Hormonal Imbalance

I’m going to get personal and share what has been going on with me for the past couple years as a woman. At first, I thought something was terribly wrong with me. My periods were getting extremely heavy, so much so, that I couldn’t leave my bedroom because I was in extreme pain and discomfort. Forget going to parties or events because I would be down for the count and the bleeding was just enough to make me think I was dying!

My husband, who was then my fiancee’, I know was rethinking if he should indeed marry me. Like clockwork, I would turn into a person he didn’t even know a few days before the dreaded day would present it’s vampire control over my entire being. The kids would put up a cross whenever I walked into a room, as it seemed that I would snap at the slightest remark.

Truly, I was scared. It was getting harder to plan anything social and I was extremely nervous about wearing a wedding dress! I also started to notice that I was overly tired, especially in the afternoon. Dealing with picking up kids from school, cooking and spending time with my fiancee’ was becoming more and more difficult. Plus I was gaining weight in my mid section and it seemed no amount of diet or exercise was getting rid of it!

Then there were the rare times when I had my wonderful amazing fiancee’ all to myself for a date night and found I had no sex drive? I love this man with all my heart and he was feeling neglected because there was just no desire on my part?

All of this was just too confusing for me to understand, so I decided to speak to my OBGYN who was a female. I figured we were close in age, perhaps she would be able to figure out what was wrong with me? She decided to have me do a ultra sound to see if I had any cysts or fibroids, which are very common for most women in their 40s.

The results came back negative and she said she couldn’t understand what my problem was? I explained that I was planning my wedding and wearing a white dress was truly making me anxious. So she put me on a birth control pill called, “Seasonique.” This pill sounded great, no period for four months! I was sold on the spot!

I figured why not try it and at least get through my wedding. My wedding was in September and I started taking this pill in May. The first month seemed pretty good, a little spotting and I had no period! Then all of sudden I started bleeding, which my doctor said spotting was normal.I didn’t have quite the heaviness or the pain, but it lasted almost a month. All of a sudden huge blood clots the size of Texas were coming out of me! I felt like I was dying again and called my doctor who said to come in right away!  As embarrassed as I was already, she said she had to exam me while I was gushing all this blood! She went on to explained that I was lucky not to have an emergency DNC to stop the bleeding and told me I had to multiply taking these pills in hopes that the bleeding would stop. She explain that I would feel nauseous, but that this was my only solution.

The wedding was one month away and I was desperate at this point, so I began taking multiple birth control pills so that I wouldn’t bleed. Three one day, two for a few days and then down to one. If I started to bleed, I would repeat the process. I was also taking iron because I was extremely tired all the time and I felt like a big cream puff from all the swelling around my belly.

Forget having a honeymoon! That would have to wait a while, just get me through the wedding were my only thoughts. I guess the stars lined up for me on my wedding day because it was the most amazing day of my life and everything seemed to just come together, in spite of all the health issues.

We had out of town relatives visiting and staying with us from Australia and everything then started to really take it’s toll on me after the wedding. I stopped taking the pills and immediately started bleeding again. This time it gradually became heavier until I was completely hemorrhaging in the bathroom of a restaurant!

I called my OBGYN after hours and got her father. You see my OBGYN works in the same office with her father, so they are a father and daughter team. He instructed me to go to the emergency room of the nearby hospital immediately!

Two weeks after my dream wedding and I’m in the emergency room of a hospital filled with people down with the swine flu! They check me in, make sure I have insurance and then put me on a cot hooked up to an IV of morphine while I continued to bleed!

Every half hour of so a nurse would come in to check my vitals and after a couple hours, another doctor came in to exam me. I was told that my doctor would be there shortly. A bed pan was brought in and I continued to disburse liver size blood clots. “I’m dying for sure.” “This is it for me, how could I bleed this much and live?”

Finally after about 4 hours, my doctor and her father appeared together and proceed to tell me that they had to do an emergency DNC to stop the bleeding. The hospital was completely full and I would have to wait my turn for this procedure. So I bleed for another 3 hours before I went into surgery at midnight. I asked my doctor just before they wheeled me into that cold sterile room, “What is wrong with me?” She replied, “Honey, you just have one of those uterus’ that we would have said hysterectomy to years ago, now there are less evasive things and I really think we will have to eventually ablate you.”

A uteral ablation is when they remove the lining of the uterus completely.  The next thing I knew, I was signing a bunch of papers, being given what seemed to be my last rites by the anethesiologist as a milky white fluid flowed through my vein. I later learned that was prophidole, the same drug that killed Michael Jackson!

45 minutes later I awakened to a nurse asking me if I wanted her to call my husband.  The next day my doctor called me to see how I was doing. She explained that I should stay on these pills because she thought the bleeding would come back. I said no way! These pills seemed to make me worst not better and I didn’t feel she was trustworthy after that. Why would she want me to stay on these pills? It just didn’t sense, especially at my age!

My husband encouraged me to give it some time and see if my periods would get better off of the pills before giving into a possible surgery. I started researching finding another OBGYN that could maybe help me with my problem when a girlfriend started talking to me about bio identical harmone replacement creams.

She explained, that she had all the same symptoms I had and also thought she was dying! It was a blessing from the universe to know I wasn’t alone and there was a possible solution. She also said she lost 20 lbs the first month she did the creams and got her sex drive back!

My husband was sold on exploring this and I was getting excited at the thought of feeling normal again! Although my periods were better after the DNC, I still felt tired most of the time.

I found a great OBGYN who actually works with famed bio identical expert, Prudence Hall. My new OBGYN had my blood work done and got my records back from my old OBGYN and found that I had a cyst the size of a small plum in my uterus. I was never told that!  Although, cysts are commonly the reason for heavy period bleeding, my old OBGYN didn’t even tell me I had one, much less the size of a small plum!

Now I must have another ultra sound tomorrow morning to see if this size has increased from two years ago! My blood test came back and showed that I have almost no progesterone which is why my libido is almost non existent  and my estrogen is high, although not as high as it would be if I were going into menopause; so that explains the weight gain. She recommended I see Prudence Hall for the bio identical topical creams.

I feel optimistic that I may have a solution to this problem now and wanted to share this personal experience with any woman who may be going through the same issue, as I now know there are many. I’m hoping to make some progress soon with this issue of mine and wish you love and light if you are going through the same thing.

Devin

Author

Most people know me as Playboy's Miss June 1985. I also won $100,000 on the TV talent show "Star Search" as their Spokesmodel Champion in 1986, have been featured in movies such as, Disney's "Can't Buy Me Love", A Low Down Dirty Shame, House 2, Society and Andy Sidaris' "Guns", currently I have a Cajun spice called, "Devin's Kickass Cajun Seasoning" especially created to help the great city of New Orleans rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. I just authored a book featuring an exclusive interview with pinup legend Bettie Page entitled, "The Naked Truth About A Pinup Model"

8 Comments

  1. Lilian Posey

    Morning Devin, Thank you for sharing this experience. I am certain there are a lot of women out there who have gone through something the same or close to it.

    My last period was a doozy, to the point where my OBGYN put me on iron pills because I lost so much blood and became anemic. But there it ends. I never saw a period again.

    I’m glad you found someone who understands what all this is and found what needed to be found. There is no substitute for good health, so I wish that to you and family.

    Your friend, Lilian

  2. Tina Garrett

    I have girlfriends who have had total hysterectomy’s, go on to develop and survive breast cancer, and then still suffer all the symptoms of menopause.
    To take hormone replacement therapy you risk developing breast cancer.
    Not to take it, (which I have chosen), you risk developing dementia.
    If you’ve just suffered all that for the last 18 months, then brace yourself to enter menopause.
    Google every symptom you have or get, and read what other women write. Rely on your instincts.
    I just today went to my doctor for my 2 year pap-smear test. We are the same age, we rattled off our menopause symptoms to each other, which are completely different.
    Surely evolution will rid women in the future from suffering these awful symptoms.
    My thoughts are with you.

  3. Cathy Wright

    Bless your heart Devin…I truly understand how you felt. After following your symptoms almost to the letter when I was 30…yes 30…I ended up having a hysterectomy…leaving me one ovary. With that ovary I didn’t need hormone replacement at that time and things got 100% better for me…for the next 7 years anyway. Then I started the bloating, sweating and the devil himself would have ran from me…I felt awful. A trip to the doctor told me what I needed. My ovary had finally dried up and my hormone levels were crazy. I chose to go on hormone replacement…although it is a synthetic hormone which I was told had less risk that others. It may not have been the best choice…but it sure does work. I’m 50 now and feel great…as far as “female” symptoms go. I deal daily with rhumitoid arthritis and that is enough of a challenge. Like I said…lots of folks are against hormone therapy..but I would not take anything for that little red pill I take every day…the name is Cenestin…and as far as any side effects..so far I have had none…after being on it for almost 20 years.
    May God bless you sweetie for all you have gone through. I really understand where you are at with this…it is mentally and physically devastating….no one can understand until they have been there.
    Cathy

  4. I have just come across your blog and am “surfing.”
    As the mom of 4 grown daughters, this is interesting.
    I hope you have things all straightened out by now and are healthy and happy.
    Beverly

  5. Devin, I came across this post totally by chance. I can empathize with you. I suffer from PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). I bled (hemorrahaged) for nearly 13 months. took RX strength iron for anemia. I would blow thru a ULTRA super tampon and maxi pad in a hour. The pain would put me down for days. Birth control ran the rail,pill form the injections some of which would work for a month and back to the same old same old. Finally, I decided enough was enough. My life and family were being put on hold too often. I asked the doctor to perform a hysterectomy. Due to my age (36 at the time) insurance wouldnt cover it. Another option for me that would be covered was Novasure. It kills the option of more children however due to the PCOS fertility was nada. I got lucky on Clomid (another treatment tried) and had my daughter but afterward not even injections got me pregnant. I decided that since the plumbing wasnt working in giving me more children,Why not? It was a simple out patient procedure. Its been 2 yrs since and let me tell you, WONDERFUL! I dont even have periods anymore. Your post didnt include an update so not sure if you have found relief but thought maybe if not this choice would help you.Blessings♥

    • Thanks for your post Donna. I have been on the bio- identical hormone replacement creams for almost 9 months now and I feel terrific. My periods are sooo much better and I have tons of energy.

      • Glad to hear it has helped and u r doing well.:) Continued blessings♥

  6. Thanks for sharing that…it really opened my eyes.I think I may need to make an appointment with my doctor for a checkup. I was suspecting for a while that I had some kind of hormonal imbalance myself, but I was in denial I guess. Not anymore.