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Hi everyone
I am really starting to get a bit concerned.
I went off the pill in June after being on it for close to 10 years. Since then I have had only three cycles... they are 80 days apart, right now I am on day 82 and no signs...
I have been to the GP who said to just wait 12 months and we can go from there. :confused:
Does anyone else have experience with this, is there anything natural I can do that might help?
Thanks for your help!
The waiting 12 months thing is crap! GPs seem to be stuck on the need to wait 12 months thing, but gynecologists are much better at investigating things... in fact, most are happy to start investigating and treating as soon as you realise there is a problem.
I stopped taking the pill 12 months ago and had one cycle of 35 days, since then I've been hitting 70 or 80 days pretty regularly. I'd always been irregular before being on the pill, so I knew it wasn't something that was caused by the pill and would correct itself over time. Of course, I had a nasty false positive pregnancy test in there as well, which was utterly devastating, but it was the one thing that made my GP start investigations and send me to a specialist. The specialist I was sent to turned out to be hopeless, but I've now started seeing a new one, and feel really frustrated that I wasn't referred to him back in March!
I know this is a lot of waffle, but regardless of what your GP says, if there's something not right, you can start investigations regardless of how long you have been TTC. Demand that referral to a specialist! You have every right to have things investigated now, and if one doctor refuses, find another doctor who is willing to take you seriously!
BW
Hi Purpley,
I would try a different GP. I agree with BW, 12 months is way too long to wait. IMO a GP should at least send you for blood tests and an ultrasound.
In the meantime you could try Maca powder. It comes in powder and capsule form and you can get it from most health food stores. Apparently it helps with cycles and libido.
I've just started taking it again.
I have polycystic ovaries (Went without my period for 12 months before TTC) but also have a beautiful DD and we are currently TTC #2.
Best of luck and don't be afraid to join us in the TTC threads. BW and I are in the
TTC 6+ months one.
Hi Purpley,
I agree with the other ladies. Perhaps you need to see a new GP.
I came of the pill now over 12 months ago and like BW I got one short cycle and then after that I didn't get another period until after 80days and that was only with the help of a drug called Provera. My older sister was diagnosed with PCOS a number of years ago and I thought with this happening to me (the irregular cycles) I might have the same thing, so I told the first GP I went to what my situation is and that my sis has PCOS and all she could say to me was that it was just coming off the pill. Didn't look any further into it. So I found myself a new GP who was very thorough and straight away she sent me for a blood test and ultrasound and what do you know I also have PCOS. Just tell them that you want a referral to a Gyn and perhaps go and see them for some advice. I hope it all sorts itself out very soon for you :hug:
Hi ladies, thanks so much for your responses.
I am now on 89 days... no signs at all.
I have had a laparoscopy two years ago as they thought I might have endometriosis but all came back well. I am wondering if I need to go one some kind of medication as things seem strange... I will definitely check out that maca powder too. It is scary, I worry there might be something wrong with me? I will see if I can get another referal to a gyno.
Thanks again!
Do not wait 12 months. If your cycles are irregular it is something that needs to be sorted out. It was 8 months before I got referred to a gynie to sort out my cycles and after being diagnosed with PCOS we fall pg the second cycle.
You have the right to a referral for a second opinion if that is what you want. The GP cannot deny you that.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Thank you I will make an appointment and ask for a referral to a gynae to see where we can go from here. Thanks for your support ladies!
Off to the GP this morning to ask for some hormone tests, referal to gynae! thanks for your motivation ladies.
Good luck!
BW
If you don't get any where with the GP or gyno then go to a natural therapists. My dr told me just to wait and see what happens after having DD but I have since seen a dr who is also using natual therapies and my cycles have improved dramatically (even though I have different issues to you). Good luck
Well I have an appointment on the 2nd Jan to get blood tests to test hormone levels so that is good! I told him about the irregular cycles, oily pimply skin, excess hair and testosterone etc and he thought it would be good to do a blood work up since the laparoscopy I had about 18 months ago came back with no polycsitic ovaries so it is a start.
Thanks again everyone!
Hi Purpley, just saw this thread and was wondering how you went with your appointment? I'm in the same situation (came off the pill the same time as you, first cycle long, next one even long, now no period at all!) and am hoping to make an appointment with the Dr next week to get it sorted.
Looking forward to hearing how you went :)
Hi there, thanks for checking in with me!
I went on Tuesday and he has done a full hormonal test (blood tests) and I get the results Saturday so will definitely let you know if it sheds any light on things.
Sounds like we both have the same thing happening!
Hi Purpley
I just wanted to let you that I tried many many many things to ovulate regularly and the only thing that worked for me was TCM..(Traditional Chinesse Medicine).. There is a guy in Chinatown Sydney at Ginsing & Herbs that is AMAZING - I swear I saw him for two cycles and after cycle two I ovulated on Day 14.... And got pregnant with my beautiful baby girl on that day... the herbs STINK, but they work.. I highly recommend it... if you want more information you can email me (as I often don't check this thread that much)... good luck honey.. keep trying everything... you will get there!
Purpley, I'm a bit late, but just wanted to say good on you for not waiting.
I went to my GP after 6 months of TTC, and took all my FF charts along to show her. Because she could see that my cycles were long (60-90 days) and my temps showed that I probably wasn't ovulating, she was happy to refer me to a gynae there and then.
I think the 12 month thing is probably valid if everything looks like it's functioning OK, as it can take normal, fertile couples 6-12 months to conceive, but if you're concerned about irregular cycles, then that's a good reason to not wait the full 12 months IMO.
Hi Alley!
I am based in Sydney and am very interested! how would I go about emailing you? thank you so much!
Cherie,
I hope that the trip to the gynae shed some light on things for you?
Cherie,
This is CeeCee, my daughter is Ally! :-)
To email me just click on the "y" (for Yahoo) under the number of posts on the left hand side of my signature...
From memory the guy I saw is Kevin Lui at Chinesse Gingsing and Herbs it is the biggest Chinesse shop in Chinatown, you can't miss it.. there is no making of appointments, just walk in and wait in line... take your temp charts with you so he knows what your body is doing and he will give you herbs that you need to boil (you need to buy this special pot called a Pokra? (spelling?) but it is only $15 and the herbs cost about $60 for two weeks... you boil them then drink them.. tastes disgusting, but you can feel them working... totally amazing... I'm on vacation so I dont have his card with me, but just go to Chinatown, you will see the shop and the 'clinic' is at the back. Good luck, but email if you want more information.
luv
CeeCee
Hi Purpley,
Just saw this thread, but wanted to add my support for TCM. I came off the pill after more than ten years and had very long/irregular cycles (120 days was the longest!). My GP was pretty proactive, but all my blood tests came back normal, as did the ultrasound - no PCOS. So I went to a fertility naturopath who suggested acupuncture and chinese herbs. My acupuncturist said he thought it would take between 3 and 6 cycles to fix my cycles and on the fifth cycle I O'd on day 18 and our baby is due in March!
It took two years from stopping the pill, six months on TCM. Good luck, and I really recommend TCM. I'm in Melbourne though, so I can't give you any useful contacts.
Lyric,
I am not in Melbourne but my mother is where do you go for TCM?? This has got me really interested. this is my 3rd cycle trying and so far seem to be okay but had hormone probs before dd so was just wondering for future reference if needed.
Hi lyric, thank you for sharing your experience... it has given me some hope!
Cee_Cee I am going to check out the TCM and acupuncture route.
I am so frustrated. I went and got the results of the hormone tests, all completely normal! what the? how is that possible when they so obviously aren't normal!
thanks for all your encouragement everyone.
Purpley i can totally understand your frustration.
Surely there has to be something that has gone undetected as it is not normal. It actually took them 3 diff lots of bloods from me to work out what was going on.
I mean doesn't your doc realise that this is not normal and that there need to be answers???? This is making memad so i will stop right here
Although hope you findout whats going on soon.
I got so annoyed in the GP's office as he just seemed to be so blase... "I don't know what to tell you, it says normal" that is all he kept saying over and over and I kept saying "How is that possible when I have gone over 100 days now without a period, I am not pregnant, my skin is out of whack etc, I have not got regular cycles at all, how is this normal" and he would say "but the results are normal" .. begin loop again. Aaarrggghhhh just wanted to pull my hair out! no more tests were suggested or anything.... grrrrr.... I should stop now.
Might need another doctor!
Purpley, maybe try waiting a couple of months, to what what happens once the Pill is completely out of your system. I know a lot of women do say that it took a while for their cycles to become regular again after the Pill.
Then you could you try putting the ball back in his court .. e.g. 'so my results are normal, but my symptoms aren't normal ... so what is your next suggestion for finding out why it's like this.'
Purpley, did you ask for a referral to a gynecologist? Someone with more knowledge in the area may be able to shed some light on the problem.
If you are actively TTC right now, I can imagine how frustrating it would be to be getting nowhere, but I have found that the specialists are often more prepared to act on things than GPs. Perhaps because they simply know more about it, and know all the different options.
Sportychick had a similar thing happen, she took provera to induce AF, then did a few cycles of clomid and ovulated every time. After that, her body seemed to remember what to do and started ovulating without drugs, and she conceived on her second natural cycle. Hopefully that story will give you some hope that things can be fixed.
BW
Hey Purpley, I'm new to this site and just wanted to introduce myself and tell you I know exactly what you're going through!! I went off the BCP at the end of August, had my first withdrawel bleed and have not had a period since!!! That's 4 months and a 120+ cycle... We have started to TTC but realise that it might take a lot longer than I'm happy to admit!! My body has been playing some really nasty tricks on me (Thinking I was pregnant a couple of times this cycle)... Plus it is really hard in this situation to chart when you don't even know if you're ovulation and whether things are working properly. My doctor was also extremely blase about the whole thing and said it's normal after comign off the pill and that they usually wait about 6 months before doing anything to allow the pill get out of your system...but I wasn't happy with that. So took upon myself to go back and get a referrall to my friends gyno/obstr who delivered both her beautiful children. And she said will not let any stone go unturned! So I'm waiting for my appointment on th 17th Jan to hopefully start getting some answers!! I completely understand and what you to know that you can contact me anytime.. I would love to find out what's happening with you and to support you in our common goal of 1/ getting answers on our body's without normality and 2/ ultimately conceiving!!!! Thanks for sharing and good luck with it all... MAke sure you see a gyno who will investigate everything until you get results!!!
Kristee, my acupuncturist's name is Anthony Olsen. He practices in Essendon and Canterbury and I'm happy to PM you his details if you'd like them. If those areas aren't convenient, I can ask him to recommend someone close to you/your mum.
Purpley, my results were always (according to the GP) totally normal. Did they test for prolactin and testosterone levels? Those are often left out if you don't specifically ask for them, but can have a huge effect on cycle regularity.
You could also ask for a referral to a gynacologist specialisng in endocrinology. The further I went along my ttc journey, the more I realised that GPs know very little beyond the basics. Are you booked in for an ultrasound to check for PCOS? If your testosterone levels were tested and shown to be high/ish it would really be worth going that next step; I'm surprised your GP hasn't suggested it. When I first went to the fertility naturopath, I said according to the doctor, all my test results were normal, but when she looked at them she could see several issues that although were within the so-called normall range, could be causing problems. For me, it was very low testosterone levels and high levels of some hormone binding agent which the GP never mentioned. My TCM diagnosis was insufficient yang (male element), so the east and west diagnosis supported each other!
Good luck. I found I had to be pretty pro-active to get much done, and basically insist on referrals for tests etc.
Wow everyone, you have all given me much more hope than I originally had!
butterfly_warrior that gave me a lot of hope as when i asked the GP if there were any drugs he could prescribe to try and get things moving he said the pill! thank you for the encouragement and I do think that a gynae is the next step in western medicine to take. I also am going on the 18th to acupuncture TCM... thanks again for the encouraging words!
Smuggle! our experiences sound very similar!!! would be very interested in keeping in contact over email to see how eachother go, and perhaps we can help shed a bit of light on eachother! how would I go about getting you my email address?
Lyric I am pretty sure he tested for everything, I am going back on Saturday to see my regular GP and his take on the results and get a referral to a gynae post haste. I also am interested to see what a TCM practicioner has to say, I have a lot of faith in eastern medicine and isn't it interesting how yours matched up like that!
Hi again purpley,
Glad you're feeling more positive! I have just looked at your FF chart, and noticed that your temps are pretty low - mine were too, before i started TCM. It wasn't until they were an average of 36.5ish that my cycles started to get normal. It's a really common problem, and for me was related to my kidney yang, maybe your diagnosis will be similar to mine!
Glad you've got appointments coming up. My DH also had a few treatments, especially during the beginning and 'business' parts of the cycle just to help the little swimmers along.
Keep us updated.
Lyric
will do! thanks!
Oh Purpley I'm sorry to hear you didn't have much luck with the dr - I'm glad to hear that you are feeling more positive now though!
Just wanted to let you know that your post finally gave me the encouragement I needed to go to the dr and get some blood tests to figure out what's going on with my lack of AF - I went on friday and passed out after the needle :D but get my results next week (the dr is away this week). Wishing you all the best with your journey and look forward to hearing how you go :)
Hi SuzL that is great! i wish you luck with it all and look forward to hearing how you go!!!!
I have another appt Saturday morning so will be sure to drop in with you lovely ladies.
Hey Purpley,
I hope you don't mind me posting in your thread, I just wanted to share with you my experience.
I didn't AF for around 6 months after stopping the pill and due to mainly my weight gain and inability to lose it no matter what I did gave me the motivation to get checked out (I wasn't TTCing, but I wasn't trying not to get pregnant either, I knew I wasn't ovulating so I didn't bother with contraception). The GP I went to ordered hormone blood tests which shocked me when he said they came back normal!! I *knew* something wasn't right, especially the weight gain issue, and other things that were going on, and no sign of AF.
So, I said to him, I think it might be endo come back again, can you please give me a referral to a gynae and order a scan before I went, to which he obliged.
He then printed out the referral, along with my blood tests and said take that.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I looked at my BT results.
Well, I'm not a doctor, but I could see the bits clearly in RED indicating abnormal levels. My progesterone was menopausal (I was 26), I had very high testosterone, well above the limits as shown on the test, another sex hormone was very elevated, almost double the maximum limit (androgen I think?).
These bits were on the last page of 7 pages, all I could see was that he must have not read that last page and skimmed it.
So I took them along to another GP, as well as the u/s I had done that week as well, all indicated 'advanced PCOS'. My ovaries just looked like craters! The GP said he hadn't seen such bad hormone levels in someone my age, put me on Metformin and I also went back on the pill to help with hormones. Within 3 months, I had lost 15kg (trying very hard mind you) and feeling alot better. I went off the pill for 2 weeks to help with migraines I was suffering and conceived in that time, despite not even BDing whilst I was off it (just did 2 days before I stopped the pill). GP made me take a pregnancy BT before I went back on the pill 'just in case', I nearly didn't take it because I didn't BD....but you can imagine my shock when I did!!! A very happy surprise though. THis happened with me despite having extensive endo as well.
So that's my story of my 'normal' blood test results.
Second opinion is in order that's for sure, like others said, don't take 'nothing is wrong' for an answer. You and your body knows best.
Good luck hun :hug:
Purpley, I agree ... a referral to a gynaecologist sounds like the best idea for you at this point. Good luck for Saturday.
OKydokeys I have an appointment with the gynae that did my laparoscopy in August O5 for Monday afternoon!
Hi Purpley & Smuggle,
Well it looks like we all have similar stories.
I'm 27, nearly 28 and I went off BCP (after 9 years) June 06 and no period YET.
Not TTC just yet but want to have a baby early 08...
I've had blood tests done and all come back normal *argh*. So frustrating!
I hate people telling me "Just wait, don't worry" - well of course I'm going to worry!?!
My doctor is ringing me tomorrow to discuss the latest tests. I'm trying to get in to see a gyno but long waits here in perth. Want to find out my options to kickstart my periods so I can start tracking my cycles etc.
Purpley I hope your appt goes well tomorrow!!:D
Hi ladies, wow it does sound like a few of us have the exact same thing happening!
Well I went to the GP today and got a referral to a gynae.. I am seeing the gynae Monday afternoon so will let you know what she has to say and suggests...
How did you go Mrs P with your blood tests?
Hi Mrs P and Purpley!!!
Firstly I'm gonna say how great it is to share with someone in a similar situation as mwah!
Mrs P: I can't believe that someone went off the pill before me and is STILL waiting for a period! We weren't trying as soon as I went off the BCP and did it in August so that I would hopefully be back into some sort of routine by now so that serious trying could be had!! WEll things never work out the way you want them hey? ? I haven't had bloods done but understand how frustrated you must be that the results haven't helped at all... I think seeing gyno is a great step and one that I'm looking forward to with my appt on Wednesday. I will you definately let you know how I go! I hope your wait isn't as long as mine - I booked in about a week and half before xmas!!
Purpley: Good luck for your appt and PLEASE let me know how you go... !!
Info for both of you... I have read in various places about natural ways of kick starting your period if it hasn't arrived. HAve you heard of Agnus Castus???? I haven't got it yet but I am going to go to a health food shop to try and get some to try. Also apparently Red Raspberry Leaf tea has supposedly helped girls in our situation to bring on AF! Who would have thought we WANTED it to arrive!!
I just wish I was like others and had a cycle I could at least track and work out ovulation etc! SO FRUSTRATED!! Good luck and keep in touch.... XX
Hey Purpley,
I came off the pill end of March 06 after 12yrs no break. I have been seeing an acupuncturist who has managed to stabilise my cycle to 30 days every month and a reduction in Mentrual symptoms.
I can honestly say without the help I believe my cycle would never have settled as the reason I went on the pill was 6yrs irregular cycles as a teen.
There is nothing greater than knowing when you are due while TTC. It takes a huge load off.
Hope this helps,
S'rose.
Hello lovely ladies!
Well I had the gynae appointment yesterday and she confirmed that while my hormones appear to all be in a "normal" range that "normal" is a big range and isn't the same for everyone. She also said that they confirmed that I am not ovulating at all.
She has prescribed Provera to bring on a period and then 50mg of Clomid to get those eggs releasing. She also wants to send him off to get sperm tests to make sure all is well on his side of things.
I have been going to acupuncture on and off for a few years and have an appt on Friday so will be sure to talk to her about what she thinks too... I am not going to start taking the provera or clomid yet.
How are you ladies going with trying to get your cycles going?
Hey Purpley...
That's great that you've had your appointment and that she gave some answers you were looking for ie: Not ovulating and hormones ok etc... Here's hoping I have the same luck with you tomorrow at my appointment. I'm a little nervous I don't know what to expect at my first consultation??? Haven't had AF yet STILL but am hoping that he could give me something aswell to get things going!
In the meantime, I have ordered a basal thermometer so I can start charting and also went ahead and bought Vitex (Agnus Castus) to hopefully bring on AF and ovulation aswell as to regulate my cycles !!
I have also started writing things down in a journal to monitor how my body is feeling and when I do things.
I really hope everything starts to come together for you and would be interested to hear what becomes of your chart with the acupuncturist!
KEep hoping and praying for the :bfp:
Smuggle X