Seeking Health and Fertility
Question
Dear Expert,
I am an obese woman, and I know that this can cause many problems, like infertility, heart disease, diabetes, and menstrual problems. And I have started going to Curves, and I am trying to establish a healthy foundation for myself. But what I am having a problem with is my periods are normally short, and if I don’t take my Synthroid medicine they are even shorter, but I am at day 40-something, and I did a pregnancy test and it was a negative. One problem I know I have right now is a low progesterone level, and my Dr did test for estrogen dominance, and it was just a low progesterone. He said at the time my progesterone was lower than a woman’s level should ever get. And I have not received any information as how to look after that problem. I am trying to get all my problems looked after so my husband and I can sometime start a family, and I am trying to not want a child, since I know it is not that safe for me to get pregnant, but it is really hard to not long to be a mama. So my main question is should I get a progesterone supplement, or is my only problem with my weight?
Carrie-Lee
Answer
Last Updated: July 24, 2013
Congratulations on your decision to exercise, get healthy, and lose weight! You may want to inquire if your health insurance covers counseling with a registered dietitian for a nutrition plan that will help you lose weight, and learn healthy eating patterns so you can keep the weight off. I would also recommend seeing your doctor for a general checkup which should include a thyroid profile and TSH. This is a simple blood test to be sure you are on the correct dose of Synthroid. Sometimes the dose needs to be increased or decreased. It is critical to your health that you take your Synthroid daily. The best time to take it is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Low thyroid function can be a factor in obesity and infertility. You may not ovulate if the thyroid hormone levels are too low or too high.
Your late period may be caused by your new exercise program. It is not unusual for exercise to delay ovulation. Your body perceives the exercise as a stressor. Stress can delay ovulation. Once your body gets used to the exercise program, you will probably resume ovulation and your cycles. Your period will start approximately 9 to 17 days after you ovulate, unless you achieve pregnancy. At age 40 your cycles may also be changing as you enter the pre-menopausal time of your reproductive life. If that is the case, your should not delay trying to become a “mama”. However, low progesterone levels put you at increased risk for infertility, or miscarriage.
It is important that Progesterone levels be checked at the correct time in the cycle, mid way between ovulation and the anticipated start of the next menstrual period. Progesterone is the predominant hormone produced after ovulation. If checked on a set day, (most doctors tell women to do the test on day 21 or 22), and you are having a long cycle, and haven’t ovulated yet, the level will be low. This can happen if a woman is experiencing unusual stress, like starting a new exercise program!
I would advise you to find a Creighton Model Fertility Care Practitioner who can help you learn how to track the events that occur in your menstrual cycle using the Creighton Model Fertility Care System. Naprotracking or charting the cycle will reveal biological markers associated with low progesterone levels, and/or other abnormalities which can be present in the reproductive system. Charting will signal the time in your cycle when you should have the Progesterone level checked. That may be day 21, or 37 or even later. After you complete two months or two cycles of good observations and charting, you can be referred to a Creighton Model Fertility Care Medical Consultant who can evaluate, diagnose, and provide cooperative treatment for low Progesterone levels, if present, as well as other problems which may be found.
Keep up the good work. You’ve made a good start to getting healthy, and hopefully, you and your husband will soon become “mama” and daddy. Happy New Year.
Pat Poindexter RN, CFCP, FCE
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