Question:
Hi! I'm writing from the UK and hoping I can finally get some answers!
I had my last depo provera in Dec 2008. This ran out in March, and I had a light menstrual bleed in April but nothing since. It is now November!
My husband and I are wanting to conceive so in July we went to my GP and I was given Noresthisterone, 3 times a day for 10 days. I did NOT get a withdrawal bleed. I had some blood tests done, and I was told by a lucum doc that they were all normal. But in my opinion he didn't look sure, as he kept looking at them.
I have read that if you don't get a withdrawal bleed it could be due to low estrogen. Do you think this could be the case with me? And if it is, what would be the next step? I am desperate for my menstrual cycle to return so we can start to conceive.
Can you give me any advice, or anything that I could ask my doctor about? Many thanks!
Answer:
Hello,
You are correct in that if you do not get a withdrawal bleed after progesterone (Norethindrone), then that indicates that the uterus was not primed i.e. you did not have estrogen aboard to create an adequate uterine lining. Hormone testing would be the first check. Unfortunately, the FSH, LH test needs to be interpreted, not just checked against the laboratories normal and abnormal. A woman cna have an abnormal level but be within the normal limits for the laboratory testing results. For example, the FSH level could be 35, indicating ovarian failure or menopause, yet this is within normal testing limits. The reason this is important, is because if the FSH level is elevated, that indicates that you ovaries have shut down. An example of this occurring at a young age is called premature ovarian failure. In this case, you will be unable to become pregnant naturally, and without using an egg donor. I am not saying that is what you have, but the hormone test is very important to know where you stand.
Most likely, you have an ovarian dysfunction, whereby the ovary is not working correctly so that you are not ovulating and not producing estrogen. This is the most common reason. The FSH and LH levels would be normal and less than 20. In this case, you will need fertility medications to stimulate the ovaries to ovulate so that you can become pregnant.
I would recommend that you see a fertility specialist if you can. He/She will be able to make the diagnosis and recommend an appropriate treatment. A GP cannot do those and does not have the appropriate knowledge base to help you.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D.,FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
Check me out on Facebook and Twitter with me at @montereybayivf
Hi! I'm writing from the UK and hoping I can finally get some answers!
I had my last depo provera in Dec 2008. This ran out in March, and I had a light menstrual bleed in April but nothing since. It is now November!
My husband and I are wanting to conceive so in July we went to my GP and I was given Noresthisterone, 3 times a day for 10 days. I did NOT get a withdrawal bleed. I had some blood tests done, and I was told by a lucum doc that they were all normal. But in my opinion he didn't look sure, as he kept looking at them.
I have read that if you don't get a withdrawal bleed it could be due to low estrogen. Do you think this could be the case with me? And if it is, what would be the next step? I am desperate for my menstrual cycle to return so we can start to conceive.
Can you give me any advice, or anything that I could ask my doctor about? Many thanks!
Answer:
Hello,
You are correct in that if you do not get a withdrawal bleed after progesterone (Norethindrone), then that indicates that the uterus was not primed i.e. you did not have estrogen aboard to create an adequate uterine lining. Hormone testing would be the first check. Unfortunately, the FSH, LH test needs to be interpreted, not just checked against the laboratories normal and abnormal. A woman cna have an abnormal level but be within the normal limits for the laboratory testing results. For example, the FSH level could be 35, indicating ovarian failure or menopause, yet this is within normal testing limits. The reason this is important, is because if the FSH level is elevated, that indicates that you ovaries have shut down. An example of this occurring at a young age is called premature ovarian failure. In this case, you will be unable to become pregnant naturally, and without using an egg donor. I am not saying that is what you have, but the hormone test is very important to know where you stand.
Most likely, you have an ovarian dysfunction, whereby the ovary is not working correctly so that you are not ovulating and not producing estrogen. This is the most common reason. The FSH and LH levels would be normal and less than 20. In this case, you will need fertility medications to stimulate the ovaries to ovulate so that you can become pregnant.
I would recommend that you see a fertility specialist if you can. He/She will be able to make the diagnosis and recommend an appropriate treatment. A GP cannot do those and does not have the appropriate knowledge base to help you.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D.,FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
Check me out on Facebook and Twitter with me at @montereybayivf
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