Amenorrhea/Pregnancy

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nessajae
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by nessajae on Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:42 am

Amenorrhea/Pregnancy

Hi,

I am in my mid-30s and I haven't had a period for more than 18 months. I came off my contraceptive and it never returned, not even the slightest sign of spotting. I had a scan that showed cysts, it seems I have PCOS. I have been trying to get a referral to a specialist for more than 12 months and have only just got a first telephone consultation in April.

Despite having no cycle, to our great joy I fell pregnant at the very beginning of the year - confirmed by early scans - but 2 weeks ago we were told now I am having a missed miscarriage. I was sent home to wait but nothing is happening (except feeling sick and tired all the time). I understand this is "normal" but I am not sure I am "normal" - I'm afraid my body is incapable of bleeding, either as a period or a miscarriage. Have you ever seen anything like this before? Can your system return to normal after failing for so long? I don't know what to do about the miscarriage, I am equally frightened of waiting in case it doesn't happen and of intervention which could further damage an already broken system.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Dr Naomi Sutton
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by Dr Naomi Sutton on Tue Mar 08, 2022 12:37 pm

Re: Amenorrhea/Pregnancy

Hi, I am so, so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I can't advise about whether to wait, or have intervention for this as it is a Gynaecological decision (not my speciality).

With regards to your periods not returning after coming off contraception; it can be normal not to resume periods after having Depo Provera (Injectable contraceptive) for a number of months, sometimes as long as 12-18 months. There are other medical reasons including PCOS, excessive weight loss or exercise and other eating disorders, thyroid problems, excessive stress, and obviously pregnancy.

Please do not think you are broken. There are medications which can help fertility with PCOS so I think a referral for help would be advisable if you do want to conceive.

Please see my other answer to the question on PCOS - the RCOG recommend inducing a bleed every 3-4 months with women confirmed with having PCOS, using either cyclical progesterones or a hormonal contraceptive method to keep the endometrial lining thin to prevent risk of endometrial cancer.

nessajae
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by nessajae on Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:44 pm

Re: Amenorrhea/Pregnancy

Thank you very much for your reply. I have never had an injectable contraceptive and had only been on oral contraceptives which was one of the reasons for feeling concerned about the length of time I have gone without a cycle. The distress has really been compounded by the length of time it has taken to get the referral, it's difficult knowing something is not right but being unable to do anything about it - I hope when I can start to spreak to a consultant in the spring it will be possible to get some answers and make sure I can have a bleed on a regular basis.

Dr Naomi Sutton
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Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2022 4:57 pm
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by Dr Naomi Sutton on Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:55 pm

Re: Amenorrhea/Pregnancy

I really hope you get the help you need.
x

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