Question:
Does wls have anything to do with hormone changes?
Ok, so, my periods have never been that regular until about a year ago. Since then, they are every 28 days. I was supposed to have one on the 19th of this month, and I havent had it yet. My fiance and I dont use contraceptives. I know we should, but we dont. Does this surgery mess with hormones so that my periods wont be regular every month? I really hope that im NOT pregnant. Please, any information is welcome. Even if you want to give info and chew me out at the same time... hahaha...Thanks, Steph — squeekypete (posted on June 27, 2006)
June 27, 2006
I have never heard of it messing up your periods I have always heard it
will get them back in order I would have to say you need to get a test.Good
luck
Kristal
— KristalGerou
June 27, 2006
I have never heard fothe making them irregular, though losing weight can
and will make you VERY fertile as all the estrogen that was stored in your
fat cells is released when you lose the weight ( or at least that was the
way it was expalined to me) and therefor you stand a very good chance of
being pregnant since you aren't preotecting yourself from it. There are
women that have gotten pregnant post op on 2 kinds of contraceptives. so
the best i can tell you is to go get tested and if you are lucky enough not
to be pregnant this time around, and you really don'tw ant to be then I
would really suggest finding a method of Birth control that will work with
you.
— NavyNukeWife
June 27, 2006
Navy wife you are correct about fat cells storing estrogen- Steph you did
not say how long it has been since your surgery and if recently you have
lost a lot of weight which can mess things up for a while- how late is your
period? however my best advice is for you to get a pregnancy test and
discuss this with your doctor then use precautions if you don't want a
family right now. Donna
— dabby
June 27, 2006
you are what.. close to 2 weeks late. I would take a test, just to be sure.
Good luck
— Jenney
June 27, 2006
From your profile looks like you are barely 2 months post-op, is that
correct? From what I have read your body is not ready to nourish a baby,
but on the other hand I have heard some members have this happen to them
and with close doctor supervision, everything works out for them. My only
advice would be find out ASAP so you do not hurt yourself and if you are
prego, get your doc involved. Let us know!!
— kimmy
June 27, 2006
YUp Kim,
And I am one of those, I got pregnant at 3 1/2 months post op, and so far
so good. So yes, it can and will happen to you even if you are super
careful.
— NavyNukeWife
June 27, 2006
Wanted to address not using contraceptives - I was told many many times
prior to this surgery that I was *NOT* to get pregnant at least 18 months
post-op. Not only can it be damaging to your body but extremely dangerous
for a fetus! I know lots of people got pregnant and had kids within a short
while of the surgery but I would think that after having major surgery I
would protect myself from something that could be harmful! If you dont want
to use a condom the depo-shot, NuvaRings or other IUDs as well as the patch
are extremely easy ways of protecting yourself. Surgery can mess with
hormones and periods may become irregular - all the weight loss can cause a
spike in hormones as well as all the stress on your body from not only the
surgery but the weight loss. I would take a pregnancy test if it comes back
negative put a call into the OBGYN for a checkup.
— Jennifer K.
June 27, 2006
Hi stephanie,
I have always heard nothing but the opposite. The majority of the women
that I know have become very regulated and fertile shortly after having
WLS, myself included. I am currently 35 weeks pregnant after being intimate
with my husband ONCE without a contraceptive.
— Tiff's On a Mission
June 27, 2006
Steph here, with more info! Thank you all for your responses. And I got
three prego tests, but havent taken them yet, as they say that it is best
to use the first morning urine, though I dont have to, I'd like to. And
yes, I am just over two months out. And I am only nineteen, I am ready for
a family, but with the surgery aspect, Im not ready. So, If you have
anything to say about using 'any time of the day' urine, let me know.
Thanks! Steph
— squeekypete
June 27, 2006
Hi Stephanie - I sent you an email...
— kimmy
June 27, 2006
OK so not using contraceptives and expecting not to get pregnant is like
eating junk food all day and not expecting to gain weight. It will usually
happen in time eventually. If you don't want to get pregnant take the
responsibility to protect yourself...go on the pill or inssit htat he use
condoms.
— SteffieBear15
June 27, 2006
The idea of contraception is foreign to some of us who have battled our
cycles and infertility for their whole life (PCOS for me). Others
shouldn't be so quick to judge someone who fails to take heed. If you
never needed it before, it's not exactly something that you think a lot
about later. My husband and I were married for 7 years before we conceived
my son, and that was as a result of temp taking, fertility monitors and the
whole 9 yards. I've never once used any contraception before, but now that
I'm over 2 years out from surgery, it's something that now needs to be
considered. That being said, I do agree that the cycles tend to regulate
once you have surgery, but that can take awhile. YES, 2 months out your
period could be late because your hormone levels are adjusting. Yes, you
could be pregnant, but you could also just be going through a hormonal
fluctuation. I had a period not even a week after surgery (common) and
then another one a month later, then nothing for several months. Then it
started back up again and went for 6 weeks, then it was sporadic. It went
on like this for a whole year before I got on a normal cycle. So if you
were not regular until this last year, you could have PCOS and yes indeed,
this could just be because your body is trying to normalize after surgery.
Definitely take the test, and if you're not pregnant, take this as the
moment that reminds you in the future to consider that your fertility will
likely increase greatly from here on out. If you are, get to a specialist
to be monitored. I've known several women who got pregnant shortly before
and shortly after surgery. Two were so newly pregnant the tests didn't
show up just before surgery and they were both indeed pregnant when they
had surgery. One carried a healthy baby to term while the other lost the
baby. Others who are a little farther out from surgery may fare better.
The point is that if you are careful and follow doctors orders and you are
pregnant, you still have a good chance of having a healthy baby without
compromising your own health. Yes, it's harder, but it's possible. Good
luck to you - I hope that you find out this happens when you are ready and
not when it can open a pandora's box for you...Dina
— Dinka Doo
June 28, 2006
Thank you Dina for your response. And you are right, My periods werent that
normal until around a year ago. And I have PCOS (dr says it is a mild case,
nothing to severe or something) So the idea of using contraceptives is
pretty foriegn. My fiance and I have been together for almost four years,
and havent used protection but maybe 12 times. I have a drs app for
tomorrow afternoon, and I will know more then. I took two home tests (the
dollar store kind) and they both came out negative, so that is what I am
counting on, but who knows, the drs blood work might show up something
different. Whatever the outcome, I know that in the future, I will have to
take precautions! Steph
— squeekypete
June 28, 2006
For your own health please use some kind of protection for now till at
least a year in a half. I've watched on TV several programs that were
horror stories about women who had gotten pregnant and miscarried since
they got pregnant a few months post-op. I know of several that have had
normal children post-op. But if you and your fiance are not planning
children at this time, play it safe because it does cause your hormones to
go up making you more fertile. I'm just glad I had a hysterectomy several
years ago cause I'm was always really easy even overweight to get pregnant.
There are so many options out there now so it's worth the investment. If
you love yourself and he loves he be careful.
— Deborah Joyner
July 1, 2006
here is how my dr explained it to me. there are several misconceptions
being passed along/ Yes, our fat cells not only store estrogen, but produce
it. as we lose weight our estrogen levels actually drop as the fat cells
are not making so much estrogen, It doesn't just release and stay in your
bloodstream and make your levels higher, it metabolized out and goes away.
the very high estrogen levels many obese women have prevent ovulation,
as a birth control pill would and that is why some obese women do not
menstruate. as the levels drop, ovulation , fertility and periods return.
UNLESS you are at an age where you would maybe be starting menopause.
there are women who are perimenopausal who have enough estrogen from the
fat cells it keeps them menstruating, than as they lose and the levels
drop, and their ovaries are not producing as much, they may stop having
periods. In my case I got extremely heavy and irregualr periods, and had
to have an endometrial ablation, I was bleeding so much I was anemic. If
the ablation had not worked I would have been having an hysterectomy.
if you are still at a child bearing age, yo need to see your Dr asap for a
pregnancyy test and check up. If you are not pregnant and you are still
rapidly losing weight, yo might want a contraceptive until your weight is
stabilized and yo are ready to have a healthy pregnancy. You deserve to
get pregnant on your own terms rather than an oops.
— **willow**
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