July 12 2009: Not Menstruating
Filed under Body
I’ve lost my period.
It’s due to the Implanon which has been happily residing in my left arm for the past three and a half months. For the first month and a half, I had pretty much non-stop spotting. It was never heavy bleeding necessitating a tampon change every hour. In fact, the bleeding was so light that I could generally get away without using a tampon and without using a sanitary pad – simply by going to the toilet every couple of hours to pee, I could clean the menstrual blood from myself sufficiently.
In the past few months though, the spotting has pretty much stopped altogether, and I’m yet to have a proper period. My vagina has been menstrual blood free, although I still seem to go through monthly cycles of emotional irrationality and skin breakouts. Despite these negatives however, I still consider myself lucky enough to have fallen into the small percentage of women who become menstruation-free upon getting the Implanon. I’m certainly not complaining – not bleeding from the vagina can only be a good thing!
Though now that I think about it, I should perhaps do a home pregnancy test to make sure that it’s actually an effective Implanon that’s causing my lack of menstruation, rather than unexpected Dylan spawn in my belly.
15 Responses to “Not Menstruating”
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At first glance, I thought this was an announcement that you had joined the baby club. D:
I’m actually seriously consdiering using the implanon instead of going back on the pill. Congrats on losing your period, being menstrual blood free also happens to be one of the only great things about pregnancy should it mean you’ve joined the club after all. ;)
Tanya on July 12 2009 #
No period? You have no idea how jealous I am! Periods are absolute hell, and so bloody (hah!) inconveniencing.
And if you’re pregnant, then you’ve lost your period anyway, though that may not be very important after all
Carmen on July 12 2009 #
Good luck figuring out what it is.
Dylan spawn made me giggle.
Caity on July 13 2009 #
Mmm. Spawn :P
Stephanie on July 13 2009 #
Not having a period may be nice in theory, but it seems unnatural to me. I like having a period every month to tell me I’m not pregnant, but other than that I hate it.
Britney on July 13 2009 #
Ugh, lucky I’m due for mine in two weeks and I’m dreading it already :/
dylan spawn. hehehehehe
Noemi on July 13 2009 #
I know someone who didn’t have her period for 5 years. Then she had it ridiculously bad for two weeks…like non-stop heavy, heavy bleeding. No period sounds great, but I just think about how much I bleed out a month and if that just wasn’t happening. Even when I’m on the pill, I can start before I go on the placebo. Gyn told me my body couldn’t hold it.
marilyn on July 13 2009 #
I can only agree that it’s really nice not to have your period, but I always wonder how healthy that is at the same time. If you use the pill they tell you not to continue with it without stopping once a month for your period, the reason for that is your womb cleans itself every month.
So on one hand it’s nice and on the other it seems unnatural to me. But I guess if it’s a side effect of the Implanon it’s OK :)
Chans on July 13 2009 #
First thought was Dylan spawn, yes. Was wondering how you would tell your parents. Now THAT would make an interesting blog post series.
Skye on July 13 2009 #
@Chans Actually there’s no medical reason to have a period every month if you’re not ovulating (which is what the birth control does). The lining of the uterus doesn’t “go bad” or anything after a month; the reason why it is shed is because of the hormones that are released once the egg leaves the fallopian tube and hasn’t been fertilized. If you take birth control, it maintains that lining and nothing happens. It’s perfectly safe for a few months. On birth control, it’s truly a matter of personal preference if you want to have a period or not :)
The only health consideration I can think of is iron build up in the system, which is not good for you and can lead to certain cardiovascular diseases. The purging of the blood is also healthy because it gives your body an additional reason to replenish its red blood cell supply. For males, the only way for them to get rid of “old blood” is to donate; for ladies, they purge it every month, so their blood typically contains more “young” blood cells that are more efficient.
Umm. Off soap box now.
Stephanie on July 13 2009 #
Hmmm. Interesting. During my second year in college, my period became irregular — before that I was regular-once-a-month victim. But I became extremely irregular to the point that I once went six whole months without having a period. Everyone asked if I was pregnant and I retorted with “I’m a virgin! How can I be pregnant!”
And even now it’s irregular. I’ll skip a month or two or another six month, and while I’m glad I am period-less, it does sort of worries me. The weird thing is, nothing changed about me — as in I don’t have more acne or anything, my diet didn’t change, and etc. I even had this checked out by the gyno, and they found nothing unusual . . .
So yeah. I guess for me, stress and other factors just make me period-less without any harm . . . I hope.
Tara on July 13 2009 #
Do let us know if you are about to produce an Dylanda offspring…
Felisa on July 13 2009 #
*a Dylanda. Damnit.
Felisa on July 13 2009 #
[...] It’s official. I am not expecting a Dylanda spawn (Felisa, I love the name). [...]
Jingwen » Blog Archive » Not Spawning Yet on July 13 2009 #
Ah good thing to put your mind at rest. A doctor at the 24hr a&e had to do it for me when they also suspected apendicitis :|
OT: but how do you do the links of your archives – have the months for this year, and just the years alone after that?
Amanda on July 14 2009 #