Not for the squeamish...
March 11, 2011 7:00 AM Subscribe
TMIfilter: Lady problems within, enter at your own risk!
I am presently on my period, and it is extremely heavy, to the point where I'm wondering if I should be concerned. I use a Diva Cup, which you're supposed to be able to leave in for 12 hours, but it's been completely filled four times in the last 36 hours; the last interval was only four hours. I've been using it for about five cycles, and I've never even had it be full after 12 hours before.
Possibly relevant:
- I have PCOS, but due to my life being thrown into chaos in December/January, I got out of the habit of taking my meds. Started taking them again in the last few days, but since I was off them I haven't had a period in about two months.
- Period started on Wednesday afternoon, got absurdly heavy overnight, and has kept up since yesterday
- I was having some sharp pains in the ovary-region shortly before it started
- Horrific cramps
- I am one half of a heterosexual, monogamous couple. I am not on birth control because it does nasty things to me, but we use condoms faithfully.
- I am 25, so I have approximately 12 years of (admittedly irregular) menstruation behind me, and this is not typical for me.
I feel a little silly asking this question, like I should know better at my age, and I'm tempted to google it, but I feel like I'll just diagnose myself with uterine cancer or something, panic, and have it be nothing. Give me some perspective, hive-mind! Should I call the doctor or hold off for awhile longer?
I am presently on my period, and it is extremely heavy, to the point where I'm wondering if I should be concerned. I use a Diva Cup, which you're supposed to be able to leave in for 12 hours, but it's been completely filled four times in the last 36 hours; the last interval was only four hours. I've been using it for about five cycles, and I've never even had it be full after 12 hours before.
Possibly relevant:
- I have PCOS, but due to my life being thrown into chaos in December/January, I got out of the habit of taking my meds. Started taking them again in the last few days, but since I was off them I haven't had a period in about two months.
- Period started on Wednesday afternoon, got absurdly heavy overnight, and has kept up since yesterday
- I was having some sharp pains in the ovary-region shortly before it started
- Horrific cramps
- I am one half of a heterosexual, monogamous couple. I am not on birth control because it does nasty things to me, but we use condoms faithfully.
- I am 25, so I have approximately 12 years of (admittedly irregular) menstruation behind me, and this is not typical for me.
I feel a little silly asking this question, like I should know better at my age, and I'm tempted to google it, but I feel like I'll just diagnose myself with uterine cancer or something, panic, and have it be nothing. Give me some perspective, hive-mind! Should I call the doctor or hold off for awhile longer?
Best answer: Your symptoms sound very much like what I experienced when I had an ectopic pregnancy. Please see a doctor. Horrific cramps alone shouldn't be something you should have to endure.
posted by Dragonness at 7:07 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Dragonness at 7:07 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: That amount of blood is not abnormal for me for the first 36-48 hours of my period, but I am not you.
Since this sounds unusual for you, I would definitely check in with a urgent care clinic if it was available. With the PCOS and the erratic periods and restarting medication I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't just a horrible convergence of everything, but still, getting it checked out by a doctor to make sure that they think that it what it is, and not something awful.
posted by that girl at 7:11 AM on March 11, 2011
Since this sounds unusual for you, I would definitely check in with a urgent care clinic if it was available. With the PCOS and the erratic periods and restarting medication I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't just a horrible convergence of everything, but still, getting it checked out by a doctor to make sure that they think that it what it is, and not something awful.
posted by that girl at 7:11 AM on March 11, 2011
Best answer: I have approximately 12 years of (admittedly irregular) menstruation behind me, and this is not typical for me.
That bit right there is why you should call the doctor.
One of the wisest bits of advice I got when it came to health was "there's 'normal', and then there's 'normal for you'." Menstruation acts differently for every woman, so you'll find a lot of light-vs.-heavy flow variations, length-of-flow variations, severity-of-cramps variations, etc. across the map; but what you really want to look at is "what usually happens to you and whether that changes." So if you've had a lifetime of very light cramps and just two days' bleeding, and suddenly one month it's pretty strong cramps and a heavy flow, that's a warning sign even if your friend gets strong cramps and a heavy flow all the time.
If this is not typical for you, it's worth a call to the doctor. Even if it turns out to be nothing -- at least then you'll know.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:18 AM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
That bit right there is why you should call the doctor.
One of the wisest bits of advice I got when it came to health was "there's 'normal', and then there's 'normal for you'." Menstruation acts differently for every woman, so you'll find a lot of light-vs.-heavy flow variations, length-of-flow variations, severity-of-cramps variations, etc. across the map; but what you really want to look at is "what usually happens to you and whether that changes." So if you've had a lifetime of very light cramps and just two days' bleeding, and suddenly one month it's pretty strong cramps and a heavy flow, that's a warning sign even if your friend gets strong cramps and a heavy flow all the time.
If this is not typical for you, it's worth a call to the doctor. Even if it turns out to be nothing -- at least then you'll know.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:18 AM on March 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Yeah, I'd book a doctor's appointment if this is really out of spec for you. It could be a sign of a change in your cysts, or some other issue that's sneaking up on you and has suddenly jumped out to yell "SURPRISE! EXTRA BLOODY SURPRISE!"
It's probably nothing, but get it checked out because that kind of change could be indicative of something.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:24 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's probably nothing, but get it checked out because that kind of change could be indicative of something.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:24 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I agree with the other comments - for the heaviest day or two of my periods, the Diva Cup has to be emptied much more often than 12 hours, and sometimes as soon as 2-3 hours, but what's important is that it's not typical for you, so it's worth checking it out.
posted by songs about trains at 7:39 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by songs about trains at 7:39 AM on March 11, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks all, it occurred to me after I posted this to call Telehealth Ontario, and the nurse also suggested getting in touch with my doctor in the next 24 hours.
Appreciate the input :)
Also: rmd1023: "SURPRISE! EXTRA BLOODY SURPRISE!" may have made me burst out laughing.
posted by torisaur at 7:42 AM on March 11, 2011
Appreciate the input :)
Also: rmd1023: "SURPRISE! EXTRA BLOODY SURPRISE!" may have made me burst out laughing.
posted by torisaur at 7:42 AM on March 11, 2011
Best answer: Get thee to a doctor ASAP. This could stem from a lot of things - fibroids, adenomyosis, who knows what.
posted by Anima Mundi at 7:43 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by Anima Mundi at 7:43 AM on March 11, 2011
As others have said, this is something best addressed by a doctor. But, it's not necessarily OMGSOMETHINGAWFUL. I had similar symptoms 2 years ago and the doc said they were most likely caused by an anovulatory cycle (i.e., for some reason I hadn't ovulated during that cycle and my hormones were jacked up). That had never happened to me before and hasn't happened since.
posted by ellenaim at 8:34 AM on March 11, 2011
posted by ellenaim at 8:34 AM on March 11, 2011
"I use a Diva Cup, which you're supposed to be able to leave in for 12 hours"
What I take this to mean is, the cup can be left in for up to 12 hours without getting the TERRIBLE STENCH OF DEATH AND ROTTEN EGGS, but if you have any sort of moderate to heavy flow it will overflow well before this. I can just about get away with six hours on my heavy days, but, as other people have said above, what's normal for one person is not normal for everyone, and as this is well outside of your normal range, it's worth seeing a medical professional about.
posted by Lebannen at 9:50 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
What I take this to mean is, the cup can be left in for up to 12 hours without getting the TERRIBLE STENCH OF DEATH AND ROTTEN EGGS, but if you have any sort of moderate to heavy flow it will overflow well before this. I can just about get away with six hours on my heavy days, but, as other people have said above, what's normal for one person is not normal for everyone, and as this is well outside of your normal range, it's worth seeing a medical professional about.
posted by Lebannen at 9:50 AM on March 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I had extremely atypical heavy menstruation a couple of times last Autumn. I also have PCOS. At the time, i wasn't taking any medication, either metformin or bc pills, so starting the medical regimen helped immensely. My doctor advised me to go to urgent care if I have this heavy bleeding again, especially because it caused me to become anemic. That's a misery to be avoided! Here's what they can do, because I asked my doctor: evaluate whether there might be some serious medical issue, and/or give you some hormones to stop or slow down the bleeding.
So, in conclusion, I would urge you to go to the doctor.
posted by annsunny at 11:56 AM on March 11, 2011
So, in conclusion, I would urge you to go to the doctor.
posted by annsunny at 11:56 AM on March 11, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for your help everyone. Doc gave me some anti-inflammatories, got some bloodwork done and made an appointment for an ultrasound. She suspects fibroids or an early-term miscarriage (eek).
posted by torisaur at 12:46 PM on March 11, 2011
posted by torisaur at 12:46 PM on March 11, 2011
I sent an email asking how much the cup holds to Diva Cup when you asked this question. Although it may no longer be immediately relevant to you, it could be relevant to a future reader. They said:
The DivaCup holds one ounce (30 ml). The entire average monthly flow is approximately 1 to 1.4 ounces (30-40 ml). By monitoring the fullness of the cup over a couple of periods, you will quickly learn how often to empty it according to your specific needs. Most women find that the cup is not even half full after 12 hours. For those with heavier flows, the cup is simply emptied more often.posted by aniola at 4:08 PM on March 12, 2011
(Which I thought was worth sharing since I couldn't find capacity listed on their website.)
posted by aniola at 4:09 PM on March 12, 2011
posted by aniola at 4:09 PM on March 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by muddgirl at 7:04 AM on March 11, 2011