Has anyone else who has been on IP had it mess with your monthly cycle? Mine came last week but was soooo light and mine are never light. Then this week nothing and I just went to the bathroom and I have bleeding again. Just curious if this is something I need to be concerned about or not. Thanks!!

hhmmm

Yup normal. All of the sex hormones (progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone and a gazillion others) are fat soluble and so are stored in our fat cells. As the fat cells shrink rapidly the hormones have nowhere to go but into the blood stream. Then they wreak havoc with your cycle. Usually takes a few months to level out. Unfortunately that means that we have to be prepared for bleeding at all times. Dang it. Oh well, we have to plan ahead and bring food, so we might as well throw those supplies in our bags as well. Lol.

Double Ditto everything swimcoachmomma just said! Don't be shocked if you suffer super PMS hormone rage too...maybe warn the menfolk around you!

The good news from what the ladies are saying is that means it is working for you!!!!

I have a question on this....I'm a newbie just on my second day....one of the big questions I asked my doctor before starting IP was "is it ok to do IP while trying to get pregnant?". Obviously would come off if it happened. He said it would be fine. With a possible TOM cycle shift will this make it that much harder to get pregnant?

Super frustrated with doctor right now, lol

My coach warned me that IP could mess up my birth control as the estrogen released as you burn off the fat increases fertility, and since I've been on 3fc I've seen a few ladies find that out for themselves. So any ladies not trying to get pregnant may want to double up birth control methods if you are on the pill! She knows I want to try for a baby soon after maintaining goal a few months. She said that if I do become pregnant during Phase 1 I would have to do an immediate 2 week phase off of IP (basically going straight to phase 3). Also, she had me continue taking my prenatals instead of the multivitamin, my coach is run out of my doctors office and they consulted each other regarding my supplements and pregnancy goal. This is definitely a good baby making diet!

Hmmm. If your weight was interfering with your getting pregnant, IP may make it easier. Don't think it would make it harder, unless you are relying on natural family planning or cycle awareness, in which case predicting ovulation would be difficult.

Wow! This must be why I had the first TOM in almost a year! Very interesting!

There was a thread recently where some post menopausal women experienced hot flashes 10 years after the fact. Crazy what is hiding in those fat cells!

I'm glad that you asked the original question. I was asking my coach about it too. My first TOM after being on IP came about a week early and wasn't near as bad as it usually is. I'm now finishing up my second one and this one caught me by surprise also, at least it was on time. But it was much lighter and almost no pain (I normally have to almost OD on Aleve or something to get through it every month).

I soo didn't know about all that was stored in our fat cells. Thanks ladies, gave me something else to research to let myself know I'm not going crazy with the changing symptoms.

I was one of them.... couldn't figure out at first why I was suddenly again getting hot flashes after 10 years! And then - duh - the light bulb went on.... it's the extra estrogen I've been releasing as I'm losing weight! Thankfully, my hot flashes aren't too bad. I'll happily put up with them to shed these surplus pounds.

I could have written this myself. I'm a RAGING B this week AND I only had this little cycle that was spotting, nothing like normal.

Please God- zap this fat and get me back to normal!!! LOL

My experience has been similar to yours. I have had regular cycles, but extremely light--only lasting a day or two! I thought I was the only one, since I have read so many women had longer bleeding and cycles coming rapidly. I wouldn't mind staying like this for a long long while! (But then, I have all the babies I need. I wish I was a fertility fairy and could send some fertility dust to some dear ladies here!)

Thank you all SO much for your replies!! I feel much more "normal" now haha. Oh and I weighed in today... lost another 6lbs, which makes me feel SO much better than the 2lbs I lost last week because it was that silly lil TOM.