excessive bleeding

[horse1]

hi i am a 49 yo perimenopausal woman. good health, good weight, i eat a healthy diet rich in veggies/fruits/grains/soy products and exercise vigorously.

i am experiencing typical menopausal symptoms, fatigue, short term memory loss, irritability, cloudy disconnected feeling. my cycle is usually 23 days and moderate to heavy. my last period was 10/26 and lasted for 7 days and i just got it full force again on 11/7.

i heard that progesterone cream applied during the 2nd half of the cycle can help regulate the hormones. i also take specially formulated herbs daily for menopause (it's called anew for women). do u think the cream will help? if not, do you have any suggestions to help regulate my cycle and make the transition easier?

thanks for your help!

[cip]

I am 51,good health, weight, exercise daily. Have a complex cyst on rt ovary and CA125 of 95. I also have fibroids. I am getting checked laproscopicly soon. I am pre menopausal - didn't have a period for a couple of months. My question - I have been bleeding more or less, since 11-1. Currently, more. I have a vacation planned to Jamacia which may be a waste if I keep doing this bleeding (I am supposed to leave this Saturday) Is there anything I can do between now and then to stop this incessant bleeding. I have Progesterone - would that help? Thanks for any advice. I hate to cancel my only vacation all year.....

[darailys911]

hi that is a very very common thing that means you are going to get menopausa

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

A. Unusual bleeding patterns are common at this time of life.  They are typically just a normal variation of what occurs in all women in perimenopause.  The only concern is that sometimes it can be due to a polyp or abnormal cells in the lining of the uterus that can be precancerous.  For that reason, I suggest you talk with your doctor about first checking the lining of your uterus with either an ultrasound to determine the thickness of the lining or scraping a few cells from the lining with an office procedure called an endometrial biopsy.  This causes mild cramping for a short while but the cells can be looked at under a microscope and determined if they are normal or abnormal.

If the lining is normal, progesterone cream can be a good solution.  It is usually applied to the skin of the inner arm or inner thigh during the second half of the cycle.  Typical dosages are around 50mg/cc of cream but can vary quite a bit depending on the person. Most over the counter remedies are not too effective for this problem, but cycles and bleeding patterns may change in and out of what you are experiencing now.

I would suggest you have your doctor check your blood to see if you are anemic or if your serum iron levels are low due to the heavy bleeding.  If so, a good iron supplement from the drugstore might help reduce the bleeding.

Machelle M. Seibel, MD