I am a 25 year old who has had type 1 diabetes almost eight years, and I have not gotten my period regularly for almost two years now. I will have it one month, and then not get it again for six or seven months. My doctor says that it is because of my weight gain, but I don’t think that’s it. Even though I have gained weight over the past couple of years, for the past year, my weight has stayed the same. Any suggestions? Also when I was 18 years old, I had an abortion. Might that at all have something to do with it?

First of all, the termination that you had several years ago should not affect your menstrual cycle. I do not know how much you weigh, but excessive weight can affect your menstrual cycle by increasing production of estrogen that will inhibit ovulation. The fact that you are having such irregular menses, tells me that you are not ovulating on a regular basis. This can have many underlying causes, usually hormonal in nature. I would not just attribute it to a weight problem, and I would suggest talking to your physician about further evaluation.

OWJ

[Editor’s comment: It’s unclear if your physician who attributed the irregular menses to weight gain was a general physician or a specialist. You may want to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist or gynecologist.

WWQ]