Gynecology

Hi everyone,

Three weeks ago I got my period late, it was a bit heavy but not abnormally so and lasted for about four days. Three days after my period I started bleeding again. This time it was very heavy, so much so I had to leave the college I am attending to clean up. I had started bleeding so hard I bled through despite having just changed. When I got home I cleaned up and changed and started working on homework. Within an hour I stood up to take a quick homework break and I felt a gush. I had bled clean through again. By this point I was really scared, but I have no insurance and couldn't just call my doctor. The bleeding subsided within the next few hours but continued on till the next day. I made an appointment to see a doctor at a local hospital despite having no insurance and was seen a days later. The doctor told me the bleeding sounded like an early miscarriage, but when given a pregnancy test I was negative. The doctor checked me for fibroids as well and I did not have any. Since the doctor couldn't explain the bleeding he told me to go home, rest and the bleeding would stop on its own. After the doctors visit the bleeding lasted another week . I finally went to Planned Parent Hood because I was still bleeding and couldn't afford another $80.00 just for a doctor to tell me he didn't know what was happening. Planned Parent Hood told be to take Motrin and this would help stop the bleeding.I have an IUD, Paraguard, so the chances of getting pregnant are slim. Could this have been a miscarriage? A friend of mine who had an early miscarriage thinks so. I had thought that I might be pregnant when I had been late for my period,however this is the first thought that pops into my mind whenever I'm late. Does anybody know what could have happened? Does this sound like a miscarriage?

It could have been, but most likely, not.  Even with miscarriage, the pregnancy test would have shown up as + due to a small level of hcg in your system.  I had an early miscarriage back in 2/98, and had my hcg levels checked once/twice after the loss to make sure that the level was going down.  It remained + for a little while.
However, if the pregnancy is so early that the level isn't high enough to show up on a pgcy test... anything is possible.

That being said... there really is no way of knowing now, I'm really sorry.  It could be the IUD causing troubles, women have been known to have abnormal bleeding with it.

How did the doctor at the ER check for fibroids?  Were you given an ultrasound?  A regular gyn exam isn't conclusive enough, you could very well have a fibroid or polyp in your uterus, a physician can't always feel them, it depends on size and location.  An ultrasound is the only way to correctly diagnose fibroids and polyps.

Vida

Hi manoangeliukai,

Thanks for your reply. In answer to your question, "how did the doctor at the ER check for fibroids?" the doctor checked during my gyno exame. He felt my uterus and he did not give me an ultrasound. Since he didn't feel anything abnormal he said I didn't have any signs of fibroids.

As far as the IUD goes I have never had any irregular bleeding caused by it. I have had my IUD for two years now and have never had a problem with it. This is the first time I have ever had bleeding like this occur.

Simply just giving you a regular exam cannot tell the M.D. if one has fibroids or not.  Small fibroids that cannot be felt can cause abnormal bleeding.  I have had fibroids and polyps removed via hysteroscopy b/c of abnormal bleeding -- they weren't felt during an exam, but found via ultrasound.

I wish you all the best.  If you do continue bleeding and/or spotting, please get yourself checked out again, and request an ultrasound, if possible.  As I said before, that would show more of what can be going on.

Vida