Does my period stop due to fasting?

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ShadowMist124
ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
Two weeks ago I fasted for two days and ate normally. During this week I did the same thing. My period started a few days ago but it only lasted for 3 days with very little flow. Is it due to my fasting? As it normally lasted about five to six days in the past with medium to heavy flow. Thanks!

Replies

  • bnorris2013
    bnorris2013 Posts: 256 Member
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    Changes in your diet can cause changes to your period
  • leantool
    leantool Posts: 365 Member
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    Have you lost too much weight too rapidly?
    Were you anaemic to begin with?
    Please see your gynaec though 2 days are within normal limit for general population,i am concerned because you seem to be experiencing a change in pattern.
    Take care
  • Squidgeypaws007
    Squidgeypaws007 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    I think the question is what do you eat "normally?"
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    Have you lost too much weight too rapidly?
    Were you anaemic to begin with?
    Please see your gynaec though 2 days are within normal limit for general population,i am concerned because you seem to be experiencing a change in pattern.
    Take care

    Thanks for the response!
    I don't think I'm anaemic. I haven't lost much weight though. I'm always fluctuating between 147 to 150 lbs. water weight clearly. I'm 5'6" btw. I was really surprised that my period was affected though, because a two day fast wasn't too long a fast... I wasn't even sure that I really fasted for 48 hours either. Might have been shorter...
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    I think the question is what do you eat "normally?"

    Thanks for replying! My normal diet... rice, noodles, carbs and proteins, and some sweet treats like chocolate and ice cream... I didn't restrict myself when I ate though... Though I didn't eat excessively
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    How many calories are you eating and for how long have you been doing it? See your doctor, there could be other reasons.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    What calorie levels have you been eating at?

    Two things spring to mind if your periods are suddenly lighter than expected:

    1) are you pregnant?

    2) have you been eating enough calories consistently for your body to have a regular monthly cycle. (this will vary from women to women)
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    Thank you deksgrl. I have a ravenous appetite and I never controlled my food amount when I ate (which is bad, I know).
    I usually ate carbs (rice or noodles) and after each main meal I had to have dessert, usually chocolate and/or ice cream.
    I didn't count calories when I 'ate normally', i.e. I did not have any weight loss plan in mind. so you see I could very easily go over my TDEE, which is about 1700. now that I am almost approaching 70kgs I need to take control over my weight.
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    Thanks! I haven't been counting calories I was just putting in whatever food I could get (even though sometimes I didn't really have a good appetite for it). I would estimate I ate a lot more than 2000 per day. so they were definitely enough, if not already excessive.
    But I haven't been making drastic changes to my diet lately. Apart from that less than 48 hours fast two weeks ago and this week, nothing else.
    But this fast did change my appetite though. I would hold up till 1 pm then I had a plate of butter chicken rice or something similar and a Galaxy chocolate bar and/or ice cream. that kept me full until late evening though. But when evening came I ate dinner for the sake of eating or out of boredom. Guess I have to change this bit.
    Compared to in the past, I always ate for the sake of eating. to the point that food didn't appeal to me anymore. and I would look for food all the time.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    What is your height, weight? TDEE of 1700 for an 18 year old is rather low unless you are very small.

    edit: Oh, I see you already gave weight of 70kg.... which is.... 154 pounds......

    Again 1700 TDEE seems very low for your age.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    How old are you? Our bodies go through several changes where the cycles become different than before: puberty, early 20's (when you enter prime physical years for childbearing, mid to late 30's (perimenopause), and menopause itself.

    As someone who is 5 years postmenopausal and has been through the whole gamut, one odd period is not a concern unless you might be pregnant. If it really bothers you, see your GYN. Otherwise, wait until the next one and see if you are back to normal. I can't see where one fast of two days will cause a major shift like long term undernourishment like anorexia can.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    No!
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    What is your height, weight? TDEE of 1700 for an 18 year old is rather low unless you are very small.

    edit: Oh, I see you already gave weight of 70kg.... which is.... 154 pounds......

    Again 1700 TDEE seems very low for your age.

    I'm 5'6'', 168 cm. I'd consider myself the sedentary type because other than walking two miles to school everyday, I don't do extra workouts.
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    How old are you? Our bodies go through several changes where the cycles become different than before: puberty, early 20's (when you enter prime physical years for childbearing, mid to late 30's (perimenopause), and menopause itself.

    As someone who is 5 years postmenopausal and has been through the whole gamut, one odd period is not a concern unless you might be pregnant. If it really bothers you, see your GYN. Otherwise, wait until the next one and see if you are back to normal. I can't see where one fast of two days will cause a major shift like long term undernourishment like anorexia can.

    Thanks for your response it's really helpful! I'm 18.
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    Btw I'm 5'6'', 149.5 lbs, BF% 27.5.
  • Squidgeypaws007
    Squidgeypaws007 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    What is your height, weight? TDEE of 1700 for an 18 year old is rather low unless you are very small.

    edit: Oh, I see you already gave weight of 70kg.... which is.... 154 pounds......

    Again 1700 TDEE seems very low for your age.

    1700 does seem low for TDEE but not amenorrhea low - I think it's probably best to go and see your doctor just to check everything out. 2 days fasting doesn't seem to have this effect for most people from what I've read, unless you're eating nothing when you're not fasting too!

    edit: sorry I can't remember whether you said your period was missing or much lighter, but either way, I'd get checked out if it keeps happening :)
  • cadaver0usb0nes
    cadaver0usb0nes Posts: 151 Member
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    I think you need to eat more vegetables and lean proteins, also why are you fasting? unless told to do so by a doctor you shouldn't be fasting....
  • ShadowMist124
    ShadowMist124 Posts: 22
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    Hi two, thanks for the response.
    Actually most websites give me a TDEE of 17++, slightly less than 1800. I dare not rely too much on it and overestimate my TDEE so I just take it as 1700.

    This was not the first time I fasted as I've done it before few years back (just short ones, please don't be alarmed) and I felt the effects of it myself. These days I am always feeling sluggish so I thought I'd do some short fasts just to get my system running again.

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