My menstrual cycle is all messed up now

Francl27

Wow what a mess. Seriously. For years, I've had regular periods, absolutely horrible ones though, very heavy and painful. Plus the lovely joy of having horrible cramps when I ovulate (started after I did IVF).

The last 3 months though, I ovulate (horrible cramps still), and the next day my period shows up. So I pretty much have it 2 weeks after the last one ends! I guess it's a good thing I'm not trying to get pregnant. My period is light and so much better, but still.

Has anyone else noticed huge changes in their cycle with weight loss? I'm seeing a GYN tomorrow and expecting to run some tests.

Gee_24

Oh yes. I looked it up and couldnt find anything consistent that backs up changes in your TOM with weight loss but I was so worried I had an extra smear and a Gyn test at the docs. I was taking a pregnancy test every 2 weeks in July / August I was so worried. lol

First month weight loss: Period never came.
Second Month: Period Came 7 days late. Never.STOPPED!

I was spotting for 1.5 months. Since I'm on the 6 monthly smear list, I was really worried it could be cancer. I was also worried it could be pregnancy as spotting in early pregnancy is common.

Got the all clear. Had an internal check up with a female doctor, nothing wrong there, either.

Third month ( this month ) Period bang on time, but only lasted 2.5 days. Took a pregnancy test again, I'm not pregnant.

Being on the Pill ( Rigavidon ) means I should be VERY regular. After having been on it for 8 years I know exactly when my period will arrive and when it will end. I have never experienced any spotting or late periods before this new weight loss plan.


I LOVE my new body. But I have to admit the stress of thinking Im pregnant every month is getting to me. lol My Doctors have suggested going from the pill to the implant but I hear periods are much more irregular on that and I dont need the extra stress.

glitterstreet

I haven't had my period for 7 months and I've had all the tests; pregnancy, blood, ultrasounds, thyroid etc... Would love to hear some suggestions as to what to do next. I ate 1200 calories for like 5 months without eating exercise calories and I wonder if this might have caused some damage..

Gee_24

Sorry to say this girls but Im relieved Im not alone. We cant believe everything we read online but when I searched for weight loss and change in periods there was so LITTLE out there that I thought " Hmmm its just me then >_> " and have worried ever since.

BlueBombers

Mine hasn't changed a whole lot since I lost weight. The only thing is it comes a few days later now than it did before (I'm usually right on time).

kr1stadee

I take fitness classes with a female doctor. She told me that anything as little as 10lbs lost can change your cycle.
Personally (no medical backing it - just what I've read on the oh-so-reliable interwebs), I've heard that under eating and/or being underweight can make your periods basically disappear.

Good idea to be heading to the GYN!

JADEPH0EN1X

Ugh the dreaded TOM ! Yes I know the feeling of awful tummy cramps then VERY heavy flow !!! Over the last 2 months of being watching my weight I have noticed the flow has been an awful lot less & only lasting about 3 days instead of a week plus ! The cramps are still bad but can take tablets for them !

thesophierose

My period completely stopped. When your body changes, your hormones change too... thus changes in menstruation.

brraanndi

I LOVE my new body. But I have to admit the stress of thinking Im pregnant every month is getting to me. lol My Doctors have suggested going from the pill to the implant but I hear periods are much more irregular on that and I dont need the extra stress.

I am feeling you on this. I have changed drastically over the past few months, I just chalked it up to moving but now I'm thinking it's time to head to the doctor because definitely dont want to be thinking I'm knocked up every month lol.

Gee_24

I LOVE my new body. But I have to admit the stress of thinking Im pregnant every month is getting to me. lol My Doctors have suggested going from the pill to the implant but I hear periods are much more irregular on that and I dont need the extra stress.

I am feeling you on this. I have changed drastically over the past few months, I just chalked it up to moving but now I'm thinking it's time to head to the doctor because definitely dont want to be thinking I'm knocked up every month lol.

Oh I know!

And I would have been happy with at least seeing some sort of period each month, but then you've got people telling you " Oh I had a period every month when I was pregnant! " etc and you think - does seeing your monthly friend even HELP you calm down? Even if its a HEAVY one I now worry! lol:

Checked my pill information pack:

"If your pill free week is lighter, heavier, earlier or later than usual, you could be pregnant. "

All of these have happened to me for the past 3 months. So I'm in a constant state of worry. haha

Gee_24

And another note: I was down to 6 stone in 2009 ( too low, my BMI was 18.5 just on the underweight line ) , but not on the pill. Periods were perfectly regular.

Why the change this time?

amez1974

I'm also in the camp of getting it more often! It's the pits starting every 21 days! Glad I'm not alone in this and as others have said I've done searches on it and there really isn't any info on why this happens.

back2happy2005

count me in.. sometimes I will have one every two weeks and then sometimes just one a month. They are so much heavier than ever before but only for 3-4 days. The only good thing is they seem to come earlier than I am expecting. If they were late I would freak out. I have lost weight in the past and it has never happened before.

cathymarie75

In the last 4 months I have gotten it twice...its like I get it every other month...spoke to my gyno on Monday she said it can happen like that on pill......never has before now.

helenrosemay

Me too, though at the beginning of my weight loss, my periods were the same very regular, but very heavy and painful. Now 2.5 stone down they've changed a lot. From spotting 5 days before and after my period (last month) to this month being a week early. My smear was all clear, and I'm not anaemic. My Doctor says at my age (40) my cycle can start to change and my weight loss and exercise can make changes too.
Honestly I can't wait for the menopause, there may be some horrible symptoms, but at least there'll be no period.

seltzermint555

Mine has always been very regular from onset at 13 up to now (age 36!)...but since losing the most recent 25 lb or so, I have noticed a pretty big change.

Before, I had days of back pain and light cramping before I started spotting. I spotted for 2 days and then bled moderately 2-4 days (with cramps) followed by 2 more days of spotting.

Now, I just have major breast sensitivity for 1-2 days, then my period begins with moderate bleeding for 2-3 days (with same level of cramps as before). Then it abruptly ends, or maybe 1 day I'll spot slightly.

I prefer it now. Although it would be fine with me if the cramps would go away, too ;-)

elyelyse

Yup, weight changes can seriously mess with your cycle! Definitely go see your Dr, but don't worry too much,, it's not that unusual.

kenzietate

Hormones are stored in fat so when a woman loses fat, more hormones are surging around the body messing everything up. However, My doctor always told me that if I notice not having a period for more than 3 months go to the doctor. Also, if your period stays really off kilter even when not losing weight go to the doctor then too. Though it can just be hormone related based on losing fat, it can also mean worse things.

I have PCOS so my period has never been regular even when on birth control and when I started losing weight it got even worse!

jigsawxyouth

Mine was a night/day difference when I lost weight!

Before, they would be so painful- cramps, full blown heavy bleeding, with clots (I know, gross, but it's true) about two days of that, and then moderate to light bleeding for another 3. I had to make sure I was wearing my period panties, because no matter what I did, I leaked at least ONCE every cycle.

I lost weight, was on and off the pill, and had happy, pink rainbow and kitten periods! (okay, no rainbows and kittens, but not like it was before)
I got pregnant, and here we are, back to periods that are like the Evil Dead every month. I recently went BACK on birthcontrol, so now I just have the "show" without all of the pain.
So, could my periods be bad because I gained a lot of weight back or because I had a kid? Not sure, but being on BC really helped regulate my cycle and made the cramps bearable.

elyelyse

I haven't had my period for 7 months and I've had all the tests; pregnancy, blood, ultrasounds, thyroid etc... Would love to hear some suggestions as to what to do next. I ate 1200 calories for like 5 months without eating exercise calories and I wonder if this might have caused some damage..

Not neeccessarily damage... But at such a reduced level of calories over a long time frame, it's possible your body just didn't have the energy to prepare for pregnancy, therefore, no periods. Women who don't eat enough, lose too much weight, and/or exercise too much often experience this. From what I've read, it's not permanent. Feed your body well and hopefully you're hormones will return to normal.

tyb03

OMG I've taken prenancy tests the last few months because it's a little off. It'll come, but for a very brief time (this time 2 days) and VERY light. I was so panicked!

Francl27

Before, they would be so painful- cramps, full blown heavy bleeding, with clots (I know, gross, but it's true) about two days of that, and then moderate to light bleeding for another 3. I had to make sure I was wearing my period panties, because no matter what I did, I leaked at least ONCE every cycle.

Yes that was me. Except I leaked pretty much twice a day wearing two ultra thin overnight pads back to back (the always infinity ones). So awful.

Now I don't even mind them, I don't even need two pads most days except maybe the first one, it's just the idea that I ovulate then get it the next day that's just really odd.

tryclyn

Mine have actually become more bearable as I'm losing. I did notice a pattern, though, the less I ate the more irregular my cycle. Not doing that again.

_Waffle_

Hormones are stored in fat so when a woman loses fat, more hormones are surging around the body messing everything up.

See! I knew there was a good reason to keep feeding my wife ice cream. I thought the taste was making her happier but it turns out that it's sucking up all the hormones and sedating her apparently. Anytime I get the suspicious notion that it's that time I buy buckets of ice cream. There will be no free-floating hormones at my house. No sir!

LishLash79

I have.. its been horrible.. its lasts forever, PMS is terrible, after the week is over, its even worse, I get migraines like crazy during it all..

This all started when I lost weight and started heavy lifting. Apparently (according to Dr and Naturopath) I have a hormone imbalance because the chemical balance shifted so much with the weight loss? Too much estrogen, not enough progesterone.. often weight loss and lifting can stop a period, not for me.. (Wah.. I want no period.)

rml_16

Good to double check with a doc, but changing your eating and exercise most definitely can affect your cycle.

gabbygirl78

I have not had mine in several months.. I have PCOS tho but for the last few years mine have come every month. I have had a lot of life changes tho.. weight loss, stress from job security and being a single parent and i lost my father to cancer a few months ago so there could be several factors with mine. :frown:

UsedToBeHusky

Well... my experience isn't to weight loss. But my periods are usually heavy and painful, both at menstruation and ovulation, and recently, they are coming closer together (about 20 days apart). I have endometriosis and the doc suspects that I might also have PCOS. Be sure to have the doctor do some bloodwork and take a look at your hormones.

Unless you have a super low body fat percentage, odds are this isn't related to weight loss.

Love4fitnesslove4food2

I haven't had my period for 7 months and I've had all the tests; pregnancy, blood, ultrasounds, thyroid etc... Would love to hear some suggestions as to what to do next. I ate 1200 calories for like 5 months without eating exercise calories and I wonder if this might have caused some damage..

Yes, it certainly would have. What to do next is eat at your maintenance calorie intake until your period returns.

Gee_24

This thread has calmed me down so much more than any of you realise. ^^

qtgonewild

i dont think ive had a period since i began on july 22nd. im a lesbian, so far from being pregnant. wtf