Stopping menstration..

[wareagle]

Hi all...I know this has been discussed breifly before..sorry for bringing it up again..but I couldn't find anything when searching. My doc. is recommending that I stop my periods..hormones have been a major issue for me since becoming sick..I'm lucky if I have 1 week out of the month where I feel semi-human.

I tried to use my regular b/c pills (orthocept) to stop my periods..but after a month I started having more night sweats and nausea. My doc. wants me to see an OBGYN to recommend the appropriate methods of halting menstration. I was wondering if any of you had done this...and if you have..what did you use and did it help with your symptoms.

I believe the goal is to stop the hormone fluctuations...and hope that this will give my more "okay" days so that I can start reconditioning. For the past 2 years I've spent all my time falling into the POTShole and slowly clawing my way to the top..just to drop down again. I just haven't had any consistant "good" days and I think it has alot to do with my hormones...I don't know if the pots got it going or if the hormones are triggering the pots..what came first the chicken or the egg?

I'd appriciate any input! Hope you all are doing well!

[MightyMouse]

I can't tell you my experiences yet as I'm about to get my first Lupron injection to stop my periods tomorrow. My doctor (gyn) thinks that it's the only way for us to finally rule in or out gynocological issues causing my lower abdominal and lower back pain.

Nina

[persephone]

I wish I could tell you something positive about my experience of stopping my periods, but I can't! Still, maybe if I share it, I can stop someone else suffering like I did

They tried to stop my periods when I was 16 for my exams so I would feel better (my periods were very heavy, and used to make me faint even back then. I've always known my faints were period related) I was put on 2 contraceptive pills (birth control pills) a day non stop for 3 months. I then started bleeding in the March, and didn't stop til JULY. Yep, I bled all the way through my exams for over 100 days! And the gynae told me to keep taking the pill because if I stopped, it would get worse, I'd bleed more and end up in hospital.

It was the worst time of my life up to that point. I know you're going for an injection which is bound to be more effective, but please PLEASE be careful, and make sure your gyn know what they're doing! Mine quite clearely didn't, as I found out afterwards that if you take the pill like that with no break then a bleed is inevitable.

GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted

[Ernie]

Hi,

My periods were stopped for a year because I had endometriosis. I don't remember any side effects. My new cardiologist suggested we stop my period again but I have not made up my mind yet. Keep us posted on your progress.

Ernie

[Wendy]

I can't say I've had my periods stopped, but I can verify that, for me, my symptoms get MUCH worse when I do have a period. So there is probably something to the hormone idea.

[Roselover]

Yes, I had good experience in stopping my periods. I used Seasonale which was, I think, three months off and then a period. It made a huge difference for me, because like you I had a flare of symptoms the week before my period and the two weeks after, which only left me a week to function.

I say all this as past tense because I have recently had a hysterectomy. I had it because of a huge tumor, but having my periods totally stopped by the hysterectomy too has a been a good thing for me.

~Roselover

[lthomas521]

Ordinary birth control pills have long been prescribed for women with heavy or painful periods. Apparently, the benefit comes from preventing ovulation, so even the low-dose pills work.

There is absolutely no reason on earth why a woman has to have a bleed every 28 days. That's an arbitrary figure that was chosen in the 1950s. By someone who never ever had a period, because he was male.

If you are having trouble with hormonal side effects, you may want to consider using a pill with a lower hormone dose. Probably the best thing would be NuvaRing, which delivers the lowest dose of any contraceptive that I know of. It's a ring that you wear like a tampon for 21 days. Then you throw it away and have a 7-day ring-free period and then put in a fresh ring. Of course, you could put in a fresh ring after the 21 days and skip the period. I don't know what the optimal regimen would be.

Lupron works by suppressing the pituitary's secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Without FSH and LH, your ovaries will not secrete estrogen etc. Lupron causes an initial flare of increased FSH and LH secretion until the pituitary is downregulated. Sometimes physicians give a little bit of estrogen to women who are taking Lupron. The "add-back" estrogen could help prevent the menopause-like side effects resulting from the decreased estrogen production.

[DancingLight]

wareagle,

i have been suppressing my period using Alesse for over a year now and i LOVE it!!

i have NO periods...yippee...before that i also did the 3 months on, then a period, 3 months off, etc...

this is a controversial subject in the medical community. likely, it will depend on your ob/gyn and his/her views on this subject. some are more conservative than others.

anyway, i have to keep this super-short...sorry, i am pooped, but wanted to chip in.

i have posted at length on this topic and maybe i can do a search and find the threads for you. i posted in response to nicolesmom and i am not sure who else. if you type in alesse, dancing light, etc. you might find it. but, i will look for you also when i can.

some docs have said to me, no problem, suppress your period all the time, but my new pots doc seems more hesitant about it and would like me to have 4 periods a year. but, he also isn't goign to mess with it right now given all the other messes i am going through. so we will see.

are you on the pill already? if so, if it is a low dose pill you can easily just skip the period week and give it a shot. i really don't think any docs would mind skipping a couple of periods esp. if it helped stop your cycles of ups and downs. women have done this for years to plan for honeymoons, weddings etc. and lthomas is right...the 28 day cycle is random! but, when it comes to suppressing completely there is more debate.

oops, this was supposed to be short. but i am soooo into this stuff! i was a sex educator in college! okay, everyone, close your jaws now...it's hard to believe it from me, i know. i'm so passionate about women's health issues.

anyway, seasonale is basically just a low dose pill that they have marketed differently...but you can use any low dose pill to suppress your period.

okay, rambling. let me know if you still need more info. or need me to find my old posts.

i was on a horrible roller coaster with my periods too!

oh, and maybe try a lipo in a box? and order it from QVC? that way you can return it if you don't like it. get a high waist one. do you already wear hose? they make it so that i can get out of bed. roll down the lipo at the waist to lie down. it's worth a try...it might help you get up and around more. it does me. but, i too, have a long, long ways to go. i do lie down with it on sometimes...every day for a nap!

okay, girlfriend, i have gotta hit the hay. and figure out a new idiom to teach corina. i'm thinking about you and sorry you are having such a rough time of it. i think about you often and am always gald to see your name pop up here! let us know what you decide/learn/find out/try, k?

enough preaching from my end...sorry, didn't mean it that way at all! just want to help! i know how crummy it feels...i've been doing that eating in bed thing too...and laundry? wow...i can't do that!

take care, and later alligator!

emily

[DancingLight]

oops, you said you tried it with the ortho-cept...is that a low dose one? hmmmm.......one thing to also remember....there are a zillion pills and they are all different in terms of how our bodies respond. it's such a pain in the butt! aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhh!!!!! sorry, i'm no help. i have done the on the pill, off the pill, suppress, not suppress thing and can't figure the darn connectiosn out either.

oh good grief, i am soooooo rambling tonight. forgive me!

em

[wareagle]

Hey guys..thanks for the info.!! I wanted some ideas on what to ask the OBGYN about before making an apt. I don't look forward to explaining POTS..maybe I'll call ahead and have the doc. check out our website before I go

My POTS doc. suggested no period for about 3 months..then have one..ect. (like with seasonel).

I'm a little nervous to change my pill..I've been on the orthocept for 10 years..it was my miracle drug when I was a teenager..had HORRIBLE periods..then after the pill I was fine. When I first got sick..one of the docs. I saw took me off the pill..this was before I was properly dx...I had periods every other week for 6 mths. then at Mayo they put me back on them. I've been wondering if I need a lower level of hormones..it's so confusing..are they doing studies relating hormones to POTS? We need to get some women docs. interested in ANS dysfunction!!

Thanks all..I love being able to talk to ya'll!!

Emily..you crack me up girlie..it's good to see you prowling around the board more lately!

[steph37822]

oops

[DancingLight]

steph, what made you decide to switch over to the Yasmin? just curious...

wareagle...that is a tough one....i too, would be nervous about changing pills knowing how well this one works for you. i too, have not been able to tolerate being off of the pill. i also went on it long before POTS b/c of horrible periods, and already back then, feeling so miserable. my friends even noticed how sick i was in h.s. from my periods.

maybe print off something from this site for your ob/gyn. if she doesn't attempt to learn about pots from you and help you navigate this...then, try someone who does!

it just stumps my why the ortho-cept, which has always worked for you, makes you feel worse when you skip a week of pills. weird. hmmm....

on little note...whne you take the pill, the week off when there is no estrogen, basically your body kind of goes through estrogen withdrawal and then gets a period. this is what made it so hard for me...the fluctuation. i would have hot flashes, night sweats, etc. etc. etc. joyful.

okay, as you can see i can't sleep. steph...i'm like you half in/half out of sleep tonight. so i go up for a bit to see if i could do a little and then go back to sleep.

later alligators!

wareagle...i am glad i am cracking you up! i was afraid i was 'bossing' and i already know that you are super-smart and educated and don't need me acting like i'm all smart or something! i was just being silly! glad you could pick up on that!

emily

[Poohbear]

I would like to add my experience in hopes that maybe something I say will help you with this. I too have had TREMENDOUS trouble with hormones impacting the dysautonomia. Just a couple of months ago I found a GYN who has been SO supportive and wonderful!!!

I am 36 and my hormones have shifted. The first thing we did was I did a SALIVA hormone test which some Dr's feel is more accurate than blood test because it measures the available hormones your body has to use. You can look up ZRT laboratory for more info. They are out of Oregon I believe. The test is simple and painless. You take the test during a 3 day window at a particular phase of your cycle and mail the tubes off and they send back a detailed report.

In my case, it showed I was too low on Progesterone. My body is highly sensitive so, my GYN is using a progesterone cream that is made by a compound pharmacy (which means they can give you tiny doses that may help that you can't get in a manufactured pill).

It's too early in the process for me to know if this is helping yet or not but personally, I'm glad to try this route before using something stronger to stop my periods.

If anyone needs more info I'll be happy to help. Just post and let me know!

MJ

[steph37822]

oops