I need help...

[Amycartz]

Hi.

I'm 26, I have been on and off contraception pills/injection/Implant for 11 years. In the beginning it was for contraception but as the years have gone on it was required due to extremely heavy periods (hospitalised twice for anemia) bad acne, severe bloating (to a point I gained severe stretch marks over night!) hair growth, all of the horrific symptoms of a my cycle. I was seeing my GP for 18 months straight before he referred me to a gynecologist and diagnosing me with PCOS. I started suffering from migraines and he told me that I could no longer carry on taking the pill (I have taken everyone available) due to me being a smoker, a little over weight and now a migraine sufferer I was at high risk of having a stoke. I first saw the gyne in June 2017. He told me to stop taking all hormone based tablets and use condoms for protection. I have to say I have never felt more of a human, more of a woman, more normal than I can remember. I actually feel, I don't feel numb all of the time. I actually enjoy having sex with my partner of 6 years (after 4 miserable years on my part) I am having a period once a month rather than 6+ months at a time. My vagina is no longer dry, I do not constantly suffer from Thrush. I know after all of this, people can say she's cured! Not the case. 3 days before my period starts I become a monster. I am unrecognisable. I shout and scream at anyone who is in front of me. I cannot drive as I get extremely bad road rage. I cry, I hit out (literally), I am a monster. I also still suffer with heavy bleeding and can feel the blood pouring out of me like a tap. I have clots every day/night. I bloat, I am doubled over in pain. I can't move without feeling like someone has stabbed me with a machete. The up side to all of this, I only deal with this for 1 week a month and then I am back to 'normal'. Before hand I was struggling everyday. I went to see my gyne today and told him of all of this and I told him that I gave up smoking and lost a little bit of weight. I asked him how I can stop suffering with the physical side of my period and his response was - Combined contraceptive pill. The treatment I have had for 11 years that has never worked he said this was the only option. I asked him about my severe mood swings and told him I actually got physical with my other half and he had to move out for 2 days because he mentally could not cope with my temper (ONLY WHILST ON MY PERIOD) his answer - Anti depressants! What the? I have to admit, I flipped. He was writing a prescription for anti depressants with out asking me any further in depth questions about me. About my mental health, my previous mental health. He didn't even tell me they were anti depressants, I asked him if they were and he said yes. After he calmed me down, he told me about the Mirena and said to research it as it could be an option. After researching - I can see that the side effects are the same as some of the oral pills I had taken in the past 11 years which didn't work. How can he be sure that this will work?? I really do not want to risk going back to the shell of a human I have been. On the other hand i want to marry my fiance as planned next month! I am stuck - I don't know what to do. I asked about a Hysterectomy - he said he hasn't recommended this as he doesn't see it as an option for me and he doesn't make the decision - it has to be agreed with a 'panel' of consultants. A panel? What is this? - X Factor!? He also said that there is a possibility of me having endometriosis. Just out of the blue, this has not been discussed before – only PCOS. (A bit of history that I should of mentioned) I have had blood tests 4 times on the first 1-2 days of my period which have confirmed that my testosterone is higher than it should be. I do not have diabetes. My Iron is low sometimes so I take supplements. I have also had 3 pelvic scans which show that I have cysts on my ovaries although, apparently not big enough to be causing me distress and haven't gone away on their own as they are on every scan! I have had my smear test which came back fine. I have also had STI tests and they have all resulted in being negative. My question is - What can I do? What shall I do? - Do I need to see a different gynecologist? - Where can I go from here? I need help before I lose everything I love. Can someone/anyone give me some advice, help or guidance? Or even share similar experiences and outcomes? Please.

Thank you

[amazinglyso]

WOW!, you should write for a magazine - very in-depth overview of your gynaecological issues.

I believe that us women, have a lot of contraceptive 'choice' yet it is a matter of trial and error as to what works best for you and what doesn't. You said that you felt more personal freedom and intimate ecstasy with your partner by just using condoms - pills/coils prohibits that same feeling, and why you made the right choice not to keep experimenting with them.

Every single contraceptive pill; coil and injection will have its own unique amount of hormone releasing properties, so naturally will have very different emotional/physical side-affects from one person to the next and few are specifically designed to counter high Testosterone levels in women, why they become such a generic implant or pill in the first instance. It is really great that you have healthy and very informed cervical test-results - cysts on the ovaries are very common in women of all ages and vastly malignant - even I have them and dread the fact that they are there, even though they are harmless.

It would seem pointless in seeing various gynaecologic doctors about the widely available contraception's you have already tried and did not agree with you - the emotional torment alone you have already gone through about changing one contraceptive device for another, would not do your emotional well-being particularly good and can trigger worsened hormone levels in the process. I am no expert on hormones, yet do know that there are a lot of life-style choices you can make to stop your mind and body being completely immersed in the negative cycle of 'hormonal imbalance'.

The body has its own unique ways of dealing with hormonal-balances, whilst contraceptives and changing of them, can do more harm than good. Not sure if this is helpful, yet having read your post, seems like you just need some reassurance that you are physically normal on the whole and to think about ways to nurture yourself and not to condemn parts of yourself that are actually working very well.