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No menses 18 months after DepoProveraŽ
I am a healthy 35 year old woman and have always had regular
periods. I took birth control pills for several years, took two
years off, and then used Depo Provera shots for approximately two
years. It has been approximately 18 months since my last depo
shot and I still have not started menstruating again. Last
September when I saw my new gynecologist for my annual exam, she
seemed unconcerned and said that up to one year is normal, other
materials indicate 18 months maximum. I'm worried about this
situation.
Have you been having any symptoms of the perimenopausal state
lately? (ie. hot flushes, insomnia, irritability, fatigue,
depression, loss of libido, loss of concentration). The reason I
ask is that age 35 is a young but possible age to start seeing
perimenopausal symptoms? If so, how old was your mother when she
went through menopause? The only study I could find showed 17% of
women previously on Depo had lack of menstruation after
discontinuation, however, all but one patient had menstruated at
the end of one year.
No perimenopausal symptoms. My mother who is 55 years old is
just now beginning to start her journey through menopause. I just
saw my Internist today and he is testing my thyroid. If that
comes back as "normal", then we plan to proceed with testing my
pituitary functions and estrogen hormonal levels.
I agree. Thyroid can sometimes do this. You need to have an FSH
level drawn to check for premature menopause. For pituitary
functions, a prolactin test is indicated. Also be sure to have
your internist give you some estrogen, followed by progesterone
(something like PremphaseŽ) just to induce a menses to make sure
there is not a blockage to the outflow tract (something like
cervical stenosis).
2 months of bleeding followed by no menses for 6 weeks
I'm 39 years old. I first posted as "Bleeding 2 months solid".
Well, then I took 3 weeks of progesterone and then I stopped as
soon as I took the last pill. Well, now it's been over a month
(6 weeks) and I haven't started bleeding or had a normal period
yet. I know... "complain complain complain" But, is this
normal?
This is not abnormal, providing you're not pregnant. You
probably skipped ovulation which caused the bleeding in the
first place. However if you don't menstruate in another two
weeks, you should be reevaluated with consideration of further
progesterone. The best solution may be one or two cycles of BC
(birth control) pills. This would be insurance to really straighten it
out your menses. If after that, you still don't have a
spontaneous menses, then you need a work-up for anovulation.
I just want to have my normal period back. Also, if I do start
bleeding I would assume I am finally on the mend. Why would BC
pills straighten me out? I thought that they made you not
ovulate. or not bleed.
You are correct, BC pills prevent ovulation by blocking ovarian
stimulation. However, you continue to bleed regularly because the
hormones necessary to build up, stabilize and then shed the
uterine lining in an organized fashion are in the BC pills.
Negative pregnancy test, is it accurate?
My girlfriend and I are young and we took a pregnancy test and it
came out negative. It was Clear Blue Easy. So how accurate is
it (really)?
They are quite accurate, 99%, if conception took place at least
14 days prior.
Can having sex throw off your period?
Possible, but not usually unless she just started having sexual
relations. At that time and other times, anxiety or stress is
most often the cause of menstrual and ovulation delays.
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