Very light periods - ideas?

[Mar_15]

Hi

We've been ttc for 18 months and off the pill for 2 years. I'm 28 and oh is 32. My cycle took a while to settle down after the pill but has been between 33 and 35 days since November.

There is pcos in my family but I'm pretty sure I ovulate as I've temped a few times and use opks. Af always comes on 16 dpo exactly.

One thing is I have really really light periods, basically just spotting for 7 days and normally don't have to bother with tampons.

We will have fertility testing in Nov/Dec hopefully, but in the meantime wondering if the light periods could be causing problems with implantation. Any ideas if this is a problem and if there are any natural remedies that help?

 

[snowbee]

Hello. I have pcos and often have light periods. I've been concerned that mine are due to low progesterone levels and I have also been worried that this is what is stopping implantation and stopping us from getting our positives. I've had one pregnancy that ended in mc, if I'm lucky enough to get another I will be requesting bloods to check progesterone levels asap. I have had some success with agnus castus, it has really regulated my cycle and I've been having more normal periods although I would say they are still on the light side but nowhere near as much as they were. It did have a gradual effect, I think it can take a while to get into your system. I've been taking it for several months now.

 

[phonixgirl]

Hi hun, it could mean (like me) you are ovulating but just not doing it properly.

Are you on metformin? I am guessing not yet.

I read that everyone with PCOS has some form of insulin resistance. The ONLY things to have helped my strange periods and to make me somewhat normal (eg actually see EWCM) are cinnamon and chromium supplements. Apparently it is the natural version of metformin and sorts out your metabolism (I didn't think I needed this - I only weigh 8 stone - but clearly I did). Might be worth a try. Xx

 

[Laura07]

Hi Hun I have pcos and I was having light periods, I have acupuncture, i make sure I'm hydrated and drink a minimum of 2 lt of water a day my periods have evened out now but my acupuncturist has worked wonders if I think of anything else I will add it hope this helps xx

 

[Mar_15]

Thanks for all the advice. I thought the light periods might rule me out for PCOS tbh because I'd associated it with very heavy painful periods. Looks like I need to go stock up on some supplements.

Can't afford acupuncture right now Laura but you're the second person that has suggested it so I'll keep it in mind for the future.

 

[Browneyed Girl]

I've had light (and short) periods for the last few years and wondered if it contributed to my issues conceiving. I did conceive naturally twice in about 2 years. The first ended in mmc at 8 weeks and the second was a chemical. I was referred for fertility treatment and asked if light periods was an issue and was told it isn't - the issue is if your cycles start getting shorter. My day 21 test came back at 40 so they were happy I was ovulating normally. I conceived this baby through icsi and specifically asked about my lining thickness - it wasn't really optimum (7.4mm) but it obviously was enough! Hope this helps xx

 

[Mar_15]

Thanks Browneyed Girl. Nice to know it isn't necessarily an issue. I'm just going to go all out and try anything I can though until we get these tests I think.

Just looking into PCOS diets now and pretty horrified at the no dairy idea. This is going to be tough. Phonixgirl, what do you mean by not ovulating properly? Like the egg isn't released fully?

 

[snowbee]

Not all dairy is bad for pcos so don't panic. Cheese for example is quite good as it is very low gi (low gi is a great diet plan for most pcos people might be worth a browse for you), also regular milk rather than skimmed or semi skimmed is also better if you have pcos as there is less sugar in it. Rather than cut out dairy I've switched to regular milk, regular butter, extra mature cheeses (as you need less for the same taste). In moderation it is fine for me.

 

[phonixgirl]

Yes, we have damaged follicles and cysts over some of them so the egg might have difficulty getting out. I got positive OPKs but am not convinced I ovulated fully - I just believe that my body was trying and needed an extra push. Something went wrong somewhere, which is why I ended up getting the bleeding. Interestingly, Clomid sorted everything out (it blocks oestrogen receptors - some natural supplements do the same) but obviously I didn't get pregnant and over-responded.

It is possible to have bleeds without ovulating - especially light ones. You are best temping to confirm ovulation, as OPKs just pick up LH and PCOS can sometimes mess these up.

I just read that high prolactin acts as a natural contraceptive too. I haven't been told I have got this, but then, PCOS messes up all your hormones!

TMI - CM says a lot. Only the past two months have I seen EWCM - I used to be really dry. Even though the scans looked okay I think the eggs were probably turning into cysts, rather than being released.

Good luck Xx

 

[phonixgirl]

Oh, also, reflexology is supposed to be good too (cheaper than acupuncture and you get specialist fertility ones). And I agree with Snowbee about the dairy - you need calcium and vitamin D, especially in the first 14 days. They say it is bad because of the added hormones so just stick to organic if you can, or a milk alternative. Cheese etc is fine. They say go gluten free but I would be eating nothing if I did all of that so I am just doing low (bad) carbs and low refined sugars. Xxx

 

[Laura07]

Another alternative to metformin is inofolic it's a bit pricey and as soon as I could I got metformin from the consultant, the trouble with light periods it shows your lining isn't very thick and if that's the case it might mean implantation can't take place if you get to a point when you have scans it's best to ask about the thickness of the lining think it needs to be a minimum of 7mm for implantation to take place xx

 

[snowbee]

Oh, also, reflexology is supposed to be good too (cheaper than acupuncture and you get specialist fertility ones). And I agree with Snowbee about the dairy - you need calcium and vitamin D, especially in the first 14 days. They say it is bad because of the added hormones so just stick to organic if you can, or a milk alternative. Cheese etc is fine. They say go gluten free but I would be eating nothing if I did all of that so I am just doing low (bad) carbs and low refined sugars. Xxx

If you are in the UK there is no problem with hormones in dairy, that is only if you are in the US as they have a very different way of managing dairy cows (it is not legal in the UK so no hormones in Birtish milk or dairy products).

I didn't know gluten free was recommended for pcos, I'll have to look into that as I'm not sure how much gluten I'm eating.

 

[phonixgirl]

Oh, I never knew that! Thanks Snowbee, going to have a cup of very milky tea now...

(Yes, I know I shouldn't be having tea either but the caffeine in that is minimal compared to coffee!)