Weight loss and menstrual cycle

honkytonks85 wrote: »

hi all,
Just wondering if any women have lost weight and found the menstrual cycle has changed? Mine suddenly went from being very long to very short and I wondered if it was weight loss related.

Has it continued to be lighter for a long period of time yet? Mine was sever to say the least, I was thinking of getting an ablation done just because it was so heavy and painful. Well for the last several months it was lighter and less pain as i thought because of diet and exercise but the last one was back to fierce so I think they can get better but it's best to check with your gyno to make sure no underlying problems.

honkytonks85 wrote: »

I will look into it. It is a good week or two early all of a sudden. The severity hasn't changed, just used to have a long cycle and not a very short one.

Definitely chart it for a couple months pending you have no other issues, sometimes they have a mind of their own! I've thought I was going to finally go to menopause because of a late one and then wham!

I know it's not uncommon for women that have insulin resistance (those with PCOS often have this issue) to see a shortening of their cycle (especially if they had a longer than average cycle) when their insulin sensitivity improves. And a common way for insulin sensitivity to improve is weight loss. Some will also see this when taking metformin (a common drug for PCOS and insulin resistance). This is also not uncommon to see for women after finding adequate thyroid treatment. The gist is that some of these conditions can effect a woman's cycle, making it longer. Then when that condition improves/treated, their cycle becomes more "normal" for them, which usually means shorter.

Obviously, the thyroid medication issue doesn't sound applicable to you, but the increased insulin sensitivity through weight loss may be. Is it possible that you have some level of insulin resistance and didn't know it?

Insulin resistance is super common -- over 46% of US adults have it at diabetic or prediabetic levels and most don't know that they have it. A common symptom (in addition to the blood test) are strong cravings for sweets or fast acting carbs (like bread, pasta, etc.). Some will describe it as craving such carbs almost constantly. Does that sound familiar at all?

I will say a jump from 35 to 21 days is pretty extreme and it may just be an off month. As others have suggested, charting your cycle for a while will help show if this is a new trend or something else. If it is a new trend, you might want to see your doc to discuss because although it may be just the response to weight loss through improved insulin sensitivity or something else, it could also be a symptom of something more serious like an ovarian cyst or nodules on your uterus.

Mine used to be longer, too. About 32 days but now 28 days. 21 days seems super short, but I would just keep track for a while and see if it lengthens out again over time. Weight loss effects pretty much everything!

I know you're only 30, but so was I when my periods started being ... different. We were trying to conceive and not having luck and it turned out that I was already perimenopausal at that point.

Mine were doing exactly what yours are... coming early and closer together, changing length... stuff like that.

We all go through changes throughout our "childbearing" years, some caused by external factors, some not. Major changes seem to come when you hit your early 20's when you enter full sexual maturity, sometime in your 30's as you begin to wind down, and of course menopause. This timeline is not the same for everyone but is a general idea.

For you specifically. losing weight (or gaining a lot in a short time) CAN have an effect. If you are not underweight, undereating, and have no other physical issues, I would just wait it out and see if this is your "new normal" or if you go back to something closer to what had been happening before. If you are seriously concerned, definitely consult your OB/GYN.