Help! Love, MOM

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20% of American women, or 1 in 5, experience heavy bleeding.

 While I am not a medical person of any type or stripe and, to be clear, I am not giving medical advice, I am attempting to convey my personal experience and that of other women I spoke with recently.

There is hope for your suffering. I know that you are tired of bleeding profusely.

The CDC indicates that, “heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the most common problems women report to their healthcare provider. It affects more than 10 million American women.”

In addition, heavy bleeding may significantly degrade one’s quality of life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you may be dealing with heavy bleeding if you:

• Need to change your tampon or pad after less than 2 hours.
• Have a menstrual flow that soaks through one or more pads or tampons every hour for several hours in a row.
• Need to double up on pads to control your menstrual flow.
• Need to change pads or tampons during the night.
• Have menstrual periods lasting more than 7 days.
• Have a menstrual flow with blood clots the size of a quarter or larger.
• Have a heavy menstrual flow that keeps you from doing the things you would do normally.
• Have constant pain in the lower part of the stomach during your periods.
• Are tired, lack energy, or are short of breath.

However, anecdotally, it appears that birth control pills are often prescribed for heavy menstrual bleeding.

I tried the Pill but did not receive the relief I needed without side effects.

For example, the Pill often left me suddenly and severely nauseated and dizzy. Plus, I had breakthrough bleeding.

After struggling with all 9 of the CDC’s noted symptoms of heavy bleeding and experiencing little improvement from the Pill, honestly, although hesitant I was desperate enough to try a D & C.

Dilation and curettage (D & C) is a gyn surgical procedure which, according to Johns Hopkins: “may be used as a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure for abnormal bleeding.”

My gynecologist recommended a D & C to me. It was a brief-ish hospital procedure that later on, with a different provider, was performed in office.

It was a painful, but shorter, procedure in office. Just saying.

For about a year after that initial D & C my quality of life improved significantly.

It was as if I had experienced the delight of moving to a beautiful shore location after being locked in during a particularly vicious winter.

After the symptoms returned, my doctor and I decided, and my insurance company paid for, a D & C annually, to return me to a good quality of life both physically and emotionally. I ended up need one for about 3 maybe 4 more times (that is 3 or 4 more years) and then my periods leveled off in terms of pain and blood flow.

Before a D & C

According to Johns Hopkins among other things you may expect before a D & C include:

• Your doctor will explain the procedure to you and offer you the opportunity to ask any questions that you might have about the procedure.
• You will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the procedure. Read the form carefully and ask questions if something is not clear.
• In addition to a complete medical history, your doctor may perform a complete physical examination to ensure you are in good health before undergoing the procedure. You may undergo blood tests or other diagnostic tests.

During a D & C

According to Johns Hopkins, among other things you may expect that, during a D & C include;

1. You will be asked to remove clothing and be given a gown to wear.
2. You will be instructed to empty your bladder.
3. You will be positioned on an operating or examination table, with your feet and legs supported as for a pelvic examination.
4. An intravenous (IV) line may be started in your arm or hand.
5. A urinary catheter may be inserted.
6. Your doctor will insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina to spread the walls of the vagina apart to expose the cervix.
7. Your cervix may be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
8. For local anesthesia, the doctor may numb the area using a small needle to inject medication.
9. If general or regional anesthesia is used, the anesthesiologist will continuously monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during surgery.
10. A type of forceps, called a tenaculum, may be used to hold the cervix steady for the procedure.

A D& C may not work for you. however, whatever steps you take, just know, comfort can be yours.

Others may dismiss your symptoms but DO NOT STOP and DO NOT BE DETERRED until you secure the respite you deserve.

I know that you are tired of painfully, bleeding profusely.