Period (girls please!!)

jamieparadis20

Hi everyone,
Over the summer I got into a health kick and went vegan and got really into fitness. Ive never been this strong and active and I'm so glad that I changed when I did. However, I didn't use my fitness pal until three months ago or so and only tracked calories with Fitbit. So, I didn't pay attention to macros at all and simply thought that eating less food would give me the body I wanted. I also began to over excercise and as a result, I lost my period. I haven't gotten it in 153 days. I realized I had an unhealthy approach to weight loss about a month ago and that I was probably losing way more muscle than fat, so I began a recomp. I feel a lot better and less hungry and light headed all the time. I'm glad I realized when I did because I was on the road for a serious eating disorder.

I'm just really scared because my period hasn't come back yet. For anybody who has lost it or knows about this, how long does it normally take? When should I go to the doctor? Is there any medicine or supplements I can take? Even any excercises or yoga poses I can do or something??? I never thought that I'd miss my period and actually want it, but here I am ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Thank you for any replies, I'm really scared

atjays

You should have gone to the doctor months ago. Go do it

lorrpb

You should be scared. You're not gonna die or anything, but this is a serious health problem that can be fixed, but requires medical attention. Let your mom know. Go to the doctor. Loss of period is often seen when undereating or overexercising or both.

jenwil1999

First off, good for you for recognizing your mistake. The goal is health, not just weight loss! Make sure the "body you want" is the body that is healthy for you.

Second, while you are right to be concerned, you really don't need to freak out about your period. Don't be scared, just be responsible. Here are a couple things you should know:

1. I see you're 19. Was your period stable and predictable before this? For how long was it stable? (You don't need to answer.) Many teenagers have very irregular periods for about 5 years after first menstruation. Now, I don't think this is the main factor in this situation, but it might be good to know.
2. Doctors aren't concerned about any length up to 90 days. Since you're over that, technically you should see a doctor. They can give you something to get it started, unless they have a medical reason not to.
3. Nothing terrible will happen because of this, IF this is a one-time occurrence. For people that don't have regular periods, this can eventually lead to increased cancer risk.

Now, I am NOT a doctor or medical professional. My advice to you is to talk to a medical professional. That's the safest thing to do. I might also suggest seeing a professional about your diet and exercise routines, to make sure they're reasonable for your body and age.

elphie754

Call your GYN and make an appointment. It could be as simple of your body fat is too low, however it could also be something much more serious, like a tumor.

One of my close friends lost her period, but she didn't know why. She also started to vomit every day etc. She was convinced that she was pregnant, so brushed it off and was going to bring up at first prenatal appointment. It turns out she was rushed to the hospital, and had surgery the next morning. She had a grape fruit sized tumor (she had been ignoring all her signs/symptoms and always made excuses). The tumor was actually blocking her cervix, so the uterus couldn't shed and was "trapped". In the hospital she was septic (toxic shock syndrome) from all the pooling blood with no place to go.bof she had waited any later, she could have died.

Not trying to scare you, but this is why you should always contact your doctor when something doesn't feel right.

stephmph16

Oh for Pete's sake, some of these posters here are giving you worst case scenario. Is it abnormal to miss your period; yes and no. Women's cycles can fluctuate for lots of different reasons. Just starting moderate exercise can delay periods in some women. Your body is remarkable and in times of stress (physical, mental, etc) it is going to prioritize what is important; getting pregnant is not. Is this a forever thing, no. Is it still alarming, yes.

Go see your doctor and tell him or her your concerns. They will most likely tell you to take it easier on the exercise and see if it comes back in the next few months. There is a medication that can kickstart periods called Provera, but from what I have seen it's usually given to women who are trying to conceive and need their next cycle to start for timing purposes.

I am sorry you're scared, but don't let people on the internet freak you out even more. See your doctor and go from there ok?

jemhh

It can take several weeks/months for your period to return after a period of undereating/overexercising. I do suggest you see your doctor to be sure all is okay.

While it isn't unusual to miss a period, missing a period in the context of undereating/overexercising is a serious concern with possible long term effects. When your body senses that it isn't a healthy time for reproduction, it decreases estrogen, which in turn decreases bone regeneration, which can lead to stress fractures and osteoporosis. Does it happen to every woman? Obviously not. But it is a concern with serious lifelong effects and that fact should not be minimized.

amandapleighse2

you should talk to your doc, but still it doesn't just come back overnight

livingleanlivingclean

Are you still exercising a lot? If so, try reducing the amount you do, by a lot (almost none).... Your body may be used during stress from the amount of physical activity you're doing.

You do need to see a Dr.... But I've seen quite a few over the last couple of years after losing my period for 6 years (a few months after starting to diet and get seriously in to resistance training) , none gave me any answers! My blood tests and hormone levels apparently aren't cause for concern, I was told to put on fat (I did), I took lots of natural supplements that would supposedly help (they didn't), but still no period. I stopped training for about 4months and it came back (3 times within 2 months) but disappeared as soon as I started training again. Coincidence perhaps?

rml_16

You should go to the doctor before you ask a bunch of strangers on the Internet for healthcare advice.

But since it's too late, go to the doctor ASAP.

CrabNebula

I lost my period for nearly a year. I went to the doctor - bloodwork said I needed to be on estrogen. I ignored because I like not having a rag for all the bad things that come with that.

Anyway, it comes back anytime I overeat for at least a week, so I got it for the holidays.

I don't know what the solution really is. I am maintaining in the 120s which is normal bmi for my height and I look great, but to maintain that weight I can't eat enough calories to have a normal cycle either. I don't want to go over into the 130s, so I guess I am screwed here without being on estrogen for the next 10 years.

comptonelizabeth

CrabNebula wrote: »

I lost my period for nearly a year. I went to the doctor - bloodwork said I needed to be on estrogen. I ignored because I like not having a rag for all the bad things that come with that.

Anyway, it comes back anytime I overeat for at least a week, so I got it for the holidays.

I don't know what the solution really is. I am maintaining in the 120s which is normal bmi for my height and I look great, but to maintain that weight I can't eat enough calories to have a normal cycle either. I don't want to go over into the 130s, so I guess I am screwed here without being on estrogen for the next 10 years.

You might want to reconsider oestrogen. One long term effect of low oestrogen and no periods is osteoporosis. I have this (for a different reason) and it's no picnic.

Sabine_Stroehm

OP: you're 19.
What's your BMI or height/weight NOW?
Have you talked to your parents?
And, yes. make an appointment with your doctor.

elphie754

stephmph16 wrote: »

Oh for Pete's sake, some of these posters here are giving you worst case scenario. Is it abnormal to miss your period; yes and no. Women's cycles can fluctuate for lots of different reasons. Just starting moderate exercise can delay periods in some women. Your body is remarkable and in times of stress (physical, mental, etc) it is going to prioritize what is important; getting pregnant is not. Is this a forever thing, no. Is it still alarming, yes.

Go see your doctor and tell him or her your concerns. They will most likely tell you to take it easier on the exercise and see if it comes back in the next few months. There is a medication that can kickstart periods called Provera, but from what I have seen it's usually given to women who are trying to conceive and need their next cycle to start for timing purposes.

I am sorry you're scared, but don't let people on the internet freak you out even more. See your doctor and go from there ok?

Usually it is the simplest thing (when you hear hoofprints think horse, not zebra. However, while rare, sometimes it can be the zebra. Losjngvyour period IS bad and dangerous of itself, usually indicative of a bigger problem going on. The fact that you are not too alarmed by this, doesn't mean others won't be concerned. She should see her doctor ASAP.

jemhh

comptonelizabeth wrote: »

CrabNebula wrote: »

I lost my period for nearly a year. I went to the doctor - bloodwork said I needed to be on estrogen. I ignored because I like not having a rag for all the bad things that come with that.

Anyway, it comes back anytime I overeat for at least a week, so I got it for the holidays.

I don't know what the solution really is. I am maintaining in the 120s which is normal bmi for my height and I look great, but to maintain that weight I can't eat enough calories to have a normal cycle either. I don't want to go over into the 130s, so I guess I am screwed here without being on estrogen for the next 10 years.

You might want to reconsider oestrogen. One long term effect of low oestrogen and no periods is osteoporosis. I have this (for a different reason) and it's no picnic.

Thank you for posting this. I am finding that more and more women who I work with and are related to (I work with many in their upper 50s and older) have osteopenia and osteoporosis. I think it is easy for younger women to brush off the risk but it is a serious concern. I got into a bad cycle of not eating enough for my exercise level last year, had an injury, and what "scared me straight", so to speak, was learning a lot more about how it could lead to long term bone issues.

jamieparadis20

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

OP: you're 19.
What's your BMI or height/weight NOW?
Have you talked to your parents?
And, yes. make an appointment with your doctor.

Right now I'm 5/4 and weigh 124. IVE mentioned it to my mom but she said it was normal.

elphie754

jamieparadis20 wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

OP: you're 19.
What's your BMI or height/weight NOW?
Have you talked to your parents?
And, yes. make an appointment with your doctor.

Right now I'm 5/4 and weigh 124. IVE mentioned it to my mom but she said it was normal.

No it is certainly not normal.

jenwil1999

Agreed, not normal. Definitely not normal. But no need to freak out either. Eat more / better, cut back on exercise, and go see a doctor. The biggest concern I hear now is that your mom isn't concerned. Is she suggesting you shouldn't see a doctor? Do you need her to see the dr? If her opinion makes it difficult for you to see the doctor as usual, maybe look into some free clinics for women's health.

jamieparadis20

jenwil1999 wrote: »

Agreed, not normal. Definitely not normal. But no need to freak out either. Eat more / better, cut back on exercise, and go see a doctor. The biggest concern I hear now is that your mom isn't concerned. Is she suggesting you shouldn't see a doctor? Do you need her to see the dr? If her opinion makes it difficult for you to see the doctor as usual, maybe look into some free clinics for women's health.

No no no, she's not refusing to let me see the doctor or anything. I should have phrased that better. When I mentioned it to her, I sounded super scared so I guess to calm me down she was like "oh don't worry it's common for women's periods to get crazy" or something.

estherjellybabe

while it very well may have been because of undereating and overdieting, I am more inclined to think there was an unrelated cause that just came out more simply because you stressed your body. Bottom line: I doubt it is just because of your diet. Your liver should have had enough stores of Iron and B12, you only started this last summer. There is probably something else at play here. Go see a doctor and gynae, do a blood test and see what they say. ASAP!

marthand99

Been there. If it's due to overexercising and eating too little, it's called hypothalamic amenorrhea. There is good info here:

http://noperiodbaby.blogspot.com/?m=1

jenwil1999

jamieparadis20 wrote: »

No no no, she's not refusing to let me see the doctor or anything. I should have phrased that better. When I mentioned it to her, I sounded super scared so I guess to calm me down she was like "oh don't worry it's common for women's periods to get crazy" or something.

Ok, glad to hear it. Just never sure what someone's relationship with their mother is like. And yeah, if she was worried, she was probably trying to reassure both of you. Good luck on getting things worked out!

worldofalice

As above, definitely check with a GP. They might put you in for blood tests, bone scans etc but perhaps not as it's still fairly recent. Regardless, you will need to re-evaluate your diet and exercise habits. 3-4X a week is plenty of exercise, and nothing too intense until your body is functioning properly again. Over-exercising will drive your hormones bonkers, so many women are affected by it yet it goes relatively unspoken about. Also make sure you're eating enough fats, as that's essential for hormonal health!

I wish I'd listened to my body sooner. I haven't had a period in 4 years after spending so long going to the gym every day and undereating. I now have osteopenia - that will develop into osteoperosis unless I act fast - I don't know if I'll ever be able to have kids, and my boobs WILL NOT GROW even when I gain fat, because my hormones are so out of whack.

So long as you see a GP, take any medical advice on board and go a bit easier on your body, you'll be fine. Just learn from my mistakes, and don't ignore what your body is telling you!

jamieparadis20

Hi everyone, just had an appointment with my doc and we talked about diet excercise etc. I'm eating everything I need to be and there were no obvious issues so I'm gonna get blood work done next week. One thing she said is that I should only have one protein shake or bar per day. Would that affect it? She seemed kind of biased to think that my protein supplements are filled with chemicals and whatever but I chose products w low number of ingredients and ones I can read.

Also, she recommended I stop counting calories and instead just eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. I just recently read and article not to do this...I forget the exact reasons but it might of been on mfp I forget but they said eating like that is bad for some reason? I'm also just worried I'll eat way more than I would if I was counting cals and make unhealthy choices. She said my current weight is good and I should maintain that but I don't know how to maintain without counting

crackpotbaby

1. Do a pregnancy test
2. See your doctor

Edit: didn't see above post that you went to the doc.

livingleanlivingclean

jamieparadis20 wrote: »

Hi everyone, just had an appointment with my doc and we talked about diet excercise etc. I'm eating everything I need to be and there were no obvious issues so I'm gonna get blood work done next week. One thing she said is that I should only have one protein shake or bar per day. Would that affect it? She seemed kind of biased to think that my protein supplements are filled with chemicals and whatever but I chose products w low number of ingredients and ones I can read.

Also, she recommended I stop counting calories and instead just eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. I just recently read and article not to do this...I forget the exact reasons but it might of been on mfp I forget but they said eating like that is bad for some reason? I'm also just worried I'll eat way more than I would if I was counting cals and make unhealthy choices. She said my current weight is good and I should maintain that but I don't know how to maintain without counting

Doctors know little to none about nutrition. If she's worried about chemicals from protein shakes, did she also advise you to use different body products, make-up, cleaning products, washing detergent, not eat or drink out of plastic, etcetera? Sure, you should get most of your protein from food, not relying on shakes or bars, but supplementing with either is not terrible.

Counting calories is unlikely to cause your period to disappear. (unless it causes you an unbelievable amount of stress).