Unusual Heavy Menstrual Cycle/Lasting a very long time

I had that problem when I was in high school. My periods were like clock work when I started at age 12, but around age 14/15 they became very irregular. When they actually came, periods seemed to last a long time. I never told my mom until my period lasted almost 3 weeks. I went to the doctor and it turned out I had some small cysts on my ovaries. The doctor gave me a prescription for birth control pills to regulate my periods. I had/(have?) polycystic ovarian syndrome. You might want to google that and see if any of the symptoms fit.

Hilary I went through what you are going through right now. I would suggest going to the doctor immediately. My situation is that I have always had long and extremely heavy periods. I had my period and it went off after 7 full days of hevay bleeding. Almost 2 weeks later I started bleeding again but this time the blood looked bright red and it smelled different I thought my heavy period just started again. I continued bleeding bright red blood for 2 weeks straight after my intial period 4 weeks prior. I went to my college clinic and the nurse checked me out and I thought okay she'll just tell me I have a period again. Wrong answer she told me "you have to go to the ER right now, because you're bleeding regular blood" I had been losing a vital and large amount of my blood supply in my body for 2 weeks. She ahd already called me a ambulance and I went in and the didn't tell me anything. They just put me on a strecther, rolled me in, place warm blankets on me, gave me an IV and told me everything would be fine. I woke up 4 hours later within my mom by my side who lived 2 hours away. (I didn't even tell her I was going to the ER) I had been sedated and given a D and C and I almost had to have a transfusion but luckily I didn't. Please get checked out. It's better to know that to not know. The doctor told me I probably would have died in my sleep from blood loss.

Ok so I have been on my period or what I think is my period I am 24 Years old and sexually active with one guy and have been with for years. We never use protection and I am not on any kind of birth control. A few years prior I had had an ovarian cyst that was surgically removed had no problems and healed up quickly. I have started what is to be called a period on Jan 23 and it is now Feb 15th and I am still bleeding heavily I go through 3 or 4 super plus tampons a day with out any cramping. My back on the other hand has been being weird it has gone out on me twice not sure if this has anything to do with that the first time my back went out I was driving and the second time I was drying my hair. I made an apt to see my doctor for next week to see what is going on. I also am tired all the time take today for an example I went to bed last night at one in the am and slept till 6pm the next day I still tired and know if I lay down I can fall asleep easily. Any suggestions????? Email me at ********

I used to have a very regular menstrual cycle. Heavy the first three days and then tapering off by the 7th day nothing at all. Nov. 2006 was the last normal period I had. It just stopped. I am not sexually active so I knew it couldnt be pregnancy. I also gained about 30 pounds in 4 months during that time and I noticed my acne got even worse than usual.

Then in April 2007 it came back and it just would not stop. The bleeding kept getting heavier so bad that I was messing my clothes. I have been bleeding non stop since then accompanied by large clots at times. I dont have any pain, I dont even feel tired. I do not have health insurance but I finally managed to scrounge together the funds to go see a doctor in December. Because I am a virgin the examination was very difficult. He was a toal jerk very dismissive and sarcastic he wouldnt even listen to the other symptoms I was having. He did a pap smear on me and told me to come back for a pelvic ultrasound and blood tests and to watch what I put in my mouth in the meantime. I just felt violated. I

mmediately follwoing the pap smear the bleeding stopped and then started back up again and now its as bad as ever. I know I need to go to a dcotor but I cannot afford the tests needed and I am truly scared out of my wits. Has anybody had a similar experience or perhaps has some idea what this could be? I would really appreciate any help.

I've also had alot of the problems alot of you have and are experiencing. Right now I've been on my period for 10 days. Some days very heavy and others very light with blood clots. I can feel myself passing them. I've been to the genocologist in the past and all the test results came up negative. I want to go back, but currently without health insurance. I know I have a problem somewhere.

I'm 23 and I've also had an unusually long period lasting for about one month now, after years of pretty regular cycles. I went to see a doctor for an annual checkup, and she told me it's most likely due to either a large amount of stress or weight loss. I'm not sure if this applies to any of you. My period hasn't been very heavy, about medium, and dark red, not bright red. The doctor told me that the long period is the body shedding the lining, but not releasing an egg. So it's the body's way of saying you're not reading for a baby at this moment. I've also been really tired and sleeping a lot lately, but I think it's all stress related too.

I have had normal periods always....very light...i could use 1 pad the whole day and still dry after 6hours but recently i have been getting my period every 2 weeks and this time it cam heavy...i have never had it like this, i go through a pad every hour! i went to the er cuz my dr said it was not normal i should be checked, nope not a miscarriage which was my first thought (i have 2 live births) and then they tested for fibroids(sp?) and then they did and ultrasound. they only found a small cyst which is apparently normal when you have your periods....but i still feel somthing is wrong. i am tired ALOT unusual for me, sleepy, weak and have been eating alot of healthy food to try and keep alert...yet the dr said there was nothing wrong wtih me....my clots are so big at a point i feel like i am pasing grapes ok...

my bleeding is also bright red, no smell to it and alot of clots...i am worried but dont know what kind of help to seek. i am also getting these horrible headaches that dont let me sleep at nigh =(

I am 23 years old.. and have been having problems with my period since the age of 13. I would go 3 or 4 months without one then all of the sudden it would chance and I would have a period for 3 of 4 months with lots of heavy bleeding, clots, and pain. I went to a gynecologist but it was so hard to find one that would take me because of my age and because I was a virgin. They did a bunch of tests and decided to put my on birth control pills. I was on them for 4 years and with every year that came it seemed I would be put on a different pill. Nothing seemed to really help, I was still having very bad pains in my abdomen and around the pelvic area and at times bleeding so heavy I could wear a tampon, and 2 or 3 pads and still bleed through. When I was 18 and a freshman in college, I asked to be put on the shot because I didn't want the embarrasment of bleeding through my clothes or getting up a hundred times a day to change. That worked pretty good for a few years but in 2006 my mother passed away and I was under a great deal of stress and completely forgot to get my shot. Plus, due to all the cost from my mother's illness our health insurance was canceled and I could no longer afford to get my birth control. I wasn't sexually active so I didn't really worry about it and just stayed off birth control for awhile. So, for a year I didn't have a period which I found out was normal for people coming off the shot. I went to the doctor (just a little clinic nearby) and tryed to get them to put my back on some type of birth control to help regulate my periods. However, I'm overweight (partly due to all the trouble I've had with birthcontrol, hormones, and not being able to exercise because of heavy bleeding) and becaue of my weight the doctor likes to blame everything on me being heavy. They won't even check me for anything because I'm heavy. They automatically assume that's the only problem even though this is an ongoing problem since childhood. Now, the current problem, I started my period again the first week of June of 2008 and it's not almost October of 2008. I have been on my period this whole time. At times I have a super heavy period (most of the time), I've had blood clots so big my family thought I was having a miscarriage (even though I hadn't been sexually active), but no pain, although I've been so tired and drained of energy. I'm very paranoid and can't stand up from my chair at work without looking down to make sure I haven't bled through. I went to the doctor in August and they acted as if it was no big deal and sent me home (to rest and "prop" my feet up) and of course no health insurance so they don't want to check you for anything. I am still bleeding though and I don't know what to do.. I can't afford a specialist.. but I've been to a clinic doctor a few times already and they keep doing nothing for me.. and I still have to pay almost $300.00 for nothing. Does anyone know what I can do or have any ideas or know of anything similiar????

Hi. I have had short cycles since the beginning averaging around 21-25 days apart. I had four kids and after stopping nursing, the periods came back typically lasting a week long and continuing the short cycle pattern. The last two years, my periods are normal, just spotting, 3 weeks long and at times flooding requiring several trips to the bathroom even though I wear both an overnight pad and super tampon! Right now, my period has been going on for 3 weeks. The first week was light spotting. The second week seemed to be more fluid tinged with blood. This third week, the blood is redder and heavier with tissue continually coming out. I seem to do better if I do not use tampons (seems to lessen for some reason). The strange thing is that I do not have any other symptom. No pain, cramps or any other complaint. I am anemic so I am on some high iron pills which may help in regards to this unusual bleeding. When this happened two years ago, I did go to the doctor and nothing was found but one polyp. It was not recommended to be removed. If you read here: http://www.medicinenet.com/uterine_growths/page7.htm, you will see that a polyp, rarely contains cancer, can cause abnormal bleeding. This is what I suspect is the case. Since I am premenopausal at my age, I am sure the hormone swing is the problem. If I continue to bleed, I will go to the doctor to get more current advice.

I can relate to almost everyone here. The heavy bleeding for more than a week, the longest was 2 1/2 months. Heavy and severe cramping, lower back pain, gaining weight because of birth control pills. I have had every test you can think of and I have no answers. I was told by an obgyn specialist that the pill can make things worse if you're already imbalanced hormonally and that the Merina IUD would help but i've heard bad things about it. I was better off not taking birth control pills than I was on them to try and regulate my period. I don't have any advice or good things to say because im still in the state of " what is happening to me?". If anyone can help, please do.

I am adding this because so far no one has mentioned this scenario. A few years back I had very very heavy abnormal periods every two weeks for a month and a half. I took pregnancy tests and failed them all. When I finally went to the doctor, she said I was pregnant, although I had my tubes tied several years prior. We did blood tests and an ultrasound and it turned out that I was having a miscarriage. Now, I am having similar problems, and am about to return to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully, no one is having a miscarriage, but I wanted you to know that this is still a possibility. Please, if you have abnormal bleeding, check with your doctor just in case. It could be a cyst, endemetriosis, abnormal bleeding due to horomone imbalance, fibroids, irregular periods due to going off of birth control, a pregnancy or miscarriage. There are many, many different possibilities, and the only way to know is to get tests done.

I am a 27 years old virgin I ve long period lasting 2 mths now I went to the doctor and give me some pill but didn't help he say i was overweight and I need to lose the weight for my period to related but I am trying to lose the weight but its taking long my period is also heavy and I am clotting too my period seem not to be stopping any advice would be appreciated. Urgent help. :-(

Ever since I gained so much weight my periods have been long and heavy. The longest being 4 months and some days. I was given birth control pills and they helped immediately. After being off them for about a year the same thing happened again and then I started to become tired and dizzy. I hate taking the pills because i get side affects from them loke melasma and heavy weight gain, especially from the ortho tricyclen lo. I am 27 and all of this started in 2005. The smell of the blood is stronger too. I find I have to bathe more than twice a day to cut the strong smell of blood. I have been trying to get my dad to find herbs that would work. Once he finds something I will try it and let you guys know.

Its amazing how so many women are going threw the same thing. I have been bleeding for a month now very unusal for me. No birth control for me so I'm wondering what it can be.