Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Any Other Menopausal Gals Spot with Weight Loss?

I have been menopausal for 2 years. But I get spotting after losing X amount of pounds. Always happens Usually, it's like 10, or it's like consistent loss over a couple weeks will do it. I had it checked out in 2009--intravaginal ultrasound, uterine biopsy. Everything fine. But I've been trying to lose weight for 3.5 years, and the spotting comes after a drop of poundage.

Today, happened. It's very small spotting, but since my ovaries are in their dotage, I assume it's the weight loss of 5 1/2 pounds in the last couple weeks that triggered it(like I said, I saw the pattern). This might explain my crying jag last week...like a weird mini-PMS. And the tender bosoms when hubby grabbed em yesterday.

Here, from Women to Women site:

Post-menopausal bleeding may also occur with a drastic weight loss and reduction in body fat, which I have seen on occasion with my own patients. Dramatic weight loss can occur when women have gastric by-pass surgery or join an assertive program like Food Addicts Anonymous (FAA) or Overeaters Anonymous (OA). What’s happening here is that estrogen stored in fat tissue becomes liberated into the bloodstream as a woman loses weight. Bleeding may also occur with weight loss as estrone (E1, one of three main types of estrogen naturally occurring in the body), which relies largely on fat as its source, is reduced as weight loss occurs, resulting in a shift in the relationship between estrogen and progesterone. This rebalancing of hormones, among other health reasons, is why we say gradual weight loss is usually best.


Just wondering if the other "my ovaries are done" gals out there have had a similar thing happen during their losses.

3 comments:

Julie said...

How about I wish my ovaries were done? I settle for spotting. I know some day. Thank you for this post though, it will be something one day I'll be experiencing.
Take care and have a blessed evening.

Anne H said...

Mine are done. Well done.

Beth said...

Well, since I'm "only" 39, mine aren't done but I sure do experience the hormonal shifts with weight loss and it suits me so much better to loose weight very fast because then the body stops menstruation and I don't go through that estrogen dumping that you've noted above. I HATE that estrogen dumping.

It had crossed my mind that your low mood and concurrent "stall" might be hormonally driven (and you had noted that as well, I believe) and one thing to note is that if it is a cyclical event, the first couple of weeks after the estrogen surge are WONDERFUL, just like you are experiencing now.

The first two weeks after my cycle, I have very little appetite, feel energetic and my mood is excellent. It's the opposite the other two weeks. *boohoo*

So that's excellent insight into the next low mood episode that you might hit. Also, do you take Evening Primrose Oil? That really might help along the weight loss path if the estrogen is getting higher than usual.

Oh, and also, this is yet another reason that I want to reach my goal weight. Then my hormones will FINALLY settle down and stabilise and I'll have a nice predictable pattern. When I'm overweight or loosing, it's hormonal anarchy.