QuestionHi there,
I had a question regarding periods after birth control.I was irregular (about 30-60 days apart) periods before starting birth control when I was almost 21. I'm 24 now and roughly 4 months ago I got off the pill (Ortho Tri Lo, have been on low dose ones). Well, a few days after I got hit hard with heart palpitations (foreceful skipped beats) and these immense heat rushes that came at me whenever I tried to fall asleep. These symptomps have subsided a lot, especially the heat rushes which I havent had for almost 3 weeks...skipped beats occassionally. I noticed in the past 2 months I get this one day where I just feel them skip almost one after another for a bit and then go back to normal....this was about a week for my period came. Went to cardiologists had EKGS, echocardiogram done and stress test and all good (of course they noticed some skipped beats) but all results great. Had a basic panel done (blood test) for cholesterol, thyroid, amino acids, blood cells, etc...all superb. No real explanation for why these palpitations started....nothing was different except that I got off the pill. So I'm thinking could this be my body adjusting to it after? How long is this going to last? It seems its taking a very very very slow time to get better even though over these months its been getting less and less to the point where the skipped beats are getting less noticeable and not as much. But now the issue is the period...I got off the pill Oct 19th (last day before placebo). I got my period Nov 19th, but it was light (3 days, by the 4th it was gone, so it was light). Then I got my second off pill period December 16th also light, and then my third one Jan 19th, also very light. Now I was expecting it Feb 19th but it didnt come. Of course, I panicked and thought i was pregnant but I highly doubted I was (I took the test twice 1 and 3 days after missing it and its negative). I feel normal, no tiredness PMS-type symptoms or breast tenderness...I started thinking I was back on a normal track with the last 3 periods I had since the pill even though they were abnormally light. My question is, could they have appeared to be normal almost 30 days apart because I still had those synthetic hormones and now that they're clearning out, my body is still adjusting? I mean, I was irregular before the pill so could I body be falling back on that "track"?
AnswerHi Eva,
Thanks for your question. My life message is pretty much the title of your email. "Birth Control Whacked out my Body". Not really my own body because I was on the pill 10 years and now off for 27 years. But these are the questions I have been getting now for almost 20 years. About hormonal birth control. I wish I could help and educate all young ladies on this topic.
Anyway, enough of that-haha. All the things you mention in your question are distinct possibilities. The hormones do change your body cycles and then when you go off, you risk having the same thing happen in reverse. I have heard of most of the symptoms you are mentioning but I bet the heart problems were really scary. But I feel that since you had all these tests, etc. you could pretty much believe the reports on this.
I would say that it's more healthy that you did get off the pill and hopefully, your body will become more and more normal. I would like for you to email me at DCHERYL51@yahoo.com and keep in touch. Please put ALLEXPERTS in the subject line of your email. Hope to hear from you soon.
Diane Cheryl
