I've read many posts concerning this topic. I started Atkins on my TOM and that one was normal. But then the second month I had one for 3 weeks straight and it was awful, heavy, and I had cramps every single day! I have had problems in the past with extended and heavy periods, but never cramps everyday. The TOM scrambles do seem to be an effect of the LC lifestyle. I read a bit on the subject of diet and heavy periods.

I've read that LC has often been suggested for patients to get their hormones in line again. I've also read that saturated fats will make you over produce estrogen which will make you keep building up a lining and shedding it.

After about a week break from my last TOM I started again. While on I tried to watch the saturated fats and also kept myself out in the sun everyday. (Something about the Vitamin D in UV rays is supposed to keep you from bleeding heavily). Well, with these two combined efforts I had a painless normal TOM that only lasted a week. I wll try this again for the next TOM and see if it is normal again.

Good luck to you all. I know how much it sucks having the prolonged TOM's. I spent years on fertility drugs and when I went off them my system was totally screwed up. I once went so long that I became severely anemic and had to have a blood transfusion - so this is a subject of great interest to me and something I worry over. I won't do BC which seems to be the first suggestion a GYN makes because every kind I've tried gave me horrid migraines.

Vicki B.