I had a baby July, 2014. I am 27 years old, I have pcos, prior to kids my period was light, practically non existent there is some family history that ended with women needed hysterectomies...so, I'm trying to not worry too much...
But my cycles have been 36-37 days (Jan 10, Feb 16...) then March came, and I was a week late (cycle was 42 days) and came on March 30. This cycle was heavier than normal, and lasted longer. Enter April... I started brown/light spotting on the 15th (day 17) this spotting became heavy around the third day, and continued to be heavy for a couple days, then tapered off. The whole thing lasted for 8 days overall. So, i waited for the next cycle to start, see where that left me...
It started today (may 28-43 days) it went straight to heavy, and there is a very full/pressure feeling in my pelvis along with the normal cramping. The pressure is extremely bad when I go to the bathroom. I've been a bit light headed, and have a bit of a headache. I have been more tired than usual, drinking more coffee but I thought it was just my youngest teething and not sleeping great, but even with solid sleep I feel like it's not enough.
Some misc things that I have bugging me though I have a burning in my left foot, that goes up my leg, that I have been seeking council on for at least four years... and my feet have been swelling-which is not normal for me outside of pregnancy.
I am calling my doctor tomorrow, as it's bugged me enough to cause worry, but I know there is only a fill in doctor there right now, so I am wondering if anyone has anything similar or ideas of what it could be that I could bring g up with the intern?
Thanks ladies!
I have no idea. I did have the same issues with my period after I had my son. My OB put me on Birth Control and they have been regular ever since. The burning feet/ leg I do not know. It could be nerve related or something else entirely. Its good that you made an appointment with your Dr. That would have been my advice. Good luck!
Well I don't know, because I'm not a doctor, but pain in your left foot COULD be gout, so ask about that when you go in.
Are you currently taking BC? I ask because while some changes can just occur with age, what you talk about sounds a lot like me now that I no longer take BC. My cycles will range from just 20+ days all the way up to 45 days. They used to last several days, but now I bleed so heavy the first 3 they usually only last 5/6, but I get tired, light headed, and anemic. I also feel pressure when I go to the bathroom sometimes that is very bad, but healthy wise for me everything is fine.
I don't have PCOS but have done a few rounds of detoxes lead by Dr. Sara Gottfried, who has written The Hormone Cure and The Hormone Cure Reset Diet, and many of my fellow detoxers have PCOS. There is lots of info on PCOS in The Hormone Cure and on her website, with practical advice on how lifestyle changes (diet, supplements) can mitigate symptoms and restore some of the normal balance to your hormones.
I think if I were in your shoes, after seeing your own doc I'd get a copy of The Hormone Cure book and if your doctor doesn't practice functional medicine, I'd seek out someone who does as they tend to have more in their took kit than pills and surgery. Hormone imbalances can trigger so many symptoms throughout the body so you want someone who can help you heal your body from the inside out - not just with synthetic hormones like birth control pills that treat one or two symptoms or with removing your organs but with nutrients that get your body where it needs to be to sustain good health from head to toe.
All that said...period changes after having a child are very common. After my last pregnancy, it took almost a year for my periods to get back to somewhat normal. Mine were close together, long and very heavy. I was also feeling very hormonally out of whack - cranky, angry, gaining weight, acne, etc. I went to my doc to see if she would send me to an endocrinologist or prescribe a progesterone cream or order hormone testing. She didn't do any of those but instead prescribed Prozac and birth control pills and told me to see my ob-gyn, whose solution to the heavy bleeding was to offer endometrial ablation (literally burning the lining of your uterus so that you no longer have periods). Luckily I didn't follow the advice of either of them and was back to relatively normal on my own a few months later.
The pressure in your pelvis could be something like uterine prolapse (the uterus descends lower than it should), a cyst, etc. so hopefully your doc can to an exam or order imaging that explains what's going on with that. Hope you get some answers soon!
Our bodies change as we age. What some ting was like last year may be different this year. Also, when we dwell on how we feel or don't feel symptoms seem worse. Once, as with your foot, doctors have not found anything wrong, we either accept that we're OK and stop paying attention or we dwell on it, continuing to look for reasons for an issue that can't be found. Your symptoms become a large part of your life as they continue to seem important.
Perhaps you do this because of fear. You are thinking that the worst case scenario will be yours. Life with fear prevents us from enjoying life. It's good to have symptons out. Healthy to be a little anxious. Looking for symptoms to enforce our belief/fear robs us of a happy life.
You're in a never ending cycle that won't change until you find out why you do this. I know this is very painful for you. I hope that you want a happier life enough to talk with a mental health specialist
