I know you can't give medical advice, but I'd love some personal BTDT suggestions or at least some sympathetic hugs.
Since my son was born 6 years ago, I've been having abnormal uterine bleeding. My cycles are the picture perfect 28 days, I seem to be ovulating normally, but I'm bleeding for the first 2 weeks every month. Excepting the first day or two, it's not heavy bleeding - just extended black spotting with occasional gushing (for lack of a better description).
I've been in and out of doctors for six years and have more diagnoses than I can count. I've had doctors suggest anaerobic uterine infection, PCOS, Asherman's, hormone imbalance, polyps, etc. I'm in the diagnosis of the month club.
I've done hormone testing which shows that my progesterone levels are fine, though my estrogen levels are high. (Though what exactly "high" is, I don't know. That doctor moved out of town shortly thereafter) We tried cyclical Prometrium, which had no visible effect.
We've done several saline-infused-sonograms, transvag u/s, CT scan of the uterus, and a hysteroscopy/ D&C/ polypectomy (in Oct 2007). I did have one small-ish polyp that they removed, but nothing else was found (including a biopsy) None of the tests have shown any possible cause for the bleeding.
The most recent attempt at answers was a 3 month stint on an estrogen based pill in attempts to stop ovulation and see what would happen "in a vacuum" as it were. Unfortunately, the gyn and I didn't realize that the Lamictal I'm on for bipolar2 decreases the efficacy of synthetic hormones. The first month, I bled for 3 weeks instead of 2. And the following two months, it looks like I ovulated anyways. I've only been on these meds for 4 years, so they probably aren't the cause of the bleeding. Though it is possible that they might exacerbate it, most studies have shown that it doesn't effect natural or bioidentical hormones.
At this point, my gyn is suggesting another hysteroscopy/D&C and if that doesn't show anything conclusive, looking at a hysterectomy, removing the uterus only. Honestly, I'm so tired of all this medical ring-around-the-rosy, I'm ready to just be done with it. But I know I'm responding from emotion and not logic.
FWIW, my sister had a TOH in 2006 due to endometrial cancer (ESS). I also have two aunts on my father's side who had uterine/endometrial cancer and one aunt on my mother's side with ovarian cancer.
Any thoughts, help, suggestions? Happy vibes and virtual hugs?
Prolonged bleeding each month, unsure of where to go next
