Question:
Very Personal Female Questions. Please help.

Hello, I am 4 1/2 months post op and have been on my period since the day after I got home from the hospital. I was diagnosed with Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome in 1998 and have not had a period by myself in a very long time. The day after I got home from my gastric bypass I started and I have not stopped yet and I am even on birth control pills. My GYN increased my pills to 2 a night and I am still going. Has this ever happened to anyone or does anyone know why this is happening? Has anyone ever got pregnant after having PCOS and then a gastric bypass.(That was one of my main reasons for doing this) I very badly want a child but not for another year. I have lost 83lbs and I feel great but this period thing is getting very bothersome. Thank you for any input and help. God Bless.    — Crystal D. (posted on August 23, 2002)

August 23, 2002
hi crystal i too have pcos. it seems like when i started experiencing the symptoms of pcos my cycles went away and my weight began to sky rocket. ive noticed through the years losing weight off and on would bring cycles back temporarily. about 1 year before my rny my cycles returned to normal although i still suffer many symptoms of pcos. when i was 22 i wanted a child but had no cycles therefore was not ovulating so my doc put me on 9 pills of progesterone to bring cycle on. it did and by that next month i had concieved my son. i have tried for another through the years with no luck at all.after having r n y on feb 8th 02 my cycles were wacky again but this is due to surgery not pcos. many women experience this becuase our estrogen levels go crazy during rapid weight loss and probably because of what the body has just gone through. my cycles have now returned to normal and all is well but i still have symptoms that are bothersome to me of pcos. im curiuos too to know if this surgery helps chances of concieving. im sure it does help because i have read of women that finally were able to have a baby after wls. go to www.soulcysters.com if you have not yet been there its a very informative website for women that have pcos and im sure youll read success stories on there best of luck to you! :)
   — carrie M.

August 23, 2002
I don't have PCOS (that I know of anyway) but I had the same problem after surgery when I took a depo-provera shot. I had a period for 4 months straight with no time off for good behavior. Then after it wore off, I had NO period for about 3-4 months. It was crazy. I am sure it has something to do with the hormones being out of whack as we lose weight rapidly, but that's not much consolation. The excess bleeding for me seems to be too MUCH hormonal intervention rather than not enough, as I had a similar reaction to Ortho Novum 777, but can take the lighter version (like Nordette) with no problems. No real help here, just wanted you to know that you aren't alone. BTW, I did level out eventually. I am now back on Nordette to keep me evened out so my PMS is not so bad. ;) Good luck!
   — ctyst

August 23, 2002
I also have PCOS. I had my surgery on 1/24/02. I was put on birth control pills after to stop me from getting pregnant, even though I told my surgeon I wouldnt. I had a regular period since January. I recently stopped taking my birth control pills about 3 weeks ago due to emotional issues. They were to difficult for me ( and my husband! ) I also tried different pills before at the suggestion of my endocrinologist/fertilitist/OBGYN but they did not help emotionally. since I have been off the birth control pills I have been bleeding. I had also just gotten off of my period, so its been about a month so far. I am now only spotting. I also had the surgery mainly to improve my chances of having kids. I was on Clomid every month for a while to stimulate ovulation, but it did not work. I am not far enough out from my surgery to activly start trying again, but without the birth control and with the weight loss it could happen without the medication. Good luck and please Email me at [email protected] if you would like.
   — Heidi B.

August 23, 2002
hi! Im 37 and have been bleeding for about 2 years! Every day! so i had a D&C, and a tubal ligation to avoid unwanted pregnancies(i already have 2 teen children that i conceived with clomid. I have never been a good ovulator but the pill has kept me "normal": for years and then all of a sudden it didn't work anymore. Even after the D&C i began bleeding again right away. Major bummer. Dr dosent know what the heck to do! i am totally bummed out. i hate bleeding all the time and i think hubby is getting sick of it too! good luck to us all.
   — robyn R.

August 23, 2002
I looked up your problem on google.com's seach engine and I saw something that may describe what is going on with you. If you are interested you can go to http://www.wdxcyber.com/nbleed16.htm hopefully it will help. Good luck for all of you on getting it to stop. I know I can't stand it for five days never mind constantly.
   — jenlaur1