Possible uterine polyps

Hi, @vogelkm - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I would wonder what was going on, too, if I had so much heavy bleeding I fainted. Dealing with a year of irregular bleeding is also challenging.

Here is some Mayo Clinic information you may be interested in on uterine polyps https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-polyps/symptoms-causes/syc-20378709

It's understandable you would like to connect with others who have "been there." I'd like to introduce you to a few members who may have input for you on uterine polyps, such as @confused77 @suzette @connie1559 @kate123. Hoping they can provide some support and offer any insights from their own experiences. @baxtersmom also may have some thoughts.

When are you anticipating having the saline sonogram?

Thanks for the reply. I've been reading the mayo information and other reliable sites, but I still feel a left with questions. I plan on bringing them up to my doctor. (I have a familial history, a previous C-section and a Paraguard IUD that we pulled in February during an aborted sonogram because it had moved and hoped that would return my bleeding to normal) I have my sonogram scheduled for the 18th of this month. I'm just hoping that this appointment works because I have yet to stop bleeding since the ER and follow up OB. The hormones that we had hoped would stop the bleeding have slowed the bleeding but have not completely stopped it. (Provera for 10 days and now a low-estrogen birth control) I find using hormones difficult because they make me irritable and other symptoms so I haven't used them in years. But as the information states that polyps are estrogen-sensitive being on estrogen birth control is making me a little more anxious. I know most of this is something for the doctor but waiting two weeks without any answers is tough.

That is indeed tough to have to wait 2 weeks to see the doctor with bleeding that won't stop. It might be worth calling the physician's nurse line, if that exists, or calling back to see if there's any way you could get in sooner.

You got my attention when you membered the Paraguard IUD, as I had profuse bleeding with that years back that led me to finally have it removed. Sorry to hear its removal didn't end the bleeding.

I'd also like to introduce you to @becsbuddy @lioness @brightwings, who may have insights on your bleeding.

Are you feeling okay, or are you feeling ill?

Unfortunately, my appointment is as soon as I could get in. I discussed the bleeding with the nurse while I was scheduling and until we can get the sonogram results there isn't much to do but wait. The bleeding is tapering away so that's encouraging. I am feeling decent in general, but get exhausted easily, so I'm taking it easy (hard with a nearly three yo) and trying to eat extra iron to supplement my iron pills.

Hi @vogelkm
I am so sorry that you are having this bleeding and also that you have to wait so long to find out the cause. I am quite a bit older than you and am post menopause, but I had a bout with bleeding a couple of years ago brought on by a pessary that was inserted for my prolapsed bladder. If you don't know what that is, no need to know. But briefly, any of the pelvic organs can drop down due to weakening of the ligaments that hold them up. In my case it was the bladder and my doctor had inserted a pessary which is device to lift the bladder back up to it's normal position. It turned out that the pessary was rubbing and causing my bleeding. Since you had the IUD and now it has been removed and the bleeding is tapering off, it sounds as if the IUD may have been causing some irritation and thus bleeding. With the polyps and the IUD, it could be the IUD was causing rubbing or irritation to the already irritated situation of the polyps. In my case, it took quite a while for the bleeding to taper off after the pessary was removed. And I had to be very limited in my physical activity or it would start up again. I ended up having my prolapse repaired because I could no longer use the pessary. And I have had no bleeding for a couple of years now. I draw the parallel here simply to point out that it can take quite a while for bleeding to stop even after the irritant (in your case possibly the IUD) is removed.

Seems as though they are not overly concerned due to the results from your biopsy showing no malignancy. So that hopefully can help you to think positive. I am not a doctor but I think if they thought it was terribly serious you would not be waiting two weeks to get back in there. But still I understand that the bleeding is scary and annoying as well as concerning when you don't know what is causing it. I would not hesitate at all to call back if you begin to feel the slightest bit weak, light-headed or otherwise ill. I had a history of anemia prior to my bleeding and so I had to be very careful and monitor my situation. Once you do figure out what is causing the bleeding and once it is stopped, I would follow up with some blood work just to check and make sure that you are not anemic or having any issues as a result of the bleeding since you said you have had irregular bleeding for a while now.

Please take care of yourself and keep us posted on what you find out. You are doing the right thing to gather as much information as you possibly can from this and other sites.

Thanks, @baxtersmom
I do have some mild anemia, my hemoglobin was 11 at the ER visit. But the doctors are not overly concerned because that is holding pretty steady from February when I had the IUD removed (11.1 at that time after my first long bout of bleeding, and started iron tablets at that time.) I am trying to draw hope from that fact that the biopsy showed no malignancy and that the doctors are not overly concerned, but without definitive answers I'm finding myself in the patient's dilemma of waiting with the unknowns, which are not comfortable friends.

@vogelkm Hi I'm Lioness . I'm sorry you have to wait so long but at least you said the bleeding is not as much. As a retired nurse I use to work for the red cross and when the iron was low in a person we couldn't let them give blood so they where told to get on iron pills the naturel foods you can try also are spinach, raisins, liver . But I want to suggest to you also to make sure you are getting your electrolytes as this will make you tired also and is lost in any fluids so replace them with smart water or any other water that has the electrolytes in . Hopefully when you see the gyn they will be able to prescribe something for you or diagnose and take care of your bleeding . Good luck

@vogelkm
@lioness has some very good advice regarding guarding against anemia. You won't believe this but I drove myself to the ER with a hemoglobin level of 4 when I had my bout of anemia. They made me stay there overnight and gave me transfusions. Never found out what the cause was but I still get checked every once in a while. Dr. said I probably had it come on slowly and learned to tolerate it which is why I did not just keel over. But they were shocked about my hemoglobin level and actually rechecked it because they found it hard to believe. The iron tablets should help a lot. Also you might want to check your ferritin levels. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body and this test will help you to make sure you are storing iron properly if you have been mildly anemic. I think you are asking all the right questions so please take care and keep us posted.

Thanks @lioness and @baxtersmom
I have been trying to stay well hydrated but hadn't thought about electrolytes. I also had no idea about raisins! I really do love raisins, so it'll be easy to eat some more for a while!

@baxtersmom Hemoglobin of 4? Holy cow, that's dangerous! My hematocrit and hemoglobin got very low prior to my transplant and Mass General called to tell me to get right to the local hospital. I realized afterward that they didn't want to risk my husband driving me an hour to MGH. When we got to the hospital here the ED doctor told me my counts were so low that I could have had a cardiac arrest! He sent me by ambulance to MGH. One of the doctors there told me that if her counts were that low she would have been flat on her back -- when the NP called from MGH called I was just about to serve dinner to company! No one could believe that. I was tired and dragging but it was an easy dinner.
JK