Long Period

Hello! I have been having a period for 2 weeks now. Let me give you a little history. Over the past year I have gained 20 pounds.Which for me is alot. In the month of october my period was 6 days late. I usually have a 28 to 30 day cycle. I am 35 years old. Up until then I have always been regular. During that time I was having alot of stress(new house ect).
In the month of November I had only VERY light spotting on the day I was suppose to start that lasted for 2 days. My periods are normally 7 days from start to end. In the month of December I had spotting that was just a little bit heavier but not much that lasted for 3 days. This month, I started on time but it has gone on for 2 weeks now. Its not what I would call heavy but steady. It seem that during the day it tapers off a little but at night and in the mornings it heavier. Maybe because I am sleepinga nd sitting down at those times and it builds up al ittle. I go through 4 pads at the MOST each day. I wear a tampon at night. I do not have heavy clots only a few small ones I notice when I go to the bathroom. I do not have cramping. The funny thing is.............In January I lost 10 pounds and that when my period came back normal(weell, except for the 2 week thing). Surely the 20 pounds did not through my cycle off like that could it? This is just getting a little un-nerving. Could the long period be from build up from the previous 2 periods? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! also, I have been taking a multivitamin each day that includes 100% of the daily recommended value of iron because amenia worries me. Thankyou! Danielle

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Weight gain and/or stress can certainly affect the cycle! There are so many hormones involved in the cycle that it is fairly easy to do!  Have you had your thyroid checked?

You probably haven't ovulated in a while, when that happens, the lining just continues to build up over time, and eventually gets so thick that it just collpases and starts to flow out very irregularly--prolonged, heavy, clotty, spotty, etc.

A five day course of progesterone would do wonders for your uterus!  It would cause that lining to slough completely and restart the cycle.  If you have recently lost weight, it may be that your normal cycles will resume on their own.  If not, you have a couple of options:
start oral contraceptives, start fertility drugs (if you want babies!) or take progesterone periodically if your natural period doesn't come.  Most of my patients choose the progesterone route.  For your health, you should have a period at least every three months.

Good luck!
Hope this was helpful!
Dr B