Domperidone breastfeeding and menstrual cycle...help pleAse!

[chistiana]

Hi ladies. So i m a bit worried today and been googling a lot which only makes me more worried. I am 12 months and 2 weeks pp and i still havent got my period back. I know it s pretty normal since lo is still breastfeeding but i went to the gyn today and he was surprised at how non existamt my endometrium is. So i checked online about the side effects of domperidone and it seems one of them is messing your cycles up. We re not going to ttc again for at least a year but i want to have my septum (septate uterus) resected and i need to have my period back before i have the surgery. So even though i m not going to stop bf yet i ve decided to stop taking the domperidone cold turkey. Did any of you ladies take domperidone and did it screw your cycles?? And after you stopped taking it how long did it take for your period to return? Did dom affect your fertility in the long run?? So many questions... I am sorry but i m really worried, any advice or experiences you had will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Celesse]

I took Dom in the post natal period after both babies as I had "issues" but I weaned off it once issues were resolved.

My assumption is the reason it messes with your cycles is the same reason it has the "side effect" of increasing your milk supply.

 

[chistiana]

Celesse thanks for replying. It increases prolactine levels (hence increase in breast milk) but from what i read increased prolactine means low estrogene too hence no period. I m so worried it s gonna be a long while before af pays me a visit...if you dont mind me asking do you remember if you had your period soon after you weaned off domperidone???

 

[Celesse]

I weaned off around 4 weeks with DD and 8 weeks with DS. No AF after DD, but got pregnant at 12.5months and first AF after DS was at 17months pp. So no relation.

 

[rymom]

Chistiana,

When did you get your cycle back after Dom??

 

[chistiana]

It returned at 15 months but it s all screwed up. I dont know if its a late side effect but my first pp cycle was 45 days and my lp was 4 days

 

[rymom]

Wow. Thanks. I stopped dom 2 weeks ago. I guess the waiting begins.

 

[chistiana]

Good luck, hopefully yours wont take that long!

 

[rymom]

Did you stop Dom at 12 months?

 

[chistiana]

Yes. I started at roughly 5-6 months and stopped at 12m+2w. How long have you been taking it? Are you still bf?

 

[rymom]

I started taking it when my son was 8 months. It saved my supply. I stopped taking it at 12 months, 2 weeks. My supply tanked, so I stopped breastfeeding just a couple days later. It's hard not to worry about cycle and fertility. I keep telling myself this is normal and doesn't have anything to do with the Dom. I emailed Jack Newman (breastfeeding guru and Canadian pediatrician that often prescribes Dom to breastfeeding women) and he actually wrote me back! He said Dom does not cause infertility and that it is hard to say if Dom keeps cycles from returning or if it is breastfeeding. He also said 14 months is average for cycles to return for a breastfeeding mother and that is hard to say when mine will return.
It is driving me crazy though!!
Are you still nursing?

 

[chistiana]

I can totally relate! As soon as i stopped dom my supply webt downhills but we continued until she was 15months. Now she only bfs before her night time bottle and before her morning bottle but only for a couple of minutes and i think it s just for comfort! I m sure it was the dom that kept my periods away cause i tested my prolactine and it was over the roof. But my friend who has never taken dom bf her son until a month ago (along with formula) and she still hasnt got her period back (13 months) so who knows...i dont think it causes infertility i just think it kind of messes with your hormones and it might take a while before they go back to normal. So unless you want to start ttc soon i wouldnt really worry. Have you tried taking any hormone balancing supplements? I take agnus castus, i ve read really good reviews online!

 

[rymom]

When you tested your prolactin were you still taking Dom? If so, have you had it tested again? What does your doc think is happening with your cycles? We want to ttc in a couple months. I was thinking of going to the doctor in November to discuss any issues before ttc. I'm not taking anything for hormones, but maybe I should. At least I'll feel like I'm being proactive. I thought about doing acupuncture too.

 

[chistiana]

No i tested about a month after i stopped the dom and it was still very high. My doc initially said it was the dom and bfing screwing with my cycles but i had an u/s two and a half weeks ago and i have a pretty big cyst in my ovary so now he thinks that s what s causing all the delays. It could of course be that the dom screwed my hormones so much hense the cyst but i really will never know. Do look into hormone ballancing herbs (they are not hormones just herbs to help regulate them) i think they do work quite well. But anyhow maybe your hormones arent that screwed up, you only took it for 4 months so you re probably on a good road!

 

[chistiana]

Ow and i ve read acupuncture really helps they just dont do it for fertility reasons in my country...aaarrgggg

 

[rymom]

Thanks for the encouragement. Still waiting for af. Has your doc looked at prolactin levels again? Just wondering if it has changed. I weaned off the dom over a two week period. I slowly reduced the amount I was taking every few days till I stopped.

 

[chistiana]

No he hasnt, i m assuming that since i ov ed and af arrive they should be back to normal. I am going in 2 weeks to check what s going on with my cyst and if it s still there i m testing my estrogens and probably having it surgically removed

 

[rymom]

were you using opk's or temping to look for ovulation? I was thinking about using opk's so I could have plenty of info to take to the doc in November. Since I have no idea when af will arrive I could be using them for weeks, not sure that will be cost effective!
I hope your next doctor visit goes well. It seems like your doctor is looking at everything to get you back on track.

 

[chistiana]

Only opks as lo still wakes up throughout the night so temping is impossible! I try to check cm and then when it starts being kind of ewcm like i start usinh opks, otherwise it s going to cost a fortune! This month i m using my cbfm but that s definitely way too expensive to do every month!

 

[rymom]

I've been checking cm. Almost no change in 21 days. Aghhh! It's driving me crazy.