weight: 400;”>I had a prednisone warrior ask about longer periods and bleeding after prednisone. 

Watch now!

Longer Periods and Bleeding After Prednisone

Transcription autogenerated from the video above so some errors are possible.

I was on 60mg of prednisone daily for uveitis for 8 months, March – November in 2022. Almost a year later, I am still having intermittent bleeding and longer periods. Is this normal? My doctor assured me the steroids were the issue and I know that all my tests are normal, but is there anything I can do? Should this still be going on?

Disclaimer:

This is a great question and before I answer it, I need to give this disclaimer that this is not medical advice. Be sure to get proper medical advice from your own doctor. This is based on the little information shared here, I can give some general advice.

Can prednisone cause issues with periods and bleeding?

If so, when does it go back to normal? Yes, prednisone can cause hormonal changes that can cause amenorrhea, which means no periods, heavy periods, or more infrequent periods. It can change the timing, length, and everything.

Prednisone is structurally and chemically related to our sex hormones. It’s only a few molecules different from testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.

Who can experience Intermittent Bleeding?

If there’s some genetic issue when you are getting really high related cortisol levels because of the prednisone? It can do something different to your progesterone or your estrogen levels, which would affect your bleeding. I’m not a gynecologist and I don’t know how old you are if you were in your mid-forties, I would say the intermittent bleeding and longer periods could be premenopausal symptoms just setting in. 

If you’re in your early thirties or twenties, then this is a much more concerning and surprising thing. But if your doctor said steroids were the issue and your tests are normal, that’s, that’s good news that there’s not another reason that you’re bleeding. But as far as having intermittent bleeding in longer periods.

What can you do about it?

There are things you can do. This includes having hormonal supplementation, whether it’s taking a birth control pill, not necessarily for birth control, but as a replacement of your body’s hormones so that it regulates you. That’s a possibility. I don’t necessarily recommend it as I don’t really want that for myself. I don’t want that much hormonal exposure. 

In addition, you could try bioidentical progesterone pills. It’s like a prescribed capsule and they can do anywhere from 50 to 200 milligrams per day and that can support your periods and bleeding, and it can be just in the last half of your cycle. 

How would you take Bioidentical Progesterone?

For day one, the first day of your bleeding you might take progesterone capsules by mouth on days 14 through 28. Basically the last two weeks before you start bleeding. 

That’s a possibility. It’s only one hormone instead of two hormones that would be in birth control pills. It’s the same type of hormone that your body is making, the progesterone itself. So that’s generally a good option. 

Should this still be going on?

Not necessarily a year later, it could be from the prednisone a year later but I don’t know. I haven’t heard of that necessarily. It does do weird things, but it’s generally while you’re taking the prednisone. Normally prednisone doesn’t cause permanent changes to your menstrual cycle. It’s normally a transient temporary thing. And so I don’t know if it should still be going on.

Generally, it shouldn’t still be going on a year later. Anything you can do, I think taking hormonal therapy can support you. 

One more thing that might possibly help is Anatol Myo-Inositol as a supplement might help in getting a more proper balance of hormones and a better rhythm with your periods. And I love Aviva Rom and her book Hormone Intelligence. You could try that too. Hope this all helps. I’m Dr. Megan, your Prednisone pharmacist.