Prolonged Menstruation after steroid shot

I'm having the same problems. I am normally very regular and I have light periods- 3 to 5 days max.

I had a regular/light period and a week later, I had a cortisone shot in my lumbar spine. A week after that, I started my period again. It lasted for 13 days. I wasn't super concerned about it because I had just seen my gyno 3 days prior and everything was fine. Exactly 28 days later, I got my period again and I was pretty relieved because it seemed like everything was back to normal. However, this period lasted 11 days. I finally called my gyno and we talked about when my long periods had started and I mentioned the steroid injection. She said that was absolutely to blame and to keep an eye on it for the next month or two and to give her a call if things didn't return to normal.

My 11 day period ended 2 days ago... and I just started again. I don't know how long this one will last, and I'm getting pretty damn tired of this. No one ever informed me that this could be a side effect and when I did research before getting the shot, I found nothing about menstrual problems. My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and if I had know this was a side effect, I never would have gotten the shot (it didn't even work, by the way). Not only am I having extremely long periods, but I'm also not ovulating.

Does anyone have any information on when these irregularities finally ended? I've read that the cortisone can stay in your system for up to 4 months? I just want to know when I can expect my body to get back to normal.  I'm at my wits end.

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Hi, I'm so glad I found this thread. I have had regular periods all my life, and had a healthy pregnancy 2 years ago. I'm 40 years old but too young for menstrual irregularities, especially since I had no issues until I got a corticosteroid shot at the beginning of April. I got the shot (first one in my life) to treat severe congestion due to sinus infection. After that I had a 42-day menstrual cycle (normally they're 28-30 days), and in May I had THREE periods. I would bleed 4-5 days, have a one week break, then bleed again for 4-5 days. The bleeding is just like a regular period. It's scary to me, so I scheduled an appt. with ob/gyn for next week. I'll keep you all posted on what she says although I'm pretty sure it's due to the shot. I wish the allergist had told me that, especially since my husband and I were thinking of having another baby! With my cycle all screwed up I don't think I'm even ovulating. So frustrating!

I posted on 5/25/11 11:42PM regarding issues I was having with my menstrual cycle and ovulation following a cortisone injection. I wanted to give everyone an update as the whole time I was going through this... I was desperately searching for answers as to when/if this would ever end. I had a 13 day period with a normal cycle time, followed by an 11 day period, a 1 day break, and another 24 days of bleeding. (I call it my 36 day period). I was anemic, tired, frustrated... just pissed off in general. I promised myself that I would come back and post about this all finally ending when it finally did. So here I am! 

Hi, I have had very similar side effects from the cortisone shots as well. I had two cortisone shots, 1 to the sacrum and one to the hamstring insertion point (very close to lady parts). The shots were 2/8/11, which was day 14 of my cycle. This just happened to be the exact same cycle my husband and I decided to start trying to have kids. Starting 2/23/11 I had a period and then bled on and off through March and April. It seemed like several short cycles or one really long cycle with spotting in between. I went in for an ultra sound and they found a cyst on my ovary on one side in March and then a new cyst on the other side with several left on the other ovary in April. In May I decided to try acupuncture. Within two visits she had stopped the bleeding using moxibustion. Today is 9/9/11 and I have only had one positive (kind of) ovulation test since January, but my periods are becoming somewhat normal again (5-7 days long every 26-33 days, but horrible PMS). Still no positive pregnancy test yet. This is month 8 of trying, I know some women go for years without conceiving, but here I was totally regular and fertile until these cortisone shots. I even asked my doctor before scheduling the injections if he thought it would have any effect at all. He said no. I think I'll give him a call and tell him all of our results to prevent this from happening to other women. Does anyone know if there is a cleanse to remove the steroid from your system? I'm only 27 and I want to get everything back on track as soon as possible.

I have had this SAME problem! I hope if enough people post about it, then more women will be able to find information and know that, while frustrating, it does appear to be a pretty common side effect.   I had 2 lumbar injections (around the sacral area) about 3 weeks apart in May and June.  Prior to that, I was having regular periods (not on BC) every 28-30 days.  After the first injection, my period was 2 weeks late and lasted 9 days.  After the second injection, it was late again and lasted for 32 days! I was MISERABLE.  In addition to that, my face swelled up and got all round and puffy, I developed horrible acne on my back AND I got a buffalo hump! Basically, all the symptoms of Cushing's Syndrome (which I don't have).
They sent me in for pelvic ultrasounds, urine tests, and a ton of blood work and everything came back normal.  Every doctor I saw seemed completely surprised that I had such a reaction to such a small amount of cortisone.  Then I found a doctor who believed me and told me that cortisone can really mess some people up.  She had a patient that had green urine after an injection!  She assured me I was okay, that it would run its course and suggested some ways to help reduce the stress of not having any idea or control over what was happening to my body.
I started acupuncture about 4 weeks ago and my periods FINALLY seem to be back on track.  They're still not normal like they were before and I'm having some mid-cycle spotting, but things are definitely back on track...4 moths later.
I, too, researched ways to get them out of my system faster but couldn't find anything.  I'd recommend acupuncture to anyone going through this.  It has been instrumental in helping my hormones get back to normal, and it has also helped with stress & my blood pressure...all things that can throw your body (and cycle) totally out of whack.  I also take B12, which helps with stress.
I don't know if I'm ovulating normally, as my husband and I are also TTC. But I have been tracking my temps and cervical mucus and it seems like everything is okay.  I think I may ovulate later than I usually do, but it should happen.
Anyhow, my sympathies to anyone dealing with this.  Its a real pain in the butt, but it should eventually subside.  Anything that you can do to reduce stress (exercise, acupuncture, meditation, yoga) will definitely help.

Hey,

I'm so glad to find this info here.  I was due for my "monthly" any day now and it has always been 28 days all my life.  Good to know I may or may not have this for a while.  I don't remember being told about this prior to my esi's (my last one was Jan 26, 2012) but I appreciate the info you all have posted here...good luck!

Coming up on week 2 of what is usually a 4 day period and surprised to see all of the above comments. I am not happy to see that this may go on or a whie longer before it gets better was was relieved to find out today from the office were I got my shot that it is normal. Again not happy to see this is a fairly common side effect after having done a tone of research before going in for the shot. And seeing as I am on my 30's you would think that they would at least inform you before giving you the shot that this might happen.

 

PS - anyone still getting cramping.....the same as you would normally or any other??

I have had a series of these shots  - two in july, one in october and four in December - I will never have them again. They have been aweful and now periods are horrible. Two to three weeks long and this time only three days off and bleeding again. I am very tired all the time. I a trying prolo therapy instead i my back. Much more benign procedure and after just one treatment i have had more results than with any of the steriod shots, none of which worked. I would not recommend these shots. My doctor explained that it affects the pituitary gland which in turn affects all of the other glands in the body incuding our reproductivie organs. I certainly hope this does not go on for months. I am exhausted from the bleeding. Thanks for all of the previous posts and confirmation that these shots are causing this and are not end all answer.  

i received a cortisone shut in my shoulder too months ago and my period was 4 days late and after that i had bleeding for a month and i had a break for 10 days and now i have my period again am really worried

I recently had to take steroids due to pertussis.  Since then I had a period that was 7 days late, and then a second period about a week and a half later.  Number two period is on day 9 now.  If steroids are really the cause of this, shouldn't something be done?  I don't want to go through this again.  I'm not in pain, just annoyed.

I feel so much better after reading all of these posts....phew.  I had an allergy steriod shot, Keflex.  I didn't initially corelate the two until my husband mentioned it so to google I went.  I am always super regular too, 4-5 days MAX and fairly light.  But then I suddenly went to nearly 2 wks of menstration off a week and back on for a week, highly unusual.  Then my libido has been very different and wacky so I knew soemething was going on.  So now that we all know that it happens and many of these posts are old, can anyhow attest to how long this lasts?

I'm glad I finally looked this up!  I got a shot two months ago for allergies.  My first period after that was 10 days late and ended up being over twice as long as it normally is.  This month, I was on time, but it's way longer than normal.  The only thing I could think of that had happened was that shot, so I was hoping that was what the problem was.  So glad to hear I'm not the only one that had this reaction.  Hopefully I will be getting back to normal next month.  These 8-10 periods are rather annoying.