trying to conceive , but lacking periods

K

kbjenkins

Active Member
Hi!! I have been doing Cathe for a few years, but have stopped menstrating , had one cycle after taking estrogen and progesterone. problem may be due to decreased body fat, but would like to keep my body as much as possible. Help, if anyone has had this problem please respond and let me know how things worked out for you. would greatly appreciate it. Any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Take care and good luck to al tose expecting. hopefuly I will be soon too!!
Kim:7
 
I have the same problem!!! I was so unhealthy when I got preg. for #1 (after 8 months of trying), moderately healthy when I got preg. for #2 (2 months of trying). Now I'm fit and can't get preg. at all! Where's the fairness in that?! I guess I should just be thankful for 2 healthy munchkins but I'd love to add a 3rd to the mix. Any advice would be great!
 
i am by no means an expert but can tell you both i had a very hard time conceiving. ended up seeing a specialist who, after a series of tests, some quite unpleasant, put my on hormones. after 2 cycles i did get pregnant and am due on the 23rd. i am the sort of person that likes to know what is wrong and how to deal with it. sometimes that does involve changing your exercise or eating habits, but everyone is different. that is where a specialist can be so helpful. and while it is not always fair, i can tell you from my shoes it is so worth it to knwo my little guy is on his way. my body is very different now than a year ago, but i have grown and carried another person! your body fat will change when you are pregnant b/cthat is best for your baby. but you can still be healthy and fit, and according to all the lasies here with other kids, you can get just as fit, if not more so after.

if you have any specific questions i'd be happy to try to answer, but until you get a diagnosis, it is impossible to know why you are not cycling.

hope this helps, and don't give up!
 
thanks for the message. I have been off the pill for 14 months and had one period. I did see a specialist (last month) and he did say he thinks I should put on some weight, but he also said there were other alternatives (intensive treatments that I am not ready for). That is what I am trying to do, but while trying to keep fit it is a hard happy medium for me. Did you have to make any diet or exercise changes to assist with the hormones. I remember that the hormones were awful for me and I was miserable, therefore I would really lke to avoid anything like that. My husband and I are still trying per say but it is difficult to really try when you are not ovulating. Guess we are going on that little bit of hope. Best of luck to you.
Kim
 
Hi!! How were you able to get pregnant the first time, did you change your habits or did you just conceive? My husband and are are so ready to have kids. married for over 3 years, established jobs, established home, so next are the kids! Thanks for your response. Encouraging!!
Kim:)
 
Hello Kim. For #1 we just conceived..no change. Same for #2.

I would strongly encourage you to get the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. You will learn SO MUCH about your cycle and maybe even be able to diagnose yourself w/o a specialist. I finally did have to see a specialist to rule out PCOS. I have no medical explanantion as to why I'm not ovulating regularly. His best guess was intensity of cardio workouts. I really hate to give up my beloved workouts.. So may people (my parents and in-laws, tons of friends) think that exercise is punishment but my husband and I truly LOVE it. I guess I keep hoping that my cycle will just regulate on its own. However, #2 just turned 2 so I probably will have to lower my workout intensity. If after 2 yrs. it still isn't regular it probably isn't going to regulate on its own. Some days I get frustrated. If all of these fit moms can get preg, why can't I?

It's nice to have someone to share this with. I don't talk with my family about his stuff. They all think we're crazy for working out and want me to give it up completely. I say THEY are the crazy ones. You only get one body...keep it healthy. I even have a good friend who is a registered dietician. She says "Doesn't it concern you that your body isn't healthy enough to carry a baby?" I don't think of it as "not healthy enough"...what do you think?
 
I am in the same boat as you guys. I have a 2yo daughter and would like a second child. My periods stopped after going off the pill and I needed Clomid to get pregnant the first time. This time around Clomid hasn't worked and it is because my oestregen levels are too low. My specialist thinks this is due to over exercise and low body fat level. She said that some people's cycles are more sensitive and that the level of exercise I do (6 days/week) may be fine for others with more robust cycles. I love my exercise and struggle to reduce it.

Something I wanted to share with you though, which is a bit difficult to discuss (my friends don't know this!), is that the low oestregen level has affected my bone density. My specialist told me that if I wasn't wanting a 2nd child I should be on the pill to regulate my hormones to prevent any further bone density loss. I also have to take extra calcium. I just thought this may be of interest to you to avoid similar problems. I wasn't previously aware of this implication of absent periods and I wished someone had told me.

So my plan of attack is assisted conception (injectable gonadatropins) which I hope to start in a couple of months. If they work great, if not I'll be going on the pill for the long haul!

Michelle
 
Hi!! Thanks for the reply. One of the options that my specialist was the injectable gonadatropins, but I was not sure I wanted to do that yet. I want to be healthy, and have periods on my own. if you do not mind me asking what is your BMI, my specialist stated he would like to see mine at a 21. I am not there now. I am aware of the bone health, or lack of at this point. I am trying to cut back on exercise some, and some days it is a blessing and others it just adds more stress to my life. my specialist did say he thought that if I decreased my stress and put on a few pounds that my periods would likely return, and I would conceive. Good luck and keep me posted on the treatments.
Kim:)
 
I fel the smae way about the fit moms getting pregnant. How can they look so great and have babies a few months old? I guess that is why we are all different. I think that this is monther natures way of not allowing us to get pregnant when our bodies may not support one. My specialist stated women did not used to get pregnant when there was a shortage of food for this reason. I want the best of both worlds, and it sounds like you do to. By the way how long before you conceived with #1? did you have periods before conception or not? If not how did you conceive? Thanks a bunch for sharing your story, so nice to hear I am ot the only one in this boat. Take care.
Kim
 
One thing that puzzles me....if sedentary people are told to exercise to increase bone density then why do we have to DECREASE our workouts to preserve ours?! I've never heard of this before.

I don't have much time tonight...will come back tomorrow.

This is SO GREAT sharing this with you gals...finally someone who understands!
 
This whole topic sounds like the story of my life! After years of 2 miscarriages, no periods (blamed on low body fat, running and working out) my Dr. had me try decreasing my workouts,gaining some weight etc.,nothing worked. I truly didn't want to go on hormones so I tried everything and anything to get my periods back naturally. To make an extremely long story short my periods didn't come back on their own and after becoming desperate to have children I agreed to the injectable gonadotropins. Luckily, after only 1 round I became pregnant with twin boys!!!! They just turned 2and 1/2 yikes!! I just wanted to add I was totally against taking the hormones and fought the Dr. at first about the gonadotropins (I guess I somehow felt I wanted to do it on my own). In retrospect, it was hands down the best decision of my life and I am truly blessed! Good luck with trying to conceve and I hope either naturally or with a little help, your story is a happy ending as was mine.
 
Congrats on your bambinos, Jaclyn!

You said you tried everything/anyhting...So did you stop working out, gain weight, etc. still to no avail? I feel so far out of hormonal balance that even if I did quit my beloved workouts that it still wouldn't help. Then I'd be an untoned, flabby, out of shape mess. Then I'd be fat & cranky & miserable. I feel almost "addicted" (for lack of a better word) to working out. I used to weigh 203, now I weigh 127, and I just about live in fear that if I don't work out as hard as I do that I'll turn back in to a fat lump. Logically I know I won't, but still...if you've been there, you know what I'm talking about.

All for now...
 
Jaclyn, Do you have normal cycles now? If so, how long did they take to regulate after your babies were born?
 
Kim, you asked about HOW we conceived...Just naturally. Before I got preg w/ #1 I was out of shape. Pregnancy took me WAY out of shape (ate my way thru...I weighed 203 the day I delivered). I never lost the baby weight after. When I got preg for #2 I said "Woah...not getting/staying fat." I did Kathy Smith's pregnancy workout thru my whole pregnancy EVERYDAY. By the end of my pregnancy my face looked thinner and better than it had in years. Same for my post-delivery pictures. After a few weeks I started my mild addiction to Collage Video and worked my way up to Cathe's..now NO ONE compares. I love the way my body has changed w/ weightlifting. And Cathe is the cardio queen. I'd do IMax 2 everyday if I could. The other day I felt like taking my rest day a day early but then I got a song from Imax 2 in my head so I HAD to do it. Later I said to my husband...why would anyone do anything BUT good hard workouts as fun as this?! I love these workouts!

I nursed #2 for a little over a year. I fully expected that when she stopped nursing that my periods would return and I'd get preg. right away. Now my Belle is 2 yrs. and I'm more irregular than ever. For instance my last cycle was almost 2 and a half months long. When I FINALLY ovulated my luteal phase only lasted 3 days. The longest my l.phase has been in the last 2 yr. is 4 days. Then my period started and 3 weeks later I'm still spotting!!!!!!!!! Ugh!!!

So that's my preg stories, shortened up a bit. Sorry if I rambled a bit...just so glad to share this w/ someone. As I said before - friends and family just don't understand. Not even my dr. does, really. I would love to find a really smart specialist who knows this stuff inside and out and can tell me exactly what to get a regualr period. It's almost gotten to the point that getting pregnant is secondary.

I started working out to get healthy. Now I'm one of the healthiest people I know and I've created all of these unhealthy problems for myself. Very confused/frustrated. My husband is very supportive but I feel like I'm letting him down with my infertility probs. Not because of anything he's said (he is absolutely WONDERFUL), I just feel that way.

Well, I've certainly gone on long enough...looking forward to hearing from you.
 
I am having this same problem. I went off the pill in December and I haven't had a period since then. I know I'm on the thin side but my doctor didn't think I was too thin. If anorexic super models can get pregnant then surely I should be able to. If any of you find anything else out about what I should be doing differently please pass it on.
Nicky
 
Hi Kate, Michele and everyone,
I didn't quit all workouts at that time, but I cut back drastically. I all but stopped running and only worked out a few days a week rather than say, 7 (lol). Believe me it was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I couldn't imagine NOT working out. I was horrified, like you said of becoming fat, miserable,out of shape AND still being childless. I only put on a few pounds but my estrogen level remained rock bottom after many months of this. If I remember right, I was put on hormone pills to bring on a period and that didn't work. Finally enough was enough and I knew this is what I wanted so I agreed to the injections. I was scared out of my mind to inject myself, but I did. It wasn't pleasant but its amazing what you can get used to if necessary. In conjunction with this, I had to go for blood work (hormone levels) and vaginal ultrasounds a few times a week to watch for follicles forming in the ovaries. When everything was in alignment (labs and follicles) your're basically told when to try and conceive, and then thats followed by a shot given intramuscularly of hgc hormone then you wait to hear if it all works. If not, you repeat all that 'fun' next month! It was the biggest rollar coaster ride of my life. I was an emotional wreck. It worked thank goodness, but unfortunately, I began bleeding early in the pregnancy and was put on bedrest for almost the entire 9 mos. Imagine that when you're an exercise freak!! I just did what I had to, those babies were all I ever wanted. I did gain (gulp) 75 lbs with the pregnancy. Any way my boys were born happy and healthy in Jan '04.....So all bets were off and I started working out hardcore again and lost the 75lbs in about 3 months (I know, too quickly)! Unfortunately,I never got a period back but I'm healthy, feel and look great and have great bone density (yes, my Dr. insists on having it checked along with routine labs etc). I just watch my calcium intake and eat healthy. My workouts keep me strong, active and able to keep up with 2 very active boys. So, that's my story in an abbreviated sort of way.
 
What an ordeal to have to go thru. A good friend of mine just had a miscarriage pretty far along and they had to have a funeral for the baby. We know so many people that have ahd miscarriages or something really wrong with a full-term baby. Knowing those things and hearing your story kind of makes me want to stop trying to get preg. We have 2 healthy beautiful girls. Quite frankly, I don't think I could go thru all that to have a 3rd.

So you've never gotten your periods back after your boys were born? Since you lost so much weight so fast did you have a healthy breastmilk supply (if you nursed)? I was able to nurse my 2nd for 12+ months but I know my milk supply was far less than when I nursed my 1st (when I was very out of shape).

Again, I get so frustrated that I'm trying so hard to be healthy, yet it's almost as if I'm making myself UNHEALTHY.

If we decide to not keep trying for a baby it still seems important to have a regular cycle for things like bone density and the hormonal stuff. I know my moods get all over the place from not having a regular cycle (my poor husband will testify to that!). I would LOVE to be more even-tempered. At certain times of my cycle I get so impatient and ornery. Also, if your hormones are imbalanced you're setting yourself up for cancer problems. I sure wouldn't want to go thru chemo just to say "Back in the day I lifted heavy weights and had great muscle definition." It's so hard to find a healthy balance.

Thanks again for what you shared.....
 
Kate,
Ok, now I'm freaking out! What do you mean cancer probs? This was never explained to me. As a matter of fact, I refused going back on any hormone supplement to get a period post babies because of my ordeals with them in the past. I don't feel well mentally as well as physically on hormones and I don't like their potential side effects...including links to cancer, blood clots etc. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of medicine unless absolutely necessary, (pharmaceuticals I mean). After all the testing I had done my Dr. agreed that I was healthy and was ok with letting things be for now. The only thing off on my blood work was a "low normal" estrogen level. I guess I'm kind of upset about the potential for cancer you mentioned and that my Dr. never mentioned this!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top