Does anyone else have a very erratic menstrual cycle?

[notnowbernard]

Mine is

Took about 13m to get a period after dd2. She's now 2.8 and they're still really irregular. Went to the GP last year, had blood tests (all normal). He thought it was taking time to normalise post-bf

It's v frustrating

I just wonder sometimes if it could be due to anything else

I'm 31

Mine have been all over the place since they started again about 8 mnths after dc2. He's 20 mnths now and still no improvement. Sometimes they last well over a week, a week off then start again, other times 5 weeks without, then only on for 2 days! Also go from ridiculously heavy to hardly anything. Have started getting really bad headaches too, and terrible pmt, poor dcs and dh! I was always so regular before.

Haven't bothered going to GP yet, I've decided to start a diary to give myself a proper idea of exactly what's going on, have you done anything like that? (I'm 34)

Think maybe it's just one of those things

I keep track of when I'm 'due on' (though it's never the standard 28 days

A period will always last about 5 days. They are heavier than pre-dc but manageable. But will be anything between 5-10 weeks apart

When did you stop bf? Could be what GP suggested? Although I started my periods again 3 mnths after dd1, and breatfed her for 11 mnths, so bf doesn't necessarily effect periods at all.

Stopped at about 14m, IIRC

if they're very irregular it may be polycystic ovaries? before I was on the pill for this I'd have up to 7/8 weeks sometimes between periods. I got through ridiculous quantities of pregancy tests! a blood test and ultrasound would confirm if it is this.

Would this have been something the GP would have tested though? (Had blood tests last yr)

Does seem a long time for them to normalise if it is down to bf. Lets hope someone else posts whose been through it and is now back to normal!

I might go back to GP again

Always the worry of an unplanned pg in the back of my mind too

don't know notnowbernard - I have a feeling it needs to be backed up by a scan for a diagnosis - also it evolves over time so there may not have been enough of whichever hormone last year etc. But there are plenty of other explanations so may not be that at all. Would go back to the GP really. PCOS has lots of other symptoms too (weight gain, hair loss/facial hair) etc

i rarely have a period, haven't done for two years, i suppose this should worry me and i should go and have fadge tests, but i really don't want people prodding my fadge and i don't really want my periods back

No other PCOS symptoms but I think I will go back

Thanks for replies

I start thinking things like "I'm having an early menopause and will get brittle bones"

Or, if being a bigger tit than usual "I've got some sinister gynae disease"

Sound like my dh, not early menopause obviously but he tried to get me to call an ambulance a couple of weeks back cos his heart was beating a bit fast! (He's fine btw)

Do go back to GP though, if only to put your mind at rest, sure everything is OK

Indeed

(I am joking a little bit about the hypochondria... but do tend to avoid Google)

I´ve never had regular periods, they can be months and months apart, doctors have never seem worried about it! They have come a bit more often since I had children. Should I be worried?

I've never had regular periods. In fact just before conceiving ds1 (by accident) I wen to see GP about possibility of PCOS as I'd only had about 4 periods in 12 months. They checked for cysts when I had my early scan and didn't see any.

I stopped bf ds1 at about 10 months but they took a few months to come back even after that, conceived ds2 when ds1 was about 18 months old.

Then I bf ds2 until he was about 3 1/2. By then he was only breastfeeding once a day, and not really much each time. I had my first period when he was about 18m old but that was only because I was away from him overnight. I didn't have any regular periods until he was at least 2 1/2y, and conceived ds3 when he was 3y 3m.

I'm currently breastfeeding ds3 and hoping my periods stay away as long as possible I'm not worried about premature menopause because my mum didn't start her menopause until very late and it tends to run in the family. I'm taking calcium supplements but I think I'm right in thinking that 'extended' breastfeeding has a good effect on bone density anyway, doesn't it? I mean, bone density may decrease while you're breastfeeding but it comes back afterwards and might actually increase after you stop.

notnowbernard

I think that something was missed on the blood tests.

I would be interested to learn of what hormone levels were tested and on what days. PCOS can have an imbalance of LH (luteinising hormone) to FSH (follicle stimulation hormone).

Problem as well is that some GPs are totally ignorant when it comes to such problems and would not recognise PCO if presented with such a case. Common causes of irregular periods include PCOS and problems with the thyroid gland. Both should be looked into thoroughly.

BTW the cystic follicles associated with PCO are very small and disappear (it can also take a skilled sonographer to spot them) only to reappear at a later date.

Thanks, Atilla

I am going to book another appt with the GP

IIRC the blood test was taken at a certain time (he asked specifically for it to be at least a week after my LMP)

Good point about the thyroid too... though would I have other symptoms if it were that?

Attila, I am regularly checked for apparant thyroid problem, but scan and blood results always appear normal. Is there likely to be a connection between my thyroid and lack of periods? Is it worth asking to be checked out again?