Please can you help... before I go to gp

[mummylove]

Hello
You may have read some of my threads in the last few months about strange things happening to my body. Tingly breasts, mood swings, late periods, early periods, lumpy arm pits with sore glands, scary hair loss etc...

I just want to know whats happenind with my body. Last time I saw gp, she took blood and said all was ok and that my hormones were playing up... thats it. They always leave you feeling confused and silly.

My periods normally last a week and 5 days have always been heavy, my last period lasted 5 days and was very light at points almost stopping. This perios started 3 days early with black discharge for two days then three days later my period started and two days after that its almost gone. I am worried that something is happening to my body which could effect my fertility. I have done a pregnancy test and it was neg. Has anyone else experienced this. I feel silly going to my gp.

I am just worried as I normally have heavy periods for 5-10 days and now my last two have been so light and at some days just spotting.

My dd is 19mths, my perios returned to normal after i finished b/f at 8 mths.

[colditzmum]

Go to your gp and tell him/her not to be so damn dismissive! I can't believe they had nothing they could offer you! Ask about hormone therapy and don't leave until you have some plain english answers!

sorry - rant over- I don't like gps can you tell?

[linnet]

Did they include a check on your thyroid when they did the blood tests?

Periods can be affected by thyroid trouble.

My mum had an underactive thyroid and my dr told me that if I ever got ill and they couldn't figure it out to mention that my mum had thyroid trouble.

Good Luck at the GP's.

[mummylove]

bump

[mummylove]

hello

the last time i went to the gp she took some blood for the usual tests, glucose, diabtetes, thyroid etc - they all came back ok. Its just strange that suddenly my perios are so light. From a teenager up to two months ago i had to wear night towels at night and periods were heavy enough to bleed through pad, clothes and sometimes on bed covers. At the moment I am not bleeding in the night?!?! I will go to my gp but i know she will just say something like "yes are bodies do change and your periods can change after having a baby!" but my dd is 19months and my periods returned to normal after b/f until last month!!!
i dont know!

[WigWamBam]

My first thought was thyroid too, Linnet. Mood swings, hair loss, period problems can all be caused by thyroid problems, and if they don't run a full thyroid function check when they do blood tests, thyroid problems often don't show up.

This is obviously causing you some distress, and needs to be looked at again. Can you see a different doctor at your practice, if you don't feel that your GP takes you seriously?

[mummylove]

thank you - i will go and this time not leave until she does take mer seriously.

they tested my blood to check my thyroid is that not enough? Should there be further tests?

[WigWamBam]

As far as I know, it's quite common for general blood tests not to include a full thyroid function test; I have an underactive thyroid which was missed as they initially only checked for one hormone. Ask whether yours was a full thyroid function check. Similarly, diabetes may not show up from a simple blood test, and you may need a full glucose tolerance test for it to show up.

Something is clearly not right, and you deserve to ba taken seriously.

[mummylove]

hello
spoke to gp over the phone, she has booked me in for some more blood tests to test other hormones.

so going in the morning, period so light today, only needed to change once, its so strange?!?!

anyone else around th advise or had similar experience?

[mummylove]

just read my original message, it should say

"my periods normally last 5-7 days" not 10! doh!

[JJ]

Ask if they tested for TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). This should tell you if your body thinks it has enough of the hormone being made. The one test they might have done is for T4 levels which can be within the normal range even is TSH levels are high (ie your body is working extra hard to produce more).

Anyway, it's the TSH level that really matters.

Good luck tomorrow!

(I have a genetic form of hypothyroidism. It's easy to treat -- just remember to pop a pill every day!)

[mummylove]

how did it effect your periods?

[mummylove]

hello anyone else around with advice/similar experience of periods going funny?

[mummylove]

bump

[NatureDoc]

Have you been checked for Polycyctic Ovarian Syndrome and or thyroid? Definitely have another hormone test. If this comes out within the normal range then I would head for a good complementary doc who can owrk ourt why you are having these symptoms e.g. Guild of Naturopathic Iridologists www.gni-international.org

[mummylove]

hello naturedoc

isnt pcs painful periods? i dont have painful periods, dont really have any pain/cramps.

i will ask the doc about it?

any other ideas?

[tamum]

I would just back up the others about it sounding very like a thyroid problem. Polycystic ovaries would be much more likely to lead to excess hair, not hair loss. Just keep going with your GP, I would.

[mummylove]

thanks!

when i spoke to my gp today, i mentioned testing my thyroid and she said "no,no, we already tested that, thats fine, we will no some more hormone tests" - does this mean more tests to do with thyroid? i dont want to go in there telling her what to do but i everyone has mentioned thyroid here so i just want that cleared.

[tamum]

I would do what JJ says and ask specifically if they tested TSH. Just be polite and request that it is done if they haven't already done it. Good luck

[JJ]

mummylove, sorry I didn't see this last night. It didn't affect my periods as I wasn't having any - I got diagnosed 6 months after my first son was born.

Unfortunately, I didn't have unusual hair loss, either. I mean, I was losing hair in clumps, but I became a great woolly mammoth while pregnant and assumed I was losing that hair, iyswim.

Yes, go back and ask her your TSH levels. If she didn't do the test, ask her to do it. Normal is about 0.5 to 4 (although this varies from lab to lab, sometimes it's 0.3 to 3, sometimes 0.5 to 5, etc).

I think that you can also have out of whack T4 (and T3) levels with ok TSH levels (?). This means your pituitary gland is wonky. So I think both tests should be done to check that everything's ok. My problem is with my thyroid gland, and I have to admit to forgetting what my doctor told me about T4 levels. (I have to monitor TSH, iyswim.)

Anyway, both tests should have been done. Just ask her your levels of T4 and TSH. Tell her you have a very nosey friend who's curious.

Good luck to you!

[mummylove]

wow JJ you sound like you know your hormones

went to surgery this morning and the nurse took blood, i cant remember now what the hormones were called, she did not mention tsh

the results will come back in a week so i'll ask the doc then about tsh.

period has now stopped after 4 days of spotting, when normally on for 7 days so something is not right i just hope its nothing serious, i can be a big worrier!

[mummylove]

bump

[mummylove]

bump again

[RudyDudy]

hi mummylove - i have nothing to add to what the others have written but didn't want you feel ignored

good luck with the test results. if you are unclear about anything or need more information make sure you check with the gp exactly what it all means. it can sometimes be hard to remember what was said afterwards so perhaps take notes when you are there?

Fingers crossed for you.

[JJ]

oops -- sorry for missing this again. Have been dipping in and out today.

I only really know my particular condition and that's because I've moved a lot and have had to transfer the info from doctor to doctor. Luckily, I've had great luck with doctors and they have all explained things I didn't understand.

Hope it goes well for you.