75 days and still no AF...starting to worry again

[mb1197]

Well, I've been off BCP since the beginning of April. I went about 65 days my first cycle and induced a "spotty" AF for a couple of days with Provera. Here I am again on CD75 and still no AF. I did a HPT. It was negative. I am planning on waiting until 90 days until I call my doctor, but I have to be honest....I am starting to worry. I was on BCP for 9 years so I know my body may just be taking it's sweet time to adjust, but what if something is wrong? I guess I'm just a bit worried and could use some reassurance from anyone who is or has been in the same situation. It seems like everyone I know around me is coming off BCP and getting a BFP right away. I'm happy for them, but frustrated for me.:(

[jimmysgirl424]

You aren't alone in being frustrated. I have a thread right near yours about the fact that I just stopped taking BC and so far AF has not shown up for me. Although...I just stopped taking them, so this will be my first AF after finishing the pack. Its already a week late and I'm paranoid as all get-out that my body will take forever to go back to normal. But...read my thread because there a few girls in there who said they didn't get a normal AF for months or even a year in one case after they stopped BC.

I'm not sure that I would wait till 90 days to call your doctor. 75 days is a long time with no AF.

ETA: I was on BC for something close to 14 years.

[IrisHope]

I think you should definitely call your doctor.

[jennylou]

I think you should call your doctor now, instead of waiting until CD90. The first time your doctor prescribed provera, did s/he run any blood work? Since this is your second long cycle, if blood work hasn't already been run, it might be a good idea to have some blood work done soon. After all, it has been about 140 days and you're still in your second cycle.

I have been in your situation - and I have pcos.

[mb1197]

jimmysgirl424 - I'll check out your thread. I don't know how I missed it.

IrisHope - Thanks for the advice. I think I'll take it and call her this afternoon.

jennylou - My doc prescribed provera at my last physical, but no, she didn't do any blood work. She just had me take a pregnancy test. I hadn't thought of PCOS, but I'll do a search on the boards to learn more about it.

Thanks for the support ladies!

[mb1197]

Well, I took everyone's advice and called my doctor. I'm going in on Friday afternoon for some lab work. Hopefully everything will be ok.

Since I didn't have a chance to speak to my doctor directly I was wondering if someone could tell me what they will be testing for/looking at???

[juliemag]

mb1197 - they will probably do bloodwork and maybe order an ultrasound to see if you have any symptoms of PCOS. I was in your exact shoes in May. My cycle was looooong coming off BCP's. I finally O'ed on CD 67, which I knew because I was charting. I ended up getting PG by some miracle! The good thing about going to see your doctor is that it will (hopefully) give you answers. My doctor ran all the tests and found out I most likely have PCOS. I had elevated testosterone levels and multiple cysts on my ovaries. PCOS is treatable, so dont get down about it if that ends up being your diagnosis. :)

[mb1197]

juliemag - Thanks for sharing. It's good to know that even if it is PCOS there are many people that still get pregnant.

[jennylou]

juliemag - Thanks for sharing. It's good to know that even if it is PCOS there are many people that still get pregnant.

Oh, PCOS isn't a doom and gloom diagnosis, in my experience. Actually, PCOS isn't a fertility issue, it's an overall health issue.

Things that they should test for LH, FSH, testoterone, cholesterol, insulin resistance - lab wise (I could be missing some, it's been a while!). U/s wise they can check for cysts.

Good luck at your appointment.

[mb1197]

I'm going for my labs today so I'll post again once I have some results.

[Cath]

Good luck with your labwork today.

In addition to the panel of tests for PCOS, they will also probably test your thyroid function.

I do have PCOS and suffer from long cycles. Thyroid function was the first thing I was tested for. That came back at normal levels, so I had the tests that JennyLou referred to.

[mb1197]

I had my thyroid tested last year and everything came back fine. Things can change of course so I'll be interested to see what the results are.

[jimmysgirl424]

Good luck with the tests. Keep us posted!

[beetle]

Wish I’d checked these threads earlier! I went off b.c. in May and began charting right away. My first cycle was a little long (35 days) but really pretty normal. I’m now on day 63 of my second cycle. It looks like I may have finally O’ed on CD55.

I went off b.c. to give my body time to get back to its natural cycles, but DH and I had decided to wait a while longer to start TTC. But this cycle went so long that we got careless, and now there’s a good chance I may be pregnant. I’ll know it a week or so! Of course, we’ll be excited if I am, but the timing will create some extra challenges. If I’d read this thread, I would have realized that we should continue to be careful in case of a late O. Oops!

[Wrighty26]

I'm late chiming in here-- but I totally relate to not having AF. I went off the pill in Jan 04--and talked to my Dr. about not having AF at my yearly checkup in which he gave me provera. The same thing happened again the next cycle-- this time I had to go through my PCP (I had an HMO)-- and it was this ridiculously huge ordeal that took months of my time. My hormone levels were tested--as well as my thyroid, and a bunch of other stuff. Everything came back normal-- so they sent me to my GYN again who ordered a gazillion ultrasounds. He the prescribed provera, some other hormone (don't remember off the top of my head), and clomid. Clomid did the trick and I actually ovulated! Unfortunately, I did not get pregnant. It was a blessing in disguise though-- since we decided to move a month later.

From October - April 2005 I ovulated each month and had a 26 day cycle. Then suddenly, it just stopped again. When we move we decided to put TTC on hold until we figured out if we were going to build or buy a house--and we were finally ready again in May (we have impeccable timing). I decided to go in for my annual in June-- and I told my (new) Dr. about the past saga. At that point, it was only on day 45 or so of my cycle, so he wanted me to wait another month (ugh). I went back to see him in July. I then went through the whole process AGAIN to figure out what the heck was going on with me-- and once again NADA. I took Clomid for a couple of months (and was monitored with blood tests and u/s)-- but my progesterone levels came back lower and lower every month. The Dr. then switched me to Femara. I had a crazy cycle that month and ovulated @ day 7-- and continued to have lower than normal progesterone. So he diagnosed me with "unexplained infertility" and was about to recommend me to an RE, although wanted me to do an HSG first. Instead, I decided to just take a month off of everything because the HSG was going to cost me at least $600 and we really weren't sure of what we were ready to commit financially yet.... In that miraculous month I got pregnant!

That was a ridiculously long story-- but I just wanted to give you hope if your Dr. can't give you answers right away (or ever). Now here I am on the other side trying to decide what to do about birth control. I feel like I'm in a vicious cycle that never ends!

[lawgirl4]

mb1197 - I was on BCP for about 10 years nonstop. I went off of BCP in April 2005 and my first cycle was 86 days long. The second cycle was 50 days long, and the 3rd cycle was 32 days long (and from that point forward, my cycles were about 29-34 days long). We charted to avoid for a few more cycles and I got pg on our first cycle TTC.

It's *very* common to have long cycles coming off of BCP - a close friend of mine didn't get her first post-BCP AF until 6 months had passed! I was nervous/frustrated too, especially during my first post-BCP cycle, but my doctor was very reassuring and basically told me to wait it out a bit longer - and sure enough, things went back to normal. Obviously, some people *do* have fertility issues that may result in delayed AF/long cycles, but not everyone is in that camp - just wanted to make sure you know that too!

[mb1197]

I thought I'd come back to post some recent results. My PCP didn't do the tests I asked for (specifically those to include PCOS) so I went to an ob/gyn and this past Tuesday I received the results. I have PCOS. I am waiting to speak further with my new ob/gyn to find out what to do from this point forward, but at least now I know.

[jimmysgirl424]

Thanks for the update mb1197. Hopefully your new ob/gyn will be able to recommend a good course of treatment. I don't want to sound like a moron here, but I know next to nothing about PCOS. :o

I wish you lots of luck and please keep us updated!

[mb1197]

Thanks for your support jimmysgirl424. PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) isn't the end of the world. I'm lucky enough to have a diagnosis and now can move forward to make sure I do whatever I can to promote my own health.:)

[beetle]

I hope this is the right place to post this... I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my own wacky cycles. I've been off b.c. and charting since the end of May.

My first cycle was a little long (ovulated around CD22), but really pretty normal. The next cycle last 68 days (O'ed around CD55). My third cycle was annovulatory. Now I'm on CD26 of my fourth cycle, and still not a single sign of impending ovulation. Is it possible that this is just residual from b.c. and my cycles will eventually even out? At what point should I start to be concerned? Is it worth calling my doctor yet? I really don't want to jump into a bunch of tests and interventions if this is something that will correct itself, but at the same time, we're ready to start TTC, and it seems irregular cycles may be a problem. I'd really appreciate some input from the wise CC ladies!

[jennylou]

mb1197 - I'm glad that you finally have some answers. How are you proceeding with your diagnosis?

beetle if you've been charting since the beginning of May, I would call the Dr. You've only on your fourth cycle and you didn't ovulate in one of them. Your Dr should be able to run labs on you to at least give you an idea if there is a problem. I wouldn't mention that you weren't ttc during that time, only that you've been off the pill and charting since that time. Most Drs will want to see what the problem is b/c you're showing symptoms of a problem. And then again, your Dr may tell you that he doesn't need to see you until you've been ttc for a year. If you're due for a yearly, why not set that appointment up and talk to your Dr about it?

[mb1197]

mb1197 - I'm glad that you finally have some answers. How are you proceeding with your diagnosis?

I am going to schedule a follow-up appointment to sit down and discuss the results of my tests in further detail. I want to know what she thinks I need to do about diet and whether or not I need meds.

[beetle]

After doing some research on PCOS and finding the symptoms to be uncomfortably familiar, I made an appoinment with the NP at my doctor's office. We'll see what comes of it...

[beetle]

mb1197 - hope your treatment plan is going well.

Just thought I'd post an update to say that while I haven't received an official PCOS diagnosis (ultrasound was normal, blood tests came back ambiguous), the doctor agreed that I'm definitely not ovulating regularly, so he gave me Provera to end the last cycle, which was 94 days long, and started me on Clomid this cycle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[mb1197]

mb1197 - hope your treatment plan is going well.

Just thought I'd post an update to say that while I haven't received an official PCOS diagnosis (ultrasound was normal, blood tests came back ambiguous), the doctor agreed that I'm definitely not ovulating regularly, so he gave me Provera to end the last cycle, which was 94 days long, and started me on Clomid this cycle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Thank you. It has gone well. I just found out that I'm pregnant.:D

I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Best of luck with the Clomid!

[Wrighty26]

Thank you. It has gone well. I just found out that I'm pregnant.:D

I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Best of luck with the Clomid!

Congrats on your pregnancy!!

Beetle - you sound just like me. I didn't warrant a PCOS diagnosis, but I wasn't ovulating. I'm hoping Clomid will work for you!

[beetle]

CONGRATULATIONS, mb1197! That is fantastic news. Happy and healthy 9 mos. to you!

And thanks for the encouragement, ladies. We'll see how the next couple weeks go...

[mb1197]

Thanks for the well wishes ladies! I'll be crossing my fingers for you all!:D