OMG, you want to "talk clots"? I haven't had my period in about 6 mos. or so, however when I did, you would not believe the size of the clots. Do not read this if you're easily offended as it's fairly gross. I found this out by accident on morning when I was on my period and showering. I sneezed and "gave birth to a hugh clot". It was gross trying to get it to go down the drain (but it was not something you could pick up). After the clot was removed from my body, my period flow was obviously a lot lighter. So. . . from that point on, every month in the shower, I would bear down, cough, sneeze, whatever it took to rid by body of what looked like canned cranberries (you know, the cranberries you serve for Thanksgiving dinner, the jello kind that immediately brings back shower memories). I just wish that I had sneezed earlier on during my period. LOL.

Yes, this is common. Expect your period to start skipping, then returning, being heavy, lasting longer, lasting shorter, it all comes down to perimenopause. My first alert this was starting to occur was when I was 46. I had a period two weeks after the prior one and it freaked me out. Then I had a period like no other, with heavy bleeding and clots. It lasted almost 3 weeks, which is what sent me to the doctor. I went for a sonogram and found out the clots and very heavy/lengthy flow were due to fibroids. The periods skipping, changing in flow, etc went on for four years. The most difficult years for me though were ages 50 - 53, during which I had almost every symptom named in this forum. Thank God for all the caring women who have taken the time to share their stories here. From sore joints/muscles to heart palpitations to strange periods to anxiety to "weird head feeling," I have had all these and more. I was tested for all kinds of things and often told "it has nothing to do with perimenopause," as though it wasn't even real. I wish the medical community would do a better job communicating the issues related to this time of life. I say all this to give you a heads up now as to what might be ahead. Consult your doctor about anything that seems "off" to you, even if it's just to have peace of mind. But also know that much of the time, changing hormones are behind a great many of these symptoms. I never realized the enormous role hormones play in our lives. I am now 54 and still have the odd hot flash or muscle stiffness but things are getting better. I hope you will be one of the lucky ones for whom perimenopause is a breeze.

To any of you suffering from heavy bleeding, I long ago figured out the culprits and cures - yes, cures. First - here's my YES list, then later, see what to avoid. My YES list: Loads of good-quality Bing cherries, and/or Juice of black cherry concentrate. NOT from toxic plastic containers, rather glass. And the more Viscous it is, the better (i.e. more sticky, slow-to-flow. Also: lots of probiotic yogurt such as Vanilla or Peach Stonyfield. Or Raspberry Lifeway-Kefir. Also: Lysine/smooth type of foods, such as Eggs, yams, yellow oils, veggies, Unsalted soda crackers, sweet/sticky fruits/melons. Also: see my tips on this "flu" site, because alot of those tips may resonate with you and help toward the bleeding issues as well. https://lysine4flu.wordpress.com/ Also: Gabapentin might help (if you can get a doctor to prescribe it). It helps to relax my nerves toward computer(EMF) use, and relieves headaches, so I suspect it can relieve bleeding. My NO list: Heavy exposure to bright lights & EMFs & WIFI & so forth. Hi sodium, citric-acid, citrus, sodium-nitrite, sodium-citrate. Some of these can be hidden inside foods at health stores as well. Spices, raw onion, raw garlic. Some of these can be hidden inside health foods. Stress/chemicals. See my common-sense examples in my above wordpress blog, re: "Arginine vs. lesser arginine". With emphasis on the last italicized paragraph. Hope this helps.

Ablations create scar tissue. Scar tissue can not form a lining on the walls of your uterus (a period) However, if during the ablation there was a spot missed(and this does happen - somewhere on that consent form that we all signed that listed the risks from the procedure- this is listed I promise you.) back to the missed spot - it is still live tissue and live tissue will continue to grow a lining still causing a period. A usually lighter period, but a period just the same. A very small percentage of these can grow large and cause severe pain - THESE ARE THE ONES TO WORRY ABOUT CALL THE DOCTOR GET A CT. Unfortunately for me my doctor said if this develops with me we are going in for a hysterectomy. Due to the fact that there is nothing he can do to access the live tissue because of all the scar tissue, another ablation would not help because it would stay the same size and continue causing the pain. So Hysto or live with pain. for an earlier post: There is no reason to get your tubes tied if you have an ablation- there is nothing for the embryo to attach to. (FYI: getting your tubes tied has actually caused more women to develop heavier, longer, more painful periods.) Somewhere it states irreversible - not for women who wish to have children, not a form of birth control, infertile. for pattyo: menopause comes in three stages that can last for years. The ablation was probably the "period free" reason, but unfortunately it has no effect on our hormones. So we still have to go through the night sweats, hotflashes, and all the other "goodies." They can come for months, then disappear for weeks. However, I would be concerned about the heavy bright red bleeding after not having anything after the ablation. You should really see a GYN. Call ahead and try to set up a payment plan, or see if they offer a discount to pay in full up-front customers. Look for some type of walk in clinic they are usually cheaper and they can refer you to a GYN ASAP if needed. If this post sounded ugly or smart I did not mean it that way. I tend to get very upset when women do not ask questions and let doctors go right ahead with what they think is best. Write down all you questions and try to remember to take them to every appointment. Read them to someone before you go to see if you have left anything out. Please remember to ask, ask, ask and if you still get that big medical dictionary terminology - tell them to draw you a picture. If you still don't understand it fully tell them you would like to speak to the nurse. Everyone of these posts were cover by my doctor before he would even let me say okay to the procedure and his nurse called 2 days before to make sure I didn't have any questions, then asked me again when they called with my appt reminder.