Any way to make a period shorter?

Post Reply New Topic

My cycle has been driving me insane...as soon as it's over it starts again.
It lasts forever....12 days at least....Not a lot of pain..but really bad mood issues...also, it seems to come in phases so it seems like I have 2 periods in a row...really light for a few days then REALLY heavy..and then it will seem almost like it is gone...and then it comes back....

It is driving me crazy bonkers...

I found that diet made a dramatic difference.

When I cut down on acid-forming foods, ( especially dairy; cheese etc ), and cooked foods, ( especially carbohydrates; cereals etc ), ate lots of raw veg and salad, fruit and nuts, my period shrank to two-three days a month, and my pre-menstrual tension/bad moods etc disappeared completely.

.

My sister had a similar experience re food. She had horrible periods but if she ate like a vegetarian her periods got normal. Her diet was mostly meat and she initially tried veg one day a week, as an experiment, because it was cheaper.

^ They're right, diet has a lot to do with it. You might want to see your doctor though, because I think you lose a lot of iron from having your period too frequently....

Birth control pills will make your periods shorter...as the hormones in birth control pills can reduce the number of days of your period...and the pelvic pain.

In addition, gynecologists are now prescribing birth control pills where women only get their periods just a few months out of the year. Research has shown that women are less likely to get ovarian cancer if they "stop" menstruating for several months...like
what occurs when a woman is pregnant. But, because many women do not choose or want to get pregnant, they can experience
this "health benefit" by using birth control pills to "stop" their periods for several months during the year.

Check with your gynecologist to determine if you are able to take birth control pills for this unique health benefit.

I think you shouldn't have a deit before seeing a doctor,
your long period may relate to lots of things, such as your weight, how often do you have sex, whether you have baby or not......
So I think, you really should see a doctor, plus I suggest you to see a Chinese doctor, use Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine do help with this kinda disease.

I took Depo Provera shots when I was younger and they made mine stop completely.

lose weight
eat right
improve health in general

There's some device for sucking out all the uterus lining at once. I don't know where women get access to those though. I think a health professional is supposed to do it for you.

menstruation is a time of detoxification for women. the less toxicity there is, the easier it is.

Poopy, you need to go see a gynaecologist. It may be nothing, but if you are bleeding in between periods, that can be a sign of a serious underlying disease. You should also get your bloods checked for anaemia.

If after you are examined, there doesn't appear to be any cause (as in 60% of cases), you have several options (your doctor will explain these better; I'm just rattling them off for revision purposes!);

Non surgical options involve the oral contraceptive pill, progestagon pill and the Mirena coil (this is an intra-uterine device which contains similar hormones to the pill and lasts for 5 years).

As a last resort, surgical options include hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and myomectomy (this only removes certain layers of the uterus, meanins that you could still have children if you wanted).

If you like, I can PM you one of the lectures I was given on menorrhagia (heavy periods).

maybe try birth control shots poopy, they eliminate menstruation and IIRC you're not planning on having kids so you don't have to worry about not ovulating.

I don't bleed in between my periods...they start really regularly...pretty much on the same day every month...the 22nd...and I bleed into the 5th or 6th of the next month......

My only experiences with birth control stuffs were a horrible nightmare of heavy bleeding and weight gain that never went away...and I am naturally infertile anyway...

I should just purify my diet..I am mostly vegetarian except for a few occasional slip ups....

I do not have a regular gynecologist...there is nobody I trust..and I don't have money for anything that is not an emergency...

It probably has to do with the infertility (poss. due to messy teenage abortion I had)...and the fact that I am getting older...

I had a lot more pain with my periods when I was younger...they are not as bad as they used to be in that regard...but I am a really really heavy bleeder..and it is for such a long time...

Did you try the depo shot? Amenorrhea is a common side effect.

Possibly so. Many infertile women suffer Endometriosis, which Depo Provera is approved as a treatment of symptoms. Certainly worth seeing doctor.

Ah right, I misread your first post; if you're not bleeding between periods, then it's not quite as worrying.

Would you be able to afford just a once-off visit to a gynae? It's not the most pleasant experience, but it could really help you in the long run. Simply going on the pill straight away may just mask underlying fibroids or endometriosis, and as you said, may have nasty side-effects.

Your only other option really is to wait another 10-20 years for the menopause...

There is a possibility that I have fibroids or PCOS...I have a lot of heaviness in my lower abdomen..

I thought though, that endomitriosis caused a lot of pain...and I don't experience much pain...only once in a while..and nothing too abnormally unbearable.

I know I need to go see a gynocologist..but I absolutely am frozen with dread at the thought of it.

I don't have insurance, so if I need to have anything more than an exam, I won't be able to afford it.

That sucks . The only thing I can think of is if the initial exam finds something, you could maybe save up enough to go abroad and get any proceedures done for cheaper.

I've watched Michael Moore's film 'Sicko'; the American health system is a disgrace!

Poopy, I suggest oral contraceptives. Talk to your OB-GYN, they can hook you up. My doc gave me the NovaSure operation which removed the uterine lining, but I got off the pill at the same time, so paradoxically I now have longer, heavier peiods than before the operation and went back on the pill.

EDIT: Yikes, I didn't see that about having no insurance. maybe you should apply for Medicaid. If you qualify, all the treatment you need is free. See if there is a clinic where you can get a free exam and a prescription off the $4 list at Wal-Mart -- some of the birth-control pills are listed on there.