LondonGirl
08-11-2009, 08:58 AM
Good morning,
(Apologies in advance for the long post but I'm desperate for a second opinion and want to provide you with as much detail as possible!)
I went to my family doctor a couple of weeks ago with two main complaints:
1) A noticeable increase in dizzy spells / light-headedness when standing up and
2) No periods since stopping the Pill (Microgynon 30) over two months ago.
However, while it’s difficult to put my finger on it, I just haven’t felt quite right or back to normal since having my baby (who’s 15 months old now). I have noticed a number of other changes since giving birth which were never there before I had my baby and they haven’t gone away and, in fact, some things have actually become noticeably worse since I came off the Pill, which makes me wonder whether the hormones in the Pill were masking some underlying hormonal problem. The changes I have noticed include:
~ Change in the texture of my hair – it seems very dry and thinning at the top;
~ Fatigue;
~ Thinning of underarm hair (and also pubic hair, although I don’t look at that very often so can’t be sure!);
~ Weakness / pain in my wrists from time to time;
~ Cold hands and feet and generally feeling the cold more (in winter I kept wanting to put the heating on in our home and my parents’ home, even on mild days, when no-one else seemed cold!);
~ A bruise on my shin which I got during pregnancy which is still a noticeable big brown patch and hasn’t faded;
~ A mole on my face which became more prominent during pregnancy and hasn’t gone returned to its normal size;
~ Mild nausea from time to time (I’m definitely not pregnant!);
~ Breast pain / tenderness (especially since stopping the Pill);
~ Slow thinking – breaking off mid-sentence trying to remember what I was saying; mixing up my husband / brother’s names; my husband giving Calpol to my son in front of me and then five minutes later saying “Why haven’t you given him Calpol yet?”
~ Bad balance (having to steady myself on my feet more frequently);
To give you some background on my pregnancy / birth:
~ I fell pregnant very quickly. I came off Microgynon 30, had the “fake” period, had a real period 40 days later, then became pregnant after that period. It was not unplanned and I was taking pregnancy vitamins and folic acid as soon as I came off the Pill;
~ I felt fit and well overall and enjoyed my pregnancy. However, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was given metformin tablets to take (I was on the maximum dosage by the end of my pregnancy), plus I had to test my blood glucose four times a day;
~ I had an emergency caesarean. I had a membrane sweep at the hospital and 48 hours later my waters were breaking. When I got to the hospital they said my baby’s heart rate was high and so he would have to be delivered without delay. I was hardly dilated, and didn’t have a single contraction (just dull, period-like lower back pain).
~ The level of blood loss was normal. My milk came in and I had no problem breast-feeding and did so exclusively for three months and was taking Micronor (a mini-Pill). I then went back to Microgynon 30 (not sure if I ever had a real period since childbirth or whether it was breakthrough bleeding). I have been on Microgynon 30 for the past 10 years. In this time I have taken a few breaks from the Pill and before childbirth my period always returned within 40 days and my periods have always been regular even without the Pill, albeit my cycle is slightly longer (37 days).
My doctor ordered some blood tests (FSH / LH / Thyroid function) because he suspected a hormonal imbalance (I saw him typing “Sheehan’s Syndrome”!). However, he said the blood test results came back normal apart from a higher fasting blood glucose level (6.2) and low calcium levels. Both of these surprised me because:
Re: Blood glucose – I have a family history of diabetes but am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and exercise regular – apart from all the above symptoms, I feel the fittest and healthiest I have done for a long time! Could an underlying condition be causing this insulin resistance?
Re: Calcium – I am taking Calcium and Magnesium supplements, plus have a diet rich in calcium (I take plenty of skimmed milk with my cereal EVERY morning, low fat yoghurts once a day (sometimes twice, even).
I know how lucky I am to have been blessed with one beautiful baby already but I don’t feel like my family is finished and I have an irrational fear of infertility and my health worries are now keeping me awake at night!
I would like an opinion as to what you would make of these signs and symptoms and what my next steps should be (is there a specialist I can see?).
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message.
LondonGirl
(Apologies in advance for the long post but I'm desperate for a second opinion and want to provide you with as much detail as possible!)
I went to my family doctor a couple of weeks ago with two main complaints:
1) A noticeable increase in dizzy spells / light-headedness when standing up and
2) No periods since stopping the Pill (Microgynon 30) over two months ago.
However, while it’s difficult to put my finger on it, I just haven’t felt quite right or back to normal since having my baby (who’s 15 months old now). I have noticed a number of other changes since giving birth which were never there before I had my baby and they haven’t gone away and, in fact, some things have actually become noticeably worse since I came off the Pill, which makes me wonder whether the hormones in the Pill were masking some underlying hormonal problem. The changes I have noticed include:
~ Change in the texture of my hair – it seems very dry and thinning at the top;
~ Fatigue;
~ Thinning of underarm hair (and also pubic hair, although I don’t look at that very often so can’t be sure!);
~ Weakness / pain in my wrists from time to time;
~ Cold hands and feet and generally feeling the cold more (in winter I kept wanting to put the heating on in our home and my parents’ home, even on mild days, when no-one else seemed cold!);
~ A bruise on my shin which I got during pregnancy which is still a noticeable big brown patch and hasn’t faded;
~ A mole on my face which became more prominent during pregnancy and hasn’t gone returned to its normal size;
~ Mild nausea from time to time (I’m definitely not pregnant!);
~ Breast pain / tenderness (especially since stopping the Pill);
~ Slow thinking – breaking off mid-sentence trying to remember what I was saying; mixing up my husband / brother’s names; my husband giving Calpol to my son in front of me and then five minutes later saying “Why haven’t you given him Calpol yet?”
~ Bad balance (having to steady myself on my feet more frequently);
To give you some background on my pregnancy / birth:
~ I fell pregnant very quickly. I came off Microgynon 30, had the “fake” period, had a real period 40 days later, then became pregnant after that period. It was not unplanned and I was taking pregnancy vitamins and folic acid as soon as I came off the Pill;
~ I felt fit and well overall and enjoyed my pregnancy. However, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was given metformin tablets to take (I was on the maximum dosage by the end of my pregnancy), plus I had to test my blood glucose four times a day;
~ I had an emergency caesarean. I had a membrane sweep at the hospital and 48 hours later my waters were breaking. When I got to the hospital they said my baby’s heart rate was high and so he would have to be delivered without delay. I was hardly dilated, and didn’t have a single contraction (just dull, period-like lower back pain).
~ The level of blood loss was normal. My milk came in and I had no problem breast-feeding and did so exclusively for three months and was taking Micronor (a mini-Pill). I then went back to Microgynon 30 (not sure if I ever had a real period since childbirth or whether it was breakthrough bleeding). I have been on Microgynon 30 for the past 10 years. In this time I have taken a few breaks from the Pill and before childbirth my period always returned within 40 days and my periods have always been regular even without the Pill, albeit my cycle is slightly longer (37 days).
My doctor ordered some blood tests (FSH / LH / Thyroid function) because he suspected a hormonal imbalance (I saw him typing “Sheehan’s Syndrome”!). However, he said the blood test results came back normal apart from a higher fasting blood glucose level (6.2) and low calcium levels. Both of these surprised me because:
Re: Blood glucose – I have a family history of diabetes but am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and exercise regular – apart from all the above symptoms, I feel the fittest and healthiest I have done for a long time! Could an underlying condition be causing this insulin resistance?
Re: Calcium – I am taking Calcium and Magnesium supplements, plus have a diet rich in calcium (I take plenty of skimmed milk with my cereal EVERY morning, low fat yoghurts once a day (sometimes twice, even).
I know how lucky I am to have been blessed with one beautiful baby already but I don’t feel like my family is finished and I have an irrational fear of infertility and my health worries are now keeping me awake at night!
I would like an opinion as to what you would make of these signs and symptoms and what my next steps should be (is there a specialist I can see?).
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message.
LondonGirl