does weight loss cause this? LADIES!

I briefly skimmed through all of this, so I'm sorry if this has been mentioned.

The first time I got my period, it lasted 2 or so months. After that, I used to have VERY heavy periods with cramps that would keep me in bed at times. It was a terrible experience.

About two years ago, I started to have sharp pains in my lower abdomen on my right side every so often. People warned me it could be my appendix but it turned out that I had ovarian cysts! One lovely morning I had one burst and it was the single most painful thing I have ever experienced. I went to the ER and it cost me way more than it should because of all the tests that they had to run.

As a result, I was put on the pill to help regulate my periods and losing weight helped in this area as well. My periods are light in comparison but every once in a while I still get a pain (was told this could happen for the rest of my life) and a heavy flow.

I have PMDD and have a VERY sensitive hormone system. Any change in diet, schedule, stress level, even travel, will throw me off. Last vacation my husband and I had caused me to bleed for 3 weeks. I saw my doc as soon as I could and my hormones were just off again. Times like that, I go on the pill for a few months to get regulated again, but then I go off, because I don't like having synthetic hormones in my system, and my husband and I will start trying to conceive in the next couple of years any way.

Exercise is the best thing for me in controlling my PMDD and keeping me regulated< but even still, I experience painful ovulation and the day of my period is pretty debilitating for me. A significant change in body composition can cause a shift in hormone balance, and can cause irregular bleeding, and new cyclic symptoms, but only a doc can tell you the exact cause. Just curious, has your diet changed drastically? Any new big stressors? Are you consuming a lot of sugar alcohols maybe? Those aren't agreeable with a woman's body. But I'm just throwin stuff out there and I'm no doc. Nevertheless, its NOT something that should wait to be checked out, your doc should get you in right away. I would strongly suggest being aggressive and persistent in getting in. With your medical history, I wouldn't go to a doc that doesn't know your medical history. I agree with other posters in that you should call your oncologist. Not to put bad thoughts in your head, but its YOUR health, be aggressive with demanding the treatment you need and deserve. Receiving immediate attention for any and all concerns is part of good health care. And maybe making a call to your oncologist can help with getting you in with your Gyn sooner. Maybe try calling the hospital or clinic your doc works at and ask to speak with a nurse on the phone.

Congratulations on beating the cancer!!! That's incredible. My mother has had two episodes of ovarian cysts that have required emergency surgery. Thankfully, the masses were benign both times.

Sucks being a woman sometimes, eh?

Firstly, a massive congratulations on beating Cancer! Its great to hear a positive outcome for a change.

After I had my son (who is now 5) my periods were just like you are describing so I had to go back onto birth control. I am on what is called a "mini-pill" which you take everyday without the break and in my case my periods have more or less stopped completely.

Would it be a reaction to your cancer treatment? It is bound to have changed the way your body functions.

Get to the ER to have it checked out. Be a drama queen in order to get seen! Sometimes it has to be done!

Good luck.

I find it shocking you have to wait that long for an appointment. I'm glad I live in the UK. My Doctor keeps spare appointments for emergencies so you can be seen the same day if necessary. Alot of our hospitals have walk in surgeries which are open 24 hrs or you can go to Casualty ( ER) and it all on NHS and we don't have to pay. My doctor would have seen you the same day given your history.

Failing that, I'd start googling your symptoms and reading up. Try to separate the wheat from the chaff. Not ideal, I realize, but sometimes our health care system is so broken it leaves us few viable choices.

DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!! :explode: Cannot BELIEVE someone would SUGGEST this! WOW!!!!!!!!! :noway:

CANNOT stress this enough. YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR. DO NOT TRY TO DIAGNOSE YOURSELF.

Whatever you read online is probably going to terrify you into thinking you have some sort of terrible flesh-eating disease and you're going to die, & then you are going to sit around paranoid as hell not sleeping & stressing that it's some seriously terrible medical condition & then you'll find out that it's just a hormonal imbalance or something.

Calm down. I did not say it was the best approach, but if no one is willing to see her right away, she might possibly find some helpful information online. There are reputable medical web sites.

This is what health care in this country has reduced us to.

Wait a minute - you just beat cervical cancer 7 months ago, and now you're having super heavy periods and pain and the doctor can't see you for a month???!!?! I'm sorry, but, WTF?!?
Have you called your oncologist? Given your past medical history, you should see someone right away. That's BS to make you wait a month. Praying for you that it's nothing "serious" and that maybe it's just the BC.

^^^ This. Exactly.
If I were your mother (and I am probably old enough to be) I would be saying "I DON'T CARE WHAT THE NURSE SAYS YOU TALK TO A DOCTOR AND GET YOURSELF INTO SOMEBODY. DO YOU NEED ME TO CALL THEM AND GO MAMA BEAR ON THEM? THEY WILL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS!! Okay hon? Really I just want you to be safe and healthy."

I think you better leave this to the professtionals...Dont let it go , it could be serious. Does your doctor feel quite concerned?:flowerforyou:

FYI... I nabbed this off a site for teens, but true for adults as well.


signs of menorrhagia (excessively heavy or long periods) can include soaking through at least one sanitary napkin (pad) an hour for several hours in a row or periods that last longer than 7 days

The most frequent cause of menorrhagia is an imbalance between the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, which allows the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) to keep building up. When the endometrium is finally shed during menstruation, the resulting bleeding is particularly heavy.

Because many adolescents have slight hormone imbalances during puberty, menorrhagia isn't uncommon in teens. But in some cases, heavy menstrual bleeding can be caused by problems such as:

fibroids (benign growths) or polyps in the uterus
thyroid conditions
clotting disorders
inflammation or infection in the vagina or cervix

If your daughter has heavy periods, or periods that last longer than 7 days, talk to her doctor.

Having cramps for a day or two each month is common, but if your daughter has symptoms severe enough to keep her from her normal activities, or cramps that last for more than 3 days, discuss it with her doctor.