Having my period 18 days a month!!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2004
Having my period 18 days a month!!!!
4
Mon, 07-05-2004 - 8:56am
Hi,

I am wondering if anyone out here has had period issues like mine, and what they have done to help them. Here is my case history...As a teen, I had VERY heavy periods, lasted about a week. I'd get nautious and severely bloated- I also had acne. I went on the pill in my early 20s. Took trying about 6 different types of pills, none seemed to work until Ortho - Ortho (which is known to be the strongest pill on the market). For almost 10 years, I took Ortho. I got my pill for a few days, no bloating, and my acne cleared up..but,..my sex drive was pretty much non-existant. 2 years ago, I decided to try a lower does pill...tried a few and I finally settled on Demulin. Sex drive skyrocketed, and lost weight. I took this for about 18 months, and all went well..then I started spotting and I had to change pills again. Now I have been back on Ortho for 4 months now and for 4 months, I have been a mental basketcase, bloating AND getting my period on average 18 days per month. I am 34 now. I am already on the strongest pill...there is nothing higher. I cannot stand having my period all the time. If I go off...I fear my acne will worsen again, I'll get sick alot, and extremely heavy periods, etc....what do I do? suggestions? I have a dr appointment soon..but my doctor seems pretty much useless...she'll just give me another pill that probably won't work.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 07-05-2004 - 10:37am
you could check into an IUD...I have the mirena IUD(I'm 33years old)....For the first 3 months I had heavier longer lasting periods (lasting 2 weeks and coming 2 weeks apart) but after that they got lighter and lighter.I've had it now for about 11 months and basicly just "spot" for a few days each month.I've gone from using a double pack of kotex overnights to using a few pantiliners each month.For some women the mirena will cause periods to stop after about a year of having it.I haven't had a period this month and am hoping it's the mirena and I don't have a little "surprise"....I'm very pleased with the IUD.It's good for 5 years and when it's time to replace it I plan to get another one.

www.mirena.com/

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 07-05-2004 - 11:25am
Hi mandy1210,

Which Ortho pill are you on? The strongest what? A progestin change might help. For some suggestions for treatment of menorrhagia see menorrhagia management http://www.fpnotebook.com/GYN78.htm As Mrs. Frasier suggested, if a pill switch doesn’t help a progestin releasing IUD might. If your doc can’t get your problem under control you might want to get a second opinion. Let us know how you’re doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2004
Mon, 07-05-2004 - 11:41pm
Mandy, I had the same problem for a long while when I was taking a variety of "trials" of different bcp's. The last one was OTC and switched to Yasmin and now I am symptom free- no btb or weight gain or headaches or moodiness. I know I was just about to give up before I tried this pill, maybe it will work for you?

Good luck and hang in there, I totally understand your frustration.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 07-06-2004 - 8:38am
None of the Ortho pills (especially the newer ones containing norgestimate) are anywhere close to being the strongest, progestin-wise, which is what you need to control late-cycle bleeding. All of the Ortho pills except Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and Ortho Cept have 35 micrograms of estrogen, which is not as high as you can go with the estrogen either. You still have several options for higher-progestin pills!

Ortho-McNeil makes Ortho Novum 1/35 (norethindrone is the progestin), Ortho Cept (with desogestrel), Ortho Cyclen, Tri Cyclen, and Tri Cyclen Lo (with norgestimate), and Ortho Evra, the patch containing norelgestromin. There are significant differences between all of these pills. The strongest progestin in this group is in Ortho Cept, which is the same as Desogen (made by Organon), followed by Ortho Novum 1/35 (norethindrone).

Other pills that would be higher in progestin are Nordette (levonorgestrel), LoOvral (norgestrel), Mircette (desogestrel), Yasmin (drospirenone), Demulen (ethynodiol acetate, which you've tried), and Loestrin (norethindrone acetate). Not all progestins are created equal, some work better for some women than others, so it may be a big improvement to change to either a lower estrogen pill or one higher in progestin. You should talk to your doctor about this, for sure!

Hang in there--there are some new pills on the market that weren't out 15 years ago, and surely your body chemistry is different as well. There might just be another pill out there that you haven't tried that would work.

Judie

Judie Cl for Birth Control