Alternative therapy to 'kick start' hormones?

[speckled-hen.livejournal.com]

Does anyone have any experience of alternative therapies 'kickstarting' hormones?

Backstory: My periods have been a bit wonky of late. I've always been irregular-ish (by that I mean a few days to a week or so difference) until I went on the pill at 16 when they were (obviously) regular. My real problems started when I was about 17-18. My doctor decided to take me off the pill because I'd gained weight, and so I had the Depo shot. My periods became incredibly irregular and really heavy so I came off that, waited a few months and had the Implanon implant as I was in a relationship in which I *could not* get pregnant under any circumstances, which stopped my periods for about 18 months, until I had it removed. When I had it removed, I had regular periods for four months, fell pregnant and miscarried and from then on my cycle has just been very, very off. I had it last 6 weeks ago, and before that I had a gap of four months.

Normally this just frustrates me in that I never know when it's coming, which again isn't too much of a problem as I have a mooncup that I pop in when I can feel it coming on. The real problem is that my partner and I are wanting to try for a baby in a couple of years. I'm starting to lose weight and eat healthily and have lost close to 30lbs so far (on the Weightwatchers plan, so it's not drastic, and considering I'm nearly 300lbs, 30lbs is nothing!). However, no sign of a period. My doctor thinks that I might possibly have polycystic ovaries and is going to run some blood tests to check my hormone levels and repeat them in a couple of months when I've lost more weight.
Even so, even if I do have PCOS, there's nothing that you can really do to treat it.

I'm wondering if there are any alternative therapies out there that would help kickstart my hormones into giving me a regular cycle and (hopefully) be ovulating regularly? I feel that my hormones are wonky, which isn't helping the weight loss, and my weight is making my hormones wonky. So yes, any experiences or ideas would be really great. I'm not looking for an overnight cure, obviously, and I'm sort of planning to try anything to be 'baby ready' in the next couple of years. Right now, I'm just willing to try anything!

Comments

[archangelbeth]

My pet hobbyhorse is thyroid problems -- my periods have regularized a lot since I got my hypothyroid diagnosed and treated. Have you been tested and gotten the exact numbers? (Many labs use what are "high" TSH numbers, according to newer guidelines and what many hypothryoid people say they need to feel well. Therefore, one needs to get the numbers and check them on the net... T4 and T3 numbers are also useful to know.)

[speckled-hen.livejournal.com]

I think that's one of the battery of tests my doctor is going to run on me, so hopefully I'll have some numbers to look at soon.

[archangelbeth]

Wishing you luck! If it does turn out that you have hypothyroid issues, I must say it's one of the cheapest and easiest things to treat that I can think of. Little pill, don't take it right next to multivitamins or soy, and presto.

[ktnzgtklws.livejournal.com]

While it's true you can't treat PCOS in the fact that there's not a whole lot you can do in regards to ovaries going crazy, the therapies they have for it's symptoms often restore hormone levels and fertility quite well. :-)
I was going to suggest to look in to if you have PCOS, as everything you've described points to it so far. However, it sounds to me like you've already got a Doctor who's on the right tract, and you are certainly doing something good for yourself! Congratulations on the 30 pounds, that's quite an accomplishment! If you do have PCOS, most likely yourdoctor will put you on metformin, and for people with PCOS, man it makes the pounds just fall off. :-)
I don't know about alternative therapies for regulating cycles. If you do have PCOS, the best thing you can do is what you're already doing: loose weight, exercise, avoid sugar, etc.

[jadeserenity.livejournal.com]

When I was coming off the pill an herbalist friend of mine told me to get some Wild Yam extract to help my body start making hormones again itself. I had absolutely no issues coming off, so I put at least a bit of stock in it. Probably wouldn't hurt to take some of that and see if it helps, you can get it where ever you get herbs and vitamins.