Eegee
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- Dec 5, 2012
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I have been meaning to post here for a while but I've only just got around to actually doing it!
I came off the mini-pill in December 2013, had one period around Feb 2014, another a few months later, a few very light ones over the summer and then another 'big one' (typical for me throughout my teenage years but a bit of a rarity since coming off contraceptives on two occasions) in September 2014 when we were in Cuba. I knew it was going to happen because it was just my sort of luck, and had thankfully prepared well!
In November I got a positive pregnancy test and was shocked - the doctors had told me there was a good chance I wasn't even ovulating as my cycles were so irregular, and to go back if I was still having trouble and they'd carry out some tests. They said it was likely PCOS due to my weight (I'm typically around 18st). I was only a few weeks along when I found out, so my cycle would have been at least 6 weeks long this time around. I joked that the sun in Cuba must have done me good!
Several months after having my daughter, I started to feel quite unwell and weak, and wondered if something was wrong with my thyroid as a lot of the symptoms matched up with what I had read. The doctor basically accused me of being a hypochondriac but said I could have a blood test to rule it out if I wanted. I left it another few weeks and then decided to get it done as I still wasn't feeling great. The nurse added vitamin D to the list of things to test for as she said it was quite a common deficiency, especially in people with higher BMIs, and she was surprised the doctor hadn't considered it!
My thyroid levels were just within the normal range, although slightly worse than they would be ideally. However, my vitamin D level was extremely low. The doctor prescribed Calceos which contain a lot of calcium and a small amount of vitamin D - I only took one in the end because I didn't need all the extra calcium, there were restrictions on when I could take them (e.g. not within a few hours of cheese, ham, chocolate) and the 2 per day I was advised to take didn't take into consideration that I was still breastfeeding (the limit in that case, according to the info leaflet, was 1).
After reading about vitamin D deficiencies, I decided to give a normal vitamin D3 supplement a go and my husband picked up a high-dose oral spray from Holland & Barrett.
I started to feel better within a few days, and I noticed that my period arrived too - a coincidence, I assumed. The following month my period arrived again. I said to my husband that once the third one arrived, I'd be going back on the pill as I had found the cause of my period troubles!
My third period never arrived; my second baby is due at the end of next week
Unlike the first time around, my dates matched up absolutely perfectly and the cycle would have been a normal length. It seems that it genuinely was the sun in Cuba that helped me conceive my first daughter!
It had never even occurred to me that vitamin D could play such an important role in fertility, and whilst it's unlikely to be the answer for everyone, I thought it was worth sharing my story in case it helps anyone else who is struggling with unexplained irregular periods
I came off the mini-pill in December 2013, had one period around Feb 2014, another a few months later, a few very light ones over the summer and then another 'big one' (typical for me throughout my teenage years but a bit of a rarity since coming off contraceptives on two occasions) in September 2014 when we were in Cuba. I knew it was going to happen because it was just my sort of luck, and had thankfully prepared well!
In November I got a positive pregnancy test and was shocked - the doctors had told me there was a good chance I wasn't even ovulating as my cycles were so irregular, and to go back if I was still having trouble and they'd carry out some tests. They said it was likely PCOS due to my weight (I'm typically around 18st). I was only a few weeks along when I found out, so my cycle would have been at least 6 weeks long this time around. I joked that the sun in Cuba must have done me good!
Several months after having my daughter, I started to feel quite unwell and weak, and wondered if something was wrong with my thyroid as a lot of the symptoms matched up with what I had read. The doctor basically accused me of being a hypochondriac but said I could have a blood test to rule it out if I wanted. I left it another few weeks and then decided to get it done as I still wasn't feeling great. The nurse added vitamin D to the list of things to test for as she said it was quite a common deficiency, especially in people with higher BMIs, and she was surprised the doctor hadn't considered it!
My thyroid levels were just within the normal range, although slightly worse than they would be ideally. However, my vitamin D level was extremely low. The doctor prescribed Calceos which contain a lot of calcium and a small amount of vitamin D - I only took one in the end because I didn't need all the extra calcium, there were restrictions on when I could take them (e.g. not within a few hours of cheese, ham, chocolate) and the 2 per day I was advised to take didn't take into consideration that I was still breastfeeding (the limit in that case, according to the info leaflet, was 1).
After reading about vitamin D deficiencies, I decided to give a normal vitamin D3 supplement a go and my husband picked up a high-dose oral spray from Holland & Barrett.
I started to feel better within a few days, and I noticed that my period arrived too - a coincidence, I assumed. The following month my period arrived again. I said to my husband that once the third one arrived, I'd be going back on the pill as I had found the cause of my period troubles!
My third period never arrived; my second baby is due at the end of next week
Unlike the first time around, my dates matched up absolutely perfectly and the cycle would have been a normal length. It seems that it genuinely was the sun in Cuba that helped me conceive my first daughter!
It had never even occurred to me that vitamin D could play such an important role in fertility, and whilst it's unlikely to be the answer for everyone, I thought it was worth sharing my story in case it helps anyone else who is struggling with unexplained irregular periods
