Ladies only please... (need your help)

Hi Ladies, I know I have not been on the boards in a long time. So some of you I know and some of you I don't know. But I am coming here for some help. I am totally scared with the female problem I am having. I am hoping that someone can tell me what they did. I need some direction. First - hello to all of you - just to give a little background I am Monica I have lost -126 pounds in Six months and everything is going great. With the exception of a female problem. For some reason (due to the rapid weight loss) I got my womanly cycle and could not get rid of it (had it for a month). My PCP decided that I should go on the pill because of all my cramping and painful periods. I was fine for the first month on it and then the second month - I got my cycle. And then it just would not go away so my doc took me off of the pill and then put me on medicine to stop my periods. It's the same type of medicine that they give ladies that are going through the change of life (Premarin Oral - was the med). Which did not help either. So finally after a full month - I was told to stop taking all hormonal meds. Becuase my body was fighting it and as soon as I did that... my cycle stopped (yippeee!) However, the problem is now I have only been without my cycle for two weeks and now... I got it again. Oh my! I am to the point I just want to cry - I am an emotional wreck. Has anyone had this problem? Can anyone tell me what they did or what they recommend to help with this problem. I mean don't get me wrong - to me of all the things that could be a problem - this is very minor. I just need a little direction on what to do. Thank you in advance!!! Monica F.

Hi monica!!! I am 9 months out and have lost 118 pounds(the dr says is not enough by the way) and I had my period for 27 weeks straight!! Oh my talk about being emotional, I was unbearable to be around. So they finally decided that since suregry I was not able to absorb birth control and the only options that I had still did not stop the bleeding so I finally had a tubal, hysteroscopy, d&c and a novasure ablation which caterizes the endometial linning and stops the bleeding, I had that done March 3 and still have had no bleeding. Best thing I ever did except for gastric bypass. Please feel free to email me at any time. Nanette 361/243/???

Monica, I don't know what your age is, but, it really sounds like peri-menopause. I really think the woman's body is a bad design...seems we can't get through menopause in one piece. I had the same problem and had to get a full hysterectomy. I sure haven't regretted that though! I think about you from time to time, because I remember you were so concerned about being harrassed at your work due to your WLS. How has it been for you? Sounds like your weight loss has been fantastic! Hugs, Lori 384/242/168

Sounds like you have only been treated for this by your PCP. You need to see a GYN. Have your PCP forward notes of your treatments for this as soon as you get an appointment. Good luck, Loris

Estrogen is stored in our fat. Obese women tend to have female problems because of the extra estrogen we're carrying around and now that we're loosing weight fairly quickly, our hormones get out of whack. I have had bleeding problems in the past before I lost any significant weight. Like you, I was first seen by my PCP who attempted to control it by putting me on Progesterone. After a month of straight bleeding, I was finally sent to a gynecologist specialist who put me on the pill, starting at 4 times a day. That didn't work. She finally brought me in for a D & C to clean me out and start me fresh. She put me the pill again, once a day, to start. That seemed to work and I was fine for the first year, but I had very heavy periods. I hated every minute of them. After about a year, I stopped them, but of course, the problem slowly came back again after a couple of years. This time I immediately went in to see a gyn. This new guy put me on Depo-provera shots every 3 months. The Depo shot is considered birth control and it's usual dosage is once every 3 months. It worked for the first couple of months then my bleeding would break through again. After trying it for 2 cycles of 3 months, my gyn changed to my dosages to every 2 months. It worked like a charm. My bleeding pretty much stopped altogether with the occasional spotting here and there. I'll take that any day. I do continue to have female issues, but they're not weight or weight loss related. I don't have the uncontrollable bleeding anymore. I would recommend seeing a gyn. I would also recommend looking into the Depo shot. I think the pill didn't work for you because your body can no longer absorb the way it used to. I know my surgeon recommends changing birth control methods to his patients that use the pill because they just don't know how effective the pill will be with the malabsorption issues with the RNY. Believe me, I feel your pain. If you don't have one, get a shower head nozzle, it will help keep you clean. I used to wear both tampons and pads at the same time and generally took a bag with me to work with a change of underwear, pants, and lots and lots of baby wipes. I also used to wear a pair of tight bike shorts over my underwear and under my regular pants to help keep my underwear and my pad snug against my body. Good luck, let us know how you're doing. Mercy

Hi Monica!! Congrats on the huge loss!!!! It's nice to see ya back on here. I just wanted to say that I would have the never ending cycles and I went on Depo Provera shots 12yrs ago. I haven't had a period since '94. There are a lot of negative things about the shot. I recently found out that you shouldn't be on it for more than 2yrs at a time because it depletes your body of calcium and causes bone and teeth problems. You can type it into any search engine and get all kinds of horror stories. I never cared about the horrors because it beat bleeding all of the time. I've had a LOT of female problems and always wondered if they were related to the depo. I know regardless of the outcome with surgery I'll never use it again. The only BIG sympton I noticed while on it was when it was "shot time" (every 12 weeks) I would have PMS really bad... so I started getting the shots about every 10 weeks and it was much better. I hope you get with a good gyno who can help you get past this. I know it's sheer misery.