I was just wondering if anyone else has had anything simular as to what I have been dealing with... the Drs keep saying there is nothng wrong, but I know better.
For the past 2 1/2 months I have been getting my period every other week. They are very heavy and has alot of very large clots and last around 5 days with horrible cramping. When I have the bleeding it has a horrible smell with it!! Normally I only have bleeding for 3-4 days and no cramping.
The Dr put me on an antibiotic in case it was an infection. Nothing changed. They have done blood work and I had a pap smear and had an ultrasound done and they have found nothing wrong. I do have the copper IUD, I have had that in for almost a year and a half. I even asked the Dr if that could be the problem and he said it looked fine and didn't see a problem with it.
So just wondering if anyone else has delt with this and could lead me in any direction or have the Dr look for something they haven't thought of?
Thank you so much!
Thank you to all! I went in today and he removed my IUD and did a biopsy to check for cancer and other things it could be. I did have a vaginal ultrasound done and they didn't see anything on it. So hopefully the removal of the IUD will help and the biopsy comes back negative :)
Thank you again.
Are you sure the bleeding is vaginal? Could it be rectal bleeding? In any case, Get a second opinion right away.
If you look up the copper IUD side effects[Google "Paragard bleeding"], there are tons and tons and tons of women out there who have much heavier periods and other bad period symptoms from it. I posted a question on here a long time ago when I was considering getting an IUD and also on another moms site and everyone told me to stay away from the copper one. My guess is, if you have it removed, things will return to normal!
Otherwise, I would at least get a second opinion from another OB.
My first thought was the IUD - since they can cause heavy bleeding, clotting, and cramping. Maybe get a second opinion on that issue?
I did want to share my story a bit since your issue may not be IUD related and mine wasn't at all. I had my period for 1.5 years straight (not kidding) and then miraclously got pregnant with my now 12 yr old. Successfully carried her close enough to term (after 4 earlier miscarriages) and had a vag delivery. Once I delivered her, I continued to have my "period" for another year straight. Dr. started me on Depo shots - which didn't help. He then increased the Depo shot frequency - still no help. I had ovarian cysts in the past but wasnt' the problem then. Finally, Dr. says that they want to do a D&C to "clean out" my uterus in case there was left over materials from birth (even though I had my perioid for 1.5 years prior to her birth). Fine. I go in for D&C and wake up about 15 min later feeling great. Turns out my uterus was falling out in "chunks" - there is probably a medical term for this, but that's what was happening, and what I was getting wasn't periods but parts of my uterus. I was scheduled for a hysterectomy 48 hours later. Turns out that I have Lupus (SLE) (dx'd in 2009) and miscarriages and uterine problems are not uncommon.
Certainly, I do not think that you have any or all of these issues, but if you want to ask your dr. for additional ideas/tests, you could suggest:
1. Birth control to see if that controls your periods
2. A D&C to see if there is extra lining that is irritated and just needs to come out
3. Testing for Lupus and PCOS (another period problem causer) if he hasn't already.
Good luck :)
3.
Its possible that you have a vaginal bacterial infection. That could cause the bleeding. Especially if you notice that is around the days after you've had sex. That would be what is causing the odor. It would not show up on a pap smear or an ultrasound. Your dr. does an internal scrapping and observes the scrapping under a microscope.
They heavy bleeding is not normal. The next time it happens, track your bathroom visits. Note how often you are needing to change pads/tampons, etc. so that you have exact details when talking to the dr. My dr. said that anything around or less than every hour is a problem. Large clots, as well as many clots are also not good.
I would also start taking an additional iron pill. That will help your body against anemia. Eating yogurt with active cultures can also help, if you have a BI.
Please get a second opinion, and if you need to, go to the ER where they can run tests.
M.
I had a copper IUD. The clotting I had in my case came from having fibroid tumors in my uterus. My periods were extremely heavy and I needed to have emergency D & C's done more than once. The final outcome with that was having the copper IUD removed permanently. Your Dr. did an internal and your copper IUD is in place. The pap smear and ultrasound did not show any problems with fibroid tumors or any other female problems yet this bleeding every other week is not normal and can cause anemia if this continues indefinitely. Your Dr. is in the know but if situation continues with your next period I would get another Dr.'s take on it. I do not have 16yrs of medical school so its hard to guess what is going on & it is not my objective to second guess anybody elses opinions but my thought would be maybe after 1 1/2yrs for whatever reason your body may be rejecting the copper IUD as it being a foreign object inside your body. Do not worry about offending your Dr. 2nd opinions are customary and many times very necessary to get to the bottom of a problem.
I agree with a couple of the ladies posts.... but mostly you do need a second opinion. It could be so many different things ranging from a copper allergy to something like endometriosis. Most of all, you need to see someone who will take you seriously. After all, you are paying for the appointment... why not make them worth your money? Doctors have a tendency to drive me a little crazy :)
Updated
I agree with a couple of the ladies posts.... but mostly you do need a second opinion. It could be so many different things ranging from a copper allergy to something like endometriosis. Most of all, you need to see someone who will take you seriously. After all, you are paying for the appointment... why not make them worth your money? Doctors have a tendency to drive me a little crazy :)
Please see a different doctor! It doesn't sound like this one is very focused on helping you. It's his job to figure out what's going on, not to put it on you, the patient, to come up with leads.
I can't take hormonal birth control, so I'm opting for the copper IUD, as well (I get it put in next week). I know that with the Paraguard, you get more cramping and bleeding, but this sounds excessive. It may be possible that your body is rejecting the IUD and causing all these issues, even after a year and a half. You may also have developed a sensitivity to copper. Did your doctor check for perforations in your uterus? They're rare, but can happen.
Foul smelling discharge or odor with bleeding indicates an infection. I urge you to go to a different doctor/clinic and get a second opinion. If your doctor is putting you on a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the hopes that it will cure some mystery infection that he doesn't believe is there, you need to find someone else, ASAP.
Are you having any other pain during the month when you don't have your period? A good friend of mine is being treated for endometriosis and has had similar experiences as you, but not as frequently. Has your doctor ruled out feminine cancers, polyps, cysts or lesions? Also, are you having any vaginal pain after using tampons or having sex? These would be things to ask another doctor to get a second opinion on. There may be things that your previous doctor has overlooked and isn't making the connection on.
R., I am experiencing similar symptom. The two major differences are I do not have an IUD or use any form of hormonal BC and my period comes on every TWO weeks. Oh and also I don't exoerience the smell, but I have the cramps, clots and it last around 5 days and my normal was 3. My doctor only siggestion was for me to start a form of hormonal BC but I have had problems in the past with EVERY brand that I have tried and I really don't want to go through that until I find the right one. Mine symptoms began shortly after I began taking a very low does of testosterone. I think I only took two pills and I've been dealing with this for a year.
I agree that you need to get a second opinion. I wonder if you may need to have the IUD removed.
I just got an IUD placed. I wanted the Copper but was turned away from it very heavily by my OBGYN. He warned me that i could have erratic and even pretty much non-stop periods with it. He said if he had 10 Mirenas he might remove 1 because of the problems it creates. With Copper he removes usually 5 or the 10!
So I would suspect the Copper IUD because I was told to expect that and it could happen anytime. He even told me it could go ok for a few years then I could have a period for a few months straight out of the blue.
Like I said they really told me it wasn't cost effective because they removed so many do to heavy unpredictable bleeding.
Is it ok with you to get it IUD taken out maybe there is a problem with it & it is unable to be detected @ this time could u be allergic to the copper?I would get another PAP Smear maybe a DNC to do pathology testing on it. I just think what you are going through is normal by any means.Have your read anything on cervical caner?Maybe you should look into it & see if you have any other symptoms sometimes we have to investigat ourselves then go to the doc again over & over.Good Luck let us know what happened
I agree with those who say you need a second opinion. Just because your OB isn't willing to follow through and find the cause doesn't mean you need to just let it go. You're the one dealing with this not him. He's an idiot. Find a female OB who may be more intune to helping you resolve the issue. Men just don't get it.
I would seek out another doctor. I know that as we get older, and most particularly around age 40, our periods do tend to get heavier. As an over 40 woman, I know this to be true. I have had heavy periods my whole life but they were very predictable....as I hit my mid 30's, this began to change and by my late 30's, I was bleeding so heavy that it was interfering with my ability to work (an overnight pad would be overflowed before I hit the bathroom door as I exited). The doctor I was seeing at the time had me get a Marena IUD....which helped for the first three years, then the problem came back and got worse. I finally went to Iowa City, a teaching hospital, to see what the problem was because my doctor was telling me that things had been going wrong for so long that it was now my 'normal'. I did not agree with this in any way shape or form!!
So off to Iowa CIty I went where they performed a vaginal ultrasound, which is different than the traditional ones you get when pg. From this vaginal ultrasound, they found that I had chronic endometriosis and a cyst on my left ovary as well as two on my cervic! I have since had 2 proceedures done at the same time, the Novasure, and the Esure. One was a laser proceedure that sterilized me by removing the lining to my uterus (which was fine by me as I went there asking for a hysterctomy), the other is a new type of tubal ligation. Let me tell you, I feel so much better and the horid bleeding which was interfering with my life is now GONE! Go see another doctor, one who cares, and ask that a vaginal ultrasound be done so that you will know exactly what is going on because if it's not normal, it's not normal and having a doctor tell you that it's ok and/or 'normal' doesn't make it that way. You know what is right for you and what isn't....keep looking until you find that one doctor who will listen AND treat you. Good luck to you hun!
my doctor told me that with the copper one you could experience more frequent, heavier periods. with the mirena, it would be less-no period. so i would ask a second opinion on the effects of the copper iud. its probably that your body just reacts to it this way. why it would do it all of a sudden i dont know, but i know that i finished "reacting" to the mirina a year or so after placement..
One thing to have a doctor check to see is if you have endometriosis.
