PCOS question (TMI)

katew221
katew221 Posts: 82 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi ladies (and gents with lady friends who have PCOS!)

Bit of background before my question:
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16 (I am now 22), after being hospitalised twice for severe blood loss during my periods at 15/16. Fainting/vomiting/unable to move etc.
Things on the PCOS front have been pretty quiet since starting the mini-pill at 16, mostly light periods and pretty few and far between.
Since losing weight (34lbs down over 6 months, 78 more to go) my periods have become more regular, and although they are now relatively heavy they are nowhere near what they were like before my diagnosis. I would guess they are pretty 'normal', whatever that is?! :laugh:

Okay, so now my question:
I had a period this month from 10th - 16th, pretty normal, bit heavy and some painful cramps, but I was up and about walking and generally being fairly normal if I bit grumpy/hormonal and sore.
Then on the 21st I started having 'old blood' discharge, similar to what sometimes happens at ovulation, a bit weird but nothing too scary.
By 25th it had developed into red blood, and since yesterday I have been having another full and pretty heavy period + cramps.

Have any of you heard of this or experienced this? Two periods in three weeks!? I called the Doc and they said I need to come in to see a Doctor, but they don't have any appointments until Monday (small rural practise). In your opinion is this a problem, should I be trying to see a Doc asap or just another of the joys of PCOS and wait until Monday? I have never experienced this, and I feel really rubbish and sore, and a bit scared :cry:

Thanks so much in advance, and please feel free to add me if you like, it is so nice to have PCOS ladies to share the journey :smile:

Replies

  • TashTag
    TashTag Posts: 109
    My friend used to get this all the time. I cant tell you what caused it but after one too many doctors appoints and too many meds she decided to detox. All raw fruit and veg for a week. plus seeds and nuts. Stopped using tampons and started using pads and let her body do its thing. Slowly after about three months things regulated themselves. She kept eating a healthy, most vegetarian and very little processed food diet and that was it. She sort of allowed that bit of her body to do its thing and heal/regulate itself. OH she stopped the pill aswell. I dont know if this helps at all. x Good luck
  • katew221
    katew221 Posts: 82 Member
    Thank you so much for your reply :)
    It definitely helps to hear other people have experienced something similar. I will try cutting my diet back to basics and give my body time to adjust.

    Thanks again xx
  • katew221
    katew221 Posts: 82 Member
    I was thinking of stopping the pill when I have dropped some more weight and am closer to my goal/healthy weight. I am just so frightened that my periods will go back to being how they were if I stop now. Definitely want to get off it in the future though.
  • kellymac518
    kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
    well, since i am a doctor i can't say for sure the reasoning behind what is happening... but when something like this happens to me it usually means the birth control pill i am on is no longer working for my body and i have to go to the gyn to switch to a new one. i wouldn't worry too much... just go see your gyn and see what they say and talk about switching to a new pill. i've had to switch several times throughout my pcos years in order to keep my period on a regular schedule
  • katew221
    katew221 Posts: 82 Member
    Thank you very much, PCOS seems to always have it's own reasons for doing such lovely things to our bodies... :laugh:

    When I go to my Doctor's appointment I will definitely ask about the pill options, and see if they recommend one to switch to. Eventually I would like to be off the pill, in an ideal world.

    Thanks again xx
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
    You should be okay until Monday, but if you start getting dizzy or light headed, then you will want to seek more immediate medical attention, as I have a feeling you already know.

    I have PCOS and early on, before diagnosis, my flow was heavy and painful and then by the time I was 17 or so, my cycle was nearly non-existent that two periods a year was manageable. I was on some form of birth control for almost 10 years before I went into baby making mode and I responded well to both BCPs and depo. Once my son was born I went back on BCP and then an IUD. After losing weight, my periods with the IUD were quite regular and confused the dr a bit because most women stop having a period with the IUD. Any way, weight loss can effect how your body deals with BCPs and periods. It is a good thing you have an appointment and I am sure they will help you figure things out. You can get similar stories from people here, but nothing should be used to say what is exactly going on. PCOS is different from person to person.
  • viglet
    viglet Posts: 299 Member
    I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was a teenage too (tbh though, I never really asked about it after that, does it just go away?)

    Anyways, I am on evra (the patch) and have experienced this a few times.

    I noticed that every time I would lose 10 lbs or so, my period would get wonky (2 or 3 periods in a month, break threw bleeding, heavy cramping, breast pain). I went to see my dr and they did all the usual ultrasounds blood work and everything was fine. I think it is just the fact that I weight less and maybe my body was just trying to readjust to the birth control.

    Im not a doctor so I dont know, but either way I feel ok now and it hasn't happened in a couple months.
  • katew221
    katew221 Posts: 82 Member
    Thanks guys - I knew PCOS varied for each person but wow, everyone seems to have such different experiences with it! Definitely reassuring to hear that it's nothing to be too worried about if I keep an eye on it :smile:

    Viglet - I'm not sure about PCOS going away, but I believe that weight loss does help the symptoms :) My instinct is that the weight loss is what is causing everything to 'go wonky' as you say, because that is the only to have changed. Hopefully my body is just adjusting itself.

    jstout365 - thanks for saying about the different responses to hormone treatment, I would really love to have a family (one of my main weight loss motivations) so it is always really encouraging to hear from mamas with PCOS :smile:
  • ragan4bama
    ragan4bama Posts: 58 Member
    I would say it's actually failry common with PCOS to have issues like this. I would definately see your doctor just to make sure there isn't an underlying issue. There are several Forums/groups about PCOS on here that might help you. Sometimes your body can adjust to the BC you are on and they may to change your BC or up the dose for bit to get it back under control. I've dealt with this myself since I was 18. A BC would control it for a while then after a year or so it would be back to 2 week periods:\ not fun.
    Changes in your diet and stress can play a big role as well so there are a lot of factors to consider. Best of luck:)
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    This happened to someone I know who was on the mini-pill (Cerazette) - for most people, it will reduce periods or remove them altogether but my friend was bleeding for something like 60 days (!). Might be worth asking your doctor about your birth control. I don't know from the PCOS side of things!

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