No periods after coming off the pill - others' experiences?

LegacyUser

Not really sure why I'm posting this, just looking for other's experiences I think. Myself and wife decided to "not avoid" becoming pregnant around this time last year.

She came off the pill late Feb, had a period pretty much straight away, another one 7/8 weeks later...then nothing. About 10 weeks into the nothingness, she got general blood tests (don't know the whole detail) and she was told that everything was perfect, spot on, just wait and the periods will kick in eventually. We're now 9 months into it and I know she's getting increasingly annoyed and frustrated that her body isn't doing what it's supposed to.
She had a smear before Christmas and brought her blood test results along to that doctor for a second opinion, who confirmed that everything was spot on, this kind of thing was normal, just wait and it will sort itself out.
She's perfect weight for her height, doesn't drink too much, doesn't smoke, perfect on paper. So I know that it is probably just a matter of waiting.

It's not so much that we're desperate to get pregnant, but I think she feels like she's in limbo at the moment with the uncertainty about her own body. Like having a limb which isn't working and being told to just "wait it out, there's nothing you can do about it". Just looking for advice or similar experiences really, anything I can say or do for her to help?

Das Kitty

Can I clarify?

Has she not had any period in 9 months?

LegacyUser

Das Kitty wrote: »

Can I clarify?

Has she not had any period in 9 months?

Correct. Nothing since April-ish, don't remember the exact dates.

Skadi

OP. I can understand where you are coming from. After I stopped taking the pill I never got regular periods. Everytime I mentioned it to my GP he would tell me that it takes a while for your periods to come back properly. It was only when I mentioned that it had been at least two years that it finally hit him that it wasn't normal.

My GP put me on medication in order to bring on a period and then tested to see if I was ovulating. The tests showed that I wasn't and so then I refered to a fertility specialist. I would go back to your GP and say that she has not had a period in the last nine months and that you want to know why. Also it might be no harm to mention that you want to try for a baby although I found when I told the fertility specialist, he was only concerned about using fertility drugs to get my periods back rather than finding out what the underlying problem was.

I know what your wife feels like. It really feels like there is something wrong with you. It feels like you have no hope of ever getting pregnant as you can't even get to the first step. We were years not avoiding to get pregnant and it was frustrating that nothing that was happening.

In the end my periods came back (well every few months) but that was nearly 10 yrs. The tests I got done just told me my hormone levels were wrong but they might be high one time and low the next, so not consistent enough for them to diagnose a problem. It was even suggested that I go back on the pill for 6 mths to try and regulate my periods.

All is well now though. I am currently pregnant.

Disambiguation

Hi OP,

If you are still looking at this thread I would think you should suggest your wife give her Dr. a call back with a view to asking if she should come back in to see him/her or another Dr. there if he/she can recommend somebody who can help.

9 months is strange seeing as she had two regular(ish) cycles post-pill. If it were me, I would be asking for help and perhaps meds to stimulate the end of the cycle. I'm thinking provera does that?

Good luck.

Neyite

High prolactin can cause periods to stop, and also interferes with fertility. I have the high prolactin, but my cycles were grand - but the doctor indicated that I was the exception to the rule. Good news is that if its that, its a simple pill to sort it out.

LegacyUser

hi NPERDS!! i feel your pain, i came off the pill last june and had my withdrawal bleed as expected the week after. i joined fertility friend.com straight away and started charting my fertile signs and tracking my temp. i did not ovulate or get any periods so i went to the doctor in august he told me to come back if i hadnt had a period by mid october. i eventually had a pattern that pointed to ovulation although i dont think i released an egg, which was followed by spotting and a one day bleed. i though i was coming back to normal so i waited hoping i would maybe ovulate again but i did not. i had only a one day bleed since june 2010, i went back to the doctor last tuesday, i got to see one of the other doctors and he immediatly told me to come back on thursday for blood tests and gave me a referral letter for an ultrasound which i booked and had this monday gone, i got the results back today, i have PCOS, which explains the lack of periods, i wish i had gone back sooner and not taken no for an answer, i have another referall letter now for a gynocologist i will try booking an appointment in the morning i am going private because waiting lists are 6 months plus for public. my periods were like clockwork before the pill, i was on it for 5 years, i guess i developed PCOS while i was on the pill, i was having the monthly withdrawal bleeds so i didnt know any better. so we are trying to conceive with PCOS now and hopefully i can get meds to help me ovulate soon! keep us posted! xx

LegacyUser

I thought I would update this in case anyone else finds themselves in this very stressful scenario.

After stressing and to-ing-and-fro-ing, there seemed to be no improvement for most of 2011. My wife admitted that the hardest thing was to get someone to listen. "Just wait" was the stock answer she was getting from everywhere. When you've been waiting more than a year, the last thing you want to hear is "just wait" or "be patient".

We managed to get more tests done during the year - ultrasound on her uterus/eggs, and fertility test for me. Everything came back normal, no problems, again just told to wait. Periods were still all over the place, anything from 1.5 to 3 months between them. We tried using ovulation kits, but we never got a positive. It's tolerable for a couple of months, but when you're being told that everything's normal but there's been no hint of even ovulation for 18 months, you just want to find someone who'll do something - anything.

Many hinted that our age was an issue - if we'd been 35 or older, they'd be doing something. But because we're not, we can afford to wait :mad: We got an appointment to start proper fertility tests in the Rotunda, but the wait is huge. By the time we got there we'd be 2.5 years trying for a child.

So my wife went to a well-woman clinic and spoke to a female doctor who listened and agreed that despite all of the tests and everything, that the time we'd been waiting was unreasonable. So she took the simple step of prescribing something - I think it was clomid, but I can't be sure. Sure enough, a period arrived. Then about 6 weeks later, another. And six weeks after that, another. As a pattern had been established, we decided to make a very specific go of it, estimating her ovulation dates, and sure enough we got a positive pregnancy test last week.
Very early days, but we're delighted. At least now we know it's possible; the relief is huge.

So I hope anyone else who finds themselves in a similar scenario just takes the initiative. Doctors will continue to tell you to wait no matter how long you've been waiting. But you know your own body, you know when it's not working the way it's supposed to. Don't accept "just wait" as an answer and go and fight for another opinion or another solution.

Mink

Great story! You guys really persevered. As I was reading through the thread I was about to suggest that if you're on the medical waiting list, then it would be no harm venturing down the alternative medicine lane to see if anything works for you - ie acupuncture etc. But I see clomid helped bring it on.

Big congrats to you and your wife!!!

Neyite

Clomid worked on my third cycle after over 2 years of trying. Clomid is the business.

You do know though, that it increases the possiblity of multiples in a pregnancy?

Best of luck and wishing your wife a happy safe pregnancy, its lots of fun ahead for both of you!

yellow hen

Neyite wrote: »

Clomid worked on my third cycle after over 2 years of trying. Clomid is the business.

You do know though, that it increases the possiblity of multiples in a pregnancy?

Best of luck and wishing your wife a happy safe pregnancy, its lots of fun ahead for both of you!

It is so great to hear this. We are due to start on 50mg of clomid next month. I havent really considered this not working so please god all will go well. x

Oleander

So, does Clomiphene regulate periods? And is it safe for any age?