How long does it take to have Tom come home at a regular time? Last month he was 2 weeks early, this month another week earlier yet?
Thanks

For me, I noticed things started getting back to what I expected when the weight loss slowed down. When you ar elosing weight hormones are going nuts. When the los sslows down when you near goal, they even out and your overall estrogen levels are lower.

If it beocmes a concern, you can see a doctor. They may perscribe bc pills though to help control it. Since you don't have much weight to lose until goal though it may even out fairly soon and your overall estrogen levels probably won' thave changed as much.

That's what i'd like to know too. The past couple months it was early, this month (as of today,) it is 5 days LATE. I am getting kinda worried because the pregnancy option does exist, even though i use bc.
I hope hope hope it starts soon!

mine is so screwed up too...came early stayed a week later....then two weeks later there it again!! and I am on bc too!! so I hope it evens out soon because its getting annoying!! I just hope that it stops this time when its suppose to!!

I have no chance of pregnancy, tubes are tied!

ok, mine was totally erratic, over really fast, like in a day and a half, but then, a little over a day later, it started again, then stopped after 12-ish hours, then, 2 days later, again, for a few hours. ???!!! it has been a little weird since I went on bc last year, but I went off it like 3 months ago, (the hormones were really getting to me, always upset, gaining weight....) and it was starting to get back to normal. arg. only have had one since starting atkins, so we'll see what happens. send good "normalizing" thought waves please!!!

I have had trouble with TOM all of my life. Sometimes twice a month, sometimes every 3 months, sometimes for 5 days, most of the time for 12-15 days! I have never had a normal cycle and I only ovulate once or twice a year. I went to the Dr. for a fertility workup and was told I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.) The Dr. told me it has to do with my insulin resistance and that the best treatment for PCOS is a low-carb diet. I have been on Atkin's for 3 months now and for the first time in my life, all my cycles have been 28 days exactly and only lasted 4 days each. I also ovulated last month for the first time in over a year.

Appearantly, for people with my condition, low-carb lifestyle works to correct hormone imbalances (which I have always had) for others, it may affect the hormones in a different way. It is statistically proven that during rapid weight loss the body's cycles change. Once your body gets used to it, it should go back to normal. From what my doctor told me, any ketogenic diet will normally cause changes in the menstrual cycle but this is just your body adjusting to the new insulin levels.

It affected me too - every two to three weeks to start with. I tried BCP but that didn't help at all and I went off it. I think in time it is getting back to something more regular, but that's been nearly 9 months. I know when we lose fat we release estrogen which certainly can cause a problem. I would give it several more months before you worry about it. I also think in my case (in my 40s) age has a lot to do with it.

Squid

I just finished my 4th since starting Atkins and the first one was the same day that I started, so I'm not going to count that one, so 3...the first 1 was late by almost a week and the 2nd one started about 5 days early, but this last one started exactly 4 weeks after the last one, so I'm hoping it stays that way. I've always been lucky with TOM--every 4 weeks, lasts 3 days, no cramps, backache, etc. I've noticed that my TOMs are a bit heavier and I can have some cramping and achiness now, but it's a good tradeoff (pounds lost for a bit of discomfort 1 day a month ). My TOMs are so regular that when it didn't come on the morning it was due I went and bought a pregnancy test and sure enough, I was pregnant with my third son (now 6). How's that for accuracy???

I've been on bc pills for the past 3 years. Very reliably I've always started in the middle of the non-horomone pills. I've been on Atkins for about a month now and TOM just came to visit... 2 days before my non-hormone pills! That's about 7 days early for me! I was a little surprised, but thank goodness I had seen these posts a few days ago so I had some idea that it was normal!

I started a thread on the PCOS board a month or so ago about the same issue. I have PCOS and am taking bc to get a regular tom (I had actually gone a few years without it-not that I'm complaining, but then needed bc because I became *active* <sigh> all good things come to an end!)

...Anyway, my first week on Atkins, I got it as expected. Then I got it 2 weeks later (week 2 of bc pills) which lasted 6-7 days. Then 1 week later (week 4 of bc pills) had it as normal, 4-5 days. That was last month, haven't had it since, expect to get it this week. I'm hoping it was a one-time-only blip.

A response on the PCOS board said that when you're "emptying" the fat cells, you're also emptying the estrogen in them too, which could cause the fluctuations.

Don't worry, you're not alone!!

Mine is always late now and depending...either heavy and longer or spotty and shorter...mostly the heavier and longer! Oh well...just another lil bump!

My TOM has been farther apart by about 5-7 days than they were before I started this WOE. But about 3 yrs ago I had lost 30 lbs. (unhealthily, not eating combined with stress) and my cycles became sooooo regular, every 30 days like clockwork. Which was so weird since mine have always run anywere from 28 -43 days apart. I hope I get that regular again.

I've always been very regular, and I am also on BC. However, since I started this WOL in May 2003, my periods have been erratic. For several months in a row, I would have 4-5 days of bleeding starting Tuesday of the 2nd week on the pill pack. Then I would have my regular 4-5 days during the 4th week with no pills (or non-hormone ones, if you do that). Since then, my TOM starts while I still have a couple of days left on the pill pack.

Anywho, yes, it is erratic. But I do take a low-hormone pill. I find that I have to take my pill within the same 15 minutes every day to be as regular as possible now. Before I was okay if it was within a few hours of the same time every day.

It is kind of annoying, but my doc just said to keep taking my pills for the next 6 months at the same time every day and see if I end up becoming more "regular" again.

~Kelly Deneen