For Women Only Please, *Mentions Blood*

Thought I had PMDD and no appointments at the GP.  MIND website suggested to write symptoms in a diary. Spoken to a nice GP, explained the problem and now on a higher dose of the combined pill. I can do back  to back. Doesn't matter if taking it late.

Need the blood pressure check as can't be to high.

Shame about the regular GP decided to call it a day after cancer.

Oh I hate when they are just like 'yeah we'll ring at any time in the next two days and if it doesn't go perfectly we'll assume it's because you don't care'

I hope you manage to get through soon and that once you are actually with a person they'll be one of the nice thoughtful paying attention ones.

I got put on the pill when my GP flagged me for PMDD, a really fancy way of saying PMS messes with me more than I can handle, so the period avoidance was the main goal

Yeah turns out I can do two in a row but not 3 at the moment, my system may adjust over prolonged pill usage and then we can try again. Oh well, 6 a year is still better than 12 and the symptoms of a withdrawal bleed are less bad than my natural ones, probably because the hormonal change is a little more regulated

This happened to me a couple of years ago. It turned out to be a hormonal imbalance which was a relief as I'd been worried sick it was something else and more serious.

Always get things checked out. Delaying things with your health isn't a good move. It's probably nothing serious but it's best to find out.

Thanks for everyone’s replied and comments. I’m going to have to just bite the bullet and get it done. Still waiting to hear back from doctors due to a mess up with the EConsultation system, didn’t work as well as I thought it would have, and my phone blocked unknown/No ID callers, which the doctor’s number was No ID. They never gave me a time for when they’d call me so I didn’t know to expect one, and the online consultation said it would take 48 hours for a reply. There’s no consistency any more in the medical world. 

Hi, yeah I didn’t mention but I’m 25, no kids (don’t know if that would make any difference or not). It’s not the first time it’s happened but over the past 2-3 years I’ve had 1 to 2 week periods, and thought nothing was really wrong, that I might have just been miss counting the days or whatever, but this is nearly 4 weeks now. I know something isn’t right, still waiting to hear back from the doctors. 

It’s the same here. I live in the North East of England. The Gp practice here is horrendous for getting an appointment. You have to be on the phone at 7am on the dot and by 10 past 7 all the appointments are gone for the day. I know there’s a strain on the NHS, but when you really need an appointment and there’s no other GPS in the area, you have to just try and beat everyone else to the phone. Considering pulling an all nighter so I’m on the phone at 5 to 7 in the morning for them opening. If I got to sleep now, I’ll sleep in and not get the chance to make an appointment. The GP online service is not as good as I thought it was going to be as they rang me but they come up as No ID and my phone blocks all Unknown Callers or No ID callers which is a pain. 

Your comment reminds me of when I'd been given the contraceptive injection after giving birth to my son. Had I been told what to expect, I wouldn't have found myself visiting my GP in a panic-stricken state because I'd been having a bleed that had lasted far longer than I had deemed normal.

I am in agreement with what the other members have said here.

It's possible that an internal examination and / or smear test may be required to work out what's going on. You know your own body, so if there's anything going on that doesn't seem quite right, it's always best to get it checked out.

I think most surgeries these days require patients to book appointments by phone, or else via the internet. The days of turning up without an appointment on the offchance that a GP might have time to see you, now appear to be long gone.

Your comment about the blood pressure machine reminded me of a conversation I'd had with one of the GPs at my surgery when I was asked if I'd got one. As far as I'm concerned, unless I'm diagnosed with something that requires frequent monitoring of my blood pressure, then I cannot justify the expense.

Oh, horrid. Bless you. It could be any number of things from nothing to worry about to serious. You do need a doctor. Can you ask for a female doctor, would that help?

You don't say how old you are. These things can just happen with menopause, you know. But you need a quack to confirm.

Wow, that's horrible! I used to do that not taking a break fro the pill all the time, I would run three together usually so I only had to bleed about 4x a year. Much more civilised than every month. Then I got high blood pressure and they wouldn't let me stay on the pill. I managed to fix the hbp by diet and exercise since that was most likely the cause, i had let myself go and was not managing much exercise due to crippling arthritis and was eating badly too, so it was a wake up call. But proving it was another matter! I cannot use a machine and going to the surgery several times for a bp test was just too much executive functioning! But my bp was normal when taken at my dentist so if it was normal there then it was certainly normal anywhere!

I'd be terrified if my bleed lasted more than a week. Although as I am in perimenopause I have read that it can happen. I really hope not though, I hate bleeding.

I am not impressed by Treevey's doctor. A lump is not a waste of time. I had a lump once and they took it more seriously than I enjoyed as it got surgically removed, it was benign but better to be careful. Treevey, I hope you have heard back from your econsult and they are taking care of you.

It is very daunting. I have to say all said and done, the Drs were great, especially the last one I saw. Being female, they get it, and really put you at ease. You can ask them to explain everything as they go,  but they will anyway. You could also ask if you can do it yourself, but this will depend on the type of swab they are doing. My advice would be, relax as much as you can and trust it will be over with in a short amount of time.

The e consult thing is great. I just don’t like not knowing when they will call you back.

I only got this once when I tried to extend my pill usage without a break and got a breakthrough bleed lasting a month, but I'd definitely go see your GP as this is unusual for and is impacting your life. Especially as you can't think of a cause

Although it’s not abnormal to have a few weird periods bleeding between expected periods can also be a symptom of quite serious issues. I agree with seeing a doctor or asking the receptionist if it’s OK to book a smear test with the nurse if you’re not due one. They can be a bit embarrassing and uncomfortable (although I’very read you can ask for smaller equipment if it hurts which I didn’t know) wearing a loose knee length skirt or dress can help you feel a bit more covered as well you only have to take your knickers off then.

Mine gone a bit weird since the Pfizer vaccine. Either bleed for 2 days or in pain.

My GP surgery is useless as suspect you to phone up to make an appointment. 

I only live 5 minutes away. Lucky if get an in house appointment. Also they told me to find a blood pressure machine. This isn't my job to do this.

*needed to have a rant*

I know some women have said their cycles have been heavier and more painful after the Pfizer Vaccine. It could be linked. 

But definitely book a gynaecology appointment. Nurses and doctors are odd sometimes. I just let them do their job and act strange (sometimes they're just overworked) and just present them with as many symptoms as you can. Write everything down before going in if it helps. I might even phone 111.

Hi, thanks for the advice. I’ve never been for an examination done down there. Not really sure what to expect to be honest. The thought of someone I don’t know doing that (or even someone I do know like someone from local Gp practice, is daunting. I know people will say they’ve probably seen hundreds but that still doesn’t help my anxiety about it. 

I did find out just before that my doctors’ surgery allows online E consult messages to be sent directly to a doctor so I kind of just bit the bullet and put it all into the consult box and hope they get me to where I need to be. 

I would say, it could be menorrhagia, which are long, and or heavy periods. But really, there are so many causes that you really do need to speak to your GP. Keep things simple, and say that your period is lasting 3-4 weeks, and it’s happened before now.

I suspect they will ask you all sorts of questions, and will probably want to examine you, and do blood tests. I know this isn’t what you want to happen, but it’s necessary to get to the root cause. I had to have an examination and swabs take several months ago which was bad enough, then I was called back for another! Ugh, horrible, but I’m so glad I did as I’m now on medication to help my problem.

Just remember you have every right to speak to a Dr, and this is something they will want to help you with, so don’t feel bad about it. If you feel uncomfortable, say something, or tell the receptionist when you call.