Dropping carbs and TOM?

macchiatto

Ignore this if you don't like TMI.
Did anyone else experience a sudden early onset of AF when dropping to a lower carb amount? I was already lower carb (around 80-100gm most days, usually in the 90s) though I admit I totally binged on candy on Halloween.

Monday (CD23) I changed my macros and have been eating under 50 gm carbs/day (trying to stay under 20 gm net carbs but have gone a bit over as I adjust). That day I started spotting and AF started yesterday. I only had a 26-day cycle, which is super unusual for me. (They're usually at least 31, often 34-45+, sometimes much much longer.) Coincidence or has this happened to anyone else when dropping carbs a lot lower? It couldn't have had an effect that quickly, could it?

KnitOrMiss

Because of the amount of fats and such that are burning and releasing stored estrogen and such, it's not unsurprising. Mine has been erratic at best lately.

Dragonwolf

Yeah, it's possible. Not sure why it happens, though, other than perhaps the sudden change itself.

It didn't happen for me with just the kind of drop you did, but it did kind of happen when I went carnivore. The Inositol I've been taking had been giving me my periods, but they were a bit erratic and using "period" to describe it is being generous. A day or two of spotting was what passed for it. Then I started eating carnivore, and a couple of days later, my period started (as expected, because of the timing) and was an actual period, complete with cramps, and lasted about three days. My cycle's been about that way since, though it seems to be inching toward an average of about 25 days total, though is relatively regular (I track it with the Glow app for Android, which helps predict when it should come, and it's often been a day or two early).

It's possible this is what your body needs, too. I know mine did a sort of "sigh of relief" when I went carnivore and things just "clicked." It might be what's happening for you, too. Keep an eye on it and see if it stabilizes at this new pattern.

macchiatto

Interesting! Thanks so much for the responses. My period this time was a lot heavier with cramps and a lot more bleeding; my last few before that had been lighter.

I also noticed when I first did Dukan 3 years ago that my cycles got more regular and I was actually ovulating more often. I should start temping again just to see. (I chart to avoid but have gotten lazy and go by CM only, so I know when I'm potentially fertile but am not confirming if ovulation really happened).