Help, I have amenorrhea!

tjthegreatone

We don't know what tests the gynaecologist did or didn't do. Too many people online (with unknown qualifications) jumping in to suggest second opinions without knowing the details of the consultation(s). The gyno is bound to be far more qualified and experienced than most of you here.

Perhaps some women just need a higher body fat percentage to ovulate. From personal experience, I was almost amenorrhoeic at just 3kgs lower than I am now with a BMI of 22. I 'liked' being skinny and hungry all the time but it was a sign that my body was not happy with the under-eating and excessive exercise. Once I put on a few more kgs everything normalised (this took almost a year to happen).

purplepiggy1

I am in a similar situtation although not as severe yet fortunately. No period for 6 months, bloods all fine, 'healthy' BMI (20) and my doctors have just labelled it as being caused by stressed and to wait until the end of the year.

For me it's just trial and error, having some periods of not logging, taking magnesium (supposed to naturally help with periods/stress) and possibly even gaining weight if nothing improves

Good luck and do listen to your doctor/s although we may think we may know whats best about a lot of things to do with health as we are gaining an interest, we can't be sure

purplepiggy1

This is interesting and worth considering, definitely on my mind...

http://www.youreatopia.com/blog/2011/9/14/do-i-need-2500-calories.html

tjthegreatone

This is interesting and worth considering, definitely on my mind...

http://www.youreatopia.com/blog/2011/9/14/do-i-need-2500-calories.html

Very interesting blog!
This bit scared me in particular:

"Restrictive Eating Disorders
Many of you visiting here for the first time may not have ever come across the term restrictive eating disorder spectrum, and it does not refer to anorexia alone. It includes: restriction/reactive eating cycles, bulimia, orthorexia and anorexia athletica as well as anorexia nervosa.

While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual For Mental Illness (DSM-IV) identifies all these conditions as distinct, they are neurobiologically all one condition. That is why patients will often express multiple facets of the condition at once, or shift from one facet to another over time as well.

The restrictive eating disorder spectrum is a broad spectrum and just under a third of our population resides somewhere on that spectrum. It is a lifelong chronic neurobiological condition and it has two states: active and remission.

You cannot be ‘cured’ from this condition once it is activated,
but you can enter a robust and often permanent remission."

TL;DR: restrictive eating is common, often triggered by dieting, and there is no cure - only remission.

Scares me as I've experienced symptoms of the following eating disorders described there:
Restriction/Reactive Eating Cycles
Orthorexia nervosa
Anorexia athletica (this one may explain the period of amenorrhea).

I'd like to think it was me going a bit insane on my diet and it's all gone now. After all I was never anorexic or bulimic and never cared about my diet until age 27, but is there really any functional difference between throwing up after eating and spending an hour running or doing cardio to compensate for overeating?

tjthegreatone

PS for the amenorrhea this bit is especially relevant:

Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea is a synonym for what is often called the Female Athlete Triad: inadequate and improperly timed energy intake combined with amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea (absent or infrequent menstruation) and reduced bone mineral density. It is the result of anorexia athletica. Therefore the same recovery guidelines apply for the presence of the functional hypothalamic amenorrhea or female athlete triad as apply to any other facet of the same restrictive eating disorder spectrum.

Thank you purplepiggy - I'll be spending some time reading that blog this evening! Thankfully it's Sunday

FlaxMilk

This may sound silly, but when was the last time your height was measured? 104 is fine for most 5'0 women, but it is still light. If you are taller than you think, it may be too light. (I've been measured by different people at under 5' and over 5'1--it's frustrating when you are very short.) Are you willing to gain a few pounds?

MsMuniz

104 is a fine weight for someone 5'0". I agree with others that you should see another gynecologist.

dontwishforit_workforit

Left to its own devices, my body won't regulate my period. First few years I was regular, I think... But then I hit 14-15 and now it's once every 4-5 months unless I take BC.

cfergusontx

This happened to me once after I had lost a lot of weight in a short time and I thought that was the reason. When I did finally go to the doctor (after six months with no period) they found out I had a tumor on my ovary and THAT was the reason. Get to the doctor quickly.

pluckabee

19.5% body fat is still in the very lean range. More body fat might be healthier for your body.

purplepiggy1

PS for the amenorrhea this bit is especially relevant:

Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea is a synonym for what is often called the Female Athlete Triad: inadequate and improperly timed energy intake combined with amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea (absent or infrequent menstruation) and reduced bone mineral density. It is the result of anorexia athletica. Therefore the same recovery guidelines apply for the presence of the functional hypothalamic amenorrhea or female athlete triad as apply to any other facet of the same restrictive eating disorder spectrum.

Thank you purplepiggy - I'll be spending some time reading that blog this evening! Thankfully it's Sunday

You're welcome, I just thought it ws very eye-opening and I am currently trialling eating 1900-2000 cals per day in the hope I can maybe 'heal' my body as it discusses