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Clueless

Hi Wray, a few months ago I started reading this site but I am still confused. You see I am 37 years old and I want to have a baby. I have never been pregnant before and have been on the pill for nearly 13 years. I went off the pill about 3 years ago. I always felt that I was not ready to have kids. But at 37 I am ready but some how I feel It is too late for me because now I have problems with my periods.

About three years ago my period would not go away. I had it for three months straight till a doctor, a General practitioner put me on some pills called progyluton. Well it worked, the bleeding stopped. (I had gone to two gynecologists and they were not able to help)

Last year the Bleeding started again my General Practitioner put me on the same medication - progyluton, this time he prescribed three packets. The bleeding stopped after a long 6 months, that was January 2011. In February, one doctor prescribed a progesterone cream, Menogest cream by Swanson. He asked me to use it every day to regulate my period.

Somewhere on this site I read that if I used the preogesterone cream the first half of my cycle I will not ovulate. So in April I stopped the cream. My period came on the 26th. The previous month (March) it had come on the 20th.

Well I was diagnosed with PCOS. The thing is I am not sure whether I am Ovulating, this is a symptom of PCOS. I think that was the reason for my bleeding.

Two years ago my boyfriend was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he had his prostate removed. He had some sperm stored. I was told that the only way we could have a baby was through IVF. I was told that I have three small fibroids and they are about half the size of my uterus. The doctor told me that I need to have them removed because the IVF procedure is very expensive and that I need to increase my chances of getting pregnant by removing the fibroids. I plan to have surgery in May 2011.

Wray I need your help as the doctors are clueless.

I need you to tell me what to do. How do I balance my hormones and regulate my period?

I am not sure how long my cycle is, but I think it is 28 days. How do I know if I am ovulating?

Based on the information I got from the site, If I count the 1st day of bleeding day 1 of my cycle (Period came on 26th march at 9 pm) then I should start the cream on the 10th of May 2011 and use it for 14 days that is, up to the 23rd of May and period should come on the 24th of may. Is that right?

Also, can I not use a simple artificial insemination to get pregnant. Why does it have to be IVF?

Also, last year I started to lose my hair, my hair line has started to recede. I plan to see a dermatologist in June 2011. What do you think?

Are these all signs of me going through an early menopause? Why are all these things happening?

I am very sorry that this is so long. I am clueless and I really need your help, please. Can you please advise on the above. Thank you.

Comments for Clueless

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May 09, 2011
 Clueless
by: Wray

Hi there All Contraceptives can cause problems whilst on them, and after stopping them. It doesn't surprise me your cycle was upset. Progluton contains estradiol valerate and norgestrel, and is given to stop bleeding or regulate a cycle. Not very effectively it seems. Using progesterone daily will not help to regulate your cycle. We only make progesterone after ovulating, if it's used before hand it can stop this occurring, although I doubt if the amount you were using would do this. It has to be about 200mg/day to act as a contraceptive. But to regulate a cycle it's always best to follow it. I'm surprised the PCOS wasn't discovered years ago, the symptoms are often severe. Possibly yours were not sufficiently bad for you to notice it. If your Fibroids are half the size of your uterus they are not small. Oestrogen exacerbates them, but they are caused by oxidative stress. Often a lack of vitamin D is behind this, please consider having a test done. It's not only vital for the normal functioning of the ovaries, including ovulation, but vital too for a growing foetus, see here, here, here, here and here. For more info see the Vitamin D council and GrassrootsHealth websites. There are a number of ways to check for ovulation. Taking your temperature daily, see here. Checking for a mucus discharge from the vagina and using a mini microscope. This last is the easiest, see this site here which explains about using one. I've run out of space, so will start a new comment below. Take care Wray
May 09, 2011
 Clueless
by: Wray

Hi again Try it out for a cycle or two to get the hang of it. You could also get some LH urine test strips. These predict the LH surge which occurs just prior to ovulating. It?s a waste to use them prior to it occurring as you would have to use up a few before it happened. So combined with the microscope, it?ll give you a good idea of when you've ovulated. Ie use the microscope for a few days over your suspected ovulation time to check for the oestrogen peak. Once you?ve established this, ie the full ferning pattern, or as full as you normally have, use the LH strip. You might have to use 2, maybe more for a reading. If you do decide to use progesterone, it can initially upset the cycle, plus cause Oestrogen Dominance. So your period might not come as you predict in your query. It's nothing to worry about, it does settle down. I can only imagine the doctors are opting for IVF, as they can control the process. AI can be a hit and miss affair. Hair loss can be caused by so many factors, no one knows yet why it occurs. An excess of testosterone can cause it, PCOS generally has higher than normal testosterone. If progesterone levels drop, this in turn can allow testosterone to increase. Have you had any of your hormones checked? Stress causes it, progesterone is very calming, so lessens the stress response. Insulin Resistance can cause it too. There are a number of nutrients which help hair growth, please consider taking 5000iu's/day vitamin D, 2000mg/day N-actyl cysteine, 2000mg/day inositol, 2-3mg biotin and 100mg thiamine (B1). Iron is needed, please check your levels before taking any, and there is some evidence the amino acid lysine is beneficial too, see here. Vitamin D is needed for the anagen phase of hair growth, see here, here and here. 37 is early for Peri-menopause. When did your mother enter menopause, this is a good indication when you will? Take care Wray
Sep 22, 2014
 Thyroid
by: Anonymous

Hi, I just read this, ans please please get your Thyroid checked every month for 3 months to get an average reading. I had ALL those symptoms and if not checked will get steadily worse...if caught now is easily fixed ...the constant bleeding and the hair loss...please read more about it and make an appt. for your blood test ... Graves Disease, and it's not as scary as it sounds , it is names after the Dr. who discovered it...but believe me MY doctors didn't know what they were doing either, and ended up with a pacemaker at 35...good luck!!

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