3.5 months postpartum with no period back-Morning sickness for 4 weeks- negative pregnancy test

[mardim]

Hi all,

I am 3.5 months postpartum, currently EBF but used formula at the beginning ( maybe 3-4 times overall). It's been 4 weeks with nausea, mood swings, headaches, tender breasts and enhanced sense of smell. All my pregnancy tests have come back negative. I have a GP appointment on Friday as this situation is ridiculous. I am aware of the hook effect but honestly I don't know what's happening. I had unprotected sex sometime in August but can't remember exact day! My period hasn't come back yet since giving birth. Can the GP do blood tests and order an ultrasound? I am literally going crazy as I am not even sure what to do with the pregnancy. I have 2 kids and having another one ( or even 2) fills me with anxiety as it will be too much to have 3 or more under 3.
If it's not pregnancy, then what is it? I am convinced I am pregnant, OH thinks I am not.

Any similar stories are greatly appreciated, thank you.

Are your pregnancy tests still within date?

Yes, all brand new, did clearblue (all of them) and firstresponse

I had quite a few symptoms like that before my period came back after birth so you could very well not be pregnant. If it was only unprotected sex once and EBF it is more likely to be not pregnant than pregnant. I wouldn’t worry too much.

That many tests are unlikely to be wrong unless it is too early which it doesn’t sound like it is.

I am 7.5 months pp OP and ebf, from time to time I have similar symptoms to those you have mentioned. Usually the nausea is when I haven’t had enough to eat or drink, but I wonder if it’s related to the hormones still raging through breastfeeding. My period also hasn’t returned yet

I didn't have a period for more than a year when I was breastfeeding, even though it wasn't exclusive. Once I stopped feeding, I had a bleed lasting 3 weeks!

I had unprotected sex twice in August but that was it! At that point I had given my baby bottle with formula 3-4 times.

How long did you have these symptoms before your period came back? It's been 4 weeks now! I have gained so much weight because I keep on eating crackers, ginger biscuits etc because of nausea! I am even contemplating asking the doctor for an ultrasound but I don't even know if this 8a feasible. I am willing to pay a private scan if need be.

OP

I truly do not think you are pregnant, if you have had several negative tests. You seem to have convinced yourself that you are, but nausea and headaches aren't uncommon symptoms, and tender breasts are not surprising with EBF.

See what the doctor says.

@SheilaFentiman

I am happy with my 2 under 2 kids tbh. I just want the nausea to stop as I have gained weight because I eat all the time!

I didn't get my period back for over 12months after both pregnancies when EBF, they ovously had solids as well at six months.

A few bottles of formula would be unlikely to make much of a difference. Especially as your pregnancy tests are negative, the doctor should be able to tell with a blood test though.

So it's good to get it checked out, nausea could be caused by a multitude of different things.

@AlltheFs

I only had unprotected sex twice in August and that was it! At that point I had given my baby bottle with formula 3-4 times.

How long did you have these symptoms before your period came back? It's been 4 weeks now! I have gained so much weight because I keep on eating crackers, ginger biscuits etc because of nausea! I am even contemplating asking the doctor for an ultrasound but I don't even know if this feasible. I am willing to pay a private scan if need be.

@MigGirl

Yes, I read that if you have chronic nausea ( nausea that lasts more than a month) you should get checked by a GP.

I don’t think a private scan would be necessary. Blood tests would tell you if you are pregnant or not. But with negative tests it’s likely just hormones from breastfeeding and possibly your period getting ready to return. Nothing wrong with seeing your GP and asking for blood tests, but your body has been through a lot this last year, and you've got 2 kids under 2, and you’ve also had multiple negative pregnancy tests, so it’s very unlikely that you are pregnant. You are full of hormones, recovering from birth and probably knackered.

Contrary to popular belief BF is only hormonal based for the first 4-6 weeks it then switches to supply and demand based. Yes it can stop you ovulating especially if doing night feeds, but it's more to do with your body priorities producing breast milk.

@MigGirl That is so interesting! Nobody has told me that before. I am still doing 3-4 night feeds every night so not surprised my period hasn’t returned yet!

As a follow up to a previous condition (molar pregnancy) I had to have my hcg levels monitored after my subsequent pregnancies. Turns out they didn't return to normal until I'd stopped bf. The hospital monitoring me said that happened for some women the monitored. Weirdly my periods did return despite exclusive bf and the elevated hcg. I appear to have odd hormones, maybe you do too op.

@WonderingWanda what's a molar pregnancy if you don't mind asking you please?

Mine came back at 4 months pp, despite EBF (I was robbed as BF for 26 months!). I felt off for about 6 weeks or so before I think, might’ve been 2 months. It was hard to
tell as was so sleep deprived.

I did have a slightly iffy thyroid for a while - there’s a post partum thyroid thingy some women get and I discovered I had that too but don’t know if it was connected. It wasn’t serious, no treatment needed and it sorted itself within the year.
Definitely worth getting bloods done if you can for a general health mot. I had to have routine ones anyway as was being monitored to make sure my GD had gone (which it had but it picked up the dodgy thyroid instead).

But my periods came back like clockwork at 16 weeks despite being almost 42 at that point. I was not expecting it so soon.

@mardim I wasn't suggesting you had a molar pregnancy, just explaining why my hcg was being monitored. Molar pregnancy is where something goes wrong at conception and the embryo has the wrong number of chromosomes. It can never develop as a healthy pregnancy but a nasty side effect is that the placenta cells in a molar pregnancy can become an invasive pre cancer called choriocarcinoma which can be treated and eradicated but untreated can spread and become quite serious. Also if any cells are left behind it can begin to grow again after subsequent pregnancies.

If you're EBF it's extremely likely you're not ovulating. My period didn't come back until around 9 months post partum when I reduced the amount of bf I was doing. If you're getting negative tests you're very unlikely to be pregnant.

The nausea and headaches (and associated eating!) Could well be hunger due to bf, I found mine were both really taking it out of me around that age until we got going with weaning. Not trying to minimise what you're experiencing but that's what it was with me, I do get very icky when I'm hungry though anyway.

Hi @WonderingWanda ,

Thanks for your information. I was just curious as to what molar pregnancy is. I never suggested you implied i have molar pregnancy, thank you

@PensionPuzzle I call it hungernausea, it's that type of hunger associated with morning sickness. I am definitely hydrating enough. I have gained so much weight whereas I should be losing weight!