Early menstruation when starting a low-carb diet?

iorahkwano
iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
in Food and Nutrition
3 weeks ago I started a low-carb diet. I exclude bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, etc but I still eat fruits/veggies/the occasional dessert so I am not totally carb-less. I lost 4lbs in 2 weeks but nothing the 3rd. Anyway, I noticed I got my period yesterday but according to my birth control pills I am not due for 3 weeks. A quick Google search showed me many other women on BC experienced this too, and were given a few layman reasons about why it may have happened but there was no medical advice to be found.

It seems this affect goes away once the body "adjusts" but I was just wondering if anyone knew (For fact) why this could happen and if it could be a red flag of an emerging health problem from poor nutrition. I know no menstruation at all is common in overtraining, but I've never heard of this. Thoughts?

For those of you who experienced this, did everything go back to normal afterwards?

Replies

  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    I'm not doing low-carb but have been eating at a deficit for awhile now and I've been getting mine every 2.5 - 3 weeks for the past couple of months. :sad:

    I don't know why, it sure sucks. Hoping it will go back to normal soon.
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
    I'm not doing low-carb but have been eating at a deficit for awhile now and I've been getting mine every 2.5 - 3 weeks for the past couple of months. :sad:

    I don't know why, it sure sucks. Hoping it will go back to normal soon.

    I'm in the exact same boat! Started two periods ago - cycle gone from 27 1/2 to 21 days. I used to be so regular you could set the clocks by my cycle.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    It could be that it caused your hormones to go out of whack. That's the typical reason for early menstruation.
  • KatLifter
    KatLifter Posts: 1,314 Member
    Also take a look at your protein sources. Are you eating meats that were fed hormones? Drinking a lot of soy milk? Taking in artificial hormones can alter your own hormonal balance. Just a thought and good luck!
  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
    My protein has not changed, all that changed was that I replaced those off-limits carbs with vegetables and fruit.
    My protein sources are eggs, peanut butter, chicken, tofu, occasional seafood, tuna, almonds, soymilk, and hummus.
  • SteAnnMui
    SteAnnMui Posts: 129 Member
    When I was doing low carb in the past this happened to me. I got my period two weeks early. I had also started a new type of birth control so it was written off as that, but when I brought it up in my low carb forum there were 3 other girls that mentioned it happening to them as well.
  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
    Well I certainly feel better that it's somewhat common! I'm surprised research studies on the Atkins diet did not discover this effect. If anyone has a doctor friend, they should ask if they have a clue as to why that happens. From my brief search, some people said

    a) Losing lots of fat (which contains estrogen) dumps tons of that hormone into your system possibly confusing the body into thinking is menstruation time
    b) Eating large amounts of meat that may have lots hormones injected into it (i.e. Red meat) could disrupt the hormonal imbalance in the body.

    I'm not sure either of these apply to me since I haven't experienced any real fat loss or added new meat to my diet. One can only wonder.
  • MegRuthie
    MegRuthie Posts: 139 Member
    I'm on the pill and haven't forgotten any, but wasn't due for another period for 2 weeks. I am miserable right now! I was scared I got knocked up and was going through implantation or something. Then I started googling and realized it might be linked to going low-carb also. Its really a pain because I retain a LOT of water so I'm making no progress now on my second week of low-carbing. I'm hoping next week I'll start shedding again. The first week was 5 pounds!
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    The pill supplies hormones that artificially supresses ovulation and menstruation - what you have is a withdrawal bleed not proper menstruation - if you don't don't absorb your pill properly you can have spotting or an early bleed, that would be my concern. IMO use a barrier method until you have spoken with your pharmacist or a doctor.
  • achill44
    achill44 Posts: 1
    BEWARE OF SOY PRODUCTS!
    It contains phyto-oestrogens which will create strong hormonal disorders.
    I didn't have my periods for 4 months because of it, along with other very, very scary symptoms (bleeding gums, nausea...)

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