a lot about it.

My periods have always been like that post and pre pregnancy. I soak tampons every hour for at least the first two days and I'm so anemic that I kinda just sit in a chair in a nice in limbo stage for those days. Then I usually get one day of normal light flow and I'm done. I've told multiple doctors about it and they all aren't concerned. I just have to take iron supplements daily.

If you find a doctor who will say anything to you about them or has any insight or something that helps please contact me. I would really appreciate it.

My periods changed after I had my second child. They were longer (7-8 days) and some months were heavier than others. (This was while I wasn't on any birth control at all because I was nursing and I couldn't remember to take the mini-pill.) When I stopped nursing, I went back on the pill and things settled down. However, in June, I had the Mirena IUD inserted and now my periods are about 1-1.5 days and I only need to use pantyliners. I even sometimes skip my period, which is not uncommon, and my doctor seems to think they will eventually stop all together within the year. I love it! If you're not breastfeeding, you may want to consider looking into it.

I think that after giving birth be it c-section or vaginal that your periods get worse. It took about a year for my periods to get back to normal after my first child 9 years ago, but I havent had the chance to get back to normal after my son as I was pregnant twice and miscarried twice. I have noticed that there is more clotting after this last miscarriage and I have been using a super tampon (I only ever needed regulars) and two pads at the same time. (I loved the comment one of the other ladies said about having to use a diaper at night, as I have been wondering houw to make it through the night without having to worry about messing up my sheets!) I am pretty sure that it is normal for your periods to be out of control for a while after birth but if it worries you too much or you start feeling very tired (maybe anemia) you should definitely see your ob. You should never have to worry about your health when you have a little one to take care of, she cant afford to have you out of commission. Good luck and take care of yourself,
Shane