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View Full Version : Irregular Period - Would you see a doctor



BabyBearsMom
02-16-2011, 11:05 AM
I have always had an irregular cycle (period would come anywhere between 28 and 40 days), but since DD was born it has been much worse. I breast fed until 6 months and didn't have a period, so normal there. Then when DD was 8.5 months it finally came back and I had a very heavy cycle. Now it has been almost 60 days since the first day of my last period. I POAS and I'm not pregnant (plus, I just don't feel pregnant). Being an internet junky, I've googled this, and have of course convinced myself that I have PCOS, hypothyroid disease, and asherman's syndrome. PCOS and hypothyroid both run in my family, but my thyroid was tested right after DD was born and everything came back normal. Would you go to you OB-Gyn at this point or wait longer?

MoJo
02-16-2011, 11:15 AM
I don't remember if it was 60 or 90 days that a previous doctor told me is so long to go that they want to force your body to have a period.

I know because I had a pituitary tumor that messed up my hormones and kept me from having mine. Medication &/or time took care of both the tumor and my cycle, though, so that's NOT something to worry about, but it is one more thing that can cause it.

I'd call the doctor soon if not now.

kaharris83
02-16-2011, 11:29 AM
When you say your thyroid was "normal" do you remember the actual result number? In 2003 the "normal" TSH threshold was narrowed, but most labs still use the wider margins as normal-either due to misinformation or to save money by diagnosing less people with thyroid issues.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedanddiagnosed/a/normaltshlevel.htm

Thyroid is my hot button issue, I told dr after dr during my battle with infertility and pregnancy loss that my thyroid was causing my m/c's FINALLY I saw an endocrinologist who confirmed my level, which was always right around 3 when not pregnant, was too high. My TSH must be below 2 or my body doesn't function correctly and I feel really badly. I don't have regular periods either and when my TSH is off they are much worse. I've gone for years without periods. I also have PCOS as well. If you are concerned about PCOS and thyroid issues I would seriously recommend seeing an endocrinologist. Mine was a literal lifesaver, thanks to him my son was born healthy and full term. And for the first time in my life I'm not cold all the time, tired all the time, or miserable feeling. I hope you get your answers soon.

Smillow
02-16-2011, 11:44 AM
When you say your thyroid was "normal" do you remember the actual result number? In 2003 the "normal" TSH threshold was narrowed, but most labs still use the wider margins as normal-either due to misinformation or to save money by diagnosing less people with thyroid issues.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedanddiagnosed/a/normaltshlevel.htm

Thyroid is my hot button issue, I told dr after dr during my battle with infertility and pregnancy loss that my thyroid was causing my m/c's FINALLY I saw an endocrinologist who confirmed my level, which was always right around 3 when not pregnant, was too high. My TSH must be below 2 or my body doesn't function correctly and I feel really badly. I don't have regular periods either and when my TSH is off they are much worse. I've gone for years without periods. I also have PCOS as well. If you are concerned about PCOS and thyroid issues I would seriously recommend seeing an endocrinologist. Mine was a literal lifesaver, thanks to him my son was born healthy and full term. And for the first time in my life I'm not cold all the time, tired all the time, or miserable feeling. I hope you get your answers soon.

I have a very similar situation (minus the PCOS) - I was unable to get pregnant after a m/c when I was 37 - after 5 years, I got pg with my son, but only after getting my TSH below 2 (got pregnant the next month) when I was 41, DS born @42. I have Hashimotos - an autoimmune issue where my body is attacking my thyroid...

Good luck! And kaharris83 I'm happy to hear another happy ending - I got very frustrated through my journey - I knew what was wrong!

BabyBearsMom
02-17-2011, 11:06 AM
Okay, I called my OB- GYN and am going in next week to talk about it. When I spoke to the receptionist and told her it had been 60 days since my last period and I wasn't pregnant she actually said "Wow! You are so lucky!" I was kind of irked, because I don't think of it as a good thing. Oh well.

MoJo
02-17-2011, 11:12 AM
My experience with doctors' receptionists says that they frequently don't get it.

FYI, an endocrinologist is the kind of doctor that ultimately helped me, too.

daisymommy
02-17-2011, 11:59 AM
How long has it been since you had your first period after your baby was born? Because it can take months before everything gets back on track hormonally, especially if you are still breastfeeding. And that's even if everything is normal.

brittone2
02-18-2011, 04:42 PM
nak-
I have pcos and irregular cycles. My diagnosis was missed by an ob/gyn because I'm not overweight and don't have a lot of external symptoms. He did some bloodwork, but not a full panel (didn't test everything he should have for pcos). For example, he tested testosterone but not *free* testosterone which is a better indicator of pcos. So my testosterone level was higher end of normal, but my free levels (later tested by an RE) were out of range. I had "higher end of normal" dhea-s and a few other things, but he insisted I did not have pcos.

I got a hold of my bloodwork results and decided "higher end of normal" PLUS symptoms (irregular periods, anovulation, etc.) was not. normal. and figured I probably had pcos. Was eventually diagnosed by an RE. With a *thorough* panel it became more obvious that there were anomalies in my bloodwork. OB had just run a handful of tests and was missing a big part of the picture because he didn't have all of the necessary data.

I wanted to share my experience because I have witnessed many women have their concerns over pcos brushed off because their docs didn't test everything they should in terms of androgens, etc. and because they didn't have the super obvious pcos symptoms that many docs expect to see externally.

Soulcysters is a great online resource for pcos info if you end up needing it.

If it is PCOS, there are health implications beyond fertility and menstrual cycles. Insulin resistance, endometrial cancer, etc. IME it is a good reason to get a proper diagnosis if you suspect it could be an issue.

If you are pg or BFing it is one thing to go without cycles but going more than 60-90 days can cause your lining to build up excessively. It can also increase the risk of endometrial cancer. In the past I have induced a period if I didn't have one after 60-90 days using prometrium. I cycle pretty well on my own with metformin and eating a lower carb diet.

Just make sure they do proper and adequate testing to rule in/out thyroid, PCOS, etc. and you may want to consider an endocrinologist or RE. I'm biased as my original OB/gyn was so focused on helping me get pregnant (with clomid) and missed the diagnosis which really could have had health implications for me down the road. In that respect, I'm thankful I didn't get pg on clomid and that I sought out an RE, or there's a chance I never would have been properly diagnosed.