Ladies only! No periods... :(

foodisfuelforlife
foodisfuelforlife Posts: 54
in Motivation and Support
I haven't had one since I started my weight loss journey nearly a year ago :(
I have been to the doctor who recommended not exercising and gaining some weight- easier said than done though!
Has anyone else experienced this??
x
«1

Replies

  • Kybelle132
    Kybelle132 Posts: 71 Member
    I lost my period a few years back when I went on a low cal diet/high cardio...My body was starving and in shock...I didnt have it for about 4 months...I started to eat normally again and got it back...It didnt do any long term damage that I am aware of...
  • iluvprettyshoes
    iluvprettyshoes Posts: 605 Member
    Yes I had this years ago when I was running and down to 13% body fat and underweight.
    Estrogen is stored in body fat and therein lies the problem.
    I did gain some weight and it helped.
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
    I would follow what your doctor is saying....stress from working out or lack of calories for your body (muscle, hormones, heart, digestive etc) to function properly can cause it to say no periods...dont have the energy to expend for such things. I would ease up on both exercise and calorie restriction and see how your body reacts...it sounds like your body is shutting things down due to malnutrtition....just my opinion though- i'm not a doc :) take care and God Bless!
  • krw2894
    krw2894 Posts: 1
    Unfortunately yes. Over the last year and a half I lost about 15 pounds and I stopped having them. The doctor prescribed me birth control to make them come back. But they said I'd have to gain back more weight to have them on my own again. I'm hoping that also means muscle weight, cause I'm working on it. ;P
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    eat-more-meat.jpg

    eat you more of these!
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    You look very thin in your pictures...What is your body fat percentage? Has anyone ever told you that when a woman loses too much body fat her periods can stop?
  • BettyBlueEyes
    BettyBlueEyes Posts: 56 Member
    A close family member had no periods for 10 years. She was anorexic. Once she got the help she needed, which by that point included hospital stays, she managed to gain some weight and started having periods again. Having been told she would never have kids, she now has 2. But she's one of the lucky ones.

    Please look after yourself and realise that if your body has stopped your periods it's because you're not healthy enough to carry a child. By not eating you're starving your body of essential vitamins and minerals (such as iron) as well as calories. Good luck with getting them back and enjoy the cake :)
  • nacolesworld
    nacolesworld Posts: 15 Member
    I agree with what the other said.

    Are you logging your food every day (this is mostly to make sure that you are getting enough nutrients)? Are you meeting your lowest calorie goal? (can't be under 1200 without your body going into starvation mode) How are you feeling physically? How often do you work out? How hard do you work out?

    Not eating when you are not hungry is important, however if you train your body to expect a certain amount of food each day then that is what is plans on working with. Therefore it tries to save all the nutrient that it gets. It also stops telling you that it needs food as often because it thinks that the food is not available. This can cause you to gain or not loose weight (most specifically at the beginning of your weight loss journey). It can also cause your stomach to shrink in a bad way.

    Our bodies are kind of crazy... if you work out too much or don't eat enough the female reproductive system thinks that conditions are bad to make a baby, so ovulation stops. Too much stress, too little food, too much exercise, getting sick, too little weight on your bones... those can all cause your body to flip out.

    I wouldn't say to stop working out all together, but maybe just go to walking for 30 minutes 3 days a week. No weight lifting, no running/jogging, no crazy/dance/aerobic exercise programs. Not power walking. Just basic walking. Now, if your doctor says that you shouldn't be working out at all, then there is probably a reason. Talk to them, ask questions, find out how negotiable that is.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    I agree with what the other said.

    Are you logging your food every day (this is mostly to make sure that you are getting enough nutrients)? Are you meeting your lowest calorie goal? (can't be under 1200 without your body going into starvation mode) How are you feeling physically? How often do you work out? How hard do you work out?

    Not eating when you are not hungry is important, however if you train your body to expect a certain amount of food each day then that is what is plans on working with. Therefore it tries to save all the nutrient that it gets. It also stops telling you that it needs food as often because it thinks that the food is not available. This can cause you to gain or not loose weight (most specifically at the beginning of your weight loss journey). It can also cause your stomach to shrink in a bad way.

    Our bodies are kind of crazy... if you work out too much or don't eat enough the female reproductive system thinks that conditions are bad to make a baby, so ovulation stops. Too much stress, too little food, too much exercise, getting sick, too little weight on your bones... those can all cause your body to flip out.

    I wouldn't say to stop working out all together, but maybe just go to walking for 30 minutes 3 days a week. No weight lifting, no running/jogging, no crazy/dance/aerobic exercise programs. Not power walking. Just basic walking. Now, if your doctor says that you shouldn't be working out at all, then there is probably a reason. Talk to them, ask questions, find out how negotiable that is.

    This is why there are so many people who hate hearing the term "starvation mode" being routinely tagged with everybody's calorie intake on MFP. For the record..."Starvation Mode" is brought on by the Lack of body fat ((NOT THE LACK OF CALORIES))... Perfect example...The people who eat a lot of calories but still go into "starvation mode" by over training.. You become a candidate for "starvation mode" when your body fat falls below (5%) for men or falls below (10%) for women....It takes a much longer time for a fat person to go into "starvation mode" than it takes for a skinny person to go into "starvation mode".(ie BODY FAT!)
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    You look very thin in your pictures...What is your body fat percentage? Has anyone ever told you that when a woman loses too much body fat her periods can stop?

    Also...your ticker indicates you want to lose basically your entire [remaining] body weight. Time for cheeseburgers.
  • lidiflyful
    lidiflyful Posts: 28
    Yep same happened to me I lost about 20 pounds (which I have since but back on!) and I didnt have a period for 6 months. In fact whenever I go down in weight my body does tend to skip a period or two. I go down a dress size = 2 periods missing then my body sorts itself out.

    However I am not worried as I have polysistic ovaries so my eggs tend to do whatever the hell they like, if I miss a period or two my body makes up for it by having 2 periods in one month so I trust that it knows what its doing.

    I would'nt suggest intentionally putting on weight but be more nutritionally focused, if yout body has all of the nutrients it needs to function then your periods should start up as usual. Try and get more iron into your diet also, any kind of iron deficency in your blood your body will be tempted to skip a period to retain as much iron as possible as you loose a hell of a lot during that time of the month!

    hope I was some help.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    did you see a GP or an ob-gyn? what sort of tests were run?

    maybe you have something more serious.
  • CrisAlex
    CrisAlex Posts: 236 Member
    The exact same thing happened to me. I was running a lot and at a low-ish weight. I only got my periods back after 9 months when I put on some weight and scaled back the running. I'm back to running a lot again but this time I'm eating a bit more. And I'm still getting my periods.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    How many calories do you eat a day? My guess is, not enough...
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    Yep same happened to me I lost about 20 pounds (which I have since but back on!) and I didnt have a period for 6 months. In fact whenever I go down in weight my body does tend to skip a period or two. I go down a dress size = 2 periods missing then my body sorts itself out.

    However I am not worried as I have polysistic ovaries so my eggs tend to do whatever the hell they like, if I miss a period or two my body makes up for it by having 2 periods in one month so I trust that it knows what its doing.

    I would'nt suggest intentionally putting on weight but be more nutritionally focused, if yout body has all of the nutrients it needs to function then your periods should start up as usual. Try and get more iron into your diet also, any kind of iron deficency in your blood your body will be tempted to skip a period to retain as much iron as possible as you loose a hell of a lot during that time of the month!

    hope I was some help.

    Read again...her Dr. has already told her to put on some weight...Like it or not body fat does play a part in the human female reproductive system.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    I haven't had one since I started my weight loss journey nearly a year ago :(
    I have been to the doctor who recommended not exercising and gaining some weight- easier said than done though!
    Has anyone else experienced this??
    x

    but your ticker shows that you want to lose a lot...if there is that much to lose, it's not that you are lacking enough body fat (where estrogen is stored) to stop the periods...is the doctor suggesting that it is from stress?
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I haven't had one since I started my weight loss journey nearly a year ago :(
    I have been to the doctor who recommended not exercising and gaining some weight- easier said than done though!
    Has anyone else experienced this??
    x

    but your ticker shows that you want to lose a lot...if there is that much to lose, it's not that you are lacking enough body fat (where estrogen is stored) to stop the periods...is the doctor suggesting that it is from stress?

    Her ticker shows her losing an incredibly unhealthy amount of weight.
  • Discogirl15
    Discogirl15 Posts: 102
    I have thesame problem, I have only lost about 25 pounds, but I haven't had my period for 2 months! Recently, I stopped lossing weight though, NOT intentionly, I want to lost about 10 more pounds! Any ideas??? I need help!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I have thesame problem, I have only lost about 25 pounds, but I haven't had my period for 2 months! Recently, I stopped lossing weight though, NOT intentionly, I want to lost about 10 more pounds! Any ideas??? I need help!

    You aren't eating enough food.....
  • StacieHof
    StacieHof Posts: 97 Member
    Fake post, this person with their current weight subtract the weight they want to loose in KG they would weigh neg lbs..
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    Fake post, this person with their current weight subtract the weight they want to loose in KG they would weigh neg lbs..

    Just because the banner was bogus does not mean that this situation or this individual is not real...There are lots of people on this board who are trying to lose weight when they should not be doing so.. The situation that she was describing was certainly in tune with the pictures of herself that she had posted.
  • Discogirl15
    Discogirl15 Posts: 102
    I have thesame problem, I have only lost about 25 pounds, but I haven't had my period for 2 months! Recently, I stopped lossing weight though, NOT intentionly, I want to lost about 10 more pounds! Any ideas??? I need help!

    You aren't eating enough food.....

    I feel like I eat like crazy! I know my calorie intake is usually about 900-1000, but I feel like I am ALWAYS eating, and I have stopped lossing weight! What gives???
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I have thesame problem, I have only lost about 25 pounds, but I haven't had my period for 2 months! Recently, I stopped lossing weight though, NOT intentionly, I want to lost about 10 more pounds! Any ideas??? I need help!

    You aren't eating enough food.....

    I feel like I eat like crazy! I know my calorie intake is usually about 900-1000, but I feel like I am ALWAYS eating, and I have stopped lossing weight! What gives???

    You have trained your body to live on too little. Eat some more calorie dense food and you won't have to add bulk to get extra calories.
  • Discogirl15
    Discogirl15 Posts: 102
    I have thesame problem, I have only lost about 25 pounds, but I haven't had my period for 2 months! Recently, I stopped lossing weight though, NOT intentionly, I want to lost about 10 more pounds! Any ideas??? I need help!

    You aren't eating enough food.....

    I feel like I eat like crazy! I know my calorie intake is usually about 900-1000, but I feel like I am ALWAYS eating, and I have stopped lossing weight! What gives???

    You have trained your body to live on too little. Eat some more calorie dense food and you won't have to add bulk to get extra calories.

    What would you consider a calorie dense food? I know PB is one, but what else?
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    How many calories do you eat a day? My guess is, not enough...

    This does not have to be about not eating enough food....If it is about low body fat vs high muscle...It is more likely to be about TOO much exercise!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    How many calories do you eat a day? My guess is, not enough...

    This does not have to be about not eating enough food....If it is about low body fat vs high muscle...It is more likely to be about TOO much exercise!

    not necessarily true. either of the above can bring about this situation.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
    How many calories do you eat a day? My guess is, not enough...

    This does not have to be about not eating enough food....If it is about low body fat vs high muscle...It is more likely to be about TOO much exercise!

    not necessarily true. either of the above can bring about this situation.

    No...more food will only make things worst...Okay, for the sake of argument...Let's assume that this (woman) is currently at 90+% muscle and burning a ton of calories everyday in the gym..(((but she now needs more body fat/ and less muscle in order to start having her periods again)))....At her current level of exercise...Adding more food will just fuel the building of more muscle not fat...On the other hand...if she reduces her exercise and just continues to eat at the same level...she will develop body fat..
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    You're missing my point--either one CAN Lead to a lack of menstruation. Insufficient calorie intake causes a host of hormonal changes that can impair menstruation irrespective of body fat levels. Now if body fat is too low then any amount of food wont help until the body fat is increased. But body fat cannot increase on a calorie deficit. So food intake does matter as does body fat.
  • foodisfuelforlife
    foodisfuelforlife Posts: 54
    Fake post, this person with their current weight subtract the weight they want to loose in KG they would weigh neg lbs..

    Very real post! I am in maintenance! How on earth could I lose 60 kilos- I don't even weigh 60 kilos!
    I eat about 1800-2000 calories but I work out a lot

    Could I gain weight by building muscle or does it have to be fat??
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Fake post, this person with their current weight subtract the weight they want to loose in KG they would weigh neg lbs..

    Very real post! I am in maintenance! How on earth could I lose 60 kilos- I don't even weigh 60 kilos!
    I eat about 1800-2000 calories but I work out a lot

    Could I gain weight by building muscle or does it have to be fat??

    It needs to be fat unfortunately.

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