Healthy weight but missing periods

Insomnia__

My bmi is on the higher end of the scale. I am 5' 1 and weigh 120. I wear a size 4-6 in pants, and small in shirts. My dress size is small also. Sometimes medium. I have a 24.5" waist and 32.5" hips. I have not gotten my period in 2 months. I exercise 2-3 hours a day. Everyone says that I look so thin. I look thinner than my weight says that I am. So, I'm not sure why I'm missing periods if I'm "healthy". I eat 1200-1600 calories a day. I don't know the exact amount I burn off during the 2-3 hours of exercise but I'm sure it's not too much is the elliptical says 500 calories at the most. They say missing periods is due to too low of a body fat percentage, stress, or being pregnant. Well I am absolutely not pregnant. Is it possible to being thinner than the scale or bmi says? Can someone have different body compositions? Are these numbers always accurate with someone's actual size? My mom (a nurse) thinks I am not eating enough for the amount of exercise I do and that I could stand to gain a few pounds. I don't want my body to be malnourished but I want to lose even more weight because the scale says I'm on the higher end of healthy. It bothers me but I don't know if I'm fine the way I am or really do need to lose more weight. Any answers are appreciated

AmykinsCatfood

Muscle weighs more than fat so if you work out a lot, there is a distinct possibility of you having a higher weight due to muscle. One thing you can do is get your body fat percent professionally tested to determine how much is muscle and how much is fat. If you opened your diary people could give suggestions as to diet changes, but it sounds to me like you may want to get your BF% tested and talk to a certified nutritionist/dietitian to figure out what the ideal # of calories is right for you.

I_Will_Be_The_Swan

Your body fat may be too low; I can't recall the source, but a UK doctor stated that a BF% of 13 or lower can lead to missing periods. Same with too little iron or overexercising.

Start tracking your iron and make sure you get enough, cut back on exercising, and eat back your calories.

Good luck!

BlueBombers

You exercise 2-3 hours a day and only eat between 1200-1600 calories per day....yeah I would say you aren't eating enough (I'm guessing you are not eating back any of our exercise calories either).

thesophierose

Start taking a multivitamin with iron cut back on so much excessive workouts, you are tiny... you don't need to do that much everyday. Eat more. And be patient.

littleburgy

I had a similar situation as far as being at a normal weight but ceasing to menstruate. I am 5'8" and when I was in college I lost weight, I thought at 130 I was normal but had always been pretty active and athletic, muchos muscles. I lost my periods and got the body fat tested, the underwater kind. My body fat was VERY low. Which I thought a little surprising at 130 but a lot of people did tell me I had gone from looking "great" to "too thin" and was extremely rigid about my diet and exercise regimen.

Had to see a nutritionist, gyno, and gain some weight back to get the menses back.

So, yes, the scale can be deceptive!

feebz36

If you have not had a period for 2 months you should see your doctor. There are many reasons for a woman stop menstruating other than weight related issues. You are obviously worried about your weight as you have gone on to a web forum for reassurance, perhaps your doctor can also help you with that (be it to reassure or to make suggestions). I know I am just another faceless voice on the web, but I am medically trained and so suggest seeking proper medical advice is a wise idea

chatogal

could just be normal hormonal ups and downs. By all means visit a doctor....but dont jump to the worst scenario...could just be a normal fluctuation :-)

acpgee

Please check with your doctor. Amenorrhea (cessation of periods due to body fat being too low to support a pregnancy) has serious implications for bone density and hormone levels. I got this once while training hard for a full marathon when I was younger.

gypsylouiseporter

my period stopped for about 4 months, my weightloss was becoming rapid. I had to stop exercising and started taking dong quai, vitamin d, multi vit, flaxseed caps, chasteberry, macca root. I also started using almond milk in my protein shakes and eating almonds as a snack. my period came back within 5 days of starting the above. my hormones were so out from the heavy exercising and low calories, I got down to 105.6lbs ( 5.1 ) I am now 113.7lbs. I still get told I look skinny but I know im not. try giving the workouts a rest and take up walking instead, you don't have to keep working at such a high level now.

shapefitter

Please, make an appointment to see your health practisioner.

teamAmelia

I'd see a doctor.

losing4799

Start taking a multivitamin with iron cut back on so much excessive workouts, you are tiny... you don't need to do that much everyday. Eat more. And be patient.

This is a good idea. Multivitamin is a good start.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

Go see your doctor. ASAP. He/she can test your body fat and check to see if there might be something else up. While I suspect your BF% is too low, I have also seen otherwise healthy women miss uterine or ovarian cancer because they just missed a couple of periods. That's probably the scariest thing that could be causing missed periods and I hope I just caused you to go find out that isn't it.

For the record, Tom Brady is severely obese according to the BMI and we all know he is isn't fat. The same for LeBron James (whom I think actually comes out to morbidly obese) and Serena Williams. I have two friends who are marathoners who are also 'obese'. I think that's funny. While it's decent measure of the general population, it's not accurate for everyone.

lisalsd1

From your stats, I'm about the same size as you. I have 2 kids, and when I started getting my period after baby #2, it was very irregular. One problem I was able to pin down through bloodwork is that my Vitamin D level was VERY low. I had to supplement with a high dose script of D2 for years. That didn't work very well to increase my level or regulate my period. I started a high dose supplement of D3 (under dr supervision). After almost a year, my level increased to an acceptable level, and my period became perfectly regular for the first time in my life.

Have a dr check your Vit D level, and if you need to supplement, try D3 instead of D2.

UpEarly

Go see your doctor. You don't sound so thin that your cycle would cease, and there are MANY things that cause irregular periods that have nothing to do with weight.

kimosabe1

Your body fat may be too low; I can't recall the source, but a UK doctor stated that a BF% of 13 or lower can lead to missing periods. Same with too little iron or overexercising.

Start tracking your iron and make sure you get enough, cut back on exercising, and eat back your calories.

Good luck!

jenniferb_00

Im 5'3 and my wight went at low as 104. I didn't have my period for over a year. I went to my doctor and all that and gained enough to hit about 129lbs which felt like to much wight for me. Im 117 now and looking to get to 113. My periods returned back to normal at about 110lbs. Although at 104 my BMI was on the low end of normal wight it was still considered 'normal' or 'healthy'. Honestly i think it kind of depends on the person. Im sure there are other people who are 5'3 and 104lbs and completely healthy with regular periods, that wight was simply to low for me personally.

emobarbie7

I am 5ft 0, currently weigh 98 lbs with am aprox BMI of 19. I didn't have a period for about a year, then after two rounds of progesterone and another round of estrogen+progesterone I finally got one, but haven't gotten another one yet. I am struggling to figure out what I did wrong assuming I was/am still at a healthy body weight but on the low end.

CoffeeNBooze

I'd love to give you a dead on answer but the best thing to do is see a doctor to really access where you're at.

dwh77tx

this happened to me before and is happening to me now. It's not the weight necessary but something I read is that exercising for that long interferes with hormones and therefore you aren't ovulating. I saw my dr. the last time this happened. Recommendation- cut back your exercise to no more than an hour a day, and take 2 active rest days. I bet it will come back. I'm cutting back to 4 times a week instead of 6 and waiting patiently for Aunt Flow.