Any ladies experience very heavy periods after surgery ?

[Star1234 21]

Hi so I'm on the pill and I don't have periods as my pill stops this, 2 weeks before my op I was spotting, I don't know if the milk diet stressed my body out , I had my op 3 weeks ago, I'm having such a heavy period! Is this normal ? Anyone else experience this after surgery? I've been on for 5 weeks ! I have a appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks, just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced long heavy periods after surgery?

[summerseeker 2,139]

I didn't know this but apparently our hormones live inside fat cells. We are rapidly shedding fat early on. This old 60+ woman felt like I was pregnant. My hormones were woken with a bang. It makes women extremely fertile. Periods go haywire and moods are up and up and then very down. Our bodies are so strange.

[catwoman7 11,212]

summerseeker is correct - many women of childbearing age experience an estrogen "flood" after surgery that can cause screwed up menstrual cycles and mood swings. It should settle back down to normal once your rate of weight loss slows down.

[SarahByNumbers 37]

6 hours ago, Star1234 said:

Hi so I'm on the pill and I don't have periods as my pill stops this, 2 weeks before my op I was spotting, I don't know if the milk diet stressed my body out , I had my op 3 weeks ago, I'm having such a heavy period! Is this normal ? Anyone else experience this after surgery? I've been on for 5 weeks ! I have a appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks, just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced long heavy periods after surgery?

Hi Star! I had a similar issue (minus the spotting beforehand). I have a hormonal IUD (Mirena), so I don't tend to get more than a tiny amount of spotting at most every month. Usually I don't get anything at all! However, after surgery, I had what was basically a "regular" period - my first one in YEARS. Surgery stresses your body out, so it's normal for AFAB people with uteruses to bleed afterwards. Since then, I've had a light period every month. Like Summerseeker said, fat cells harbor estrogen, and we're dropping fat quickly, which basically frees that estrogen and causes our hormones to go wild and have a party! So, don't worry too much - your experience is pretty common. ❤️

[Star1234 21]

4 hours ago, summerseeker said:

I didn't know this but apparently our hormones live inside fat cells. We are rapidly shedding fat early on. This old 60+ woman felt like I was pregnant. My hormones were woken with a bang. It makes women extremely fertile. Periods go haywire and moods are up and up and then very down. Our bodies are so strange.

This is so interesting! Thankyou!

[SleeverSk 635]

I experienced the same as what has been said, was perimenopausal with very irregular periods, then for the last 2 years I have had normal regular periods, they have just started going into perimenopausal irregularity and hot flushes have returned I am 2.5 years post op. Having said that 5 weeks of bleeding is not normal by any standard I think it's time to go see your doctor

[Arabesque 7,240]

The hormonal oestrogen flush was great for me. I was menopausal & my symptoms disappeared. Yay! They came back though once I lost the bulk of my weight. Sigh! But yes, heavier/lighter, more/less frequent cycles, more or fewer PMT symptoms & yes increased fertility are common. It’s actually often suggested that you double up on contraceptives for a while.

[AmberFL 747]

After the birth of my second child, I underwent tubal ligation for sterilization. However, my periods were extremely heavy, so I started taking the pill to lighten or stop my menstrual cycle. I was instructed to discontinue the pill two weeks before the surgery and to wait another two weeks after the surgery. My periods were terrible before, and they are terrible now. I have just resumed taking the pill, so I am hopeful that they will improve soon. lol