Still no post-pill period after 15+ months...

[Mrs P]

Well I haven't been on the forum for quite a few months - tried not to think about all things baby related.. Unfortunately I haven't had much success.
It's now been about 15 months since I went off the pill and still no period.
I've been having acupuncture for about 5 months, with herbs for about 3 months, not much success with that. The acupuncture has been great for my stress levels though, and sleeping, and general wellbeing. Just NO AF!
We've just swapped my style of treatment for a more structured weekly regime, so I'm giving it another 3-4 months...
Then if all else fails, I'll need to have injections of FSH in order to force my body to ovulate and at that point we can try to fall pg. At this point in time we're still not quite ready for me to be pg but we'd rather my cycles returned naturally than force it. Also the point is to be healthy rather than just to reproduce.
Anyway just touching base - are there are other girls out there still in the post-pill wait? I remember there were a few of us in the same situation - some success stories would be nice to hear.

[principessa76]

Hi Mrs P,

I think I was posting in a thread with you earlier on this year.

I had 3 natural cycles - 79 days, 52 days and 74 days - before seeing my FS. After the 3 cycles I realized my body probably wasn't going to do the right thing and it was time to get checked out and find out what was going on. My FS diagnosed me with PCO.

The most common ovulatory problem is PCO and it is quite possible that this is what you've got going on. Have you been diagnosed? There are a couple of medications that can help you O. I'm on Clomid and it causes you to O by blocking oestrogen receptors in the brain which then in turn causes you to produce more FSH and then O. The other med is Metformin. Some women with PCOS have a degree of insulin resistance and the Metformin helps balance the insulin levels and this can help O. The Clomid and Metformin are in tablet form. My FS mentioned FSH injections to me but only as a last resort. FSH injections are very strong O inducers and you run a higher risk of OHSS.

Its great to be hopeful that your cycles will return to normal naturally but I think the reality is that you might need some help. I sure did! And just because you don't O regularly doesn't mean that you're not healthy. PCO is extremely common and many experts say that it is in fact a just variation of what is considered normal.

If you haven't been to a FS yet my advice would be to go and get checked out and get a proper diagnosis. Even if you're not ready to be pg yet it certainly won't hurt to be organized for when you are ready. Some FS can take many months to get an appointment with.

Good luck I hope your body behaves really soon!

[Mrs P]

Hi Principessa,

Thanks for your reply and encouragement
I went to a FS back in Jan this year - he was the one who told me I'd need the FSH injections. I've had an internal ultrasound, BTs etc and PCOS has been ruled out. I guess because I wasn't in a position to be pg this year (still finishing uni) I decided we'd just try the more natural way, rather than forcing me to O when I didn't actually want to be pg!
But now it's coming down to that time when I do want to be pg soon... I was wondering why I couldn't take Clomid or Metformin, as they seem to do just what I need - make people O!!
So I think what I might do is make an appt with my FS again for around Jan 08 - we're giving the acupuncture/herbs route another 3/4 months - and then we'll see what happens....

It's funny, all those years I was on the pill, worried about becoming pg, never thinking that when I went off I'd have such problems... When I researched it, the only cause that I seem to have for the amenorrhea is stress as nothing else fits, but the acupuncture and a serious mental re-alignment (ha ha) has really helped me deal with my stress - so it's frustrating not knowing WHY AF won't return...

And god help me if once I do start to O, it takes me ages to fall pg!!!

[principessa76]

Hi Mrs P,

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. You're right there's no point in starting fertility treatments if you're not ready to be pg yet. Jan 08 will be here before you know it!

Great that you've had all the investigations done. Very interesting that PCO has been ruled out. Causes of amenorrhoea that I've heard of are stress, low % body fat and excessive exercise. These factors affect the production of GnRH in the brain. The other hormone involved in the brain is FSH. When you have PCO the hormonal balance is out and you have lower levels of FSH and high levels of LH.

From what I understand Metformin works with your insulin levels and in some women with PCOS it is the insulin resistance that stops O. Once the insulin levels are under control cycles can normalize. From your diagnosis there's no way Metformin would help you. I'm not on Metformin. My FS has diagnosed that I have PCO but not PCOS.

Clomid can certainly cause O but I think you have to have certain natural levels of hormones for the Clomid to work. Clomid is not a hormone it merely blocks receptors in the brain and then your body does the rest. The Clomid blocks oestrogen which causes your brain to produce FSH and mature the follies. I think the Clomid has worked for me cos I have O'd naturally - just very irregularly. Perhaps your FS found that your natural levels of FSH in particular were very low and you'll need to supplement that with the injections.

HTH. Its all very confusing. As long as you're in the hands of a great FS when the time comes you'll be just fine. They know what they're doing.

[Mrs P]

Thanks for the info principess - all very helpful! You're right, as long as the FS knows what he's doing (and I think he does... well I hope he does) then it should all be ok in the end. Phew - this baby-making stuff is certainly hard work for some of us! Best wishes for your current TWW!

[Mrs P]

Time to update this thread a little - yep, still waiting for AF, the witch. Just about ready to give up on all the acu and herbs etc and try and forget about the whole thing for a while. But as I'm just a few months away from finishing my thesis (hopefully) and therefore getting rid of a major cause of stress.. well I guess I'll just hang on for a bit longer.
Recently sent in saliva for hormone testing and get results back on Jan 18th, so hopefully that will shed some light on the issues!

Principessa - how great that you are pg now! Congrats!!