amenorrhea 2 years after 4 periods

HI

I'm listening Isabella, what's up?

Ok here goes..

I begun menstruating just before my 15th birthday.. so mid July 2015. I had roughly 3-4 normal cycles, had pms but it was manageable. 

Then I never received another period after about October 2015... I suffered shingles as well during this time just if that has any relation. I still get nerve pain in my back from this too. A bit of background about my i haven't had the easiest childhood... parents split when I was 4 and dad committed suicide when I was 10. Now i understand stress can affect your menstrual cycle but not for nearly 2years straight? I have always had a stressful life.. working 2 jobs and going to school full-time but I always seemed to manage ok. I moved to Australia exactly a year ago and my life turned around I was slowing down and relaxing etc. I have always been a active kid always been skinny.. my family are all very small and skinny and no history on my mums side for female problems.. my dads side- my aunty has pcos and my granny suffered endometriosis.  Any how.. I gaining all this weight.. have always eaten very healthy anyways but decided to pick up the pace and go to the gym and really focus on eating well.. This went on for more than 6 months.. i tried every diet you can imagine.. intermit fasting.. diet shakes.. diet pills.. counting calories you name it.. The weight just would not go away.. infact it just keep coming on. To date I have gained exactly 10kgs. I have not grown since I was about 12. 

These symptoms i have been experiencing for a year or less : 

Easy bruising 

urgency to urinate/ weak bladder

easily get infections 

hugely puffy face

weight gain 

stretch marks

absent period 

increased cellulite 

anxiety/panic attacks 

depression 

poor memory/memory loss 

easily puffed w/o exertion 

bloating 

irregular bowel movements 

What i have done about these so far: 

I saw a doctor a year ago when i arrived in Au. 

Paid $100 to see her and she's a family doctor.

She tested bloods, urine and ultrasound.. everything was supposedly normal. ultra sound questioned pcos but because it did not correlate with my bloods nothing was done. She said everything was fine and at that point i wasn't too worried.. It was only the weight gain that was bothering my.. and yes my Bmi is over and so is my body fat mass. 

Again went to another doctor about 4 months later because I still wasn't happy with what was happening and started to wonder if all these symptoms and weight gain were related.. She put me on the pill ( I have refused to ever go on it but sacrificed to test the theory) she claimed these would not make me gain weight and that I would regulate and be fixed.. Because I did not want to take it long term she said 3 months would enough to reset me.. So I take this pill.. IT has now been about months since I took it and nothing. So anyhow i began my own research.. I questioned her of my cortisol levels because i thought they might have been to blame.. i asked about bushings but she said its too rare, my cortisol was supposedly fine but she noted that i may have intact had high cortisol in the past in which has made me gain weight. 

I was again not happy with this outcome and reached out to another doctor who was not like natural things and chinese medicine. She said pcos.. has bloods they were "normal" and so was scan.. 

Well i got my hands on these bloods..turns out my oestrogen levels were in the same stage as a menopausal women and so was my progesterone .. this was just after coming of the pill btw. 

So I am thinking is stress induced menopause possible? 

hormone imbalance? 

Cushings? 

i have no idea..

I was on the minipill which is just one hormone. 

It supposedly lightens your period and relieves pms symptoms.. we'll let me tell you those 3 months i was on it was hell.. I was in excruciating pain.. heavy periods bloating head aches you name it. 

Boobs doubled in size as well. 

I have researched into pcos and it just doesn't seem fit. 

I have all of my blood test results if you want to see. 

I have just had another scan and bloods done as i wanted to see my testosterone etc since its supposedly pcos.. all fine. 

I am so over this i just want to feel healthy and normal again and back to my self.. Any advice at all i would appreciate so much

Look at your prolactin levels if they tested for that with your blood tests. I stopped having my period for about 6 months I thought it was just stress, working 2 jobs and college but finally after many doctor visits and blood work taken they discovered my prolactin levels were too high ( around 400, average should be about less than 25). I then got an MRI and it showed the tumor on my pitituary gland. I was also getting headaches and my eyes were hurting, you didn't mention this so maybe you have something else. 

Hi, what are your prolactin test results? This is really the only way to know for sure you have a prolactinoma. Mine was found in 1994 after I'd missed a lot of periods and started producing milk. My highest level was 5800 (U.K.) and it has been up and down for 24 years due to being on and of the medication, I've currently got down to 515. Normal measure in U.K. Is around 400. If you haven't had prolactin test I would certainly ask for it. Prolactinomas can cause a whole host of problems for some people and others just lose periods. 

Prolactin levels in my most recent bloods are within the reference range 170 mIU/L (40-580), and a year ago were at 9 ug/L (<20) 

The only thing I can note from my bloods is estradiol is 41 pmol/L and reference range for Follicular in 77-920 reference for Menopausal is <203. FSH is also under the range. Progesterone is 0.6, reference is <3 for menopausal. 

It certainly seems like you may have some sort of hormone issue, ask to be referred to an endocrinologist to have them check you out. You can't carry on like this as it seems to be getting you down, especially as you are young as well. I've hit the menopause and I'm all over the place right now, I'm seeing endocrinologist and gynaecologist and doctors as i feel so terrible but I'm 47 and meno is expected around my age. Keep posting to let us know how you are 

Bellaboo

If you are still having periods you haven't gone through meno. You have to have ceased having periods for 12 months. Irregular or painful heavy periods will be a hormone issue though. Maybe give the pill a chance for a while longer, I know my mum was put on it in her teens to regulate her and she's 81 now so it was a very long time ago. Try trusting docs for now and then if nothing changes or you really do feel worse then kick up a fuss with them. I've had to go numerous times because everything I've got going on is causing me major anxiety and they just tried fobbing me off with anti depressants. 

Sorry I'm not much help...

x

Well I can't believe that they aren't concerned about you?! Something is definitely wrong. Keep shouting and if they still don't listen shout louder xx

Guys I've just had my first appointment with the endocrinologist last week. Now have woken up and seem to have a period??! Has been absent for two years.. Do you think it is still worth investigating? I don't see the endocrinologist for 6 weeks so will see if I ovulate again between that time.. Bit annoyed though as I was just getting somewhere and now my period is back.. after two years?? Does this still indicate that something could be wrong or should I not worry? 

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