Skipped Period After Having Baby at 37?. - Mesquite,TX

You just had your daughter 13 Months ago?
That's over a year and plenty of time for adjustments.
That you are having hot flashes really points to a hormone imbalance and it could very well be peri-menopuase - my peri-menopause lasted more than 10 years before I was in full menopause at 51 years old - and that wasn't early.

If this doctor isn't listening to you or is not taking you seriously - fire him and get another doctor.
Taking home pregnancy tests one after another is not giving you any answers.
No one on the internet can tell you what is going on.
Anxiety can have an effect on your hormones so if everything else is testing out as normal then it's time to get your anxiety treated.
6 months on a low dose of Zoloft might do you a world of good.

Additional:
If Xanax didn't work out then try a different med - keep working with your doctor.
Sometimes a medication really is needed - it just make take some time to find the right one.
You go from flailing and anxious in your post to it's-not-so-bad in your SWH.
That sounds a little bipolar - just keep working with your doctor.
Parents have some parenting experiences and advice but we're not really a support group for complex situations.
It's important you get the kind of help that will be the most helpful for you.

Not that you are but if you happen to be a 'grad student' posting made up stories so you can harvest / data mine experiences find something better to do over your spring break.

I'm guessing it's peri-menopause. I have had hot flashes and night sweats and trouble getting to sleep, anxiety, and just not feeling so great/tired. I asked my doctor a couple time about getting my hormones checked and is there anything I can do and she kept sort of blowing me off. I found a new doctor who listens and wants to get to the bottom of things...she ran a bunch of tests and is helping me. My adrenals were overly stressed. She found out I have Hashimotos...a thyroid issue..and she found out my hormones were off and I was estrogen dominant. She is having me take a bunch of supplements that are helping a lot. Good luck.

sure sounds like peri-menopause to me.

but 4 pregnancy tests when you knew you weren't pregnant? i don't get that at all. i guess i can see doing maybe one, since your doctor suggested it. but unless you've got something immaculate going on, why on earth would you take 4?

that's a red flag to me.

hot flashes are no fun, but increased anxiety indicate that you need more help than pregnancy tests. menopause can and does mess with your moods, so go back to your doctor (or find a better one). strangers on the internet can share some experiences with you, but we can't help you with your mental state. you've got a baby you need to be enjoying.

if it is menopause, you have to decide if you want to medicate or ride it out. there's no right or wrong. but you need to have good sound medical advice, and good solid options presented to you by someone with training.

good luck!

khairete
S.

First of all, you are not alone. Motherhood is hard, and the first few years are especially so, given the big adjustment to your life, sleep patterns, routines, body (periods and breasts), and more. If not sleeping with your husband is mutually agreeable, great. If it's a cause of stress, not great.

If you are having stress and anxiety, don't be afraid to get some help for that. That might include short term counseling, some low-dose meds, some household help or babysitting so you get a break, or a combination. Hormones change a lot during pregnancy and take a while to normalize, and sometimes they need a little help. Post partum depression is real, and just because you're functioning in many ways doesn't mean you're immune to it.

Your cycles aren't regular, and that can be related to the year it takes many women to recover from pregnancy/childbirth, or it could be related to age (peri-menopause - which is not menopause), stress, or something else. You got some blood work, which is good and which ruled out a few things. But your doctor put you through 4 pregnancy tests? Unless he's far away, it might make more sense to get a blood test for a definitive answer. My doctor was an hour away in Boston so I get that distance and time are a problem, but there are walk-in clinics in many towns that will save you the time and energy. I had my baby at 37, and while some people consider that old, it's less and less old these days! So try to think in terms of maturing rather than aging! It helps!

See if it makes sense to talk to a counselor, join a support group, get a 2nd opinion or see an endocrinologist. It's important to take care of yourself and not put your "all" into the baby alone.

I had hormonal changes after my last baby and would literally soak the bed with night sweats. I wondered if it was peri-menopause (I was older).

This was after weaning. I was told this was just my hormones adjusting. It went away.

Everyone is different, but it can take a long time for hormones to adjust. For some, 5 months after weaning is not that long, some bounce back right away.

Your anxiety might be related to all these tests you're taking. It can also be related to PMS (which I found got worse as I aged).

Or it could be that you're getting closer to menopause. Anxiety tends to worsen around that for some.

If you were on the pill before you got pregnant, then you're used to regular cycles. For some women, irregular cycles are the 'norm'. I have found, as I've gotten older, my cycles are less regular. That can be part of peri-menopause too. If you feel you're not getting taken seriously, you could talk to another doctor to get a second opinion.