is shedding water delaying monthly cycle?

shakybabe

My monthlies have been late the last few months and cos the water has come on then gone back off without it coming I thought it wasn't going to come so I'm dropping carbs and drinking loads of water using water pills sometimes if necessary to get all water off so can weigh in after what would have been my monthlies and they are then coming a week later.

I don't like been over 10st for more than a few days if there's no obvious reason like my monthlies are there, but wondering if this and all the exercise is disrupting my cycle, its only come on time once and thats when I was too stiff to exercise daily when it was freezing in jan. .. as soon as I've started exercising again to try and get the last few inches off I'm piling on water weight and can't tell whether its from exercise or my monthly cycle as they aren't actually appearing... and they are coming a week late after spending 2 weeks n water rentention then another 2 weeks later instead of 4, its starting all over again!

I's so frustrating I have a 1 week window thoughout the whole month now to get my lowest weight of the month and try and work out how much is water and how much I got left to go to reach goal!

Givemewings

Hi. I don't understand your problem exactly but it seems that you have become extremely worried about the amount of water your body is retaining. I don't think it's a good idea personally to take water pills just so you can weigh in lighter. My advice would be to stop worrying so much about the water retention and what it says on the scales, eat and drink healthily and take measurements rather than weighing in on the scales. As far as your monthly cycle goes, I would ask a doctor.

Swampstar

I agree, water tablets aren't a great idea unless you have pitting odema or something like that. Might be a better idea to accept that the water is there to stay for the time being and start from the new number, if that makes sense. Everyone gets bloated around TOM, but I find eating bread makes me retain water too, have you changed anything in your diet that might have caused you to retain more?

Or maybe you're building muscle, that will add weight and make you retain more water!

Either way I don't see how it can possibly affect your monthlies, cycles change every now and then naturally. Mine's lasted 2 weeks so far and that's never happened before! (Sorry if that was too much info!)

britexmom

like the other posters said i wouldnt take the water pills. if you are drinking more water than before MFP you will find yourself retaining it for a few weeks while your body adjusts then you will naturally start to expell the excess water as your water intake will flush out whilst still hydrating your body.
if you take pills you are artifically flushing out so your body isnt having time to adjust.
i havent had any issue with water intake/weight loss affecting AF so i dont know if thats a symptom for you or totally unrelated.
if you are seriously worried then best to see your doc . good luck

Annmarie49

Taking the water pills intermittently are disrupting your 'normal' fluid balance/renal output!!

if you are not prescribed them by a Dr for a medical condition, i would suggest not taking them, keep your water intake up and the body will naturally adjust very quickly.

I am intrigued as to how you can differentiate between 'water weight' and any other kind of weight gain with the absence of oedema. If you have oedema, especially of your limbs, I would suggest visiting your Dr for further investigations.

I don't see any correlation between the amount of fluid you are consuming and your menstrual cycle.
It could be related to fat, as oestrogen can be stored in fat, if you are losing fat, your stores will naturally reduce, hence the change in your menstrual cycle. only a suggestion....

just keep at the healthy eating/exercise, forget the water pills and enjoy the 'new' lifestyle.

froeschli

Another vote against the water pills here...
Exercise and lower nutrition can mess with your cycle. If you ovrerdo either, your body will decide that survival comes before procreation.
Diss that obsession with the 'lowest monthly weight' - what is the importance of it anyways, especially if you take pills to get there just for the duration of the weigh-in? Measure inches, or look in the mirror.
If you're worried about the regarity of your cycle, see a doctor and consider birth control...

jenna_scott

There are a multitude of things that could be going on here.

1) I am 40 and I hate to say it as we age our bodies change. I have noticed a significant change in my cycles over the last couple of years. Used to be like clockwork you could almost set your watch by it. Every 28 days between 10:00 and 1:00 pm that is how regular I was. Now I am all over the place, late early whatever. I think that I am peri-menopausal, basically pre-menopausal. I would definitely talk to you Dr. about it he or she can run some blood work to see if your hormones are unbalanced.


2) Increase in exercise / lean muscle mass can delay your cycle, A lot of hard core female athletes that have very small body fat percentages often lose their cycles all together. Some times when we make a significant change in our bodies i.e. eating healthy and exercise our body freaks out and thinks is ti starving so our cycles get messed up.

3) I don’t think the water pills are delaying your cycle, I take Midol before mine just to alleviate the *****iness, and crying jags. There is a diuretic in Midol that reduces your water retention so I don’t think that decreasing you water retention will delay your cycle.

shakybabe

Thanks I know it has to be water when like i gain several pounds in a few days and I know I haven't eaten like 10,000 extra calories in 2 days or whatever! (i only eat fruit, salad or veg with meat or fish) ... but wasn't sure if it was the exercise or cos monthlies were playing up.

Again this month some water had gone off a few days back thought it wasn't coming and they started yesterday.. again.. a week late. I am 42 so it could be peri-menopause and they ahve been getting lighter since last year but I heard diet and exercise can do this also so wasn't sure which it was.

I am already wheat free and rarely eat processed/white carbs, I use gluten free bread when I want toast but restrict it to once a week.

I also have under active thyroid from birth and was previously heavier with large tummy and always had a 'doughy abdomen' whatever size I have been, even in childhood.

I was until last december however only having cycles once a month and didn't previously have water on for most of the month (was losing 1-2lbs a week)