Yes, ANOTHER question about spotting.

[mlbcheller]

One of my reasins for starting W30 was for my cycle to even out and become less painful and lighter. I to have started my cycle early like many others but my question is this, if I continue with W30 for 60 or 90 days does the spotting ever go away or is this going to be the new norm? I would really appreciate some honest and straight forward input.

[EmilyB456]

For me, eating clean for any length of time did not reduce spotting. I have a 3 week cycle and spot during all but one week of that and it is a mess. I was hoping eating clean would help even out my hormones, but just for me, I haven't had success. We've ruled out fibroids as a cause and other more serious possible causes, so now I am looking at an ablation. Blah. I wish you all the best and a much better outcome than mine on this particular issue. I've had vast improvements in every other area of my life since beginning the Whole30 way of living. The continued spotting was the only thing that didn't improve.

[Karen]

It all really depends. We tend to think of our cycles as just our period, but there's a lot of stuff in between that affects our period, and that's the stuff that food can often influence, which in turn impacts our periods. There's a long explaination about our cycles and how diet changes might affect them here: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/6028-i-just-started-my-period-8-days-early/

It really depends on how long you stick with. If your issues are going to be corrected by food, it may take 2-3 months for things to settle down and those hormones find a new normal. Your hormone levels fluctuate throughout a normal cycle, and it's those fluctuations that cause ovulation and your period in a normal cycle. But, throw in some diet changes and those fluctuations may be exaggerated the first month, which can cause ovulation and your period/spotting to start at a different time. Think of it as your body recognizing the fluctuations and just misinterpreting it. If you had normal cycles before, it's likely they'll settle down after your body realizes what the new baseline levels are for your hormones on Whole30. But, it might take a cycle or two. Does that make sense?

Emily - have you had your thyroid tested? Spotting like that can often signal a thyroid issue. If you have a normal TSH level, that's not enough to rule it out. Free T4 and, more importantly, Free T3 can help pinpoint it. Even if Free T3 is in the normal-to-low range, it can affect your cycle, fertility, etc. Perhaps you've already dug into all that, but for me, that's the one thing most doctors missed & treating it was the only thing that started to correct my cycles. Whatever the case, good luck!

[EmilyB456]

Emily - have you had your thyroid tested? Spotting like that can often signal a thyroid issue. If you have a normal TSH level, that's not enough to rule it out. Free T4 and, more importantly, Free T3 can help pinpoint it. Even if Free T3 is in the normal-to-low range, it can affect your cycle, fertility, etc. Perhaps you've already dug into all that, but for me, that's the one thing most doctors missed & treating it was the only thing that started to correct my cycles. Whatever the case, good luck!

Yes. Sigh. Thyroid is the first thing we checked, and continue to check T3 & 4 every year. Seriously, I have had all kinds of tests. It is NO FUN. That's why I was so hoping the Whole30 would help!

[(m)eat to live]

Emily, have you had your progesterone checked? Spotting in the second half of your cycle (anywhere in the ~2 weeks before your period starts) can be a symptom of low progesterone.

[EmilyB456]

Emily, have you had your progesterone checked? Spotting in the second half of your cycle (anywhere in the ~2 weeks before your period starts) can be a symptom of low progesterone.

Yes, we checked this too, my levels checked normal (though I am dubious, since everyone's normal is different), and I was on oral progesterone anyway for a while. I hated the way it made me feel, and the last month I was on it I dealt with bleeding every. Single. Day. So I quit taking that one!

I know there has to be something quantifiable going on, and I appreciate the ideas on this thread!