Anemia/Dehydration Issues *TMI Warning*

[LBTC]

Darkeros, you're going through a lot! I hope your doctors can help you sooner not later. In the meantime, to help with hydration, definitely drink as much as you can handle. A person in good health should drink approx 1 litre (approx 1 quart) of water for every 50 pounds of body weight per day. Since you're having trouble with hydration you may want to take in even more. Increase slowly to get used to it. In the meantime, you may also want to increase the electrolytes in your water. Elete Electrolyte drops are an excellent solution - they have no taste, colour, or odour, and add essential electrolytes to keep your energy and hydration up. It works for me!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Dianyla]

I can relate to this, having struggled with heavy periods and anemia (with subsequent gi tract fun) for years. My advice is to keep looking until you find a doctor that understands female reproductive hormone balance and thyroid issues, and has a holistic view of things. Just sticking you on oral contraceptives to mask the problem doesn't solve anything. There must be some reason why your body is constantly bleeding, and I'm sure there is an answer somewhere.

Oh, and I highly recommend a menstrual cup instead of pads/tampons.

[Zen]

It can be any number of causes. I'm really surprised a uterine sonogram (or ultrasound, I'm not sure) wasn't ordered as opposed to BCP roulette.
This page from the Novasure site can tell you more about causes.

[Andrea]

I'd like to add a comment about the pill:

There are many different formulations of pills out there- you may need to just switch to a different type. Several of them (usually advertised as "acne reducing") will reduce the amount of testosterone available in the bloodstream. Women only have a little bit of circulating testosterone, so that reduction can get rid of acne (if it's acne related to hormonal fluctuations), BUT it can diminish sex drive and cause athletic performance to suffer.
If the pill worked for you before (aside from the emotional effects), you may want to try a different one.

I switched from Lo-ovral to ortho tri-cyclin very briefly when I switched doctors and noticed within two weeks that I was very emotional and that my performance on the bike was getting horrible (which made me more emotional!) I went back to the lo-ovral, and everything returned to normal within a few weeks.

May be worth a shot. A cautery in the cooter doesn't sound like much fun
Sorry, I had to add that last one in...

[Velobambina]

I agree w/Andrea. What about a different BCP formulation? I'm on Mircette, which I LOVE. No PMS, no periods or just light spotting, no mood swings, etc. I've been taking it for about 5 years and I'm not going off of it until after I clear menopause.

[Zen]

May be worth a shot. A cautery in the cooter doesn't sound like much fun
Sorry, I had to add that last one in...

If you had any idea what this abnormal bleeding is like you wouldn't make say that. In fact, this is beyond abnormal bleeding, almost to the point of hemorrhaging. The ultrasound is painless and the cause could be fibroid tumor or any number of things that can't be repaired with artificial hormones.

The Novasure is laproscopic and performed under anesthesia. It was nothing but a life changing relief for me.

[dreadpirate]

there's a bunch of other things I can recommend for electrolytes, if Gatorade is the thing you hate most...

I like HEED, a Hammer product. They make a plain flavor which tastes like...water. You can find it at http://www.e-caps.com

NUUN is also good stuff, it's sugar free, just electrolytes, and the flavors are very mild. You can find it at
http://www.nuun.com/

How are you with daily supplements (vitamins)?

As far as your other problems, I have no expertise to offer, only my empathy. That must suck deeply, I'm sure I would find it hard to be in your situation.

[VeloVT]

Kristen,
First of all, I'm sorry you're having to go through all of this, and wish you the best of luck finding a solution.

I don't know anything about heavy bleeding disorders or what cause them, and the comments made above about looking for the cause rather than just masking the symptoms seem like good advice.

However, if you are considering different bc, I would suggest looking at Depo Provera. I've read that some people don't react well to it... But I've been on it probably close to 4 years now and I'm very happy. I don't get any period or bleeding at all (though for the first few cycles I had frequent irregular spotting... you just have to be patient). I **LOVE** not getting a period. I also find that it's made my mood much more even than it was either without bc or on combined bc. (Of course, each person is likely to be different in this respect). And so convenient -- you just have to get an injection 4 times per year.

I should mention that there are some concerns about long-term depo use and bone density, since it lowers estrogen levels... I take calcium supplements, try to get plenty of dairy, run regularly and when I'm being really good I lift weights... But I'll still probably get bone density scans periodically to be on the safe side.