Question:
has anyone had problems with menstrual periods after losing weight?

i take depo-provera shots and have no desire to quit because i don't want to get pregnant anytime soon. my doctor has put me on extra estrogen patches to stop the periods and spotting i've had since surgery. has anyone else had this problem and if so, what are you doing or taking to stop the periods/spotting?    — heidi G. (posted on January 30, 2004)

January 30, 2004
Oh my gosh...YESSS. I thought I was menopausal, until I had surgery and then it was back to the cycles from hell, lots of bleeding, clotting, heavy spotting through the entire month between cycles, etc. The doctor said that because estrogen is regulated by the fat cells that's the reason that my hormonal system is all screwed up. He put me on a low dose of birth control pills and has since had to increase them. Note that at the age of 49 and with a husband who had a vascectomy almost 15 years ago I am not taking them to prevent pregnancy, but rather to try and control what to me feels like uncontrollable bleeding. After seeing and speaking with the doc earlier this month and coming to the conclusion that I suffer from menorhagia (I hope I spelled that correctly), and having the bcp dosage upped once more, we are now discussing a procedure to remove the vaginal lining for once and for all, whether it be done through balloon therapy or surgically. We'll talk about it again in 3 months if this particular birth control pill does not help the problem. This was one difficulty I never expected, but even had I known it was going to happen, I would still have had Open RNY. My life is so much better now, I feel guilty complaining. I can't help but wonder though how much better I will feel once I stop bleeding and correct the anemia that seems to accompany this malady.
   — Laurie H.

January 30, 2004
I was always regular up until wls, then I stopped my monthly for 3 cycles, I seemed to loose slower and be on a platue durring that time. I finally got back to a regular cycle, and in Dec I had to have a lump-ectomy in my breast(get those mamo's) and since then I have stopped my period again :0( and now I am on another platue, and I have read surgery can do this to you. My monthlys before surgery, were heavy, with clotts, sorry to be so grafic, and now they are lite to medium, and not such a bother.
   — wizz46

January 30, 2004
Let me preference this by saying that o am a OB/GYN NUrse Prtactitioner. Depo Provera can cause irregular bleeding as a side effect of the drug. If you are happy with it, I would go every 10 weeks to have your shots (You can use it every 10-13 wks). Some times that is enough to stop the bleeding. If you can tolerate it Motrin 800 Mgs every eight hours can help to stop the bleeding too (Note I am not saying for pain). Hope this helps. ~Keri
   — Kerijohnson

January 31, 2004
I have had a period since I turned 9yrs old and I have struggled with cramps, hemmoraging, cysts on my overies and endometriosis and nothing was worse than my periods on the Depo-Provera shots. After I had my 3 kids I started the shot and I had a period 3wks out of every month, heavy bleeding & clotting and migrains so bad I had to be put on daily medication, after a year I said forget this and got my tubes tied and migrains gone and periods back to at least abnormal, but regular for me. After WLS a year later, my periods are 100% normal and no female problems so far, not even cramps! I'm not sure why b/c WLS has nothing to do with our female production, but it seemed to do something. I have looked into the shot and questioned everyone I knew on it and looked it up on-line and 85% said they quit due to bleeding, migrains and hair falling out. I hope you stop bleeding soon, I just feel that is not normal for us to bleed like that, periods suck as it is lol Good luck!!!!
   — Sandy M.

February 1, 2004
if pregnancy is the only reason for not wanting to stop using depo, you may want to consider different types of birth control. there are so many different options out right now that are wonderfully effective. there are hormonal and non-hormonal options. there is a new product on the market called Nuva-ring, it is a ring that goes around your cervix and you just change it once a month (note: you must be very comfortable with your body to do this. it does require some 'feeling around'), you could try ortho-evra (birth control patch changed weekly, although like depo, you should be under a certain weight ~190 i think), have you thought about getting an IUD, there are two on the market, one that lasts for 10 years with no hormones (Paraguard) and one that last for 5 years and has some hormones in it (Mirena). there are vaginal foams, diaphragms, cervical caps, condoms and several different oral contraceptives that have different benefits. some even clear up acne. you said that you didn't want to become pregnant anytime soon, how soon? i personally have an iud and it has been wonderful (i've had it for 5 years and it is good for another 5 years). it was a little painful to have put in, but not any worse than the depo shots that i was getting before hand. i chose to have the iud put in after my twins were born (6 months later) and we weren't sure if we wanted anymore kids. they were my first and my doctor wasn't comfortable doing a tubal on me (although he would have it i had pressed the issue) my dh has since gotten a vasectomy and i still have my iud. double protected i guess. lol. there are so many wonderful options out there, please don't just settle for one that causes so much headache (literaly). by the way, my periods are normal since surgery.
   — Keri P.