9:11 pm - 01/17/2013
Period mysteriously stopped - negative pregnancy tests, pituitary problems?
I'll be as brief as I can:
- My last period was November 16th. My cycle usually takes 29-33 days - I was supposed to get it on December 18th. I still haven't.
- I became sexually active on December 1st... when I was ovulating. Used a condom every time, never experienced breakage, etc.
- I have tiny little menstrual-like cramps very frequently. Several times a day. I have heard pregnant women experience this.
- My body temperature is always slightly elevated - which is to say, not always necessarily a fever or above average, as my usual is below average. This also happens to pregnant women from what I've heard.
- I have taken a total of FIVE home pregnancy tests, all of which were negative - though the last one was a little strange.
- I went to the doctor yesterday for a blood test because I have been told home tests just never work for some women, and everything else pointed to pregnancy.
- They called me today to say the blood test came back negative for pregnancy hormones... And now they want to do further blood testing to see if I have a pituitary disorder.
Now, I don't want to be one of those people who irrationally distrusts doctrs - but this seems pretty iffy to me. Looking up symptoms of pituitary disorders, I see everything from symptoms that could be applied to ANYONE at some time or another (things like "fatigue") to severe things I certainly don't have (vision problems). Meanwhile nothing about a pituitary disorder explains a thing about my cramps, and I didn't see temperature changes noted either. It also just seems very implausible to me that I would just SUDDENLY have a drastically messed up pituitary gland. As said, my periods were totally normal and regular until this. It seems awfully coincidental that I get a pituitary disorder right when I start having sex!
What do you think? I know you can't diagnose me, but does anyone have any insight on what this could be? Has anyone had a period go missing and find out they have a pituitary problem? Has anyone had a false negative on a blood pregnancy test? Any insights would be appreciated!
- My last period was November 16th. My cycle usually takes 29-33 days - I was supposed to get it on December 18th. I still haven't.
- I became sexually active on December 1st... when I was ovulating. Used a condom every time, never experienced breakage, etc.
- I have tiny little menstrual-like cramps very frequently. Several times a day. I have heard pregnant women experience this.
- My body temperature is always slightly elevated - which is to say, not always necessarily a fever or above average, as my usual is below average. This also happens to pregnant women from what I've heard.
- I have taken a total of FIVE home pregnancy tests, all of which were negative - though the last one was a little strange.
- I went to the doctor yesterday for a blood test because I have been told home tests just never work for some women, and everything else pointed to pregnancy.
- They called me today to say the blood test came back negative for pregnancy hormones... And now they want to do further blood testing to see if I have a pituitary disorder.
Now, I don't want to be one of those people who irrationally distrusts doctrs - but this seems pretty iffy to me. Looking up symptoms of pituitary disorders, I see everything from symptoms that could be applied to ANYONE at some time or another (things like "fatigue") to severe things I certainly don't have (vision problems). Meanwhile nothing about a pituitary disorder explains a thing about my cramps, and I didn't see temperature changes noted either. It also just seems very implausible to me that I would just SUDDENLY have a drastically messed up pituitary gland. As said, my periods were totally normal and regular until this. It seems awfully coincidental that I get a pituitary disorder right when I start having sex!
What do you think? I know you can't diagnose me, but does anyone have any insight on what this could be? Has anyone had a period go missing and find out they have a pituitary problem? Has anyone had a false negative on a blood pregnancy test? Any insights would be appreciated!
If you don't joy from checking the pituitary (they're probably concerned about a tumor) and thyroid... I'd suggest insisting on an ultrasound, in case you have an ectopic (which can have weird hormonal levels).
However, do note that humans -- as well as other mammals -- are capable of experiencing false pregnancies. These can include bloating and just about every symptom of pregnancy... except there's no fetus. With humans, it usually occurs in people who are either very afraid of pregnancy, or very anxious to be pregnant, but since it happens with other mammals such as cats and dogs, who are presumably not thinking about pregnancy very much, it's not impossible that it might Just Happen as some kind of background subconscious thing. The body can do Weird Stuff sometimes. So if you get the tests, and get an ultrasound, and there's nothing there... It might just be Weird Stuff!
Luck!
It could also just be a hormonal blip. Especially if you've been under stress lately.
I skipped my December period. I had a period on November 6th and then not again until January 3rd. I took 5 home pregnancy tests, all negative, but I was CONVINCED I was pregnant and showing symptoms. I had an HCG blood test soon after and it came back negative.
If you had a blood HCG count done there is a very very slim chance you are pregnant. HCG is the hormone your body produces when you're pregnant and blood tests pick up even minute levels of this.
The body is great at tricking itself into showing symptoms if you're worried about something.
Sometimes the body is just weird!
Not every person with a diagnoses is going to have symptoms to a 'T', but most tests that doctors order are supposed to help rule things out. Certain tests may reveal something else entirely that may fit what you're dealing with a lot closer than something involving the pituitary.
To explain the cramping in regards to pituitary:
"The buildup and shedding of the uterine lining is a complex mechanism controlled by the fluctuations in a woman's hormone levels. Each month, the pituitary gland releases follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) and luteinizing hormones (LH) into the bloodstream where they can be carried to the ovaries, the tiny sacs that contain all the eggs a woman will ever have. Eggs in the ovaries exist in an inactive form called follicles. During each menstrual cycle, the FSH and LH from the pituitary gland cause one follicle to ripen, and a normal ovum (egg) is released for fertilization. As a normal part of this process, the follicle begins to produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone."
Source
Temperature changes:
"The pituitary is sometimes referred to as the "master gland" as it controls hormone functions such as our temperature, thyroid activity, growth during childhood, urine production, testosterone production in males and ovulation and estrogen production in females. In effect the gland functions as our thermostat that controls all other glands that are responsible for hormone secretion. The gland is a critical part of our ability to respond to the environment most often without our knowledge."
Source
I hope some of this helps. I know it's frustrating at times to not have all the facts you need or want when facing a health problem.