Help! Period woes, low-carb diet

Shazzer · 09-02-2003, 12:38 AM

I've been on a low-carb diet for about seven weeks and feel 1000 times better on it than I did on a regular diet (severe insulin resistance). My first period while doing low-carb was normal, maybe a bit lighter. Note, I take 1500 mg Glucophage XR per day, Aldactone, and just finished a pack of Zovia birth control pills. I'm 25, weigh 127 lbs, and prior to Glucophage and Aldactone, had severe periods, severe reactive hypoglycemia, and quite a lot of other PCOS symptoms.

Here is my problem:

I had the symptoms of starting my period, bloating, fatigue, cramps, mood swings. But I didn't really have a period. Not to be too graphic, but I didn't bleed at all more than the lightest possible spotting (I mean I couldn't tell I was bleeding). It has been two days since cramps and other symptoms stopped.

What is going on with me? Should I be really concerned?

prunepie · 09-02-2003, 01:35 AM

could you be pg?

simone · 09-02-2003, 02:57 AM

Shazzer --

Don't worry. Something like this happened to me a couple of years ago: I was on BCP and got majorly into soy (I don't take soy anymore), and my periods dwindled down to almost nothing. I figured it was the hormonal effect of the soy. You are probably changing your hormonal profile by low carbing (which is good). I looked up aldactone and one of the side-effects is amenorrhea (presumably in women with normal cycles), so if you are normalizing your hormones with your diet, you may need less of your meds (or even none). I would get blood tests of your hormone levels (maybe after another cycle) and check with your doctor to see what's up.

Simone

Shazzer · 09-02-2003, 11:23 PM

I should have mentioned in my first post that there is no way I could be pregnant.

I'll wait and see what happens next month with the period. I just find it so weird that I felt all the symptoms without the period itself. Having PCOS, I've had wacko periods since puberty. But I've never had anything like this happen to me before.

ukleder · 09-03-2003, 04:00 PM

That's so strange! I was just about to ask the very same question. I've been on Demulen (which is the same thing as Zovia) since 1996 and for the first time when I was supposed to get my period (during the 7 day break)....no period came. Not even a little brown spotting or anything.

I, too, have been eating a lot more soy and heard that Japanese women have very low breast & reproductive problems because of the soy they consume. So maybe there is a link? I just assumed that there should always been some sort of withdrawal bleed during the 7 day break while on the pill.

I'm also on Aldactone but have been on this for seven years and never experienced this before...not even when I was a vegan!

I'm not going back on Demulen until I have to (i.e. start to break out and sprout hair all over) but I'm staying on the Aldactone. It will be interesting to see if I get a period next month on its own. Aren't hormones crazy?

celticrose · 09-06-2003, 06:31 PM

I came off the pill 4 years ago due to high blood pressure and cos of my PCOS i never had a period, not even a spot !! This was a pain cos i had to keep doing preg tests every couple of months to see if i was pg or not (tho i knew i wouldnt be). This went on for 4 years until i started having arthritis probs in my hands. My doc then put me on Prempak C which cos of hormones does help with pain in hands. For the first 3 months i had a period then for the next 3 months no bleed at all !!Then last month i had a light bleed so this month is gonna be interesting lol . Stay safe