QuestionHi, my name is Alice and I'm 31 years old from Charlotte, NC. I had shoulder arthroscopy 7 weeks ago and I had an interscalene block. The day I had surgery, I was having my period. When I came home later that day, it stopped, and I haven't had a period since. I have had the following gynecological problems:
July 2002 - right ovary removed via laparotomy
June 2010 - miscarriage
July 2010 - laparoscopy where I had a tubal ligation and a cyst removed from my left ovary. The doctor removed a lot of scar tissue which had attached my ovary to my bowel. The doctor was unable to remove all the scar tissue without doing a laparotomy.
Also from 2002 - present I have had multiple, painful ovarian cysts. I have been put on numerous birth control pills to no avail. Beginning in 2008, I started having frequent (every 2 weeks) heavy periods. My doctor recently recommended a hysterectomy, but that's not something I want to do.
Anyways, my question is if it's common to have an almost 2 month late period after surgery? I have never had this problem, even after my previous 2 pelvic surgeries. I have taken numerous pregnancy tests and they are all
negative. Thank you so much for your time.
AnswerHello Alice from the U.S. (North Carolina),
It is not common for your cycles to stop from surgery unless the ovaries or uterus were removed, or if there was some complication, such as a TIA or stroke that affected the brain. More than likely the missed periods you are having now is due to some type of ovarian dysfunction. You need to undergo hormonal testing to try to find the cause. The treatment of choice is the birth control or sequential hormone replacement.
In terms of the recurrent ovarian cysts, as long as your ovary is still functioning, you will always risk the development of a cyst. It is probably painful to you because you have pelvic adhesions attached to the ovary. There is no surgical procedure than can remove the adhesions and keep them from returning. I agree with you that hysterectomy is probably not a good option at this age, because, in fact, your ovarian hormones are very important and you need to keep that capability. The only suggestion I can make, if you can't take birth control pills, is to try using Depo provera or the Mirena IUD.
Good Luck,
Dr. Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf and facebook @montereybayivf
