last period very light 4 months after pregnancy

[jazzyr]

Hi, I am a 27 yr old female. I recently had a baby 5 months ago, and I also work in a factory where i do have some exposure to chemicals or fumes, but not extreme. I have been there 5 years. That being said, I have had several strange symptoms and cannot seem to find any explanation. They are:

All of these symptoms seem to be MORE prevalent at work. I will just be sitting there working, and my eyes will just kind of go out of focus (fairly regular, mostly throughout the second half of the day, after I have eaten), accompianied by dizzy or lightheaded feeling a lot. My eyes also feel strained a lot throughout the day as well as feeling nausea sometimes.
After the baby, my first few menstrual periods were normal, and then my last one, which came at the scheduled time, there was hardly anything there! I checked two different times to make sure I wasen't pregnant.
I also seem to be more sensitive to smell as well as noise - the loud noise hurts my ears more. Again, these are more noticeable at work.
Any ideas? I am not really in the financial state to have anyone run a lot of tests, since I have such a variety of symtoms. Hopefully you can help! This has been going on for a few weeks now.

[Debbie Miller, RN]

Hello,
Have you discussed these things with your coworkers to see if anyone else has experienced similar symptoms? That would help you determine if it was an environmental issue. If so, you could ask your local health department to look into environmental concerns there.

The period is probably just normal fluctuation. Most women report unusual periods at times and this is considered within the normal limits. It could also vary if you use hormonal contraceptives or the Mirena IUD. These often result in reduced flow after a period of adjustment.

As you said, vague and varied symptoms can be hard to pin down but a good overall physical exam with a family practice doctor could rule out some of the more typical concerns, anemia, thyroid dysfunction, etc.

Best wishes.