Irregular periods - any experiences?

[absolut_blonde]

Does anyone else have really irregular periods? Did you ever figure out the cause and find a solution OTHER than birth control?

I've been on BCP for 7 years or so. Prior to that, I was always really irregular but the doctors chalked it up to being young (late teens) and on the thin side. Basic tests for thyroid and such have always come back normal, though no in-depth tests were ever done as I wasn't TTC or anything like that.

I've just started a 3-month course of minocycyline and have to use a backup anyway since there's some risk of it negating BCP. I figured it'd be a good time to go off the pill altogether for awhile to see if things normalize again. Also because we want to TTC in 3 years or so but if there are any actual underlying issues such as PCOS, I would like to find out now; though, I don't have any other PCOS indicators which is a positive sign. I should add that my mom had trouble conceiving me- Clomid baby- and couldn't have any more after me. So I'm just a bit paranoid about the whole thing. And after years of hormones, I'd just plain like to be off of them!

It's going to be annoying since I'll probably have to do a few tests here & there to ensure I'm not pregnant - but we're being careful so I'm not terribly worried. Mostly, I'm worried about my cycle NEVER returning to a normal pattern. Doctors have always brushed it off, too, which really irritates me. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

On you on BC right now? I am confused. I was on BC pill for 13 years. Got off. Had a 40 day cycle. Then got preggo my second (40+ day) cycle so don''t worry about your fertility.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Absolute if you are worried about how your body is functioning and whether or not you are fertile, there is a very simple way to monitor your fertility that many women find quite empowering. It is called the Fertility Awareness Method, and you basically take your temperatue each morning with a basal thermometer and monitor you cervical fluid (just using your fingers), and between those two signs you can tell if/when you ovulate and also when you are fertile (so you can abstain from sex if you are wanting to avoid getting preggers). There is a book called, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler that is basically the FAM bible, and it outlined everything you need to know to use this method.

I started charting when I was trying to conceive and I really found it relieving, interesting, and empowering to know what was going on in my body. Rather than having that worry in the back of your mind about fertility, and I think many women have that worry!, you can chart and put your mind at ease, or identify issues early that could need to be addressed if you want to conceive. I used this method to conceive, but I also plan to use it as a method of birthcontrol in the future since if used correctly it is very reliable and I like it more than hormonal methods.

I attached a picture of a FAM chart, in case you are curious about what the information looks like once you keep track of it! This chart indicates that ovulation happened on cycle day 16 (based on a shift from lower to higher temperatures, and that the person was fertile from cycle day 13 to 16 (based on the type of cervical fluid that she had).

Anyways, thought I''d just throw that out there! Tacori is probably right, though, if you just came off the pill it can take 6 months for your body to regulate itself again.

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/2/2008 3:04:17 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
On you on BC right now? I am confused. I was on BC pill for 13 years. Got off. Had a 40 day cycle. Then got preggo my second (40+ day) cycle so don''t worry about your fertility.

Sorry, I just went off BCP. I''ve been off for about 2 weeks now. Prior to that, I was on it for about 7 years. I worded that poorly!


dreamer_dachsie: I was thinking of picking that book up, actually! I''ve heard a lot of positive things about it, even from peope not yet TTC. Maybe I''ll give it a few months and then explore that route. At this point, it would be worth it for the peace of mind since this does weigh on me from time to time. SO might think I''ve lost my mind if he sees the book but, oh well!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Date: 7/2/2008 3:47:09 PM
Author: absolut_blonde

dreamer_dachsie: I was thinking of picking that book up, actually! I''ve heard a lot of positive things about it, even from peope not yet TTC. Maybe I''ll give it a few months and then explore that route. At this point, it would be worth it for the peace of mind since this does weigh on me from time to time. SO might think I''ve lost my mind if he sees the book but, oh well!

Exactly my thought! I really think it is a great book, and only one short chapter is about TTC, the rest is about understanding your body! Pick it up, you can always hide if from SO if it is embarassing

 

[LitigatorChick]

My periods are super irregular. I got pregnant after about 3 months of trying.

After baby, I haven''t have a normal period. Now, I rarely have a period. I have switched BCP, but my doc just says I should just be happy about it!!!

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/2/2008 5:08:34 PM
Author: LitigatorChick
My periods are super irregular. I got pregnant after about 3 months of trying.

After baby, I haven''t have a normal period. Now, I rarely have a period. I have switched BCP, but my doc just says I should just be happy about it!!!

It is a big relief to hear about other people in this boat who succeeded in TTC- and relatively quickly at that!

I think all of my life stress in general (moving in with SO, new city, new job) has made me get a bit... panicky about things in general. I feel a lot better now. Thanks all

 

[jill_s]

My cycles have always been irregular. I''ve had anywhere from a 25 day to 180 day cycle. I was on the pill for about 3-4 years, and I was hoping that my periods would regulate after stopping the pill...no luck. It actually took my body about 12 months after the pill to get into a somewhat regular cycle again. Good thing we weren''t actively trying for kids those 12 months or that would have been really frustrating! Multiple times, I''ve been prescibed progesterone to trigger a period. After a few months trying on our own (I don''t think I ever ovulated, we were tracking through ovulation kits), I went through 3 rounds of Clomid and finally got pregnant. The third time with Clomid did the trick.

So, my advice...if you have irregular cycles, allow your body plenty of time to get off the BCP before TTC. Those hormones did a number on me. Also, if you''re highly irregular and want to get pregnant, start tracking your cycles early and talk to your Dr. early into TTC...it will save you lots of heartache!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

You might want to see an endrochrenoologist (sp). Irregular periods are fairly common, but they can be caused by things you should know about, like overian cysts. Just make sure insurance covers it as those tests are expensive I''m told

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/2/2008 8:36:56 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
You might want to see an endrochrenoologist (sp). Irregular periods are fairly common, but they can be caused by things you should know about, like overian cysts. Just make sure insurance covers it as those tests are expensive I''m told

Yeah, I might explore that route down the road. Problem is (and as much as I am strongly in favour of public health care)... it''s like pulling teeth to get some doctors to take ''non-urgent'' things seriously. So it might take up to a year of MIA periods before I could even get a referral. Guess we''ll see what happens! (Maybe I''m panicked for nothing?)

 

[Gemma12]

I was in a really similar scenario to you-irregular periods when I was young, started BC early, stopped it last year. I had a BMI in the low normal range and when I came off BC did not have a period for several months. I had blood work done with a reproductive endocrinologist which was normal. I eventuallly started ovulating irregularly and she put me on Clomid to regulate the cycles. We conceived on the first go.

That''s my story but it''s not a blueprint for everyone with irregular periods. The RE said to me that it was likely that mine would be irregular because they were irregular before I went on the pill, but I don''t know if that is a widespread opinion. I was impatient

and wanted to get on with things-and with shift work and on calls temping would have been less reliable.

I agree with the advice that you''ve had-if you can temp, try that to see what is happening. You might want to wait for your first period off BC (which can take a few months) so that you aren''t in limbo and know what day of the cycle you are on. Good luck!

 

[flutterby]

I have always had irregular periods, even on the pill. After I was married I went off the pill with the thought it would probably be very difficult for me to get pregnant, but i didnt practice any birth control other than using fertility friend online and charting my periods...well I got one period and was pregnant 3 months later. So be careful, you may be more fertile than you think!

 

[ephemery1]

My periods have always been irregular... ranging from 25-45 days for the first 3 years I had my period. Then I started the pill when I was 18 to regulate them, which worked well... but when I went off last October (after 9 years), they went straight back to being irregular again. The first one was 27 days, the next was 36 days, the next was 37 days. But then on the 4th one, I got pregnant! And that was our first cycle "actively" trying, so fortunately my crazy periods didn''t seem to have too much of an impact.

I also know of some people who took over 3 months to even GET their first period after being on birth control for a while, so that can definitely affect things. Good luck to you!

 

[pavelover]

Hi Absolut- I have had some experience with irregular periods. I think I started late compared to others(16)- almost 17. I was not regular that I can remember back then. In my 20''s I went through times when I did not get a period for 6 months or more. Like you, no dr. really wanted to deal with it at that time. I was not trying to get pregnant and dr felt that until I was, it wasn''t really an issue. I changed dr and that one did some preliminary tests to look for pcos- I was not really in the profile but maybe a little? facial hair and 10 extra lbs. He said my fertility was intact and not to worry. Birth control did regulate my periods and I think I stopped at certain times in between my 20-30 and don''t remember being irregular again. Last summer I went off bcp in preparation for trying to conceive. I believe I got a period in a reasonable time and stayed regular. I got pregnant the first month I tried(maybe 1-2 months off bcp) but it did not stick. I had a d&c and took maybe 6 weeks to get a period but stayed regular after that. I was anxious that as more time elapsed off the pill my cycles would get longer. I think they got longer by a couple of days but then I was fortunate and got pregnant again.
Hope that wasn''ttoo long and that it was helpful. Good luck. you could just ask for some basic labs to check on things I think without going too in depth.

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 7/4/2008 2:12:41 AM
Author: msflutter
I have always had irregular periods, even on the pill. After I was married I went off the pill with the thought it would probably be very difficult for me to get pregnant, but i didnt practice any birth control other than using fertility friend online and charting my periods...well I got one period and was pregnant 3 months later. So be careful, you may be more fertile than you think!

I still feel it is better to be off full strength birth control, even with the risk...
I was on BC for some years from late teens, and it took over a year to get a period!! Just to let you know that there is some variation.

Not surprisingly, I was very uncertain about going back onto hormonal birth control...when I met my husband I wanted to try, my doctor recommended Loette brand. It was very good, and my period came back within two months. The mini pill is also good, and is used as standard birth control in some countries. It might not muck your cycle around so much as the estrogen/progesterone pill either.

all the best with whatever you decide, absolut_blonde!