Light periods after stopping pill

[HRMC87]

I stopped taking my pill in December and TTC since. I have had really regular periods since but they are so light! The same every time, period pains start on the Sunday night and I don't get it til the Friday. Last for 2-3 days and I can get away with wearing only one pad everyday. Getting worried now, I know it takes time for them to get back to normal but I have had 4 and they were never like this before! Anyone had anything similar with success?

@Hope365 thanks for your wise words :) you're totally right, I should probably wait and see what happens over the next cycle or two. General advice online seems to be to leave things for three months and see if things go back to normal before trying Vitex etc, which I have now and am currently on CD29 with no positive OPK and no BBT temp rise, so things are obviously far from normal with me. I'll leave it another cycle and just hope that things look better next time round - I was convinced things would be better this cycle as I made dietary changes and started taking a conception vitamin and a few other supplements, but things are actually even worse this time. I'll see how I go, but the pressure of having to rebook our postponed wedding isn't helping.

Wishing you all the luck in the world with IVF, really hope you are successful xx

@MintGreenLife I totally get your frustrations, though can imagine everything must feel a million times worse with the added stress of a postponed wedding... My cycles were really long and irregular for almost a year after coming off the pill (often 40 plus day cycles), but they did settle in the end - now I almost always ovulate on CD19/20. I hope things settle for you xxx

@Hope365 Thank you :) perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on my body - it's just tricky when you read about so many women on here falling pregnant the first cycle off the pill, and then I'm here thinking 'well I don't even seem to be ovulating!' and then I find it hard to grasp why things are taking a while as am a healthy weight, healthy diet, regular exercise etc. I suppose the only positive I can take from this situation is that hopefully everything I am doing will help my egg quality, and how much I have learnt about TTC will hopefully mean we have the best shot possible at things working out when I do start ovulating again. Just wish I knew this could happen as I would have come off the pill a year ago in preparation. Must learn to go with the flow and let my body do its thing! xx

Hi all, I hope you don't mind be joining.
I came across this thread today after being concerned about my cycles after coming off the pill (lucette). I stopped taking the pill at the end of January (I had been taking it for around 10 years) and each month I have had extremely light bleeds lasting at most 2 days. All regular but nothing like the periods I had when I was on the pill or before.
I am also extremely bloated and achy around my abdomen.
With the light periods and bloating I was convinced I was pregnant! After taking 6 test all coming back negative, I guess I have to rule this out.
It's so refreshing to find people who are experiencing the same thing after stopping the pill, I couldn't find anything on google and when I mention it at the Drs they brush past it or say it's not pill related.
I have had a recent blood test which showed an under active thyroid so not sure if that's related too, or if that's caused by coming off the pill? I'm so confused.

Hi @PracticalMagic111, sorry to hear you’re having these problems too. So you’re still having the light bleeds a few months later? And the doctors said it’s nothing to worry about? (A couple of ladies on here had to push to get referred to fertility clinics to check their uterine lining). Do you know if you’re ovulating and are you actively TTC? I haven’t done any temping or OPKs or anything and not TTC until October so not sure if I’m ovulating, but if you know you are you could try getting referred for them to check your lining as it needs to be a certain thickness for implantation. Good luck! Xx

Hi @PracticalMagic111, sorry you're having these issues too... Like @Lollipop87 said, in my experience and others on here too, light periods seems to be something that is sadly totally dismissed by doctors. It sounds like you are having some tests done though which is good - from what I remember reading I think thyroid issues can definitely explain unusual periods so something to discuss further with your GP? With the bloating and ache, do you have it all the time or only at particular times in your cycle? When I first came off the pill I used to get horrendous bloating and ache for around a week leading up to ovulation every month - it was so uncomfortable and really worried me... It gradually got better with time though and after about a year it was totally gone! So for me, some of the post-pill weirdness did sort itself out on its own (long irregular cycles and ovulation bloat) but the light periods unfortunately didn't. I hope you get some answers, always here to chat xxx

Thank you so much for welcoming me!
@Lollipop87 I am not actively TTC as of yet but was just concerned about the change of my cycles and how that may impact my body.
Thank you both for putting my mind at ease I really appreciate that.
It really is frustrating that Doctors don't acknowledge the impact of coming off the pill, I would feel better if they said it was related then I would know for sure what the cause was.
The bloating and aching is constant which was the main reason why I asked for a blood test. I know muscle aches and bloating can be caused by under active thyroid but it was so strange how my body just changed completely after stopping birth control.
My mum was convinced I was pregnant due to how bad the bloating was, it was so difficult to try to explain that I couldn't be due to having so many negative tests.
I have a lot of cramping too (sometimes even when I'm not due on), which makes me think my bleed will be heavy but it's so frustrating when there is only a light bleed to show for the pain.
I'm hoping that after a few more months that my body will settle more.
@Hope365 I'm glad your post pill weirdness calmed, that gives me some hope :) (excuse the name reference)
I feel like a weight has been lifted being able to talk about this so I'm so grateful for your responses.

@PracticalMagic111 thanks for the lovely message, would love to keep chatting on here about how we’re getting on 😊 Will you be having any treatment for your under-active thyroid?

I came off pill end of last month and still no bleed.. plenty of cramps and mood swings and feel like it’s coming , then nothing.. can’t no worry as came off to start ttc

@Lollipop87 yes I would love to keep chatting on here with you guys. Keep me updated with how you get on.
I am currently on Levothroxine for my under active thyroid. I was diagnosed about 2 months ago after asking for bloods due to abdominal aches, exhaustion and severe bloating.
I'm still convinced it's related to coming off the pill as these symptoms only seemed to occur after stopping it.

@Sip123 I can completely understand why you are worried and I can empathise. After reading through this thread there is a lot of hope so I think everything will be fine for you :)

Hi everyone! Just interested to know if any of you track your cervical mucus to help with pinpointing ovulation? I’m planning to not use OPKs or temping at least unless it seems to be taking a while once we start TTC, but I am tracking my CM to see if there’s a pattern. What I’ve noticed is that I don’t think I ovulated my first cycle off the pill (in between my withdrawal bleed and my first natural period) as there was no noticeable CM but I’m definitely seeing a pattern of EWCM in what my app says should be my fertile days (this month and last month), which I guess is encouraging? I know it doesn’t definitely mean I’m ovulating but is hopefully a sign! Would be curious to know if any of you know any more about it or are also tracking or looking out for it as a sign 😊

This thread is reassuring as I’ve been the same. Came off pill in January and started to cycle straight away. Have checked ovulation last couple months and fine but I will now spot for up to a week before my period and when it does come it’s lasting 2-3 days and so light I’m almost unable to use a tampon. I was more worried about the spotting and I’m going this cycle for day 21 progesterone to make sure that’s all ok. Seeing a lot of other people with issues off the pill it may just be one of those things

@Hope365 I’ve no idea if you’re still around I know this thread has been quiet for a while. I know @MintGreenLife from another thread she told me to check this one out. Looks like I’m having very similar issues to you. Basically since coming off the pill I’ve had a few lining scans as my periods were so light. I’ve had 2mm and 4mm naturally around ovulation day. My Doc put me on estrogen to see if it would respond. I got to 6.9mm. My doctor has told me there’s not much chance naturally for me and that he recommends I go straight to IVF as my lining needs too much estrogen to thicken which would inhibit me ovulating naturally. He didn’t admit the pill as the problem at all even though I’ve had no surgeries or infections or any other causes. He just said it’s unexplained. I was hoping we’d still be able to try naturally for a bit longer but with some meds, I notice you mentioned some injections that helped your lining then a shot to bring on ovulation. What were those? It’s really hard to find anyone else with this issue so thought id reach out on this thread in case anyone else has any words of wisdom. So frustrating that they won’t even admit the pill can cause these issues!!! My periods were always fine before. Hope you don’t mind me asking the question and I hope you’re getting sorted with your treatments. Sounds like all the ladies on this thread have had quite a time of it!!!

@PracticalMagic111 just read your post from a few months ago and was wondering how you are getting on? I too have had a blood test come back with a mildly underactive thyroid, this was a couple of months ago now and I'm waiting for a private test kit to arrive so I can get a more comprehensive look at my thyroid x

Hi @Tinkertailor88, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this problem too - it's so frustrating, especially when there's so little information out there about it and why it happens... It's great at least that your problem has been diagnosed and recognised by your doctor, as that can sometimes be half of the challenge for getting help - it took me ages to convince anyone that my light periods weren't normal, and to convince them to check my lining! So do you also get very light periods?
It's really good news that you responded to estrogen, as that's not always a given, and means something can be done to help - even if that does often mean IVF. The treatment I tried was basically the medication people take for IVF (called Menopur), but at a much lower dose - it stimulates your ovaries and makes your body produce more estrogen (and more eggs if you take it at an IVF dose). This means you get more estrogen but still ovulate, so you can have thicker lining and still try naturally - or with IUI. My lining responded quite well to it but I sadly still didn't get pregnant (but we're now thinking we might have some male factor issues too). I'd definitely recommend giving it a go if your doctor will let you - are you with a fertility clinic?
Covid put all treatment on hold for us which was hard, but we're now finally hoping to start IVF in the next month or so 😬
Feel free to message me if you want to chat some more, and keep us posted on how you get on - I'm always keen to share with others going through this as there's so little information and support out there xx

@Hope365 thanks so much for your reply! Sorry to hear you’re still having issues best of luck to you. Yes I had super light periods I knew something wasn’t right. I took matters into my own hands booked a private scan online for £90 and she confirmed my lining was 2mm. I waiting a few more months to see if it improved. It didn’t so we booked privately for a fertility MOT at a fertility clinic. DH has super sperm apparently so he was very smug ha but my lining was still only 4mm just after ovulation. The doctor recommended estrogen priming to see if the lining would respond. It got to 6.9mm in about 12 days so he said he would recommend IVF. He still completely denies it’s caused by the pill but can’t give me any other reason either! At that stage we weren’t quite ready for that yet so I’m going through the process now of applying for finance for it (not covered by NHS as I already have an 18 year old son from first marriage). I’m also seeing an acupuncturist who does traditional chinese herbs. She thinks it could be an estrogen receptor issue. So I’ve been on the pill so long my receptors are needing an excessive amount of estrogen to be stimulated. She says she may have a solution and she’s going to call me later to discuss. I’ll let you know how I get on. I also had low progesterone and spotting and the herbs she gave me for that last cycle did help a lot so I’m keen to hear what she has to say. I’ll try anything at this point and you’re so right there’s very little info on this issue. My acupuncturist says it’s very rare.

@Hope365 can I just ask did you have low estrogen to start with? Or normal estrogen but lining just not responding?

@Tinkertailor88 yes my situation sounds very similar to yours. I saw an endocrinologist who said exactly the same as your acupuncturist - that years of the pill and flooding my body with estrogen had likely desensitized my estrogen receptors and so my lining now needs more estrogen to grow. Tests have shown that my estrogen levels are normal, but that doesn't seem to be enough to build a good lining... That endocrinologist is one of very few doctors I've seen who linked it to the pill - most deny that the pill can do that, but I've now spoken to quite a few different women who seem to have the same problem after years of the pill, and there does actually seem to be some evidence for it in the scientific literature too...
I'd be really curious to hear what your acupuncturist suggests!

@Hope365 she’s thinking it may be an immune system issue where my body has developed antibodies to hormones namely estrogen. It’s rare and the research is really thin on it. She knows a consultant who specialises in it so she’s going to see if he will offer a consult. Apparently I’ll need a blood test for specific antibody markers but she’s not sure which ones she needs advice on that. There’s a Clinic in Greece that specialises in it too the Consultant there has led a lot of the research. Most doctors are sceptical though and it’s certainly not available on NHS as a treatment. She’s going to treat me with herbs in the meantime until we get more info. I’ll let you know if I get any further with it!

@Tinkertailor88 that's really interesting, I've done a lot of research on this but never heard of the antibody theory! Yes, please do keep me posted - and also if you find out the name of that consultant. I'm still struggling to find a doctor that really understands/knows anything about this specific problem... Good luck with the acupuncture in the meantime - I've been thinking of maybe giving that a go too...

@Hope365 just to update you the only clinics I can find in the Uk that do reproductive immunology are in London. ARGC seem to be the most experienced in it and it looks pricey and quite specialised. It’s a bit woo in the sense that a lot of doctors don’t believe in it but it’s steadily growing in popularity. Mainly for recurrent miscarriage and implantation issues rather than thin lining specifically. Something about NK cells in the endometrium. They won’t help me with a blood test unless I go though them for IVF so looks like we’ll have to stick to original plan and press on with IVF where we live and then perhaps turn to immunology if we end up with repeat failures. Acupuncturist has me on some estrogen boosting herbs first half of my cycle and progesterone supporting herbs to start after ovulation. I’ve just found out though that we’ve been pencilled in for ivf in February and I have to start bc pill from December in preparation for that if I want to go ahead. Means I’ll only get one more cycle to try naturally. I’m seeing another gynaecologist on Monday about my mid cycle spotting so I’m going to quiz him too. No harm in a second opinion.

Also have you heard of the hidden infection test by the Greek clinic lotus something or other? Mixed reports on those lots of women on a baby centre forum had great results turned out they had hidden infections causing their thin lining which cleared up with antibiotics. But again most doctors will tell you it’s a con and that in the Greece clinic they say every patient tests positive so they can treat them!

Most frustrating thing is finding so much conflicting advice and nobody who actually knows for sure what the hell is going on. I’ll let you know if I find out anything else of any use!

Hi @Tinkertailor88 and @Hope365 , I hope you don't mind me joining- I can see this thread has been quiet for a couple of months. I came across your thread and just had to join as I feel you have described my exact situation. I came off the pill in May last year after 13 years. My periods have been incredibly light since- brown spotting for a few days (can even get away without wearing a party liner if I wanted to). I had an ultrasound in June (due to weird cramps I was having at the time) and my lining measured 3.8mm in the luteal phase. Last cycle it measured only 2mm in the luteal phase. I am so devastated. I have just started seeing a doctor who has done a whole heap of tests and have also found out I'm very low in progesterone and I seem to have an underactive thyroid and high prolactin. I'll be starting treatment for all this next cycle and am also booked in to see a fertility specialist. I also was diagnosed with pcos when I was 20 years old (hence the pill). I'm 34 years old and starting to feel quite stressed now. Apparently my estrogen levels are normal so my doctor hasn't wanted to prescribe this but I don't see how else I'm going to get the lining to thicken. I feel reassured to hear that you have at least responded to estrogen and if I can convince my doctor to prescribe this I'm hoping it might help me too. I can also discuss with the fertility specialist next month. I'm also trying acupuncture, yoga and fertility massage to try and increase blood flow- and also just recently started using castor oil. @tinkertailor88 do you mind if I ask what herbs you are taking? I have started some Chinese herbs too but am really interested about the estrogen building ones! I would love to keep in touch and follow along your journey. I really hope we all have some success and good news soon ❤

@Bassie34 you sound very similar to me! I have ‘slight’ PCOS apparently as I have acne and slightly cystic ovaries but I have regular ovulatory cycles so they didn’t fully diagnose me. My lining is still only measuring 2.5mm in the luteal phase. I’ve had 1.5, 4, 2.5 and 2 on 4 different scans. I took the chinese herbs did acupuncture for 4 months all the supplements etc but still no improvement. I also had high prolactin but that has come down now. Apparently that’s another thing that’s common after long term pill. I also had low progesterone which is now much better I went from 13 up to 25 and stopped spotting in my luteal phase so all that has levelled out. Unfortunately my lining is still not responding to my own estrogen (which is a normal level). I had to take estrogen tablets and patches from the fertility doc to see if I’d respond. I did (to a certain degree still not amazing) which is good news but the bad news is I need so much estrogen to stimulate my lining that I’m unable to ovulate while taking it as the level is so high it acts as a contraceptive. We were advised therefore that we’d need to do IVF. We start our first round in February all being well. Feel free to message me if you’d like to keep in touch. It’s such an annoying problem to have and doctors don’t seem to be able to treat the lining only or explain why it happens. It does appear to be very rare! Usually the lining being thin is related to not ovulating. Have you managed to confirm whether you’re ovulating or not? If that’s the issue they can give you meds to bring on ovulation which should then help the lining

Hi @Tinkertailor88 thank you so much for responding! That is good news that you are at least responding to the estrogen. Good luck with IVF, I am really praying for you ❤ I'm hoping that if I have no luck with anything else that I will at least respond to estrogen too- I'm scared to think about the lack of options if I don't. 2mm is just so damn thin isn't it! I have been able to confirm that I'm ovulating but my cycles are irregular- I think I'm still adjusting slowly after the pill. My longest cycle was 50 days and that was the same cycle I had first tried the herbs- I was wondering whether they threw my cycle off a bit. I have read that hypothyroidism can also impact the lining- but the information is scarce so it's a long shot to hope that if I get that under control it might help too. It's a bit of trial and error too I guess. Such a frustrating condition to have. Please keep me updated- I would love to hear how you go!

@Bassie34 yes the thyroid definitely impacts too! It sounds like you have some other issues going on which hopefully they can treat! My situation is a little different in that I have regular ovulatory cycles all my thyroid and hormones are all fine but still my lining just isn’t responding. Totally unexplained nobody can give me any answers. I think you still have a few avenues to explore before you get to where I am so all the best to you and keep us updated! Keep pushing the docs they need constant pestering especially at the minute!