Guest guest Posted May 18, 2003 Report Share Posted May 18, 2003 Okay, I have to admit that this is more than I expected to get from you. I thought we were just dealing with a little menstrual irregularity, but this is a much larger problem, and I think it sounds like a potentially serious one, especially given your family history. It's great that things evened out for you after childbirth - apparently they often do. But I don't think that the problem is gone and it's something you should explore now. I've been doing a lot of exchanging with women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Do you know about this condition? It causes things like missed periods, heavy or light periods, irregular menstruation, overweight, adult acne, skin tags, excess body hair, and a whole bunch more things, including ovaries that develop multiple cysts. It is caused by a hormonal imbalance. You mentioned your mom had bad acne. Was she also overweight and did she have trouble losing it? Are you overweight? Have you done any work with the herb Vitex? That would be the first place I'd start, I think. Actually, the first thing I would do in your case is to find a doc who specializes in fertility (even though you are not ttc) and get him/her to run the gamut of tests. That includes checking your thyroid (can also cause menstrual difficulties and the fact that you get so debilitatingly tired before your period may be a clue that something is up with that), having an ultrasound done so you can see your ovaries and be sure they look normal sized without extra cysts, doing a day 21 progesterone test to make sure you are ovulating, and having your other hormone levels checked out as well. You should probably also get an insulin resistance test done to see how you handle sugar and if there is any insulin resistance there. You said you never had any complaints, well, excessive bleeding and that sort of debilitating PMS sounds like a pretty valid complaint to me! Fibroids can cause heavy bleeding as well, and you've got a family history of those. Okay, back to the Vitex. Vitex Agnus Castus is probably a herb with which you are familiar, right? It's sort a wonder herb in the world of ttc. It helps to regulate hormonal balance. Somehow it works in all situations. If you are estrogen dominant it will take care of that and if you're not producing enough progesterone it will take care of that too. Take it as a tincture, every cycle from day 7 (the seventh day after you start bleeding red blood) until you get your period again, stop for a week and start again. Do this for six months and see if you notice any change in your cycle or your PMS symptoms. Also, of course, do your nettle, red raspberry and red clover tea. Those as, you know, are considered fertility herbs and they will go a long way towards helping you to regulate your cycle. Okay, that's what I have to say for now. I'm turning your problem over and over in my head, waiting for the pieces to fall into place. My advice to you is don't let this sit for too long. See if you can schedule an appointment to have the fertility workup done. It's important to get a proper diagnosis done before you can correct the problem, and that's where those pesky docs come in! Love, ILANA xoxo ErinJC23 wrote: I guess they've run you through the ropes for all possible causes, like endo or PCOS? Actually no I havent had any complaints, and they have never seen any problem or asked period related questions. Have you done anything in the way of charting your cycles or following your fertility cycle with ovulation predictor kits or anything like that. Partly the problem seems to me to be heavy bleeding, and partly it seems to be irregular ovulation. I dont get heavy bleeding anymore (thankfully). That stopped after childbirth. The irregular ovulation - well, I agree it is irregular lol It always has been, but at least I get a period now and dont skip every other month like I did before bc pills/baby. No I have never tried monitoring anything before. If you can figure out when ovulation happens it's going to be that much easier to figure out what is going on with you. I wonder if the high incidence in your family of cervical cancer actually has anything to do with estrogen or if it's actually something else. Well I know my mom had a hormonal imbalance. She had the first cervical cancer when in her young twenties. She had adult acne. And two years ago - I kid you not - no exaggeration - she began bleeding and wouldnt stop. They tested her for everything, endo and fibroid cycts, and nothing showed up. The doc didnt want to do a hysterectomy and tried everything he could think of to avoid it. Finally she got to where she passing out regularly, etc, and so they did a completely hysterectomy. When they opened her up - I kid you not! - she had fibroid cysts, ovarian cysts, growths on the outside of the uterus, built up scar tissue from c-sections, and the beginning of edometriosis!!! I guess maybe the tests were coming out negative because she had so much. She also has breast cysts. I am thinking something goes on in the family to make cervical cancer run so high. I know nothing else about the rest of my family so I dont know who else has had it. Thankfully none were bad cases as they caught them in time. Have you done any herbal work on yourself for these problems? Also, I take it you're drug-free now, right? How about cleanses? Have you done any of those? And what is your diet like? Also, have you ever been to see an acupuncturist? No I have never been to an acupuncturist. Like I said, I dont get cramps anymore (besides this week, and not sure if thats bowel related or not). I have taken herbs to promote period when it wasnt wanting to come when Gage was under a year to try and regular myself. I am drug free, yes Been for three years off prescription drugs yeah!!! My diet is pretty good I think, although I do need to cut down on the sugar I admit. I am not a vegetarian but I dont eat red meat more than 2ce a week, and I do eat fruits /veggies/ do the juicing thing also. For cleanses Ive never done anything radical. I have done mild bowel cleansers. My bowels are now regular - once a day, sometimes twice a day. Before I did all this they were not regular at all and I like that theyre more regular now. I havent done a liver cleanse or anything like that. Erin Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy. 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician and to prescribe for your own health. We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as long as they behave themselves. Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any person following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products from list members, you are agreeing to be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and members free of any liability. Dr. Ian Shillington Doctor of Naturopathy Dr.IanShillington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2003 Report Share Posted May 18, 2003 In a message dated 5/18/2003 8:51:43 PM Pacific Standard Time, ilana writes: Ideally you want to bleed red with no clots for at least a couple of days. It might be worth your while to look into acupuncture. Maybe it's just an energy blockage or perhaps it's even a problem with your liver or your kidneys. Ilana I didn't know about that, thanks for the info! What would you say to this: After a few weeks after giving birth and the bleeding has basically stopped or already stopped (Id say 3 to 4 weeks afterwards), a VERY large clot is released. This happened to me and my dr said not to come in, when the nurse told me when we were checking out to come in if I passed big clots. When I showed my ex the size of this clot he thought my liver had fallen out llol. I dont mean to sound gross but it was HUGE - bigger than my vagina, Im serious, wouldnt even fit into a ziplock bag. It was just a huge blob, didnt feel it coming out. It was very big but no one believes my ex when he tells them the size lol. Then a clot half that size, which is still big for a clot, came out. The midwife said not to come in over it. But someone at my ex work (we were sitll together at the time) said something similiar happened to his g-friend and she had to get a shot. And someone else I spoek to has had four children and said she'd never heard of that and didnt think of it normal, while other people say it probably is. Any thoughts? The nurse when I was checking out said that it could mean my uterus wasnt shrinking right if that did happen. She said bigger than a golfball, but what I passed was at least 5 golfballs (Im sure many think Im exaggerating lol). The seventh or eight day after labor is when the uterus is supposed to shrink, according to my mom, and she says it is pretty painful. When I went through it it was very painful and I got very nauseated with it, resulting in a small petite mal (or mal petite) seizure, which is no big deal - I only get them when I get very nauseated - right before I think Im going to throw up a seizure happens instead and only lasts about 60 seconds, no big deal. But it had been about 4 years since my seizure before that, so that shows the level of nausea. I know I was supposed to do the abdomen massage thing regularly to help shrink the uterus (sigh) but I pretty much forgot. Again, this may be a normal thing but just wanted to hear someone more opinions on it. It's too late to do anything now of course but just curious. Thanks! Erin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2003 Report Share Posted May 18, 2003 Erin, I'll give you a longer reply to this tomorrow, but just wanted to say that I suggested seeing a fertility specialist not because you have fertility problems but because the symptoms that you are experiencing are those that a fertility specialist would be able to help you with better than any other medical professional. Or maybe a Reproductive Endicrinologist would be better. I'm not sure. I'm in Canada. We work differently here. But you should have those tests run to check your hormone levels at different points in your cycle and it's most likely the fertility specialist who is going to do that for you. Then you can better figure out what you're dealing with. As for clotting, that was what my periods were like up until just this last when, when for the first time since I can remember (probably since I went on the pill) it was RED and there weren't any clots. My acupuncturist and homeopath both said that it means that my blood isn't moving properly. It's stagnating in my uterus. Stagnation causes clots. My periods also happen to be very light, which is another indicator. But basically, clots happen when the blood doesn't move too quickly out of your uterus and starts to sort of harden. Ideally you want to bleed red with no clots for at least a couple of days. It might be worth your while to look into acupuncture. Maybe it's just an energy blockage or perhaps it's even a problem with your liver or your kidneys. ILANA xoxo ErinJC23 wrote: I've been doing a lot of exchanging with women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Do you know about this condition? It causes things like missed periods, heavy or light periods, irregular menstruation, overweight, adult acne, skin tags, excess body hair, and a whole bunch more things, including ovaries that develop multiple cysts. It is caused by a hormonal imbalance. You mentioned your mom had bad acne. Was she also overweight and did she have trouble losing it? Are you overweight? No my mom was never overweight. She actually has a nice shape. She's had three kids and drops the weight easily after pregnancy. She is average weight, in a size 8 or 9 pant size. I am slightly overweight but I think due to not exercising the tummy area enough. Have you done any work with the herb Vitex? That would be the first place I'd start, I think. Actually, the first thing I would do in your case is to find a doc who specializes in fertility (even though you are not ttc) and get him/her to run the gamut of tests. That includes checking your thyroid (can also cause menstrual difficulties and the fact that you get so debilitatingly tired before your period may be a clue that something is up with that), having an ultrasound done so you can see your ovaries and be sure they look normal sized without extra cysts, doing a day 21 progesterone test to make sure you are ovulating, and having your other hormone levels checked out as well. You should probably also get an insulin resistance test done to see how you handle sugar and if there is any insulin resistance there. You said you never had any complaints, well, excessive bleeding and that sort of debilitating PMS sounds like a pretty valid complaint to me! I have heard of the herb vitex and know it well, I have some tinctured but havent used. Perhaps I will make a hormonal tonic and give it a try. I dont have fertility problems, that I am sure of. My family is very fertile, and I also proved to be. I did have my thyroid checked before, but not due to menstrual problems, it was due to other problems and it checked out sound. Hm...on birth control pills are you supposed to get more estrogen? The reason I ask is when I was younger I was seeing a psychiatrist, and she had some levels of differnt drugs checked. I was on estrostep at the time. She was a really non-reactive woman, as in pretty monotone, lack of reaction lol. She said when my tests came back that my estrogen was VERY low and with her widening her eyes it must have been lol. Like I said, she didnt respond to things easily. I thought bc pills raised estrogen levels? If so, then why was the estrogen so low at the time? Or do they lower estrogen levels? Im not on the pill now, havent been for around 3 years. Okay, back to the Vitex. Vitex Agnus Castus is probably a herb with which you are familiar, right? It's sort a wonder herb in the world of ttc. It helps to regulate hormonal balance. Somehow it works in all situations. If you are estrogen dominant it will take care of that and if you're not producing enough progesterone it will take care of that too. Take it as a tincture, every cycle from day 7 (the seventh day after you start bleeding red blood) until you get your period again, stop for a week and start again. Do this for six months and see if you notice any change in your cycle or your PMS symptoms. Thanks I willd definitely start this! With my periods its mainly clots, not really bleeding, I have always been clotty. I will see what happens with the vitex; as I said, the main problem is so tired. 4 or 5 days before the period I just get very tired, like Im getting the flu. And then the first days of period I can sleep for 15 hours a day or more lol, it drains me. My mother was the oposite before the hysterectomy. She ccouldnt sleep on her period or when she got sick. Also, of course, do your nettle, red raspberry and red clover tea. Those as, you know, are considered fertility herbs and they will go a long way towards helping you to regulate your cycle. I do have those herbs as well, thanks! Thanks for all the help! Erin Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy. 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician and to prescribe for your own health. We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as long as they behave themselves. Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any person following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products from list members, you are agreeing to be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and members free of any liability. Dr. Ian Shillington Doctor of Naturopathy Dr.IanShillington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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