Hormones after stopping breastfeeding

[ThisMintShark]

I have two children, an almost-3 yo and a 10mo. I had no symptoms after I stopped BF the elder and my period returned as normal, albeit much heavier at the start.

Second time around has been a different story! My period returned before I stopped BF the second. I more-or-less stopped feeding the second a couple of months ago. Since then I've had the following symptoms:

• migraines around time of period
• 2 periods each month, one light and one normal
• vaginal dryness/itchiness just before period
• increased mood swings
• recent light-headedness / tingling in fingers when approaching period

I'm guessing that these symptoms are most likely to do with a hormone imbalance and I was wondering whether others have had similar and, if so, how long it took for them to resolve? If it's abnormal then I'll pop down to the GP, but equally if it's normal for my hormones to still be out-of-whack then I'll just keep grinning + bearing it!

I’ve BF two and not had these symptoms @ThisMintShark

Hopefully someone will be along soon who knows more.

I am dying of migraines, vaginal dryness/itchyness/swelling when I am due on and terrible mood swings. Also 10m PP but still feeding. I have started taking ‘intimate flora’ capsules for the vaginal symptoms, it’s been a month and I do feel they have helped. Next step is oestrogen gel from the GP I think! Just wanted to say solidarity as it’s awful isn’t it. I would personally get seen if I were you!

Thanks for sharing your experiences @Btowngirl! Sorry to hear that you've got the same symptoms - it's not a whole lot of fun is it 😬were the 'intimate flora' capsules recommended by the GP? With everything going on atm I'm a bit nervous of taking anything non-medical lest it worsen things! Think you're right though and that it's probably best to make an appointment.

Hope you continue to improve and things get back to normal asap!!

No i couldn’t wait for them. They needed to swab first and could only send the swab on a certain day by which time I had come on so symptoms had started to alleviate! I got them online and looked for some with great reviews. I get you though, I started them when I had no symptoms as a preventative so it hasn’t crossed my mind that it could make things worse, thank god it didn’t!

Good luck to you, I hope you get some relief from it all.

After I stopped breastfeeding I bled every 14 days for a year and then another year of either every 14 or every 28 days. I was on the pill so not real periods. Before pregnancy I bled only a few days a year.
I saw the GP after a few months and they ran some tests but didn't find anything wrong. It then settled as bleeding every 28 days

Thanks @Superscientist - it's all so random / unpredictable isn't it! Glad to hear that things have settled down for you now. It never crossed my mind previously that stopping BF would wreak such havoc 😬

I've made a GP appointment for next week, so hopefully they'll be able to help with alleviating some of the symptoms!

@Btowngirl how are you getting on? Did you find the oestrogen gel helped? Hope you're getting some relief!

I made a GP appointment and just got told that it's too soon to do anything, and they'd expect 6+months before it all settles down. So here I am again a month later...bah!

Hello, that’s a real nightmare! I never understand why women get left to suffer, even if it’s just symptom relief why won’t they help us?

Not going well for me either. Just been seen again last week due to a pre period flare up & the GP (who’s area is allegedly womens health) basically said no help for me, get seen by a different gp next week if she has said she will prescribe the estrogen gel. I was emotional to be honest as I feel so unheard and in pain, she then went down the mental health route which was even more infuriating. The practice manager ended up involved (from the GP who was insistent I wanted to complain despite me repeatedly saying I didn’t want to) and he has referred me to a sister practice where the advanced nurse there has requested gynae advice. So the saga also continues for me too!

Hiya, I'm an NHS breastfeeding peer supporter and we're told in our training your hormones don't fully go back to normal until 1 year after stopping feeding 😩 I also had the hormonal migraines which were awful, I did get prescribed migraine medication which worked most of the time and then one day they just stopped. Maybe ask for that if you're really as struggling, I know how debilitating they can be. 🫶🏼🤞🏼

Oh @Btowngirl sorry to hear that - sounds awful! I do hope that the appt next week gets you somewhere. Let us know how you get on. Being told it was mental health related would've driven me mad...

Thanks @Imenti , that's really interesting to hear. I think because I didn't have any sort of side effects like this after stopping with my first that I'm not sure what to expect or what's "normal" Vs not! Glad your migraines went in the end, they are such a killer aren't they. Happily I get a blind spot first of all so can usually manage them before they get to a full-blown one - I hate the following woolly head though!

I was so surprised when I finally went to the doctor about them and she said they were a type of migraine, just hormone related as I didn't think they were bad enough to be a "normal" migraine. Funnily enough I had one yesterday after not having one for months 🥴 maybe this is now perimenopuase and they are returning, I haven't fed my daughter for over 2 years! 🙄🙄🙄 It's lovely being a woman isn't it! Good luck xxx