I had awful periods for about 12 years, heavy, long and extremely painful. Irregular, too. I was treated with drugs for endometriosis for years, which made me put on an awful lot of weight. It took a gay male nurse with an ultrasound scan to discover it was dysmenorrhea - ie, they didn't know what it was! :roll:
Then I had a Mirena coil fitted. This is laced with progesterone, and in my case stopped my periods altogether, which was bliss! I had it removed after about 8 years, by which time I was in my mid-fifties, and had gone through the menopause without knowing it.
This was before I became diabetic. I would recommend anyone who isn't intending to increase their family to ask about the Mirena coil - it took so much of the stress and pain out of my life!
Viv 8)