Are You There, Blog? It's Me, Jo

First: My Paragard IUD that I loved so well a year ago, I'm not so sure I love it. For the past about six months I've developed midcycle spotting that turned into midcycle bleeding and then there was no midcycle anymore. Past two months I've had near constant at least spotting, often actual bleeding, enough to need something not marked "light days." With peaks around periods but still, I never don't have to deal with it.

Second: My midwives said, okay, come in, we'll talk about other options plus we need to evaluate you for fibroids, because duh.

Third: My mom had fibroids. For which the treatment was total hysterectomy. 

Fourth: I have been tapering my metformin dose. Maybe this bleeding is not related to the IUD or to any fibroids, but to hormones that are still messed up no matter how much I exercise or how well I eat. Maybe the PCOS is going to get me no matter what I do.

Fifth: After considering the previous, I very much hope it's the IUD. I would even settle for fibroids. 

Sixth: I mean, I would happily raise my metformin dose again if I needed to. I don't have any side effects or long-term concerns about it but...there was something very rewarding about believing I'd healed something about myself. But, hey, maybe not. Maybe the trashed ovaries always win.

 

Comments

[Amy]

Might be the IUD. I had the Mirena, and it was the never-ending period. Day after day after day. Occasionally just light spotting, but never a day when there wasn't anything. Finally had it removed after 8 months of fruitless waiting for light or no periods. My OB cheerfully observed that maybe I was "not an IUD person."

[maura]

I started with the midcycle bleeding shortly after ceasing Metformin, with some weirdly-referred pain moving about my right side/front/back. I had a sonogram (fibroids workup), followed by a hysterosonogram, which conveniently stopped the bleeding. No fibroids, though (other than a really, really teeny one). After that was a crap-ton of bloodwork, a CT, HIDA scan, a colonoscopy: aaaand NADA. I suspect it was an ovarian cyst that ruptured (pre-imaging), causing that lovely long-term peritoneal ache and also effed-up bleeding.

[maura]

Granted, in my case, it was abnormal rather than midcycle bleeding.

[Lilian]

:( I'm sorry about the PCOS... mine was always really mild, thankfully... & it took me one full year to get pregnant, but that was all.

wow, and Amy bled with the Mirena? I don't have any periods, just very light spotting while on it (my second, nearly 3 years in).

[AussieAndrea]

I have one of those arm implant things. Had non-stop periods for the first 6 months. Then it just spontaneously resolved. WTFingF?

[AmericanFamil]

I had this very thing happen with my Paraguard IUD. After an especially, uh, vigorous round of nookie I had a super heavy period which turned into low level spotting that never seemed to stop. My OBGYN tried many different things including using some kind of medicine to induce a period several times. She didn't want to believe it could possibly be a dislodged (or maybe lodged differently due to the sex) IUD.

Finally after six months of messing around with it and also forcing my husband to get an vasectomy so I didn't have to deal with BC any more, I got it out. The problem resolved immediately and has never returned.

[Tine]

I dunno, Jo... It seems to me that regardless of your metformin status, you've healed a whole effin' lot about yourself. Metformin schmetformin.

[Jo]

:) Tine. :)

AmericanFam, that is INTERESTING. And RELEVANT. Hmmm.

I will keep you guys posted -- it's kind of exciting, isn't it? Having a Leery Polyp Uterine Mystery again? How I missed wondering what in the damn hell was going on up inside there!

[Beth]

I had the Paragard for several years, and my periods ever so slowly increased in length. I hate all other birth control so I stuck with it, but I had to face the music & get it removed when I realized they were 16 days long. Turned out I was pretty anemic after all that, too.

[Emanuella]

HiI am really wireord as my period has started about 2 wks early. I have been through a lot of stress lately and embarked on some exercise (only the once in the last 2 weeks). I have also been drinking several cups of green tea (decaf) in a day for the last week to try and reduce my caffeine intake and generally not consuming many calories.I am 40 and have never really experienced irregular periods. This one has been very heavy and I have had quite a bit of period pain but I do get pain from time to time anyway with my periods. I have an 8 yr old child.I am hoping it is a hormonal imbalance. Someone has suggested I use a progesterone cream. Would you agree ?

[Naveen]

Here's the trick to reducing macrps: Try to take Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) or Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) the day before your period if you can. If you can't, take it at the earliest inkling that your period is starting. Develop a kind of schedule where you take a pill or two every certain amount of hours. The maximum amount of Naproxen Sodium you can take is 1375 mg for the first day (1100 mg the next days). The maximum amount of Ibuprofen you can take is 2400. Try to take the lowest dose.

[Mustafa]

my cramps well peiord suckx in general i egt sick from it like 2day i got these heat waves then i ended up gaging and i was in so much pain i was on the floor crying cause of the pain it suckx im going to get a physical and get put on the pill cause my peiords are weird i'll get it then i wont get it again 4 like 3 months which is weird so i need to be put on the pill and im not sexualy active at all im a virgin

[Grace]

Really like the blog, appreciate the share!

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