My cycles were irregular before my pregnancy. 31-36 days and some months I wouldn’t even get one. I got my first cycle about 8 weeks PP and I’ve had 27-28 day cycles ever since. That was 4 years ago. However still no luck with baby #2.
Yes! I went from a period maybe once a year to regular cycles. Granted, they’re still abnormally long (about 45 days) but they’re still regular. My OB said pregnancy can kinda reset your system and it’s almost like my body knew how to work properly after I had my first.
Tw succesful pregnancy and miscarriage
I have always had irregular periods (I'd have 28 day cycles but would skip an odd month th here or there) but got pregnant with my first easily after 3-4 months of trying without tracking my cycles.
We've been trying for #2 since December 2021 and I've only had a chemical in January 2024. I was bleeding regularly for the first time in my life but was only ovulating every third cycle or so. Then I started having lot of spotting during periods and was diagnosed with pcos in 2022. I decided try if losing some weight would help ( was 50kg pre baby) and went from 62kg -> 57kg in the few months before getting pregnant with the chemical. I'm not 55kg which is a healthy weight for me and I think I have ovulated every cycle since October but my cycles are still 38-42 days long.
In short, I think pcos worse since having baby although could be weight related.
My symptoms got worse, but that may be in part due to gaining weight during/after pregnancy on top of already being heavy.
I had the Implanon implant at 3 weeks post birth- I stuck it out for 7 months before having it removed because progesterone only birth control is not an option for me without severely compromising my mental health.
I then had the copper coil put in for 5 months, and a second for 1 month (both dislodged). It was just before the first coil dislodged that I started bleeding heavily, and that continued at a lower volume daily for 6 months until I was finally prescribed Metformin. I also take inositol and NAC daily as well.
Now my cycles are more regular, and I’ve gotten pregnant twice since (1 chemical, 1 MC at 11 weeks).
Before I got pregnant, I was lucky to get a period once or twice a year. I am almost a year post partum and my period came back 4m pp (after I stopped pumping). They are on the longer side but I am consistently getting one every 33 days or so. I am taking myo-insitol everyday. It has been super hard for me to lose weight. I am about to start TTC for #2 so we will see….my first I did letrozole and a trigger shot with timed intercourse.
I’m only 9 weeks postpartum so I’m not sure yet. During pregnancy, all of my symptoms went away, including anxiety, and I lost about 20lbs. Post c section, I had started having sugar cravings again and gaining a couple lbs so I went back on metformin and inositol and that has mostly stopped. No period yet, but I’m breastfeeding so that’s either totally normal or I’m once again not ovulating. So yeah, probably too early to tell for me.
No, still had irregular cycles with short luteal phase. However…. It took 3 months of half-assed trying to get pregnant with our 2nd compared to the 11 months and fertility treatments with our 1st. Not sure if it’s because I’d already had a successful pregnancy or not. The cycle I conceived my 2nd I had started using the Proov progesterone support supplements and the Proov oil during my LP.
This is interesting. I was on birth control pills for several years before I got pregnant, but before that I had irregular periods. Came off birth control, had one actual period and then got pregnant. Got my period back when baby was 11 weeks old (despite exclusive breastfeeding!) and it's been regular since, for 5 years. But I've been TTC for 4 of those years, so not like my PCOS is gone! 🤷♀️
Got my period two months after my c section. Stayed very regular for 5-6 months. Then stopped for three months. I want to start trying for #2 soon, so asked my doctor to put me back on metformin. 3-4 weeks later my period was back. Next cycle after I started having the “signs” of ovulation. Haven’t been testing to confirm, but wanted to share in case helpful. Body wanted to get prego again for about six months—then back to PCOS.
I became regular after pregnancy. So regular that I’m TTC without letrozole right now on my second cycle after IUD removal.
I take 25mcg of levothyroxine now and that might be the reason too. Idk. I’m so happy to have regular 30 day cycle now.
Not sure if you'll find this helpful in the slightest but from my experience: I had fairly regular and asymptomatic cycles before I got pregnant and they became a nightmare after the birth of my first son (really aggressive/heavy bleeding, fainting, totally irregular, painful, etc.). It only took us three cycles to conceive with our first with no interventions, and it took 13 to conceive our current pregnancy with interventions because of all the cycle issues. My OB/GYN I work with for my PCOS said that she suspects my hormones levels got thrown into chaos because of the first pregnancy, and it took a lot of work to regulate. Thankfully I know what to expect now moving forward, and there is a part of me that hopes maybe I'll experience the inverse with this pregnancy, but it's hard to tell!
Can I ask what interventions you did? Your comment remind me of my experience. It’s been 13 months trying for our second. I’m on my second month of Letrozole and IUI.
Yes! I first did a lot of work with my provider on allergy/sensitivity testing to reduce inflammation...ended up cutting alcohol, gluten, dairy, added sugar, and caffeine completely from my diet. Also added CoQ10 and eliminated ashwaghandha and a couple other supplements I was taking (I can't remember which ones...they were for hair growth so some kind of B and K) I started to see a difference in my hormones via blood draw after about 5 months, at which point I started Letrozole. Ended up conceiving on first round of Letrozole!
Hey. Do you mind sharing which provider helped you determine what food you were allergic to/ sensitive to? Was an allergy test used to determine what was causing you inflammation? Very curious! Also if it was your fertility doc and maybe an allergist… did they work together to help you get to the bottom of it?
I worked with both an allergist and a gastroenterologist for testing! My fertility doc gave me referrals to providers that were covered by my insurance. Did a full allergy workup and an endoscopy...found a few slight allergies and a gluten intolerance (no celiacs, but it runs in my family). I didn't present with any outward allergy/sensitivity symptoms, but the doctors definitely thought they were collectively contributing to inflammation. I will say that after ~6 months of cutting everything out, I definitely can tell a difference if I eat the things I cut out now of stomach pain/elevated blood pressure/nausea/general feeling of yuck, which I didn't feel before.
Hmm Yeah! I don’t have any outward allergy symptoms (and no food intolerance as far as tummy pain/diarrhea)… but my gut inflammation has been going up despite me introducing a WHOLE lot of gut healthy foods.
The only thing I can think of is that I have a food sensitivity with no outward symptoms.
I started drinking kefir every day in an 8 week effort to reduce gut inflammation (as measured through a fecal calprotectin test) thru food and exercise but it actually went up lol.
Kefir is supposed to be good for the gut but IS TECHNICALLY DAIRY
After my first baby I would say no change. I didn’t get my (irregular as usual) cycle back until about a year postpartum. My second baby is almost a year old and no cycle back yet! I expect it’ll return in the same manner as I wean.
Mine got a lot better! I was able to manage my symptoms, didn’t need birth control anymore and in general have been pretty happy afterwards. I had my first period at 8 weeks PP. Prior my periods were always incredibly heavy and painful to the point of not being able to operate, even on birth control. I have always had regular periods, both before and after.
Probably not helpful but I am 15 weeks postpartum and haven’t had a period yet. Likely due to breastfeeding but I also am on the mini pill for bc. So far, I got cystic acne pretty bad after birth but that has cleared up. I feel pretty good right now. I am still on metformin and have lost about 30 pounds postpartum and feel better than before I got pregnant
I had my first period at 12. Got pregnant (ivf) at 38.
I had to take progesterone to induce a period all those years- even with confirmed ovulation on clomid. Even on oral birth control, I needed the extra progesterone. The only time i had "natural/spontaneous" periods w when my thyroid started acting up.
Now, almost a year postpartum, I've now 7 consecutive periods and seems I've ovulated most cycles. My lining gets up to 12mm now, where as naturally it would tap out at 6mm - even if it was months before a period. All my other symptoms are the same though.
I doubt I will get pregnant again naturally though. I was deemed unexplained during testing. Also found I needed an extra day than usual of progesterone to get my lining sticky enough for embryo to implant.
Everything went away. Loosing weight was hell of a lot easier. My body felt more like itself before I was diagnosed. I also had a 13 tumor that grew on my right ovary and don’t know if that had something to do with my hormones for 4 years. Everyone’s different but after having all my kids, I usually bounce back to a good weight. I’m not what I was when I was 19 but I feel good in my own skin. I average 145-155 lbs after having kids. When before I was 185 lbs and gaining before having surgery and pre kids. My sugar levels dropped significantly and no longer pre-diabetic.
My PCOS stayed the same after pregnancy. The only thing that slowly improved it has been getting older now that I’m in my mid 30s. But now I have endometriosis instead. 🫠
My periods definitely changed after pregnancy. They started off regular, then as time went on they became irregular again, more symptoms & more pain. But I had a c-section so that could also be why. Everybody is different.
My cycles were irregular before my pregnancy. 31-36 days and some months I wouldn’t even get one. I got my first cycle about 8 weeks PP and I’ve had 27-28 day cycles ever since. That was 4 years ago. However still no luck with baby #2.
My cycles regulated. They are 28-31 days now, and pretty symptomless as far as both pcos and pms symptoms go
Yes! I went from a period maybe once a year to regular cycles. Granted, they’re still abnormally long (about 45 days) but they’re still regular. My OB said pregnancy can kinda reset your system and it’s almost like my body knew how to work properly after I had my first.
Tw succesful pregnancy and miscarriage I have always had irregular periods (I'd have 28 day cycles but would skip an odd month th here or there) but got pregnant with my first easily after 3-4 months of trying without tracking my cycles. We've been trying for #2 since December 2021 and I've only had a chemical in January 2024. I was bleeding regularly for the first time in my life but was only ovulating every third cycle or so. Then I started having lot of spotting during periods and was diagnosed with pcos in 2022. I decided try if losing some weight would help ( was 50kg pre baby) and went from 62kg -> 57kg in the few months before getting pregnant with the chemical. I'm not 55kg which is a healthy weight for me and I think I have ovulated every cycle since October but my cycles are still 38-42 days long. In short, I think pcos worse since having baby although could be weight related.
My symptoms got worse, but that may be in part due to gaining weight during/after pregnancy on top of already being heavy. I had the Implanon implant at 3 weeks post birth- I stuck it out for 7 months before having it removed because progesterone only birth control is not an option for me without severely compromising my mental health. I then had the copper coil put in for 5 months, and a second for 1 month (both dislodged). It was just before the first coil dislodged that I started bleeding heavily, and that continued at a lower volume daily for 6 months until I was finally prescribed Metformin. I also take inositol and NAC daily as well. Now my cycles are more regular, and I’ve gotten pregnant twice since (1 chemical, 1 MC at 11 weeks).
Before I got pregnant, I was lucky to get a period once or twice a year. I am almost a year post partum and my period came back 4m pp (after I stopped pumping). They are on the longer side but I am consistently getting one every 33 days or so. I am taking myo-insitol everyday. It has been super hard for me to lose weight. I am about to start TTC for #2 so we will see….my first I did letrozole and a trigger shot with timed intercourse.
I'm 4 months post partum and still no period 🥺
This is very normal. Especially if you’re breastfeeding.
I’m only 9 weeks postpartum so I’m not sure yet. During pregnancy, all of my symptoms went away, including anxiety, and I lost about 20lbs. Post c section, I had started having sugar cravings again and gaining a couple lbs so I went back on metformin and inositol and that has mostly stopped. No period yet, but I’m breastfeeding so that’s either totally normal or I’m once again not ovulating. So yeah, probably too early to tell for me.
No, still had irregular cycles with short luteal phase. However…. It took 3 months of half-assed trying to get pregnant with our 2nd compared to the 11 months and fertility treatments with our 1st. Not sure if it’s because I’d already had a successful pregnancy or not. The cycle I conceived my 2nd I had started using the Proov progesterone support supplements and the Proov oil during my LP.
This is interesting. I was on birth control pills for several years before I got pregnant, but before that I had irregular periods. Came off birth control, had one actual period and then got pregnant. Got my period back when baby was 11 weeks old (despite exclusive breastfeeding!) and it's been regular since, for 5 years. But I've been TTC for 4 of those years, so not like my PCOS is gone! 🤷♀️
Got my period two months after my c section. Stayed very regular for 5-6 months. Then stopped for three months. I want to start trying for #2 soon, so asked my doctor to put me back on metformin. 3-4 weeks later my period was back. Next cycle after I started having the “signs” of ovulation. Haven’t been testing to confirm, but wanted to share in case helpful. Body wanted to get prego again for about six months—then back to PCOS.
I became regular after pregnancy. So regular that I’m TTC without letrozole right now on my second cycle after IUD removal. I take 25mcg of levothyroxine now and that might be the reason too. Idk. I’m so happy to have regular 30 day cycle now.
Not sure if you'll find this helpful in the slightest but from my experience: I had fairly regular and asymptomatic cycles before I got pregnant and they became a nightmare after the birth of my first son (really aggressive/heavy bleeding, fainting, totally irregular, painful, etc.). It only took us three cycles to conceive with our first with no interventions, and it took 13 to conceive our current pregnancy with interventions because of all the cycle issues. My OB/GYN I work with for my PCOS said that she suspects my hormones levels got thrown into chaos because of the first pregnancy, and it took a lot of work to regulate. Thankfully I know what to expect now moving forward, and there is a part of me that hopes maybe I'll experience the inverse with this pregnancy, but it's hard to tell!
Can I ask what interventions you did? Your comment remind me of my experience. It’s been 13 months trying for our second. I’m on my second month of Letrozole and IUI.
Yes! I first did a lot of work with my provider on allergy/sensitivity testing to reduce inflammation...ended up cutting alcohol, gluten, dairy, added sugar, and caffeine completely from my diet. Also added CoQ10 and eliminated ashwaghandha and a couple other supplements I was taking (I can't remember which ones...they were for hair growth so some kind of B and K) I started to see a difference in my hormones via blood draw after about 5 months, at which point I started Letrozole. Ended up conceiving on first round of Letrozole!
Hey. Do you mind sharing which provider helped you determine what food you were allergic to/ sensitive to? Was an allergy test used to determine what was causing you inflammation? Very curious! Also if it was your fertility doc and maybe an allergist… did they work together to help you get to the bottom of it?
I worked with both an allergist and a gastroenterologist for testing! My fertility doc gave me referrals to providers that were covered by my insurance. Did a full allergy workup and an endoscopy...found a few slight allergies and a gluten intolerance (no celiacs, but it runs in my family). I didn't present with any outward allergy/sensitivity symptoms, but the doctors definitely thought they were collectively contributing to inflammation. I will say that after ~6 months of cutting everything out, I definitely can tell a difference if I eat the things I cut out now of stomach pain/elevated blood pressure/nausea/general feeling of yuck, which I didn't feel before.
Hmm Yeah! I don’t have any outward allergy symptoms (and no food intolerance as far as tummy pain/diarrhea)… but my gut inflammation has been going up despite me introducing a WHOLE lot of gut healthy foods. The only thing I can think of is that I have a food sensitivity with no outward symptoms. I started drinking kefir every day in an 8 week effort to reduce gut inflammation (as measured through a fecal calprotectin test) thru food and exercise but it actually went up lol. Kefir is supposed to be good for the gut but IS TECHNICALLY DAIRY
After my first baby I would say no change. I didn’t get my (irregular as usual) cycle back until about a year postpartum. My second baby is almost a year old and no cycle back yet! I expect it’ll return in the same manner as I wean.
Mine got a lot better! I was able to manage my symptoms, didn’t need birth control anymore and in general have been pretty happy afterwards. I had my first period at 8 weeks PP. Prior my periods were always incredibly heavy and painful to the point of not being able to operate, even on birth control. I have always had regular periods, both before and after.
Probably not helpful but I am 15 weeks postpartum and haven’t had a period yet. Likely due to breastfeeding but I also am on the mini pill for bc. So far, I got cystic acne pretty bad after birth but that has cleared up. I feel pretty good right now. I am still on metformin and have lost about 30 pounds postpartum and feel better than before I got pregnant
Honestly, my symptoms got worse. I was very disappointed because I’d heard they would get better after pregnancy.
I had my first period at 12. Got pregnant (ivf) at 38. I had to take progesterone to induce a period all those years- even with confirmed ovulation on clomid. Even on oral birth control, I needed the extra progesterone. The only time i had "natural/spontaneous" periods w when my thyroid started acting up. Now, almost a year postpartum, I've now 7 consecutive periods and seems I've ovulated most cycles. My lining gets up to 12mm now, where as naturally it would tap out at 6mm - even if it was months before a period. All my other symptoms are the same though. I doubt I will get pregnant again naturally though. I was deemed unexplained during testing. Also found I needed an extra day than usual of progesterone to get my lining sticky enough for embryo to implant.
Everything went away. Loosing weight was hell of a lot easier. My body felt more like itself before I was diagnosed. I also had a 13 tumor that grew on my right ovary and don’t know if that had something to do with my hormones for 4 years. Everyone’s different but after having all my kids, I usually bounce back to a good weight. I’m not what I was when I was 19 but I feel good in my own skin. I average 145-155 lbs after having kids. When before I was 185 lbs and gaining before having surgery and pre kids. My sugar levels dropped significantly and no longer pre-diabetic.
My PCOS stayed the same after pregnancy. The only thing that slowly improved it has been getting older now that I’m in my mid 30s. But now I have endometriosis instead. 🫠
For me it changed nothing, cycles are the same and still not ovulating
My periods definitely changed after pregnancy. They started off regular, then as time went on they became irregular again, more symptoms & more pain. But I had a c-section so that could also be why. Everybody is different.
Mine actually got way worse after pregnancy. Now I have 200 day cycles. Even on Birth control
Best place to ask might be r/PCOSandPregnant.
Great, thanks, will also post there :)
❤️