Should i be concerned?

icemom011

Hi, I've been in maintenanhow almost 11 months. My maint range is 145-150. I'm 5'7, 47y.o. female. Today my physical therapist asked me if i ever had my body fat mesured. I haven't, and asked him why. He said that i have no body fat, and went to tell me that it puts me at risk of losing my periods, and high risk for bone loss. Talked about female athletes who suffer from it, that the lowest for a female should be 6-7%..I don't think that my bf level is that low. But...i haven't had periods since February, i was a little higher then, around 152 lbs. Now i weigh around 147 on average. The only time i had my period since then was in June, wheni went to visit my daughter, we used to be synced, as weird as it sounds, but that's the way it was for a while. Now that she's in school, i don't have rhat influence anymore. But it was worrying me for a while, i don't really have other menopausal symptoms. I went to see my dr a few months ago, and he wanted to pur me on hormones to see if that will bring periods back. I don't want to take hormones, so he checked my levels, said all was good (??). I am due for level recheck. But i love and respect my physical therapist, he's very knowledgeable, and his concern got to me. What do you guys think, i haven't been to gyno this year because of the insurance switch, so maybe i should go see someone? And what tests do i want to get, is there anything to help sort it out?

collectingblues

Considering that essential fat for a woman is more in the ballpark of 5-12, I'm sort of side eyeing everything that he said.

If you're not getting your cycle, it's worth checking with your gyne. It may just be perimenopausal. Or it may be related to energy availability.

What are you doing for workouts? What are you eating?

I don't get a true cycle any more, but I'm pretty classic female athlete triad. My gynecologist isn't fantastic, and I think she doesn't quite believe that it's an issue -- but I had a dexa scan that did indicate osteopenia, so she probably should be concerned.

kgirlhart

I would start by having your body fat measured if possible. It is hard to know whether to be worried or not because at 47 I would assume that missing my period was the beginning of menopause. I am 49 and so far the only symptoms I have had is night sweats and irregular periods. I would get your body fat measured and also see about getting a bone density test done.

icemom011

I eat healthy, good variety of veggies, fruit, legumes proteins. Lots of nuts, chia seeds too. I eat my veggies for lunch raw, drink greens and fruit smoothie for breakfast, sometimes oatmeal with fruit and greek yogurt. For working out i cycle, 32-34 miles a ride, about 3-4 times a week. I do some body weight exercises, play hockey. Now that I'm in pt, i do some more weight exercises. I do have very occasionally night sweats. Where can i get dexa from?

TavistockToad

I'd see a doctor about the loss of your period.

Your stats dobt put you under weight, are you very lean? Visible abs?

icemom011

Ugm, no abs, but lean. Upper body, arms, hips, calves. II'm not under weight for sure, do not believe it for a moment. Just wondering if it has to do with weight loss. I don't have any problems with hair, nails, energy. I feel great, strong, just awesome.

collectingblues

icemom011 wrote: »

I eat healthy, good variety of veggies, fruit, legumes proteins. Lots of nuts, chia seeds too. I eat my veggies for lunch raw, drink greens and fruit smoothie for breakfast, sometimes oatmeal with fruit and greek yogurt. For working out i cycle, 32-34 miles a ride, about 3-4 times a week. I do some body weight exercises, play hockey. Now that I'm in pt, i do some more weight exercises. I do have very occasionally night sweats. Where can i get dexa from?

Right -- but how many calories?

Lots of math and science ahead...

Energy availability has a lot to do with menstrual regularity. Some research says you need at least 30 calories per kg of your lean mass -- other puts it closer to 45 cal per kg. If you're not getting that, then you can run into problems. So even if you think you're at maintenance, if you're not actually matching what you burn, (and in some cases, exceeding it) you aren't giving your body what you need. The general formula is to subtract your workout calories from your total intake, and then divide that number by your lean body mass in kg. Under 30? Well, if you care about menstrual and bone health, it's time to up your calories.

I'll use me as an example. Right now, my calorie intake hovers around 1580 calories. My average daily workout burn is 256 calories (I use my Apple Watch to track everything, so I trust this number) -- some days it's more, some days it's less. So that leaves me with 1324/41.59 kg of lean body mass. That's 31 cal per kg. Still on the low side, which is probably why mine isn't quite back -- but that's also in a week where I haven't been very active.

When I'm not ill and actually able to get out and train like I like, it looks more like this:
Ballpark of 1580 calories
Average workout burn:342 calories
1238/41.59 = 29.76 cal per kg

When you consider that that's what my routine looks like more, and that that calorie bump is pretty recent for me (I used to be between 1300 and 1400 calories -- so even at the higher end, an EA of 25 cal per kg) it's no wonder I don't get a true period and haven't for a year.

This article may be of interest to you. The subjects weren't underweight, either, and weren't low body fat -- but in those who didn't eat as much, there were cyclical issuses: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24888644

This link, with the formula and stats, may also give you something to think about: https://www.iaaf.org/download/download?filename=0f8d15a6-1cd0-4238-bbac-e05afe2eccf2.pdf&urlslug=Chapter 6: Nutrition

Need2Exerc1se

Loss of periods may be the only sign you have of the beginnings of menopause. It may be the only sign you have at all if you are lucky. You can get a DEXA from your doctor. Even your GYN should be able to order it. Unless there is a medical need insurance probably won't cover it at your age.

Unless you are pretty muscular it would be odd for your BF to be too low at your height and weight. But checking it out might be wise.

ElizabethHanrahan

I never had ANY symptoms of menopause except that my periods stopped. I was 46 at the time. I'm now 60 and have never had any symptoms and only 3 periods since they stopped. If you are worried, see your doctor, but I wouldn't worry much.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

ElizabethHanrahan wrote: »

I never had ANY symptoms of menopause except that my periods stopped. I was 46 at the time. I'm now 60 and have never had any symptoms and only 3 periods since they stopped. If you are worried, see your doctor, but I wouldn't worry much.

everyone is different though and not having a period can be caused by many things and should be checked out by a dr to rule anything out.

nowine4me

@icemom011 I googled bariatric centers in my area to find out who did DEXA scans. They required an order from my primary care doc and payment of $75 or so. I'm 5-7" and 144#. Sadly, it read 30%. But you have lots of muscle on me.

If you are missing periods, it's most likely menopause (on average starts at 50). Might as well get it over with!

ahoy_m8

Maybe try the Navy BF% formula?

susanp57

I would have a chat with my gyn. At your age it could be you are menopausal. Although my experience is different from yours, I had a hysterectomy when I was about 43. I had one flash the evening after my surgery and never another. I quit with hormones, weaning myself very gradually about two years later. No symptoms.

icemom011

kgirlhart wrote: »

I would start by having your body fat measured if possible. It is hard to know whether to be worried or not because at 47 I would assume that missing my period was the beginning of menopause. I am 49 and so far the only symptoms I have had is night sweats and irregular periods. I would get your body fat measured and also see about getting a bone density test done.

Yes, i agree about missing period might be a start of menopause. It's just until February i haven't missed a single one,it was like a clockwork, and then such a sudden stop. I mean, i do not believe for a moment that I'm any lower than 20 something, but i was overweight my whole life, so is that a factor, because for me it's a huge change. Also, i did askmy dr for bone density test, since i have family history of problems there, but he said insurance won't pay for it.

icemom011

collectingblues wrote: »

icemom011 wrote: »

I eat healthy, good variety of veggies, fruit, legumes proteins. Lots of nuts, chia seeds too. I eat my veggies for lunch raw, drink greens and fruit smoothie for breakfast, sometimes oatmeal with fruit and greek yogurt. For working out i cycle, 32-34 miles a ride, about 3-4 times a week. I do some body weight exercises, play hockey. Now that I'm in pt, i do some more weight exercises. I do have very occasionally night sweats. Where can i get dexa from?

Right -- but how many calories?

Lots of math and science ahead...

Energy availability has a lot to do with menstrual regularity. Some research says you need at least 30 calories per kg of your lean mass -- other puts it closer to 45 cal per kg. If you're not getting that, then you can run into problems. So even if you think you're at maintenance, if you're not actually matching what you burn, (and in some cases, exceeding it) you aren't giving your body what you need. The general formula is to subtract your workout calories from your total intake, and then divide that number by your lean body mass in kg. Under 30? Well, if you care about menstrual and bone health, it's time to up your calories.

I'll use me as an example. Right now, my calorie intake hovers around 1580 calories. My average daily workout burn is 256 calories (I use my Apple Watch to track everything, so I trust this number) -- some days it's more, some days it's less. So that leaves me with 1324/41.59 kg of lean body mass. That's 31 cal per kg. Still on the low side, which is probably why mine isn't quite back -- but that's also in a week where I haven't been very active.

When I'm not ill and actually able to get out and train like I like, it looks more like this:
Ballpark of 1580 calories
Average workout burn:342 calories
1238/41.59 = 29.76 cal per kg

When you consider that that's what my routine looks like more, and that that calorie bump is pretty recent for me (I used to be between 1300 and 1400 calories -- so even at the higher end, an EA of 25 cal per kg) it's no wonder I don't get a true period and haven't for a year.

This article may be of interest to you. The subjects weren't underweight, either, and weren't low body fat -- but in those who didn't eat as much, there were cyclical issuses: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24888644

This link, with the formula and stats, may also give you something to think about: https://www.iaaf.org/download/download?filename=0f8d15a6-1cd0-4238-bbac-e05afe2eccf2.pdf&urlslug=Chapter 6: Nutrition

Thank you for posting links, it's informative. Now, concerning my caloric intake, i don't track. I eat when I'm hungry, stick to bulk of greens,veggies, being very mindful of high calorie foods, aka portion control, but still estimating. I do believe that I'm maintaining though, since my weight is pretty stable and within the range, and my measurments haven't really changed. I'm worried about negative effects of losing period too early. If it's menopause, i can't do much about it, but can't help but wonder if it's weight loss related

icemom011

nowine4me wrote: »

@icemom011 I googled bariatric centers in my area to find out who did DEXA scans. They required an order from my primary care doc and payment of $75 or so. I'm 5-7" and 144#. Sadly, it read 30%. But you have lots of muscle on me.

If you are missing periods, it's most likely menopause (on average starts at 50). Might as well get it over with!

Thank you, @nowine4me, i will look into getting a script and try to get it done. We have pretty close stats, i might be disappointed as well!