Question:
My period is so irregular and I'm on the pill.

Is this from the surgery/still losing weight? I'm 7 months post op.    — Janice P. (posted on September 17, 2002)

September 17, 2002
More than likely. In fact, your period may not figure itself out until you are FINISHED losing. But you leave out a lot of pertinant information, such as "Was your period IRREGULAR before surgery", "What is your concern with it?" Etc. Etc. Also, there are a LOT of period dicussions in the ol' database.
   — Karen R.

September 17, 2002
Hello, I too am irregular and (I think) that I'm now almost starting to get back on track. I would get a period twice a month. My doctor and I both realized that I wasn't absorbing the pill. I still don't think that I'm getting everything out of it that I need to. He switched me from Loestrin to Ortho Trycyclene which seems to be working better. I think that all of us RNY's have issues with absorbtion.
   — Kristina P.

September 17, 2002
a very low fat diet will sometimes cause missed or irregular periods. This is a common occurrence in women athletes. With us eating so much less of everything, this may be a contributor.
   — Darlene P.

September 17, 2002
Who knows why this happens to some of us, all of the answers given here are possible. I do know that you should be careful, this happened to me pre-op and it meant that the pill I was taking wasnt strong enough. I now call this little lack of knowledge that I had....Tyler....who is now the light of my life. But seriously, maybe its the weight loss, maybe its the fact that you arent absorbing it well. Anyway, just thought I would give my 2 cents worth. By the way, I saw a commerical the other day on the TV for a birth control patch. I think it sounds like a great idea, you can swim and shower with it on, and no more doubling up on pills because you forgot one yesterday. Best of luck to you!!
   — Cory F.

September 17, 2002
You're not alone - same thing happened to me at appx 2-3 months post op (I am currently 4 mo post op RNY). I had been on Ortho Novum 777's for about 10 years prior to surgery - never a problem for me. My surgeon ASSURED me that I did not need to worry about malabsorption - he said the pill would be just as effective after surgery. Well, I was a few hours late taking my pill one day and ended up with spotting. This worried me. I went to my gyno and she told me I had nothing to worry about - she said the pill was still working - it's just that rapid weight loss can cause hormones to fluctuate. The pill I was on had varying hormone levels - she switched me to Ortho Novum 1/35's. She said the hormone levels in the 1/35's are constant - they do not fluctuate. My gyno warned me that the switch might not completely clear up the spotting but I had no need to worry that I would end up pregnant. She is right so far - I have not had any spotting since I switched. If I were you, I'd still check with my doctor- just in case - can't be too careful!
   — Traci A.