I was on Depo for about a year. My last injection was February of 07 and my periods didn't start back up until October of 07. Since then they've been every other week instead of every three weeks, which I know is pretty weird in and of itself. Since I've started dieting and exercising regularly, and my diet went from one extreme to the other - I've had my period for four weeks straight this coming Wednesday. Now I'm already planning on seeing a doctor about it - but I'm out of state, and have to find a doctor that will take my insurance, who's accepting new patients, and yadda yadda so it may be a few days long of a process, so in the mean time I'm wondering how many other ladies had extreme changes to their cycles when they changed their lifestyles. I know 4 weeks is a pretty long time, but did anyone else experience that dramatic of a change too?

Wow thats the strangest thing I have ever heard. A period for a whole month! You poor thing! Changes in diet, but especially exercise can have all kinds of effects on your cycle. In my experience/knowledge a lot of exercise and/or calorie reduction shortens your period or prevents it. Everyone is different though and a doctor will tell you what's up... I hope this works out okay!

I've had similar menstural problems over the last few years which have included frequent bleeding and lengthy periods. I had a progesterone implant fitted which seemed to work fine for a time, that is it stop my bleeding entirely. More recently however even with the implant I'm having daily bleeding which is more than a little spotting. My doctor is treating it as a hormone imbalance at the moment and prescribed me another hormone, Norethisterone, which has stopped the bleeding for now. However whether this will restore the correct balance remains to be seen.

BTW I'm 44 years old so I am desperately hoping that these hormone issues are signaling the beginnings of the menopause.

Kitty

Oh my goodness, I just want to cry.

I've been on the phone the last three hours to my insurance company to get them to cover an out of state appointment, and I had to get a referal, and they keep sending me to twenty different numbers to call and I don't understand any of this because at first they just kept saying they wouldn't cover anything but emergency room costs out of state.

But I made a doctors appointment for next Thursday, which will be 5 weeks and 1 day of constantly being on my period (unless it magically goes away).

AND - it's my first ever OB/GYN appointment so that alone is very miserable and uncomfortable. I miss my boyfriend, and his mom who would have normally come with me to the doctor. AND - All the female physicians in the area are completely booked, so I had to make one with some man that I can't find any information online about. I have to go alone, and my insurance is all screwed up, and I just want to cry!!!!!

Hopefully this ISN'T something that major, and it can wait til next week!

Are you having any PAIN? I mean if you were and your insurance would cover ER visit then why not go there since you are NOT from the area? Then you do not have to go through the whole establishing yourself as a patient thing and you can be seen by your regular DR when you get home...

My primary care doctor is in Maryland. I'm in Utah for 8 weeks until I go back to Alaska for college, so I won't be going to my home insurance provider for another year at best. I'm switching my care provider to AK as soon as I get there.

There's no pain, so I'm trying not to stress too much about it.. but that's not really working.

I had this happen to me and i was on my perios for 3 MONTHS! before i decided enough was enough. Is it a really heavy flo? or just like spotting or light?... My advice would be maybe to go to the ER. Thats what i did and they gave me a pelvic exam and some pills to take and like magic the bleeding stopped. I dont know how it works with your insurance, but your insurance might cover the er bill %100. Or if you go to a hospital such as St. Annes or any hospital with s St. in front of it if you tell then your financial situaitoin (if you make under a certain amount) they will write the bill off to you. Good luck. Oh yea and my Aunt is a OB and she had me taking motrin ib a few times a day and that helped slow the bleeding a little bit even if you arent in pain i would suggest it. IBUPROFIN not Asperin.

Hang in there...i do have weird question..how the heck did you get a depo shot without ever going to a gyno??? sorry but i was under the impression you have to have an exam and pap smear prior??????

I would be concerned for bleeding that long. hope you get some help soon.

I wasn't sexually active, I was under 18 and it was a military hospital - so we talked, and she prescribed it. I haven't had a full physical yet. I was planning to make an appointment for one with my new GP once I switch insurance stuff up to Alaska.

Thanks so much Courtney for the ibuprofen recommendation! I'll definitely try that out. It's a regular/lighter flow, so nothing heavy and too scary. Problems 'down there' are pretty new to me though, and with added living alone and insurance problems - it's a whole new world of 'adult scary'. Blaaaahhhh

Sorry you're so freaked out.

If it makes you feel better, I have a man as my gyno, and he's very very nice. One of the nicest doctors I've ever met. And additionally, you don't get the whole "Oh please, I know what it's like, I'm a woman, too" (yes I have heard of people getting this reaction from gynos that are women).

Hang in there! I hope everything goes ok.

When I quit depo, I had my period for 6 weeks. So I know how that feels! I also had the nastiest headaches ever. My doctor ended up giving me a week of estrogen pills (like the kind they use for hormone replacement therapy) and by the time I was done with that week, they had straightened things right out. Another option would be going on BCPs for a month or so, but my whole goal was to quit hormonal BC so I declined that. So there ARE things the doctor can do about it, and it's great that you finally got an appointment!

For the record, I find going to the dentist much more unpleasant than the gyno. Nothing a gynecologist does actually HURTS if they do it right (except maybe 1/2 a second of irritation for the pap smear); I can't say the same for the people who clean my teeth. My doctor is a woman, but when I was pregnant I had to see a few of the male doctors in the practice, and it was surprisingly un-weird. Well, it's always a little weird, lol. But no weirder than a female.

Thanks Mayness for the dentist comparison - that helps a lot. Puts things in perspective!

But my appointment is in two hours and I'm still so nervous I could cry! It's definitely one of those "I wish I had a mom" moments!

Good Luck at your appointment and i hope everything works out for you!

Good luck with your appointment, my mom is 1000 miles away, so I know how it feels to wish to have her around. I'm sorry that you don't even have that. I also know how emotional doctor visits and paps can be.

I hope your appointment went well... When i started depo i had my period for 7 weeks and i called the dr and said MAKE IT STOP or i'm going to kill somone. So she prescribed the bc patch. I wore one for a week and it was gone in one day... omg i was so relieved... it's not only an irritation to have your period for that long... you actually start getting physical irritation! not pretty... so now i have the mirena and i just had my period for 12 days and i cried just about every day past 7... i thought i was in for another depo shot situation... Hopefully they can help you out easily and quickly... my friend started depo 3 months ago... she has had spotting and what she calls "the end stuff" just about the whole time... she's pissed and suppose to get her next shot the end of this month and might not... did you experience this in the beginning? I didn't... if you did... did it go away and when?