Hi Divas -- I have a Mirena IUD which I got to help manage my very heavy menstrual flow. I'm 35, np. This is month 21 or so with the IUD.
From about month 3 with the device, my periods started to get lighter. They have stayed very regular, with roughly 26 days between the start of one menstruation and the start of the next. I had gotten to where I could use just super-plus tampons and they lasted for six whole hours (!!!!) but lately my flow has increased again so that tampons only last four hours or so and/or they get totally flooded out by my tendency to gush.
Here's my real problem -- When i get my period, I spot for a day, bleed heavily for two days, stop for a couple of days, and then bleed heavily again for a couple of days. If I'm lucky, that's the end of it. If I'm unlucky, the spotting continues for four or five days.
Has anyone else had this experience, and were you able to reduce the number of days you spent bleeding?
Here's what I've tried.
3/3/3 ibuprofen - doesn't work, makes my stomach upset
Fish oil daily - I take it anyway for other reasons, but it doesn't seem to affect the bleeding
Thyroid levels all fine and managed by a doc
Exercise -- I do about 45 minutes to an hour of Pilates 4 days a week, together with 45 minutes of interval training four days a week, plus I walk my dog daily.
Cutting out dairy and gluten -- makes my cramps better, but doesn't affect the bleeding.
Partnersex/masturbation -- if it happens on a day when my body has decided not to have a period, it doesn't make it come faster.
I have a new Manfriend, and I'd like it if I could predict my availability for sexytimes a little bit better.
In other news -- the Mirena has had zero effect on my mood disorder (yay!) and I am happier than I have been in literally years, maybe because I'm not bleeding huge quantities each month. It also doesn't seem to have made my migraines any worse -- these were the two problems with oral contraceptives I'd had in the past. I