Hello Dr. Ramirez,
I'm 20 and 293 pounds. I have
had Secondary Amenorrhea for close to 4
years now. It is apparently being caused by my weight. I'm not planning to TTC
for at least another 12 or 13 years. I don't hate babies but it's not just a
good time on the emotional or financial level to have them. If I'm able to get
down to a decent weight and get rid of this disease, What are my chances of getting pregnant when
it's time for me to TTC???
There's a history of Diabetes in
my family and I haven't had a asthma attack since I was 8.My mom had thyroid
disease before I was born but I don't think that's genetic. But I don't have
any other diseases than the SA at the current moment and my hormone levels were
just fine at my last doctor appt which was last October. I've been on
progesterone more than I count and it gets me a period but I want to have it
without the help of drugs. Is there some kind of natural cure to SA??
I know that it seems a bit silly
to ask about this NOW but I'm not getting any real answers about this disease
from my OB. Everytime I asked my OB about this, she would tell me not to worry
about it or brings a therapist in the room to basically tell me that I'm crazy.She's since moved her practice out of state and I have a new OB that I'll start seeing very soon. But how in the hell am I crazy for wanting to be proactive about my own health?? I'm sorry for the language but I'm just so fed up about this and at my wits end.
I know that I'm not producing eggs right now but what else could this be doing to my body?? Do I have a reason to be concerned about it besides the obvious infertility scare?? If I do get rid of this disease, Is there some kind of leftover side effect that could cause me to get Ovarian Cancer in the future??
I don't have these answers and I need to know what's going on. Please help me clear at least some of this up.
Thank You. D. R. from Michigan.
Answer:
Hello D. R. from the U.S. (Michigan),
Good riddance to your previous Ob doctor! "Secondary
Amenorrhea" is a description of a problem and NOT a diagnosis. It just means that you used to have periods
and now you don't. It doesn't explain
the cause. The most common reason for
old women to have secondary amenorrhea is menopause. The most common reason for young women to
have secondary amenorrhea is pregnancy.
However, a close second is an ovarian disorder called "Polycystic ovarian disease." This diagnosis is manifested by irregular or
rare natural menstrual cycles and at least one of the following findings:
ovaries that look like PCO ovaries on ultrasound, inverted FSH/LH ratio,
obesity, hirsuitism (increased facial hair), elevated testosterone levels,
diabetes, elevate insulin levels signifying insulin resistance. I think that you have PCOD but without a
thorough endocrine evaluation, I cannot say for sure.
With this disorder, you have a hormonal imbalance and that
needs to be corrected. The most simple
way to do that is to use a low androgen birth control pill such as Yaz. Once you are ready for pregnancy, then you
will have to use fertility medications, which actually do not increase your
fertility but induce your ovaries to ovulate, so that you can give off an egg
to get pregnant. You need to see a
COMPETENT gynecologist or a reproductive endocrinologist to be evaluated and
treated correctly!
Glad you wrote! Good Luck,
Edward J.
Ramirez, M.D.
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility And Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility And Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF
Monterey,
California, U.S.A.
Hello Dr. edward, many thanks for your blog, i love it. am writing from Uganda.
ReplyDeleteMy Question:
is there such a thing as too much or too little progesterone? does taking Gestone not supply enough progesterone to the uterus?
I ask because i have had 6 ivfs with one successful one in 2008 now 3 year old gal and since then have ben getting negatives. on four cycles i bled early and was always on gestone Im50mg once a day, we ICSI cos of severe male factor, and now was wondering if i can add utrogestan 200mg to the 50mg of Gestone? also taking progynova. have stuck to the injection because it is what gave me a succefful pregnancy. what day can i test after doing a 2 day embryo transfer?
kindly advise. am sorry for posting here but i thought it being the lastest blog you would get a chance to se my question earlier. Many thanks
Hello,
DeleteI just answered in your previous post. There is such as thing as too much progesterone, hence the birth control pill, but you would have to be taking a very high dose. As mentioned previously, I use both injectable and vaginal progesterone to cover the luteal phase.
Good Luck