Menstrual Irregularities and Infertility: Understanding the Connection

Question
Hi Diane, I'm becoming really concerned about my menstrual cycle. I've always had pretty regular periods, sometimes a bit heavy but always on time.I missed my period in Jan and Feb so i made an appt with my dr to see what was going on i was a little excited i thought maybe i had conceived (my boyfriend of 3 years and i are trying# but was disappointed to see the many tests i took come back negative. Anyway my Dr ran labs and determined that everything looked okay so she put me on the pill to get me started and we scheduled a pelvic exam and pregnancy ultrasound to check on my ovaries. #she assumes i have polycystic ovarian disease#. So i went home that day and started my pills i couldn't wait til the Sunday after my period for i had not had one in months so a few days later i started bleeding. That was 13 days ago i'm bleeding abnormally heavy and cramping pretty bad i had to reschedule my appt for the pelvic exam #they said i could have it done but ive never had a pap or anything and that only added to the uncomfortable feeling. I stopped takin the pills about three days ago to see if it would stop my cycle im not sure what to do. i was also wondering if i were to ask my dr about fertility options if she would tell me i was too young i'm 21 years old and have been with one man, we have been together for 3 years and would both like to have a child.

Answer
Dear Keighley,

Love your name, by the way. Anyway, what's been happening? I am sorry that I was just able to get your question today. Did you stop bleeding and did you go to the doctor again?

If you don't get satisfaction from your doctor, I would recommend checking out a 2nd opinion. I'm not too sure that I would agree with putting you on the pill to start your period. But it's too late because you already did that. So anyway, let me know what happened. I would be concerned about the heavy bleeding and cramping. You can email me privately at CHERYL51@aol.com to give me an update. Looking forward to hearing from you. I hope you get your heart's desire to have a child.

Diane Cheryl