Hi,

I am new here - I hope someone can help me! I have been on Atkins for about five weeks and I have been through (sort of) two cycles. My last TOM started about 5 days early and this TOM started 10 days early. I realize that this can be normal on Atkins but when does it stop?? It wouldn't be so bad if TOM started and ended in the usual 5 days but ....it starts and doesn't end until it would have normally ended??

Thanks,
Shannon

P.S. I am on the Marvelon pill?? Does that make a difference??

This thread caught my eye because I thought you were asking some guy named Tom if he was on the pill!

Our situations are sort of similiar. I myself had an early TOM the first month I started this WOE. The second month, everything went back to normal. I'm sure if you hang in there everything will work out in the in. Maybe your like me and get a big whoosh when your TOM leaves.

I was always very irregular with TOM before Atkins-and now have no problems. I was very surprised to find myself regular- but I do get a bit more crampy. I'm not on any BC pills.

Hi Shannon,

I'm also on birth control pills, and have experienced a couple of early TOMs whilst low carbing. I also realise that it seems to be quite common on Atkins.

But what worried me was whether or not I was still protected contraception-wise. My understanding is that birth control pills work (at least partially) by 'fooling' your body into thinking you are pregnant. Then you stop taking the pills during the 'break' week and the illusion is broken, hence you get TOM.

Personally therefore I didn't feel entirely comfortable in assuming that I would still be protected from pregnancy until the start of the new packet in the light of the early TOM. So I decided to taket extra precautions for a couple of weeks.

Just my opinion, I didn't consult a doctor or anything.