Hey ladies. I havn't had a period for 4 months. And no I'm not pregnant. I've taken several test to confirm, and well, my lack of sex life would make that a miracle if I was.
Anyways, this has never happened to me before. Over the past year and a half or so, I began occasionally skipping periods. But when it did happen, it was only one month at a time, and I just figured it was stress, since I started back to school roughly when it began. I've been better about working out over the past two monts or so, and I am ever so slowly loosing weight (I've lost about 10 lbs), and went from a 14 to a ten, and I'm still loosing, but no period. It's not that I'm too active for one, I only work out usually once a week, sometimes more, sometimes not at all. I just don't know? Everybody just shrugs their shoulders when I ask.
So I went to the doctor and I'm totally normal. I think I was so worried because no one I've told had experienced anything like it. When I went to see my doctor she was not worried at all, but wanted to run some blood work just to rule out anything bad. They checked all the normal bloodwork, plus my thyroid and several hormones. All of my test were within normal ranges. She said that sometimes body's can just sort of get outta sync, for some reason or anohter and that it's nothing to be alarmed. She said that when she was in medical school that she once went an entire year without a period. She sent me home with a prescription of something that would start my period and said that once you have one, it usually gets the body back in the swing of things. I was told to wait on the meds pending pregnancy test results. And of coarse I ended up starting on my own within the next couple of days!
In case some of you are wondering, she said it's actually healthier for the ovaries not to have a period. Stating that the more the ovaries work, the more likely you are to get ovarian cancer. So not having them is better for them, and that a woman's body was sorta designed to be pregnant(since you go so many months without one while you're pregnant). She says that the only thing a period really does for your body is produce estrogen, which when you're young helps with bone growth and strength. But that a safe amount per year is considered 3-4 periods. Hence the newer birth control that lets you only have 4 periods a year.
How about diet? It sounds like you aren't obese or anything, in fact, at a size 10 you are smaller than average! ;) I believe diets too high in fats can effect menstruation, but don't quote me on that, google "Diet and lost of menstruation" and see what you can find.
Good Luck:)
That happened to me and turns out I had a growth on my ovary. It was removed and things went back to normal. I would really go see an OB/GYN. It might be stress, but it could also be things like thyroid, female problems or something else.
Definitely think you should get checked out. But having said that, there are a few things that could be causing your periods to change. One of them is your hormone level. If you have low progesterone levels than you will not ovulate regulary and you will not have periods regularly. When I'm not on birth control pills, my cycles are anywhere from 30 days in between to 105 days in between. My doctor confirmed with a blood test that my progesterone is low and that's why my cycles are so far apart. Another thing to consider is that excercise and diet can impact your periods as well. Rapid weight loss can also cause you to skip periods. There are a number of things that can impact your cycle...and to be safe, the best thing to do is talk with your doctor.
J.,
Please go to your gynecologist. I'm having a problem of my own - I haven't stopped my period since September. Anyway - before that started happening to me I missed a period and since my yearly was already scheduled I went to my doctor and talked to him about it. He told me that if you miss your period more than 3 months that could be a sign of something wrong. Now don't get scared - I said "could be". So long story short - please go to your doctor and talk with him/her about it and find out. Better safe than sorry is my motto, besides everything that I can come up with in my head is always worse than what it actually is.
Good Luck and God Bless,
Mel
J.,
Being that you are so young, I do think it odd to have this issue. I really urge you to see a doctor. It could be something very simple but you really should get it checked out.
Take Care.
Lack of menstruation is not healthy. First of all, are you getting your pap smears done yearly? I have went through similiar circumstances and was Ddagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. You definitely need to see an ob/gyn and find out why you aren't having periods regularly.
I've never had a regular period, even when I was on BCP. I would skip a month or two here and there. My GYN always told me it was no big deal, just the way my body operated. You may want to call you GYN and ask the nurse if they think you need an appt. They'll probably want to give you a pelvic and draw some blood to check your hormone levels. Even though you're not exercising a lot, it could still have an impact on your period. Especially if you went from no exercise to working out once a week. I'm guessing that you've also changed your diet, and it look like you're in school. All of those things can play a factor in your cycle. I'm betting that it will right itself eventually, but call your doc just to be sure.
I think it is time for a professional opinion and maybe some tests. Don't think this coud be considered normal unless you are on some medications you haven't mentioned.
Definitely sounds like a question for a professional. Are you taking birth control? Some types can cause your periods to be light or non-existent, but I assume you would know that if you were on one like that. While missing a period may not be be something you're "missing" so to speak, it is a symptom and you never know what could be causing it. Best to seek medical advice before the symptoms start piling up or getting painful.
Have you seen your doctor? When was the last time you had a thyroid test.YOu may have a hyperthyroid. The thyroid reglates everything in your body. Please have this checked out.
Dear Jen,
It sounds to me like you need to be talking to some of the people you work with in the hospital! *smilling* The lack of periods alone , or the weight loss alone, might be explained away sometimes, but the combination of the two could signal something that needs to be treated right away (Hyperthyroid, maybe? Hormone imbalance?).
At 26 you're far too young for an early menopause (like I had), but it might be the beginning of an early onset perimenopause, and your OB/GYN should be able to help you determine that. My periods became extremely light in my mid 20s, and by my 34th birthday, periods were history all together. The same had been true (within a birthday or two) for my mother and grandmother, so it was a genetic thing in my case.
See if you can get some blood work done to test your hormone levels, and ask someone if this could be related to your thyroid.
Good luck! I know you'll get this straightened out.
Since you work at a hospital, there must be an OB-GYN on staff. I have never missed a period my whole life, except when I was pregnant and for the 1st 9 months of nursing. As this does not seem normal to miss 4 months of periods otherwise, I would make an appointment for an exam ASAP. It can be scary to think something may be wrong, but putting it off won't make the problem go away and could make it worse. It's always better to know. Then you can take the appropriate actions to get treatment and get better. Be well, R.
I had a friend that missed a lot of her periods and had to go to her OB/GYN and they ran some tests and things and found out that it was just the way her body worked. So they tried several BCPs but they slowly stopped working too. I would suggest talking to your doc asap and finding out what the deal is. I know that when I was getting the Depo shot (BC shot) I didn't have a period and now I have an IUD and haven't one since I got it (about 2 months). It's not uncommon for certain BCs to do that to you, but it sounds like you aren't on any form, so I think the doc is your best bet. I want to congratulate you on your weight loss. I have battled weight fluctuation for YEARS and I'm currently trying to lose it....AGAIN. May I ask how you are doing it? Keep up the good work!!
You definitely need to seek a doctor's advice.
i know this sounds wierd, but just yesterday i watched a special on the health channel and it was about women who didn't know they were pregnant. they just assumed they weren't having a period because of stress. they also had no cravings, nausea, or weight gain. it was really odd. so my suggestion is to talk to you obgyn asap. even if you're not pregnant and you've been irregular for 4 months or so, it's worth consulting a doctor. good luck.
