My baby is 6 weeks now, and I am breastfeeding exclusively. Generally I have all sorts of issues with low progesterone and have been taking progesterone for years now, with great results overall, including during pregnancy, with great results reducing preterm contractions and more.
My question is: with every child (this is #3) I have experienced, and am once again starting to experience, intermittent bleeding while breastfeeding, after the initial bleeding stopped and before getting my period back (approx months 1-6 postpartum). I also have huge swings in breastmilk supply corresponding to the bleeding. Generally the bleeding is about 10 days bleeding, 10 days no, and then repeating (far too short a cycle to be a period, and longer bleeding than a normal period as well, also for what it's worth, I just was checked by my doctor who said the ultrasound shows that I am NOT ovulating yet).
My doctor said supplemental progesterone could be causing the bleeding. That flies in the face of what I know - usually bleeding is caused by too little progesterone, not too much (and I doubt it is too much anyway - I have WAY too much estrogen in my cells due to years of birth control pills and thyroid problems, and when I stop taking progesterone, right away all sorts of estrogen caused problems start right up again) and I found some studies that showed that menstruation returned earlier in women with less progesterone, not more.
Anyway, I admit that postpartum I have not been good about taking progesterone every day. So I have no idea if the bleeding is because I am taking it at all (and I should stop), or because I am not taking it enough (and I should increase)!
Does anyone have knowledge about this? What does Peat say about progesterone during breastfeeding and/or how it affects irregular bleeding etc? What do you recommend I do about taking progesterone right now?
My question is: with every child (this is #3) I have experienced, and am once again starting to experience, intermittent bleeding while breastfeeding, after the initial bleeding stopped and before getting my period back (approx months 1-6 postpartum). I also have huge swings in breastmilk supply corresponding to the bleeding. Generally the bleeding is about 10 days bleeding, 10 days no, and then repeating (far too short a cycle to be a period, and longer bleeding than a normal period as well, also for what it's worth, I just was checked by my doctor who said the ultrasound shows that I am NOT ovulating yet).
My doctor said supplemental progesterone could be causing the bleeding. That flies in the face of what I know - usually bleeding is caused by too little progesterone, not too much (and I doubt it is too much anyway - I have WAY too much estrogen in my cells due to years of birth control pills and thyroid problems, and when I stop taking progesterone, right away all sorts of estrogen caused problems start right up again) and I found some studies that showed that menstruation returned earlier in women with less progesterone, not more.
Anyway, I admit that postpartum I have not been good about taking progesterone every day. So I have no idea if the bleeding is because I am taking it at all (and I should stop), or because I am not taking it enough (and I should increase)!
Does anyone have knowledge about this? What does Peat say about progesterone during breastfeeding and/or how it affects irregular bleeding etc? What do you recommend I do about taking progesterone right now?