thyroid problems/funny cycles?

[demonicdivas]

Hello, I am a long-time lurker and hope people don't mind sharing advice. I'm going to start with my question first and then explain my medical history below. Sorry if this also the wrong place to post, I am not sure quite where my question fits on these forums.

• Is cervical mucus still fertile if it's mixed with brown/old blood after a period?
• Is it normal to have a period and then brown spotting/discharge seven days after the period ends? (I don't think it's early menopause).

I have Bipolar, complex PTSD and BPD. I also have lithium-induced hypothyroidism. Earlier this year I was put on a regime of pretty hardcore drugs which I'm convinced have affected my fertility. Ever since they put me on them, I've noticed a distinct change in my periods. While my cycles have remained regular between 28-30 days and I have a regular flow for around 4 days, I then will have brown discharge for a further seven days afterwards. I never had this until they put me on these horrible drugs (which I stopped taking back in July). My thyroid medication was also adjusted a couple of times too during this time.

I turned 39 in August and I have a beautiful 3 year old daughter already. Prior to conceiving her I had a miscarriage, and I am also convinced that I had an early miscarriage in September this year.

I really want to try for another before it's too late, but I am worried that somehow these drugs have affected my fertility (Haldol, fluoxetine, Serquil, Lorazepam, Temazepam - I think something possibly damaged my thyroid further?). Certainly my weight went out of control which I'm trying to bring down now. I can't get straight answers out of my doctors (I live in a non-English speaking country and I struggle with the language), and in all my searching on the Internet I've not found answers.

Every day I feel so down about it, like I've really fucked up my body without even realising what I was taking. That the choice of having a child was taken away from me without my even realising it. I know how incredibly lucky I am to have my daughter (and that pregnancy was fraught with nightmares), but still, I get very sad thinking about it all. Perhaps it's just me and I need to accept this is it and count my blessings.

How long have you been ttc? There’s no way to know if these drugs have impacted your fertility without cd 21 blood tests (to check ovulation) and cd2-5 tests to check fsh, lh as a minimum. Most doctors wouldn’t recommend those tests until after having at least 6 months of regular, timed, intercourse. You could start tracking your cycles by tracking bbt and using opks to get a better sense of your cycles yourself.

Brown is simply old blood that didn’t come away during your period and is generally not a problem and is not necessarily indicative of a problem.

Good luck. Try to take some steps to feel like you’re in charge of your fertility. And weight loss is a fantastic first step - so well done!!

Hyperprolactinaemia is a common side effects of the anti-psychotics you were taking, so that needs evaluating alongside the endocrine panel PhysicsKate mentions. What are your thyroid levels now (need regular checks) and have you had anti-thyroid antibodies checked? For what it's worth, i showed your post to my DH who is a doctor. He urges you to get checked out now, don't wait, as that cocktail of 2 anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines and lithium does indeed have the potential to cause issues.

How are you doing now you're off the meds? Are you off all of them? X