Fertility and body fat

swimmermama

Hi everyone. I am hoping someone has good reading suggestions for the healthiest way to gain weight and body fat % to regain fertility.

I'm trying to gain weight because I haven't had my period since having my daughter three years ago. After lots of tests, we have ruled out lots of possible causes of my anovulation. So, I've decided to increase my bmi and see if that helps.

I knew it was low but I used a fancy machine at the gym today to calculate my bmi and body fat percentage. Bmi is 18.4 and body fat % is 14.7. Clearly too low.

It's only been a week since I made this resolution but I'm not happy. I haven't gained a single ounce. Now, it's only been a week and I got food poisoning on Tuesday. I do still think I need help on the best way to gain weight and body fat to regain fertility. I'm a big nerd and learn best by reading. I books :-)

If anyone else has been here or is going through something similar, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!

12by311

I'm assuming you've increased your calories this week and since you didn't gain, I would say increase by 100-200 calories now.

I am pretty sure I've read articles about fats in a woman's diet and fertility. I don't have any sources handy, I'm sorry. But maybe research a little on that.

I'm sorry you are going through this!

gypsy__heart

One easy option would be to add a nutritional supplement either once or twice daily depending on your needs. There are many options, including Boost and Ensure, that can be bought at your local grocery store/pharmacy. They are very nutrient dense...tons of vitmans and minerals, protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbs. They actually taste pretty good... I used to have to do 4-5 daily. They come in a variety of flavors, but my favorite are Buttered Pecan and chocolate! Depending on how much extra nutrition your body needs to gain weight at a steady and healthy rate, you can even throw them in the blender with a 1/2cup to a cup of ice cream and make a healthy milkshake out of them!

I would say if you continue to not get results on your own to seek the advice of a registered dietitian. Most insurance plans will cover a consultation with one, which can be very helpful as they can determine a meal plan for you based on YOUR body's exact needs to gain weight at a healthy rate!

Good luck!

farewell_friend

I haven't had a period since last December. Pregnancy tests are negative. I want to go to the obi, but I have to wait until my insurance kicks in I don't understand why it suddenly disappeared; I weighed 123 lbs when it disappeared! (And I'm between 5'3" and 5'4".) I really want at least one child so I don't want to go without a period forever...

I hope it comes back for us both

gypsy__heart

Also, I don't know any books on the subject, but here is a great article!
http://www.shadygrovefertility.com/newsletter/effect-weight-fertility

RachyLovesRattys

Hello! To be honest, while a 14% body fat reading is low, most women don't become amenorrheic until 11-12% so perhaps it is even lower than you had assumed. A lot of those scales/devices can be inaccurate so I'd take everything with a grain of salt.

There are medications to take to restart your cycle (my friend is a very small build, was on Depo, and after she stopped, her period didn't return. Her doctor tried to give her meds to jump-start the system- I'm not sure what her results were yet- but there is that option out there)

If you want to go the nonmedical route (which is probably your best bet at this point) I'd agree with the other posters and add a high calorie nutritional supplement like Boost High Protein or Boost Plus. Be careful with some of them though because they are also very high in sugar and sometimes very high in iodine (which causes nasty cystic acne and can disrupt your thyroid if taken in too high a dose).

I'd also say to add foods that are high in good fats like peanut butter (or any nut butter really) and avocados. Those are just all around powerhouses for the body and go with everything! Hell, I could eat both plain!

If your weight and body fat end up in an "average" range and you are still experiencing this- that's definitely time to see a doctor. There are a lot of other factors besides weight that affect your menstrual cycle. One of the worst things is stressing so much over the fact that it stopped can actually continue your not having a cycle. Many women experience this when they have a "mistake" during sex and then their period ends up a week late---it's usually because they were so worried about it and the stress was wreaking havoc on their body. Even if you aren't stressing about that directly- is your life high stress? (you mention having a 3 year old- so I assume that's yes :P) That can absolutely be a contributing factor.

I hope you find a good solution to your problem soon and you can get back to the usual routine. Periods are certainly one of those things we all hate to have, but hate NOT having even more!

acpgee

Google amenorrhea. This has consequences for bone density and hormone levels, so it is good that you are trying to get your periods back.

CTcutie

You should look into nutritionists/dieticians because they are professionals and are likely to find one even covered by insurance.

swimmermama

Thank you everyone! I can't wait to sit down and look and everyone's suggestions. To be clear, though, I have seen a doctor. I have had three rounds of blood tests, an MRI, and an ultrasound. We have ruled out everything but my bmi and body fat percentage :-)

I may very well look up a nutritionist but I would love to read lots before that!

earth_echo

You could try chaste tree pills.

Springfield1970

I looked at your diary if you don't mind. You eat really well! And lots of fats too. Have you always eaten like this or did you diet at one point?

If your bmi is that low then maybe you should just overeat for a bit until it's 19 or 20. Maybe you're just on the edge of getting it back.

Full fat foods, omega 3?

Bernadette60614

I went through something similar. I had read that being pregnant was like running a marathon so I trained for it the way I would for a marathon. I got my bf down to 16 %.

I also read that you need to prep your body nutritionally 6 months prior to conception so I say a nutritionist. She recommended cheese. I ate a lot of cheese...cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, etc. I didn't seem to gain much weight pre-pregnancy, but I did put on bodyfat (I also cut down my cardio from 60 minutes 7x a week to 30 minutes 3x a week.)

And, our son loves...you guessed it...cheese!

neandermagnon

Hello! To be honest, while a 14% body fat reading is low, most women don't become amenorrheic until 11-12% so perhaps it is even lower than you had assumed. A lot of those scales/devices can be inaccurate so I'd take everything with a grain of salt.

when I was at uni I looked at a whole lot of research papers on this... all of them said below 18%bf amenorrhea is common, albeit that this is an average so some women will still be menstruating at levels a bit lower than this. 14% is extremely low - i.e. female body builder low, and they don't maintain this low level year round for health reasons, they raise their bf% to around 17-18% off season then cut to about 13-14% for contests............ and 11-12% bf for women is rarely possible to achieve without taking anabolic steroids or being extremely malnourished.

OP: looking at your pics I'd say 14% body fat is an underestimate. 18% is more likely.

the optimal body fat percentage for fertility is about 20-24% although most women will be fertile at 18% bf and some will be fertile lower than that - also bear in mind that the reason menstruation shuts down below certain body fat levels because that amount of fat is what's necessary to sustain the pregnancy. Even if you get pregnant, low fat levels in the body and stress on the body from eating too little increases the risk of miscarriage.

Also ignore BMI as it's body fat percentage that counts. although if you've undereaten in the past it may benefit you to increase your lean mass. If you haven't undereaten in the past, then don't worry about BMI only look at body fat percentage. Some people have really small frames, that doesn't change your ability to conceive and sustain a pregnancy. Body fat is what counts for that. From your pics you look tall and small framed... that's going to give you a lower BMI without affecting your health.

get your body fat percentage measured some other way because those machines are not reliable. Aim for around 20% for optimum fertility.

meritage4

cheesecake! Eat a piece a day!
Yummy and calorie dense!

MrsCZM138

Many women experience this when they have a "mistake" during sex and then their period ends up a week late---it's usually because they were so worried about it and the stress was wreaking havoc on their body.

Stress can't lengthen your luteal phase, only the follicular phase. And if the follicular phase is lengthened due to a "mistake" more than a few days, the sperm wouldn't be alive long enough to penetrate the egg and cause pregnancy. Unless, of course, you continue to make "mistakes". But then they're not mistakes, you're trying to have a baby via unprotected sex.