Mid-Cycle Bleeding???
 

Just wondering if anyone has experienced any mid-cycle bleeding? I've been on the pill for quite some time now and have had absolutely NO problems in the past. My cycle is like clockwork. The only time I've ever been pregnant is immediately after I've gotten off the pill.

I started the low carb diet almost 2 weeks ago right after the last day of my period. I woke up this morning to a mid-cycle bleed. I'm baffled. This has never happened to me. Just wondering exactly what to point my finger at.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Check this out -- this topic is not new to the forum:

Ladies please read

I had this as well. It started in December with heavy spotting. My last cycle started a full week early and...forgive me for the gross extra detail...I've been able to express breastmilk. This would not be unusual except that I stopped breastfeeding in September, 2000.

I've seen my dr. and my prolactin levels are normal and he says he has seen this side effect with prolonged pilluse.

Here is my definitely non-medical opinion. When you are controlling your insulin, a hormone, the other hormones in your body are going to be affected. Apparently for women on the pill, a common side effect seems to be mid-cycle bleeds.

Lisa

I have this problem!!!! I am on the pill with another week and a half worth of pills to take, but i started lightly bleeding - enough to be annoying - last week. I don't get it, but i am still taking the pill.

My 2nd son was born in June and I breastfed until September and then went on the pill. So this is my 4th month back on the pill and everything has been peachy and predictable, until I started LCing. I wondered if there might be a correlation. I wonder if I am going to still get my period at the regular time? Hmmmmm.... Have to wait and see, I guess. :confused:

I only have one medical answer as far as the mid-cycle bleeding as I just asked my doctor this during my last pap. Because since this summer I have had this, and more so after low carbing. So, I have no idea how the low carbing or higher protein has caused it. But the mid-cycle bleeding I have is also like clockwork. My doctor explained to me that I bleed during ovulation that is why and to not worry. I was worrying about cancer and such once it started because it had NEVER happened before. So, there must be some corrolation with the LC diet, but I have no answer, just the ovulation bleeding.
Cindy

Follow-Up
 

Well, it's been 9 days now... still bleeding. And it's not spotting, it's heavy like a normal period. I'm actually supposed to start my period next week.

I did call my doctor and they said that they doubt it's because of the diet but maybe because I've lost weight. Now... I've lost weight before and never had this happen. I'm not sure what's going on. They said that if I bleed for over 10 days to come in and they will give me something to stop the bleeding. She also said she doubted I'd get it again at my normal time.

Which makes me think... when you're on birth control, the time that your period is supposed to come is during the week you are taking the sugar pills. Will this then expose me to getting pregnant? I suppose I'll ask my doctor that when I go to get a shot to stop the bleeding (I know I'll have to...) :confused:

Thanks for your messages! I'll let you know what the doc says.

Diane

Diane -

My opinion: As long as you are taking your pills as you should you won't get pregnant (or at least its as effective as the drug company says...97-99%) so I wouldn't think you need to worry about that!

By the way, when mine started a week early, it was a full bleed and continued on right past the day I would have started...I bled for almost 12 days straight. Not pleasant!!!!

Lisa

RE: mid cycle bleeding
 

I had the same experience. My period was 2 weeks away but I felt a little cramping over a few weeks. Then 14 days later after starting my new pack, bam, I had my period. I'm tri-cycling, which means I take 3 packs of pills back to back, skipping the placebos and then stop for a week, get my period and I'm off again. But I had just had my period a pack before and wasn't schedule for it to return again for 2 months. Guess it decided to come early. I had dropped 11 pounds and attributed it to the fat loss. I just started a new pack on that following Sunday thinking that would be easier than trying to finish my old pack. But I did have that first LC period for like 10 days, which is a whole 6 days longer than usual. My period wasn't as aggressively crampy as it used to be but I experienced cramping for the whole period which I never used to. I also bled a lot more. I haven't had a period like that since I was 12. Very weird. I have my fingers crossed that my next one will be on time and regular. I must say at first I thought I was pregnant because the cramping was so unexpected. I raced out and bought a pregnancy test. It was all so weird.

Annie G

Happens a lot
 

Hi dstout,

Just wanted to share: Let me first say that about 9 years ago I lost 65 pounds doing Jenny Craig while I was not taking the pill and had no cycle problems at all. I've been on the pill for 6 years now (with no problems) and for the first two cycles after I started Atkins I had mid-cycle bleeding at least a week early and that just started my period. Since then, no problems. I figure it must have been some sort of enzyme/hormone change because I'm still losing weight and taking the pills, but I'm back to normal cycles now.

Dani

OK, I started the Atkins diet and the following week i started bleeding. At first, it started out like spotting, but then it turned into a full blown heavy bleed. ( Sorry for the gorey details.) I finally called my OBG after 2 weeks of this and they prescribed Premarin. I am 32, so it's not like it's the big M or anything. I continued to bleed through the day that I was supposed to start my period ( which was the 13th, like clockwork.) Now it is finally slowing and I am to start my next pack of pills (tri-cycle) on Sunday, the 17th. My OBG also said that it had nothing to do with the LC diet. But I'm not convinced after reading all of the above. I guess I'll just have to see how next cycle goes.

Thanks for all of the sharing ladies. :roll:

Ladies, I just posted a similar thread on another board because I was trying to find out how many others on a Low Carb diet experienced this.

Here's what I've found (I think it was on the Atkins website):
Bleeding mid-cycle is not unusual during the first few months of low carbing. From what I recall, it has to do with the fact that estrogen is stored in fat cells, so when we burn fat we release stored estrogen, thus tricking the body into 'delivering the monthly periodicals'. :)

Someone posted a link, above, which I haven't read yet, but I'm looking forward to checking it out.

I guess I'm not alone!!!

Period woes..
 

Well, after bleeding for 10 days it stopped. Only to start again in 2 days. Bled for 5 days. It actually stopped today.

Went to see the doc and she said that it could definately be because of the diet. To just watch what I eat for the next month and not watch the carbs. We'll see next month if it's the pills that need changed or if it was the diet.

I don't think that I could go through bleeding half the month next month too. :(

Thanks for your posts!
Diane

RE: Every 2 weeks?
 

Um, my cycle has been really messed up for some reason. Here's the, um, details:

Started Atkins 1/14/2002

Mid Jan - 1 week early, lasted a couple extra days

2/1/2002 - About 3 weeks after end of Jan period; lasted 8 days; 4 days longer than normal.

2/16/2002 - I've only taken 12 of my 21 pills and I've already gotten it again.

Seriously, what's happening? I tri-cycle so I should only have it every 3 months.

Am I losing too much fat?

Annie G.

It has to be the diet! I've never had this problem before. I started LC on 13th Jan this year. My last period came one and half weeks early and lasted about 3-4 days - was not as heavy as usual but was definately a full period. My sugar pills were due to start that weekend but, as I had a conference the next week, decided to skip them and miss my main period. I'd been suffering such bad PMS that I didn't want to sit through 3 days of conference with cramps. Well - it didn't work! On the Wednesday I started out with a shocking headache and by Thursday I had the headache AND a full period AGAIN. I was not impressed, I can tell you! I stopped the pill after I realised that it definately was the full period. Obviously my hormones are up the creek!

It is so nice to know that this is common on LC. I will bear with it as I am enjoying losing the weight. As long as I know it might happen I will be ready for it if it happens again.

Melberry
:wave:

What a relief to know others are going through the same as me. I started on the Atkins diet at the start of this year and have had mid cycle bleeding this month. It went away and I have now been on for 11 days. It started with 6 days light spotting, went into my normal period which lasted 3 days and then has returned to light spotting. I am seeing my GP on Thursday but I will be able to mention some of these comments to her. I have been worrying myself sick over the cause - to the point where I am considering coming off the diet and going back to calorie counting!

Kaz

ditto
 

With estrogen being stored in fat, and this woe burns fat, throwing all the fat and estrogens and who knows what all into the blood stream, logic says that as long as our periods are royally messed up, we're losing fat!

Add me to the list of "doing the woe correct!" :)