Most women would probably love not getting periods because they totally suck. I went without a period for a long time but it came with side effects that were pretty terrible. In fact, it was one of the worst experiences of my life.
- It all started with going on the pill. I got my first period at age 14, and since my periods were really irregular, I started taking the pill soon after because my doctor suggested it. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and never expected anything negative to come from it. I wish I’d known that it’s normal for young girls to have irregular periods and that they usually become more regular as time goes on. I probably wouldn’t have started on the pill so young.
- I didn’t like how it made me feel so I tried to stop taking it. The pill made me feel sick and bloated and caused me to gain about 15 pounds. I tried many different versions of the pill and finally found one that was OK. It still sucked and I hated the symptoms, so I eventually decided to stop taking it because I wanted to give my body a break. However, I didn’t expect what happened when I stopped.
- I didn’t get a period at all without it. I went off the pill twice, each time for a year or more, and didn’t get a single period either time. I eventually started seeing a fertility specialist because I wanted answers and I was diagnosed with a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA). Basically, it means you have no menstrual cycle because your hormone levels are very low and imbalanced. I was convinced the pill was partly the cause.
- One of my most awful symptoms was that I had no sex drive. HA also causes low libido. My sex drive declined more and more the longer I was on the pill and it didn’t get any better when I stopped taking it. The cause was my out-of-whack hormones. It was so frustrating and it negatively affected my relationships because it was hard for me to enjoy a normal sex life. I wanted so badly to just be normal.
- To make matters worse, sex was painful. When your hormones are imbalanced, it throws your body off and can cause a host of sexual issues. For example, low estrogen can cause vaginal dryness, which makes sex hurt. I had lots of pain anytime I did have sex, which made me want to have sex even less. It was a total nightmare.
- I also couldn’t have children naturally. By far the worst thing about not getting periods was not being able to conceive. I’d been dealing with my problem for years, and when I met someone I wanted to have kids with, I needed to go through in vitro fertilization (IVF) to get pregnant. It took a huge emotional toll on me and the financial burden is something I’ll also carry for a long time. Infertility is no joke.
- I developed depression and anxiety because of it. All of these symptoms made me a miserable person. When your body fails you, it’s the worst feeling in the world. It was partly to blame for the decline of one of my past relationships and affected my relationship with my husband in the past as well. I felt inadequate and just wanted to be a normal woman.
- Finally getting a period on my own was one of the best days of my life. A short time ago, I miraculously got a period naturally after over a decade without one. I was hesitant to believe anything had changed, but then I got another period a month later and started noticing a huge increase in my sex drive. I was ecstatic to have my period back. It sounds weird if you don’t know my history, but it was the most amazing thing to me. Then the month after that, I got pregnant. Saying that I was shocked and excited is an understatement. My body had recovered and it felt like a miracle.
- My life has improved drastically. Since regaining my period, my libido has gone back to normal, I have no more pain with sex, and I’m about to have a baby that was conceived naturally. I couldn’t be happier. Who knew something so simple as having a normal period could be so life-changing? I know periods aren’t exactly fun, but be thankful that you don’t have the problems that I did.
