Fed up

[Lwoodcock]

I'm not diagnosed yet but I strongly suspect I'm suffering with endo. I've been on nexplanon for over a year now and the last few months I've had a 2 week period every single month. My cycle seems to be 43 days long (roughly, according to the fitbit app). I've been given the mini pill, zaletta to stop the bleeding but it hasnt stopped yet (though its only been about 9 days). My pelvic pains seem to ease during my period, as do the awful leg aches but I still get usual period pain anyway. I'm currently in pain about 5 weeks out of 6 at the moment. The wait time to see a gynaecologist is 64 weeks here, so I'm due to see one at the end of february next year 😔 can anyone relate? The leg pains are the worst and I struggle to walk when it flares up. I'm taking zapain and occasionally naproxen but these dont help.

[Edda13]

Hi. Sorry to hear you are suffering with pains. If you are on Nexplanon, you're simply not having periods: it's a drug induced bleeding. When you are on hormonal birth control bleeding might be quite unpredictable and erratic, you might bleed far more than on your natural periods, find blood clots and keep bleeding for weeks. I wonder why have you been giving the mini pill when you are on Nexplanon?Unfortunately the only way to find out if you have endometriosis is to get checked by your gynecologist. Did you have pain with your natural periods?

It's a tricky condition to be acknowledged by the health care system. I've been suffering stabbing, excruciating pelvic and leg pain for years, I've been told to take the pill, having children and that I have IBS. It seems that you have to fight to be heard and be taken seriously. I got to the point of giving up and put up with it, but I am now on the waiting list to a specialist clinic and see if finally, I can give a name to my suffering.

[Lwoodcock in reply to Edda13]

Hi Edda13, thanks for your response! I had the first nexplanon from 2018 - 2021 and for first year, I had no bleeding whatsoever. The second year it was maybe once every 4 months, the third year it was back to a "normal period " (7-10 days long). This time, my second nexplanon rod, my first year I've had this 10-14 day bleeding but I've noticed my symptoms get progressively worse. I have always had heavy period pain, and always had the leg and low back aches since I was a teenager. Between 2013 - 2017 I had three pregnancies so I had no issues during that time. I self referred to my health board's gynaecology nurse and she recommended me to take the mini pill alongside the nexplanon to prevent bleeding and pain, I'm not sure on the science of it but I'm pretty sure that they feel that pumping me full of progestin based hormones will help the issue.

I'm so sorry to hear that you have had to fight so hard to get the treatment you need 😔 it really is such a battle. I have had these pains for so long but I ignored them 🤦‍♀️