Greetings all!
Thank you for letting me join your group! I have looked for one in the states, but can't seem to find one.
About 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with fibroids. I had heavy horrid periods and I worried about leaving the house.
I had a uterine embolization and the fibroids eventually shrank and I haven't had any problem with them.
I've always been a bad tracker of my periods, but they have been irregular for the last 2 years or so.
I went in for my annual wellness exam at the beginning of January just before my 52nd birthday- and my GP asked when my last period was. I told her I started spotting mid-December and had been for a couple of weeks. (Maybe slight bleeding but more scant spotting and definitely nothing like what I'd gone through before my uterine embolization!)
My GP suggests we do a blood test to check my hormone levels- estradiol and FSH. They come back and says that the hormone levels indicate that I am post-menopausal and that this bleeding is abnormal. She has me go to the hospital to have an ultrasound, which shows that yes, my fibroids have shrunk, but they couldn't get a clear view of the thickness of the uterine wall. She then suggests an endometrial aspiration (to get a sample of tissue) which fails because my cervix wasn't cooperating.
I am then referred to an OB GYN at a local hospital who tries the same procedure and she wasn't able to get a sample either. She suggests I have a hysteroscopy with general anesthesia, so she can get a good look at what's going on. At this point I realize how caught up I am in the system, and it's up to me to do my research and be my own health advocate. I decided I am going to wait because: I haven't had any bleeding since January, I have horrible insurance with a very high deductible, and I've been reading about this procedure and most times you are drugged up but not put under. The bottom line is I am listening to my gut which says to not have the hysteroscopy. I just feel like the medical industry over here is a racquet, but that is another story for another day!
I guess I am wondering:
1) If I haven't had a complete year of no bleeding doesn't that mean that I'm still in menopause?
2) Is the blood test to check hormone levels accurate?
Thank you so much for letting me blabber!!