Coping on holiday with AF?

[Jabster]

Girls I need someone to talk to me rationally please as I am stressing about this a lot! (this might be a bit of a ramble)

I was on the combined pill for 10 months there, had to stop beginning of the month due to very high BP. Extremely unlikely i'll ever be allowed back on the combined pill ever again

We have a local holiday booked in July and a cruise at the end of August. These were booked about a year ago.

I have worked out dates of cycles 28 -35 days (as being on the pill goodness knows what the cycles will be now) and i'm stressing big time (not helping my BP!) as looks most likely I would be due AF on both holidays

Considering I spent 2 days practically bed bound with the pain/bleeding at the beginning of the month and I still have daily pelvic pain now I am so sad and just don't know what to do

Even if my GP allowed me to start the mini pill, I doubt it would have regulated enough before we go. I feel like I am ruining things for my husband

Any advice, rational comments or a slap to calm me down?!?

Thanks girls x

[Impatient]

have you looked at Norethisterone. it's the pill usually handed our for short term period stopping - so long as you start before ovulation - you keep on taking it exactly to schedule each day till you are ready for a period and then stop and roughly two days later - AF arrives.

Because you still have sometime to experiment before your trip. it is something you might want to try for a few days to see if you can tolerate it. It is a POP or progesterone only pill.

It does carry a warning for use with high BP, but if your BP is taken under control by meds in the meantime and you can bring that back down to safer levels, then this pill is definitely very useful for for fending off an AF while on holiday.

unlike the combi pills, norethisterone is to be taken the same times each and every day , depending on whether you are prescribed 2 or 3 tablets a day.

if you miss or are late taking more than 1 in a day, it can trigger a period. If you are ill and either vomit or get the holiday squits and you think you lost one tablet before it could work then you need to replace it by taking another, but it may not stop AF then appearing a couple of days later - so do take with you everything you need just incase AF appears.

if on the other hand you do take it exactly as planned and don't fall ill - then it really can be a god send. Do chat with your Doc about it, and perhaps get some and have a trial run to monitor your BP while on it being at home. you can stop it at any time and it is out of your system very fast indeed. It is only effective for about 12 hours. Hence the advice to not forget to take the next one.

You can even use it to knock your cycle forward a couple of weeks if that helps you to avoid AF on holiday. There is no regulation with Norethisterone. it kids your uterus in to thinking you are pregnant, which stops a period beginning till you stop the tablets.

[Jabster in reply to Impatient]

Thanks for the reply impatient x

I have read about it but I also have PCOS so I don't ovulate all the time, would that be an issue with it? My BP is still very high, meds not helping just yet. Just been diagnosed a few weeks.

I just don't know what to do, we need to pay the balance of the cruise in the next few days so now is the time to cancel, which we are considering. I really couldn't risk AF coming on this holiday as its an active cruise with lots of walking planned at the Norwegian ports.

How do you use it to knock your cycles forward? (sorry if that is a dim question!)

Thanks so much x

[Impatient]

You just keep taking it till you are ready to have a period. that then when your period starts, it starts your next cycle later.

But if you haven't yet paid the balance and cancelling is an option on medical grounds then I would do that.

Not on the grounds of periods but rather on the grounds that your BP is not under control. Being taken ill while at sea and not having rapid access to expert medical help is not something you probably should risk just yet. If you were on hols on dry and within a few miles of a hospital then that's a much safer option.

The cruises to norway will still be happening next year too, so as much as you do want to go away by boat this summer I think you would be wise to postpone that one till you are in better shape health wise.

getting BP under control can take some time. it would also buy you more time to get the periods under better control too. there is a non hormonal option for stopping periods, without having a hysterectomy.

It is called MEA microwave endometrial ablation. the process is basically using a variety of methods to cook the lining of the uterus to stop the lining growing and shedding each month as a period. It is a permanent thing - only to be done if you have no intention of baby making in the future. much quicker and less trouble than a hysterectomy option.

Even if it doesn't stop bleeding completely in all cases - it certainly reduces periods in every patient.

If you opt to cancel the boat but stick with the local holiday - it's one huge stress removed and that could help your BP recovery too. If the BP issue happened after you paid the deposit then you should be able to claim back lost deposits etc through the travel insurance so you wouldn't be out of pocket by too much either.

[Jabster in reply to Impatient]

thank you again x

I will read up on the ablation, we are hoping to adopt, I don't want to ttc anymore.

I'm thinking along the same lines as you re the cruise. Will have another chat with H and see.

thanks, your posts are always very helpful x

[Jabster in reply to Impatient]

Well we have cancelled the cruise. We talked about it and just like you say, the cruise and Fjords will be there in years to come, my health is more important at the moment. Thanks for replying yesterday x

[Impatient in reply to Jabster]

glad to hear you took the sensible decision, one very big worry removed and it is something to look forward to for next year, and fingers crossed you will be in much much better shape to enjoy the experience too

[Jabster in reply to Impatient]

Thank you and I do feel much calmer already (tho disappointed).

Going to ask about an ablation, wonder if they can do at same time of lap? x