Absent menses?

christibam

I had no clue where else this should go... hopefully it's seen here by people who may be able to answer.

My monthly cycle has stopped occurring naturally due to my weight. Sure, it came when I took BC or something else hormonal to make me have a withdraw bleed. But it won't come on its own. I can't even remember how much I weighed when I had it.

I'm wondering if anyone has had this same issue and has successfully regained it through weight loss. If so, how much did you weigh when it stopped and then when it started again? How long was it absent?

chuckles217

Too little or too much weight can cause absent or irregular cycle:

Try to water this down:
Two hormones are key to a cycle: Estrogen and Progesterone.
Estrogen is produced throughout, but is key during the first 14 days.
Progesterone is also produced throughout, but is key during the last 14 days of the cycle.
A cycle technically begins with menses (the first day of your period).

Estrogen levels are controlled by a hormone called FSH from the pituitary
---too much estrogen will shut down FSH release, too little increases FSH
Progesterone levels are somewhat controlled by LH from the pituitary
--too much progesterone shuts down LH and too little increases.

Okay, with that basic understanding in mind.
Fat contains a hormone called aromatase. Aromatase converts testosterone to estrogen. This leads to elevated estrogen levels and causes the pituitary gland to decrease its secretion of FSH. FSH is what makes eggs in the ovary mature in addition to estrogen control so decreased FSH can cause irregular ovulation or cause absence of ovulation since eggs won't mature.
Increase fat also leads to elevation progesterone levels due to its affects on the adrenal glands. This just adds to the problem above in a complicated manner. Overall, the irregular or an ovulation ultimately stops the menstrual cycle all together.

Usually fat loss will allow the cycle to return but there may be other underlying conditions that must be evaluated by a physician.
Keep up the weight loss and don't hesitate to use BCPs because the excess estrogen is a risk factor for endometrial and breast cancers and BCPs help reduce that risk (i forgot to mention they also reduce surface-derived ovarian cancers too).

christibam

Too little or too much weight can cause absent or irregular cycle:

Try to water this down:
Two hormones are key to a cycle: Estrogen and Progesterone.
Estrogen is produced throughout, but is key during the first 14 days.
Progesterone is also produced throughout, but is key during the last 14 days of the cycle.
A cycle technically begins with menses (the first day of your period).

Estrogen levels are controlled by a hormone called FSH from the pituitary
---too much estrogen will shut down FSH release, too little increases FSH
Progesterone levels are somewhat controlled by LH from the pituitary
--too much progesterone shuts down LH and too little increases.

Okay, with that basic understanding in mind.
Fat contains a hormone called aromatase. Aromatase converts testosterone to estrogen. This leads to elevated estrogen levels and causes the pituitary gland to decrease its secretion of FSH. FSH is what makes eggs in the ovary mature in addition to estrogen control so decreased FSH can cause irregular ovulation or cause absence of ovulation since eggs won't mature.
Increase fat also leads to elevation progesterone levels due to its affects on the adrenal glands. This just adds to the problem above in a complicated manner. Overall, the irregular or an ovulation ultimately stops the menstrual cycle all together.

Usually fat loss will allow the cycle to return but there may be other underlying conditions that must be evaluated by a physician.
Keep up the weight loss and don't hesitate to use BCPs because the excess estrogen is a risk factor for endometrial and breast cancers and BCPs help reduce that risk (i forgot to mention they also reduce surface-derived ovarian cancers too).

I can't use BCP's anymore. I had a stroke last August and the cardiologist said it was related to a blood clot and I was told by him and my GYN that I can no longer take any type of hormonal BC.

Thank you for all the useful information on this though. I've started to have symptoms of what I think would be ovulation about a week ago. (Light one sided cramps, change in CM, elevated a.m. basal temp, sappy emotions) So I'm thinking it *should* return soon... but I really have no clue anymore because I was too young to pay attention to, at the time, 'unimportant' things like ovulation when I was a teenager.