Why am I still bleeding?
March 3, 2010 9:34 AM Subscribe
[Girly bits Filter] I'm seemingly in the middle of the never-ending Shark Week. Help!
I usually take birth control pills (Kariva) without taking the placebo week in an effort to avoid getting my period. (This was approved by my old doctor.) Sometimes I get some spotting, but it never lasts more than a couple of days...until now. I'm going on week three of spotting and week two of serious blood. I've been taking my pills as usual throughout this.
What could be causing this? Is there anything I can do to get it to stop? I don't have insurance, so would rather not go to the doctor, but would a trip be warranted? I don't have any cramps or anything like I do when I get my period without the pills, just a long, persistent bleed that's making me nuts.
I usually take birth control pills (Kariva) without taking the placebo week in an effort to avoid getting my period. (This was approved by my old doctor.) Sometimes I get some spotting, but it never lasts more than a couple of days...until now. I'm going on week three of spotting and week two of serious blood. I've been taking my pills as usual throughout this.
What could be causing this? Is there anything I can do to get it to stop? I don't have insurance, so would rather not go to the doctor, but would a trip be warranted? I don't have any cramps or anything like I do when I get my period without the pills, just a long, persistent bleed that's making me nuts.
I think it would help you to take the placebos for a week, just to let everything clear out. My doctor says its good to have a period at least every three months to keep your blood iron levels low and to prevent breakthrough spotting.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2010
Yeah, after doing this a few years I noticed that I just needed to skip a week here and there, to flush things out so to speak. My doctor agreed with this. Good luck.
posted by Melismata at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by Melismata at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2010
How long have you been doing continuous cycle pills? It can take a year to get break through bleeding to stop.
A prescription switch could be helpful, sometimes a different level or combination of hormones. Your doctor might be willing to do this over the phone for a smaller charge (or free) than an office visit.
But come on, if you've been bleeding for 3 weeks, I'd say go to a doctor. Planed Parenthood will help you out with this for a lower cost.
In the mean time take some iron supplements!
posted by fontophilic at 9:43 AM on March 3, 2010
A prescription switch could be helpful, sometimes a different level or combination of hormones. Your doctor might be willing to do this over the phone for a smaller charge (or free) than an office visit.
But come on, if you've been bleeding for 3 weeks, I'd say go to a doctor. Planed Parenthood will help you out with this for a lower cost.
In the mean time take some iron supplements!
posted by fontophilic at 9:43 AM on March 3, 2010
This is normal for continuous-pill-taking. The pill doesn't totally prevent the uterine lining from building up (just slows that process down), so if you avoid your pill "period" for a long time, eventually your body will build up enough uterine lining that it will just need to shed it. So that's what's happening. It might help you avoid this if you go ahead and have a pill-off week every few months or so.
posted by so_gracefully at 9:46 AM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by so_gracefully at 9:46 AM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
I was coming in to also say Planned Parenthood, and I would go if it's been two weeks of serious bleeding. Two weeks sounds long to me, but it could be perfectly normal - I would go just to be safe.
posted by KAS at 9:53 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by KAS at 9:53 AM on March 3, 2010
Definitely go to the doctor!
Do you get yearly PAPs? I don't mean to use scare tactics here, but a friend of mine had unexplained bleeding and it turned out to be something to worry about. Don't mess around with your health.
posted by Knowyournuts at 9:57 AM on March 3, 2010
Do you get yearly PAPs? I don't mean to use scare tactics here, but a friend of mine had unexplained bleeding and it turned out to be something to worry about. Don't mess around with your health.
posted by Knowyournuts at 9:57 AM on March 3, 2010
The only ways to stop your period forever are menopause, hysterectomy, or some sort of horrible cancer or hormone imbalance which would be a serious issue. You've basically been still building up uterine lining all the while you were skipping your period. Now it is coming out. You are fine, but you should take the placebo pills every few cycles so that you dont have another case of terrential red downpour in your future. You may want to stop taking pills all together until you stop bleeding then restart once your period ends. Of course, in that time frame you could get pregnant if you have unprotected sex and so forth.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:01 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by WeekendJen at 10:01 AM on March 3, 2010
Under doctor's advisement, I only get my period (that is, skip the pills for a week (actually, 5 days, again, under doctor's advisement)) when I spot. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get it.
For the record, I skip for dysmenorrhea, but my gyno told me that's what she recommends to endometriosis patients, or anyone else with reason not to get their period. it's not very often for me -- once every 6 or 7 months usually, and I don't do any waiting for the bleeding to completely stop or anything, just if I spot, I stop taking the pills for 5 days and start again.
posted by brainmouse at 10:05 AM on March 3, 2010
For the record, I skip for dysmenorrhea, but my gyno told me that's what she recommends to endometriosis patients, or anyone else with reason not to get their period. it's not very often for me -- once every 6 or 7 months usually, and I don't do any waiting for the bleeding to completely stop or anything, just if I spot, I stop taking the pills for 5 days and start again.
posted by brainmouse at 10:05 AM on March 3, 2010
Please go to a clinic and get checked out. Something similar happened to a friend without health insurance. She waited months until she got a job with benefits, then went to the Dr. who discovered an ovarian fibroid the size of a grapefruit. The removal of this fibroid resulted in her getting a partial hysterectomy at 32.
posted by pluckysparrow at 10:39 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by pluckysparrow at 10:39 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
As for why it's happening I can't speculate (because I know little of biology or medicine) but I will say that the last time I skipped a placebo week to postpone my period I ended up bleeding right up until when my next scheduled period would have ended. After that things went right back to normal. I wouldn't worry too much unless it fails to correct itself in the next cycle.
posted by geekchic at 10:52 AM on March 3, 2010
posted by geekchic at 10:52 AM on March 3, 2010
The only ways to stop your period forever are menopause, hysterectomy, or some sort of horrible cancer or hormone imbalance which would be a serious issue.
I've had an IUD for a couple of years, and haven't had a single period or any spotting after the first month (and no, I'm not pregnant). So take the "you need to have a period" with a grain of salt. My doctor told me that I'm fine.
Of course, your doctor might disagree, or you might be spotting for other reasons- this seems like a good time to visit your doctor, call your advice nurse.
posted by arnicae at 10:54 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've had an IUD for a couple of years, and haven't had a single period or any spotting after the first month (and no, I'm not pregnant). So take the "you need to have a period" with a grain of salt. My doctor told me that I'm fine.
Of course, your doctor might disagree, or you might be spotting for other reasons- this seems like a good time to visit your doctor, call your advice nurse.
posted by arnicae at 10:54 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
It was my impression that women who have the Mirena IUD can stop getting their periods for two different reasons: 1) They stop ovulating, or 2) they are actually still shedding their lining, just bloodlessly due to the hormones contained in the IUD. Someone please correct me if this is wrong, but I seem to recall reading something about this in the IUD livejournal community I frequent.
This is just to say that this could be nothing more than what some of the above posters have said re: skipping your period frequently. Still, probably best to see a doctor and talk to them. Nthing the recommendation for Planned Parenthood as a low-cost alternative to seeing a regular GP.
posted by rosethorn at 12:15 PM on March 3, 2010
This is just to say that this could be nothing more than what some of the above posters have said re: skipping your period frequently. Still, probably best to see a doctor and talk to them. Nthing the recommendation for Planned Parenthood as a low-cost alternative to seeing a regular GP.
posted by rosethorn at 12:15 PM on March 3, 2010
I'm not suggesting you shouldn't see a doctor, but if it were me, and I couldn't get an appointment, I'd finish the pack of pills I was on, take the placebo week, then start a new pack. On the first three days of the new pack I'd take 400-600mg of ibuprofen every 4-5 hours. This was the advice given to me when the skip-the-placebo-week attempt resulted in never ending period. I don't know why the ibuprofen would work, but a nurse did recommend it.
As a caveat, skipping never worked for me, so I didn't experience the change you did. At the very least, I'd try to get a call into whoever prescribed for you, just in case.
posted by mercredi at 1:26 PM on March 3, 2010
As a caveat, skipping never worked for me, so I didn't experience the change you did. At the very least, I'd try to get a call into whoever prescribed for you, just in case.
posted by mercredi at 1:26 PM on March 3, 2010
Same thing happened to me, got checked for fibroids, but it turned out I had built up immunity over time and just had to switch pills. I was not taking it continuously.
posted by beyond_pink at 4:27 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by beyond_pink at 4:27 PM on March 3, 2010
RN n-thing the advice that you see a physician - soon.
There's nothing wrong with skipping placebo pills - it's one of the things nurses have known for years - but what you're describing is not normal. The total amount of blood and tissue lost during a menstruation cycle is only 15 to 20 ml, and it doesn't keep building up (to 30 to 40 ml the next month and 45 to 60 the next) simply because you skip the placebo. Instead, you're 'fooling' your uterus into thinking it's pregnant.
However, anyone describing 'week two of serious blood' needs attention. You didn't say if you're sexually active, how long it's been since you last had a pelvic exam, or how long you've been taking oral contraceptives. These answers and others, including a physical exam, factor into the diagnosis. As wonderful as we MeFis are, we haven't yet invented Internet Pelvic Exams. ;-)
mercredi: ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) are prostaglandin inhibitors. Basically (VERY basically) they're effective) for cramps because that kind of muscle pain causes an increase in prostaglandin secretion. Acetaminophen isn't very effective for menstrual cramps or other kinds of muscle pain because it doesn't do anything about prostaglandin levels. Ibuprofen will work, but naproxen is the champ for menstrual pain.
OP: please call your state health department, Planned Parenthood, or a free clinic near you if you can't afford a physician visit. Your bleeding is unlikely to stop by itself and you need to be seen.
posted by lambchop1 at 4:59 PM on March 3, 2010
There's nothing wrong with skipping placebo pills - it's one of the things nurses have known for years - but what you're describing is not normal. The total amount of blood and tissue lost during a menstruation cycle is only 15 to 20 ml, and it doesn't keep building up (to 30 to 40 ml the next month and 45 to 60 the next) simply because you skip the placebo. Instead, you're 'fooling' your uterus into thinking it's pregnant.
However, anyone describing 'week two of serious blood' needs attention. You didn't say if you're sexually active, how long it's been since you last had a pelvic exam, or how long you've been taking oral contraceptives. These answers and others, including a physical exam, factor into the diagnosis. As wonderful as we MeFis are, we haven't yet invented Internet Pelvic Exams. ;-)
mercredi: ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) are prostaglandin inhibitors. Basically (VERY basically) they're effective) for cramps because that kind of muscle pain causes an increase in prostaglandin secretion. Acetaminophen isn't very effective for menstrual cramps or other kinds of muscle pain because it doesn't do anything about prostaglandin levels. Ibuprofen will work, but naproxen is the champ for menstrual pain.
OP: please call your state health department, Planned Parenthood, or a free clinic near you if you can't afford a physician visit. Your bleeding is unlikely to stop by itself and you need to be seen.
posted by lambchop1 at 4:59 PM on March 3, 2010
Previously, previously.
There is no medical reason to have a period (for example, it's not necessary to bleed in order to control the iron in your body!). But modern birth control is not the perfect means, and in fact it kinda sucks. Aside from switching to a higher dose (not really great), the best thing you can do is have a week of placebo when you start spotting, which usually ends up being not every month but every 2-3 months.
*Although from one of the other threads: make sure your pharmacy didn't "helpfully" switch you to a generic pill.
posted by anaelith at 1:15 AM on March 4, 2010
There is no medical reason to have a period (for example, it's not necessary to bleed in order to control the iron in your body!). But modern birth control is not the perfect means, and in fact it kinda sucks. Aside from switching to a higher dose (not really great), the best thing you can do is have a week of placebo when you start spotting, which usually ends up being not every month but every 2-3 months.
*Although from one of the other threads: make sure your pharmacy didn't "helpfully" switch you to a generic pill.
posted by anaelith at 1:15 AM on March 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:37 AM on March 3, 2010