# I Pit late periods! (girly TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 21, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792 "2004-08-21T00:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/21 "2004-08-22T15:45:10Z")
I’ve b een on those very low dose pills for years now. They’re great. No cramps, period comes every 28 days within hours. About 5 months ago for no apparent reason I started spotting a week before my period was supposed to arrive. So now I basically have my period for two weeks, the first week being light, the second week being normal. It stinks. My doctor tried putting me on a higher dosage pill, but it didn’t stop it, and it only makes my breasts get swollen and sore and get cramps. So I’m back on the low dose and two weeks of period. SUCKS!! BTW, has anyone had a similar experience and found a way to stop it? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/22 "2004-08-23T01:34:56Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I thought every little twinge was a symptom of either pregnancy or uterine perforation. That little voice in the back of my head just would _not_ shut the fuck up. I’d have internal arguments that went something like this: > > Oh, God, what was that? It looks like we share an internal voice… Except I usually can’t remember whether or not I had bean soup for dinner the night before. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/23 "2004-08-23T01:41:49Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I believe she meant using a condom even though she’s on the pill. Doubling up on birth control, _with_ a condom, not using two condoms. Yes I did. Sorry for the confusion. I also forgot to mention that I get seriously creeped out by all of this when I remember all those talk shows and stories about women who had kids and didn’t even know they were pregnant. AND they had periods (or bleeding) the WHOLE TIME. Argh. Makes me want to not have sex again. But then what would I do with all my free time? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/24 "2004-08-23T02:32:59Z")
I use the patch. It’s great. Pregnancy isn’t an issue for me, since I’m not sexually active, but I have a fibroid that had been making my life hell for a very long time- landed me in the ER about a year and a half ago, actually… I was on the pill for a few months, and having two-week periods. The dose was so light that even though I remembered to take my pill every day most months, I could never remember to take them at the same time, and a delay of a few hours was enough to mess my hormones up just enough that I would be bleeding full-on for two solid weeks out of the month. Switching to the patch cleared that right up. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/25 "2004-08-23T03:31:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Yes I did. Sorry for the confusion. > > I also forgot to mention that I get seriously creeped out by all of this when I remember all those talk shows and stories about women who had kids and didn’t even know they were pregnant. AND they had periods (or bleeding) the WHOLE TIME. > > Argh. Makes me want to not have sex again. But then what would I do with all my free time? 😉 Oh, well then, carry on. Err, actually, ahem, How you doin’? ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/26 "2004-08-23T11:26:59Z")
> [@Mayflower](#): > > Has she come a-callin’ yet? > > Sorry if I seem nosy. I’m only asking because cramps + late period + negative tests can (sometimes) = ectopic pregnancy, something that should be diagnosed and treated ASAP. Not yet, but I’ve had more low back cramps all weekend. I’ve not bought another test, but I’m about 99.9% sure I’m not pregnant. The one thing I forgot - I was on steroids about two weeks ago, too, for arthritis. So between screwing up my pills, and the steroids, I’m thinking my body just doesn’t know right from left. If it isn’t here by tomorrow, I’m heading into the doc for a blood test. Thanks for asking, though. Late periods are unusual for me. Ava ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/27 "2004-08-23T15:37:10Z")
I’ll just add my own mini-rant right here. Despite the fact that I never have a period because I take bc straight through, I still feel like I’m always about to start. I wake up every morning with cramps which carry me through lunch when I take my first narcotics, then I keep popping pills until bedtime. Sometimes it’s so bad that I can’t work out or have sex, or do much of anything. It makes me bitchy and tired and completely depressed. My only alternative is a hysterectomy–at age 30. Fucking yay for me, right? I go back to the gyno on Friday to “discuss my options,” which I already know. After three surgeries (endometriosis, ovary removal, pelvic congestion) in two years it looks like I’m about to have another which will do any number of things to my sex life and my personal well-being. Yeah, being female is such a blast. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/28 "2004-08-23T16:38:08Z")
Sorry to hear about that, Indygrrl ☹ My cousins have endometriosis and most days they can’t even get out of bed. I think they’ve had at least 30 surgeries between them. That stuff just GROWS BACK!!! I am surprised and relieved that 2 of my 2 female cousins have endometriosis and I didn’t get it. I got PCOS instead but that’s pain-free (at least for me). Good luck at the Dr. **threemae** are you a male? Are you in a thread about periods trying to pick up chicks? wow… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/29 "2004-08-23T17:02:55Z")
> [@Cerri](#): > > I got you all beat. Ever since I stopped taking Depo three months ago, I’ve had my period since. > > That’s right, I’ve had my period for 3 months solid. :mad: > > I’m seriously considering going back on it just so I stop fucking bleeding, I _never_ have my period when I’m on it. I went off Depo in May, and I would LOVE to have a period. I haven’t had one in nearly three years, and since I’ve been off Depo, I’ve had all the cramps and moodiness, but no blood. I wish I would freakin’ bleed already - I hate having the pain, especially when it’s not producing a damn thing. But three months? :eek: Yowza - that’s a long time to bleed. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/30 "2004-08-23T18:14:48Z")
Oh thank you thank you Tubal Ligation, (which I had back in the 90s after my little “surprise” was born). I’ve never kept track to the day though, just within the week or few days. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/31 "2004-08-23T20:47:15Z")
If you’re infertile, a pregnancy test is what you buy to make your period start! I speak from years of experience here! I had a hysterectomy on December 9, 2002. Best. thing. ever. 🙂 No endometriosis growing back, no need to spend 25 days of the month in pain, no blood, no mess, --woohoo! And hey, if I can’t have kids anyway, why not? I’m sending happy thoughts your way, **Avabeth**. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/32 "2004-08-23T20:52:27Z")
> [@N. Sane](#): > > I had a hysterectomy on December 9, 2002. Best. thing. ever. 🙂 No endometriosis growing back, no need to spend 25 days of the month in pain, no blood, no mess, --woohoo! And hey, if I can’t have kids anyway, why not? If you don’t mind, will you tell us more? Did it affect your sex life? Or are things the same? How bad was your endometriosis and did you have it lasered several times before deciding on the hysterectomy? I’m ready to get rid of this thing (evil uterus) if it means no more pain. ---
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/33 "2004-08-23T21:33:54Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > If you don’t mind, will you tell us more? Did it affect your sex life? Or are things the same? > > How bad was your endometriosis and did you have it lasered several times before deciding on the hysterectomy? > > I’m ready to get rid of this thing (evil uterus) if it means no more pain. So, if you don’t mind me asking: How’d that treat your libido? Cuz my mom said it made hers plummet. ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/34 "2004-08-24T10:09:46Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > I went off Depo in May, and I would LOVE to have a period. I haven’t had one in nearly three years, and since I’ve been off Depo, I’ve had all the cramps and moodiness, but no blood. I wish I would freakin’ bleed already - I hate having the pain, especially when it’s not producing a damn thing. > > But three months? :eek: > > Yowza - that’s a long time to bleed. It took several months for me to get my period back. I stopped taking it in December, started bleeding around the beginning of June, and haven’t stopped since. I seriously think I’m just going to go back on it and stay on it right thru menopause. =p ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/35 "2004-08-24T12:53:15Z")
> [@](#): > > If you don’t mind, will you tell us more? Did it affect your sex life? Or are things the same? Well, sad to say, my dh isn’t much for the sex life part. My libido hasn’t changed, but it doesn’t help a whole lot. So I can’t really tell you about lubrication or anything, although I understand that it can be a problem. However, there are numerous products that make the lubrication issue irrelevant. [quote\How bad was your endometriosis and did you have it lasered several times before deciding on the hysterectomy?[/quote] I had stage iv endometriosis by the time it was diagnosed. Since I was 18, I had gone to various doctors telling them that when AF came, I literally could not stand up straight. They responded with such gems as, “Just take more Advil,” “It will get better after you get pregnant the first time,” and “As you get older, it will lessen.” It wasn’t until after I was married (at 27) and had gone through 10 years of infertility before a doctor _finally_ listened to me. We hadn’t done any infertility treatments because my husband refused to believe that we had a problem (see the libido question above). But I know for sure that I got pregnant once, within a few months of our marriage, and miscarried very early. When he finally agreed that we did have a problem and we went to a fertility specialist, one of the first tests they did was a hysterosalpingogram. Based on the time that it took the dye to flow through, my doctor suspected endometriosis (duh!). I had my first laparoscopy in March of 2000. My doctor said that he cleaned up what he could, but my ovaries were coated with adhesions. We did IVF in June/July of that year, and it failed. ☹ In the summer of 2001, I started trying to find an endometriosis specialist, and finally did meet an excellent doctor who was (is?) doing research on endometriosis. I had another laparoscopy in October of 2001. As it turned out, he basically got inside, saw what was there, and closed things back up. There was absolutely nothing he could do, beyond a hysterectomy. Because I was still hoping to try IVF once more, I agreed to do a 6-month course of Lupron. That was a HUGE mistake. I went into chemical menopause, and one of the side effects of the drug was weight gain. I had lost 75 pounds over the preceding year, and gained quite a bit back while I was on the Lupron. Then he put me on a course of bc pills to try to keep the endometriosis from getting any worse, but the pills made me suicidal. Finally in October of 2002, I decided to go ahead and get a hysterectomy. My husband was furious, because he still was so much hoping that a miracle would happen and I’d be able to get pregnant. But the pain was so bad that every day when I came home from work, I’d spend the evening lying on the couch. I went through so many painkillers trying to live with it. The hysterectomy was done on Dec. 9, 2002, and I have to tell you that I felt better when I woke up in my hospital room than I had in YEARS. I had a relatively rapid recovery, and there has just been no turning back. Between the breast reduction that I had done in April of 2001 and the hysterectomy in December 2002, I feel better than I have in many, many years. I am on HRT, at least for the time being, but have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. It’s not a light matter, obviously, and it ended up being harder than I had anticipated in realizing that it really was the end of any chance I had of bearing children. It’s funny–even though I knew logically that there was no way it could happen, somehow the finality of the hysterectomy sent me through a grieving process. It was worth it. ---
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/36 "2004-08-24T13:31:31Z")
Wow, girl. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. So is adoption not something you two want to do? ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/37 "2004-08-24T14:59:38Z")
> [@PussyCow](#): > > Wow, girl. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. > So is adoption not something you two want to do? We have seriously considered adoption. If the time is right, we will pursue it. Otherwise, we’re both carrying on with education and careers and volunteer work. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/38 "2004-08-24T15:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > If you don’t mind, will you tell us more? Did it affect your sex life? Or are things the same? I’m not **N. Sane** (really, I’m not), but I can add to this. I had a full hysterectomy when I was 23. That was 15 years ago, so I can only imagine the procedures have gotten better. Mine was due to massive adhesions–due to two c-sections, a ruptured ovarian cyst, and a clip left in by a shitty doctor during my tubal ligation. The adhesions in combination with my IBS kept me in almost constant pain–most of my reproductive organs were stuck to my bowel by scar tissue. Since I had already had my daughters, they were willing to perform a hysterectomy at my young age. Recovery after surgery wasn’t too bad. Reduced activity for six weeks and that was that. I’ve been taking Premarin as Hormone Replacement Therapy ever since. I have periodic hot flashes. Other than that, I haven’t really had much trouble. And I haven’t missed the monthly visits from Aunt Flo in the slighest. I didn’t have much of a reduction in libido, though there is some reduction in lubrication. What’s really strange is that a few years ago, I suddenly had a huge increase in my sex drive. And my orgasms have gotten much more intense. I wish I knew what to credit that to! I’d do it again in a hot second. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/39 "2004-08-24T15:27:26Z")
For those on HRT, is that because they took your ovaries as well as your uterus? I was told I would have the same hormonal response since I would have one ovary left. Btw, I think I might post a thread about this in IMHO. I really appreciate the input. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792/40 "2004-08-24T16:00:28Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > For those on HRT, is that because they took your ovaries as well as your uterus? I was told I would have the same hormonal response since I would have one ovary left. Yeah, they had to take both of my ovaries. The “good” one was on the side that I was having the most pain, and my doctor was worried that if he left the ovary he’d just have to open me up again in a year. If you can hang on to an ovary you may be able to avoid the HRT. Premarin isn’t really expensive but obviously it would be easier to take nothing. I’m haven’t ever taken the combined HRT that was causing all the trouble with heart attacks and whatnot. My mom also had a hysterectomy, at 36, and she took HRT until she was 55. She was on the combined HRT and started worrying about the possible effects. My 21 year-old daughter has very severe endometriosis and is discussing the option of a hysterectomy as well. I don’t know all of the details there–we’re not as close as we could be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-late-periods-girly-tmi/260792.md?page=1)