Heroin Heroin and Menstrual Cycle

[skinnyyangiee]

I am 20 years old and have been using heroin for 2 months now, and my period is happening every two weeks for about 4 days. l: Ive never had anything abnormal ever happen with my menstrual cycle before, so i know thats what its from. its a scary drug, ha.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

I am 20 years old and have been using heroin for 2 months now, and my period is happening every two weeks for about 4 days. l: Ive never had anything abnormal ever happen with my menstrual cycle before, so i know thats what its from. its a scary drug, ha.

Yeah this is very normal. Makes me glad I'm not a women, ha.

 

[junegreenjeans]

Start eating more avocado's; they are high in good fat. Find out if your pregnant or not. Get in to a doctor asap either way and make sure their open minded good people. Question: if your doing heroine daily, well, do you want to get pregnant right now? Of course anyone would urge you to nourish and 'clean' up the body first but if you are in fact already with child then you NEED to get into the doc's now to figure out the best course of action for that babies health and your own.
If your using and have very low body fat, 'amenorrhea' will set in. This can be reversed, can be. You have to increase your body fat, stop the hard drugs and reduce stress some other way. I wish you luck lady, and for goodness sake, eat some avocado's. Lots of them.

 

[Kitty Kat1988]

I been using opiates for 9 years now. 4 yrs pain pills 5 years heroine. once I started using heroine my period disappeared until now 5 years later. An the day I started using dope was the last time I ever saw my period. I been through detox recently and started using again but I got my period back, im not a doctor but I believe it the heroine that stops your period. from all my friends that are girls or woman who use there periods are gone to. Now what I don't understand is that after using and loosing my period for 5 yrs how did I get it back while still using I thought it would be gone forever even though all my friends who got clean got there period back

 

[Kitty Kat1988]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Also what Im wondering since I last posted now that I got my period back I plan on cleaning up can I have a baby still? im 26 yrs old and that's the one thing I been wanting for years. I hope my usage didn't fuck up my chances of having a child

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Also what Im wondering since I last posted now that I got my period back I plan on cleaning up can I have a baby still? im 26 yrs old and that's the one thing I been wanting for years. I hope my usage didn't fuck up my chances of having a child

You're going to have to see a doctor about that one. Nobody here can tell you. That's going to require a lot of tests to find out.

 

[CulverDose]

So this is in regaurds to SWIM. SWIM has been clean off the heroin for a month and a half (will be 2 months exactly on the 15th of this month) SWIM used viciously for 2 years straight (IV / and at least a gram a day ). So for the past 2 years prior to now she hasnt gotten her period due to the heroin use. Long story short, it showed up yesterday for the first time in over 2 years. She was fine just a little cranky. But she woke up this morning. In horrible pain. Screaming and crying, and shes a tough girl, so i know it must be agonizing. Insane Cramping, and off her game. SWIW unfortunately don't have insurance at the moment and, SWIW don't want to head to the ER. if not necessary. But obviously if it gets any worse and/or advised to as the best idea, then of course. But SWIW would appreciate it if SWIY could get back to SWIM as SOON as you possibly can.. It's making her nuts, and shes usually amazing with dealing with things... Thank SWIY in advance, and SWIM appreciates any advice..

 

[mareseatoats]

Please, The SWIM and SWIY is so unnecessary-just be yourself here. As for the pain you are describing, do you mean you woke up with very painful cramps along with your period that suddenly showed up again? If your pains are so unlike what you used to experience before you started using and lost your menstrual cycle-then the only safe way to find out why is to see a doctor. It's really hard to tell you over the computer what may be wrong. Your body shutting your period off for 2 years, could be telling you something needs to be checked by a doctor now.

On a similar note, while being ferociously medicated for about 10 years-I didn't see my period through a straight 8 of those years. Now at 35, and living again (somewhat) without the drugs, my period has resumed monthly, usually right on time. But we are all different; the best thing for you would be to seek advice from a doctor. if you can't afford, look into medicaid or medicare-they usually supply a covered/funded doctor for that sort of thing. In the United States that is.

 

[chelseagirl]

Glad I found this thread and know that I'm not alone in losing my period. It's been upwards of a year I think. Before heroin, I had pretty nasty periods, terrible cramps that extended to my thighs, lower back pain, cold sweats, and often puking.

I'm in the process of getting clean.. it's been over a week and I have to say I'm utterly terrified of getting my period. It sounds like for a lot of women, when they start to get their period back, it's worse than ever. But if my period gets any worse than it used to be, I'll probably have to go to the ER. The worst part, is that I could never find a remedy for these terrible periods and apparently heroin works. I can handle w/d symptoms, but those nasty periods I'm not sure... My stomach is cramping just thinking about this!

 

[jeng1128]

All I can tell you is my experiance. The few years I was a hardcore heroin addict(About 4 years) 19-22, I hardly ever got my period. I was SUPER SKINNY(like gross looking) because I've always been small and my normal weight at the time was 95#-100#'s @ 5' 4"(I know becaous I graduated High Scool(no drug use) @ that weight. Wish that was my "normal weight" now lol but I'm older and you gain some weight. Anyways it didn't bother me(not getting my period, because frankley who likes getting it, lol.) And not that I think about it it was most likely because I was mal-nourached(sp?)[When I went to detox I was 81#'s.]) But I was REALLY stupid AND I thought, oh if I don't get my period I can't get prego. Lie. I had a long term monagamous boyfriend of two years at the time, and I wasn't on birth control and no condoms. I ended up being pregnant(4 months) and I would have NEVER known, unless everytime I used I threw up and it didn't make me because I had a huge tolerance. Please don't judge, but I had to get an abortion because A. I was a 20 year old herion addict, with a 20 year old heroin addict boyfriend, and I proboly wouldn't have quit(even if I did the rest of the time I was prego, I'd probobly relape right after the baby B. My parents would have kicked me out and I had no job and no money C. I had been using EVERYTHING for four and 1/2 months already so I'm pretty sure that would not be good for the baby. I just wasn't ready to be a mom and my boyfriend really WASN'T ready to be a dad(hes my ex now.) It hurt alot at the time, I didn't tell anyone(not even him) and it just gave me an excuse to use more. Please take a prego test and keep up with the birth control because when you are using heroin you are in no position to be a parent.

 

[cocoapuff]

sorry to bring up old thread...but mine comes exactly every three months now, and i know when its coming - sore swollen breasts, acne, cramps etc. Another weird side effect i've gotten since i started on this new stronger stuff last year - light lactating! all the time, sometimes im curious and do a squeeze and little droplets of milky liquid appear - WEIRD!!! never had that before, first time i got it i was 100% positive i was pregnant, didnt even listen to the negative results, even booked an abortion appointment...turns out i wasn't preg and ended up menstruating a week later...but i still have that it hasn't really gone away (i always use condoms whenever but you never know, right, nothing is 100% effective!!! - except more H to kill withdrawals lol)

... Please take a prego test and keep up with the birth control because when you are using heroin you are in no position to be a parent.

agreed!!!

 

[MissAli]

I don't know, but don't worry. I didn't have mine for three years, then started going to the methadone clinic, and got it back, not even a month, without using. To be totally honest, I was really upset about it. lol. I was like nooooo!!!! lol. It was sooo nice not having one! I would like to know why this is though? Anyone here ever find out? lol.

 

[inthetriptank]

This thread was interesting...I also had menstrual disturbances when really strung out on opiates, but mine were in the opposite direction from most women on here. I actually had my period for about half of every month for the last year I was doing opiates really heavily. I would get it, it would last forever, and then before I knew it it would be back. Since quitting (well, quitting with a few slips here and there), it has more or less returned to normal. Anyone else experience this?

 

[mrs-mojo-risin]

When I started using dilaudid and heroin, my period became very irregular (late by a couple of weeks) but it still came. About 6 months after I started using, I went on methadone. The last time I got my period was the first day I started methadone. For the first 5 months on methadone, I was still using, but now I've stopped completely and am tapering off the methadone. I've been clean since the middle of November and I'm down to only 29mg of methadone as of today... yet I still haven't had my period. This June, it will be a year since I had a period. I thought once I got on methadone it would start up again but maybe I should expect that it won't start up until I'm completely off the methadone too?



EDIT: Literally 1 week after I posted this, I got my period!!!! For the first time in 10 months! At my highest methadone dose I was on 40mg and as I mentioned I've been tapering down. Last Monday I went to 29 and today (1 week later) I came home after work and was shocked to discover that I was menstruating! So shocked that I announced it to my poor unimpressed boyfriend. Bittersweet, I must say. As happy as I am to see that my body is "normal" again, I really did not miss having my period

 

[rl81]

I have been doing a ton of reasearch on heroine use since our 22 year old daughter overdosed and died in February. It is true that heroin totally messes up you endocrine system. When the ME did her autopsy theyfound her Para thyroid was non-existant. The most
accurate information I have found is..
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-absent/Pages/Causes.aspx
Here is what they say on the subject. This would also explain breast swelling and or discharge.

Hyperprolactinaemia

Hyperprolactinaemiameans you haveexcessively high levels of a hormone called prolactin in your body.

High levels of prolactin are normally only required after you have given birth, as they help stimulate production of breast milk. Having high levels at other times can disrupt the normal menstrual cycle and lead to absent periods.

Hyperprolactinaemia is thought to affect around 1 in every 200 women and can have a wide range of causes, such as:

a brain tumoura severe head injurykidney diseasecirrhosis

Hyperprolactinaemia can also arise as a side effect of treatments and medications, such as:

radiotherapyantidepressantscalcium channel blockers(a medication used to treathigh blood pressure)omeprazole(a medication used to treatstomach ulcers)

Women who regularly use heroin alsooften develop hyperprolactinaemia.

Premature ovarian failure

Premature ovarian failure is when the ovaries stop producing eggs in women who should still be young enough to ovulate (usually 45 or younger).

It is estimated that premature ovarian failure affects 1 in every 100 women before the age of40 and 1 in every 20 women before the age of 45.

It is thought many cases of premature ovarian failure are caused by the immune system malfunctioning and attacking the ovaries. The condition has also been linked to havingchemotherapyor radiotherapy.

You should seek medical advice if you suspect you have premature ovarian failure, even if you are not concerned about having periods. This is because having this condition can put you at risk of osteoporosis andheart disease.

 

[Uak143]

Yes u can get pregnant without having a period!

First I'd like to say anyone who said that when u don't have ur period u can't get pregnant needs to go back to an eighth grade health class. YES YOU CAN STILL GET PREGNANT!! I know how to stop getting my period on my own and there are many birth control pills that can allow u to only get it period a few times a year therefore showing that it's not "unhealthy" so to speak but yes u can still get pregnant. I have used opiates for years and I've never had a regular period anyway even prior to taking opiates but about four months ago I started using heroin and really regularly about two months ago and I got no period for the first time this last month. I'm having no unprotected sex with men becuz I sleep with women so I know I'm NOT pregnant and I'm NOT concerned at all I'm also nowhere near malnourished if anything I'm heavier than I've ever been in my life and I hate it. So point is check for pregnancy but yes it's very common to not have a period while using .

 

[Heroingirl24]

I've been using for 4 yrs 2 of them I had no period at all but I recently moved nd switched from black tar to China and got my cycle back I seem to be regular but I think it's normal to lose or have irregular cycles the more u use

 

[heroinexox]

I don't have an answer for you however I am an IV heroin addict for almost 1 year and I have not had a period in several months. I also have an eating disorder and rapidly lost 60 pounds so that may have something to do with it.....I also have an IUD. Sorry can't help more just adding my situation. First and foremost make sure you are not pregnant. If your home pregnancy tests are negative wait a little longer and then go to the doctor. A blood test for hcg and an ultrasound will confirm that. If you are comfortable being honest with the doctor about your use, go for it. I'm pretty sure if the heroin is the reason your periods have stopped, if and when you stop your menstrual cycle will most likely return to normal. Maybe not right away but over time. You are still producing eggs, they may not however be being released from the ovaries. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, so you're not really producing eggs. Hope this helps.

 

[clrichards93]

I have been using Heroin for 8 months now and for the past 4 months my menstrual cycle has stopped completely. I was just wondering if anyone had some comments on this, for example: Is this normal? Can I still get pregnant? If so, is it safe to use birth control? What exactly is going on..am I still producing eggs, etc.? If I ever quit using Heroin will my menstrual cycle return to normal?
Thanks.

I'm a heroin addict and have been using for 2 years and I haven't had any menstrual cycles since the 2nd month of using. I know heroin is the cause but why?

 

[tightlywound]

my period was pretty irregular (like between once a month and once every 3-4 months) when I was using heroin and then pills (hydromorphone & morphine mostly), but it didn't stop completely until my eating disorder started to get really bad and I became significantly underweight. it was probably a combination of both that ended up doing away w/ it entirely.
this is fairly common (to have an irregular period or no period during times of heavy opiate use).
however it has never come back, even when I've been at a healthy weight (and clean), once for like ~8+ months straight -- no period. maybe this is because am I on buprenorphine ORT?? though my sub doctor did say that I may very likely get my period back on bupe. BUT I am pretty sure that when I'm fat I do ovulate...just based of the fact that I have periodical clear discharge versus being completely dry as a bone down there 100% of the time when I'm very underweight. <<-- TMI, TMI I know -- but YOU STARTED IT OP. xP
I have never seen a doctor about it (I do NOT do gynos, way too traumatizing), because quite frankly I do not want a period -- life is much easier w/o it ...my hormonal situation is screwed the fuck up though -- I have WAY worse acne now at almost 24 years old than I ever did as a teenager or any other time in my life, and have lately been cursed w/ bad hypothyroidism, all sorts of shit.
but hey, I definitely don't want my period back. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ETA: also, YMMdefinitlyV, but I'm pretty darn sure that I can't get pregnant, at least not at the moment, even though I'm not currently using (unless you count IVing my zubsolv). I haven't used birth control/condoms/anything for like 4-5 years, and when my poor boyfriend isn't locked up in jail or prison we do have sex pretty regularly. usually he pulls out but not always. never had a legit pregnancy scare and certainly never been pregnant.