Women - losing weight is messing up my period

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sexymamadraeger
sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
OK ladies, I need some help here. I just started losing weight again after about a year of being satisfied with where I was. Last month my period was bad but this month is the period from Hell. It's been super heavy and bad cramps and digestive issues which I don't normal have from my period. It's been 2 weeks now and I am still cramping off and on and light bleeding. I have been checked out and nothing is wrong with me. It's hormonal imbalance and being 41 I am sure. But I'm not sure I'll survive this! Anyone else had trouble like this? Does it find normal again eventually?
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Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Welcome to menopause. Sorry :(
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
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    Yah I know. Dr said well, that's the 40's for ya.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    sexymamadraeger wrote: »
    Yah I know. Dr said well, that's the 40's for ya.

    I know, it sucks.
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
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    Are you on the pill? Just wondering if that helps at all?? I just got on a low dose after my third baby, because I had ridiculously heavy cycles since I was 12....I'm honestly sorry I waited so long for relief, the low dose pill has changed my life
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    The pill could be a good suggestion if you haven't explored that option with your doctor and there's no issues with you taking it. I had horrific periods when I started puberty for several years. Every second month, apparently only one ovary hated me, I'd have one day when I would suddenly start sever cramping, sweating, extreme nausea and near fainting. Got sent home from work and school many times. Nothing prevented it.

    Then I went on the pill and it was like magic! I still have a heavier period every second month, thanks rogue ovary but that's it. And they're shorter. Curiously the times I have come off I have never returned to them being so bad. might just be coincidental with leaving my developing years.

    But of course this is all completely personal and it could just be complete coincidence this has happened at the same time as continuing your weight loss.

    Being female isn't all sunshine and roses!
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    I had a endometrial ablation which helped a lot. As I neared 50, my crazy endless cycles got worse and worse. I couldn't leave my home, no exaggeration. I wish I had the ablation sooner rather than later. Something to consider.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,966 Member
    edited May 2017
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    When I did WW right around age 30 I started eating a lot of yogurt that was made from milk from conventionally treated dairy cows and had bad periods which stopped when I switched to organic yogurt and less of it.

    Now that I am 50, I have awful periods which are clearly due to my fibroids. I could have a hysterectomy, but am trying to hold out until menopause, when my estrogen levels will plummet, and the fibroids will shrink on their own.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,966 Member
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    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Welcome to menopause. Sorry :(

    Peri-menopause ;)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Welcome to menopause. Sorry :(

    Peri-menopause ;)
    This.

  • R2che
    R2che Posts: 189 Member
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    Mine has been awful this time. It properly started this morning but it's been threatening to arrive for about 4 days. It's never usually like that! Meh!
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    Have you recently increased the amount of soy or, as someone above mentioned, conventional dairy products in your diet? Both of those could be causing this.

    Of course, I'm lucky. Peri menopause has resulted in all my menstrual misery going away. Life is fantastic for the first time since I was twelve. Light periods, no cramps, no hot flashes, no mood swings. I love it.
  • Sheisinlove109
    Sheisinlove109 Posts: 516 Member
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    If doc checked and there's nothing major then it's gotta be the "getting old"... :(
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
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    Hmmmm. I'll have to think about the dairy. I don't eat/drink much dairy but it's not organic. I eat most everything organic. But organic milk is pricey and I buy fat free so there's less hormone in the fat. But I have been using some lactose free fat free regular milk. I probably should change to organic. I would never have thought of it! Thanks for the suggestion.

    I do not eat soy at all. I tried the Mirena IUD a few year ago after I weaned my youngest child and my hormones were nuts. My flow was so heavy I went to the ER only to find out I was perfectly fine. I mean, I had to change pads/super plus tampons every 20 min for hours at a time. It was awful. It did help the periods tremendously but messed with other stuff. So I had it taken out after about 4 months.

    My dr really pushed me to do ablation. It just didn't seem healthy? Creating scar tissue so you don't bleed? I dunno. I'd love to hear more about your experience.

    I won't do the pill. My grandma died of breast cancer and my mom had it 5 years ago. So absolutely no hormones for me! I want to be as natural as possible. My dr said "ok. If you get miserable enough come back and we'll talk." Yah, great. Thanks.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
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    I'm 42 and I spent 4 years having my period 3 weeks of the month (was totally regular and under 4 days a month prior to this). Sometimes really heavy and sometimes barely there but enough to be gross, annoying and inconvenient. Tried different forms of birth control, nothing helped - in fact the pill just made me hormonal and moody (which wasn't an issue before I had my kids and was younger). Ended up last year getting my tubes tied (no more birth control) and having an ablation. It's helped. I often only get the heavy part one day a month, but the damned spotting can last most of the month still.
  • travelgirl77
    travelgirl77 Posts: 99 Member
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    Another thing to consider is that if you are losing weight, estrogen is stored in your fat cells and that could be wonking out your hormones simply from the estrogen release. When I was losing weight last year I began spotting between periods and visited my doctor who ran a bunch of tests and also offered me an ablation. Unlike you, it was more inconvenient than anything, so I voted not to. I might give it a few months to see if it levels out.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    When I did WW right around age 30 I started eating a lot of yogurt that was made from milk from conventionally treated dairy cows and had bad periods which stopped when I switched to organic yogurt and less of it.

    Now that I am 50, I have awful periods which are clearly due to my fibroids. I could have a hysterectomy, but am trying to hold out until menopause, when my estrogen levels will plummet, and the fibroids will shrink on their own.

    I'm 46. I had very heavy periods due to fibroids. I had them removed about a year ago...very simple surgery. Outpatient...went in early morning and was home by lunch with normal activity resumed the next day. It completely solved the problem, and now my periods are normal. Not a bother at all. I highly recommend exploring that option if you already haven't ruled it out for some reason.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    My experience was the opposite. My periods were very abnormal my entire life...they might come after 4 weeks, or six, or after three months. I never knew when to expect it. At times, I would take the pill to regulate it...which mostly worked, but not perfectly. But I didn't like taking them long term, and when I stopped after a few months everything got wacky again.
    When I lost weight, my cycle suddenly normalized on its own. I think less fat fixed whatever hormonal imbalance I had.
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
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    sexymamadraeger wrote: »

    My dr really pushed me to do ablation. It just didn't seem healthy? Creating scar tissue so you don't bleed? I dunno. I'd love to hear more about your experience.

    I won't do the pill. My grandma died of breast cancer and my mom had it 5 years ago. So absolutely no hormones for me! I want to be as natural as possible. My dr said "ok. If you get miserable enough come back and we'll talk." Yah, great. Thanks.

    Well there's really only so much they can do. Surgery or hormones through the different birth control methods. I had really terrible periods during which I tried all the hormonal birth control methods except the pill (because it makes my migraines worse.) In the end I had an ablation which was one of the best things I ever did. I went from two week long, extremely heavy, painful periods to three day long periods every couple of months that are really light and not at all painful. I really recommend it if it's something that's a possibility for you.
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
    edited May 2017
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    It's crazy what hormones do to us ladies! Totally sucks. Haha.

    As for the fibroid surgery, I don't have fibroids. Never have and every time they check there's nothing there. No major cysts on ovaries either. Everything is perfectly fine except I am CRAZY right now.

    I thought about the losing weight/ releasing estrogen theory. I think that's a big part of it. When I was really heavy I was on a cycle where 3 months I'd have next to nothing and the next month would be horrible. I know that wa because the extra fat stores estrogen. When I started losing back then my period got so much better! But I was at a steady 205 lbs for a year or so and I just lost about 13 lbs and I plan to keep going until I hit 140. So I am hoping if I ride it all out I will end up with a normal again. I started out at 283 and I am now 192. Almost to that 100 lb goal and I can't wait!!!
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    I had a endometrial ablation which helped a lot. As I neared 50, my crazy endless cycles got worse and worse. I couldn't leave my home, no exaggeration. I wish I had the ablation sooner rather than later. Something to consider.

    Thank you for saying this. I've had it recommended for adenomyosis and I have seen nothing but bad experiences posted on the web. I know people are more likely to post about bad experiences than good, but still, this is reassuring.

    I had complete confidence in my doctor, I'm glad I did not look to far on the internet. However, I did find a woman on the net, a surgeon no less, speak of her experience and the reason she had the procedure. She was pretty miserable, like me. Lol

    Best wishes!

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