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Ladies only please ~ women's health question

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heyjude2014j
heyjude2014j Posts: 48 Member
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Hi ladies,
I've been doing lchf since Feb 1st. My diary is open and I've been averaging between 50-100 grams of carbs per day (sometimes more, sometimes less). My cycle is regular like clockwork since I was 13, I'm in my 30's; however I'm 3 days late. I am married and we have been ttc, but I took a test on Saturday and it was neg. So my question is- has lchf had any effect on your cycles- especially if you're used to having a regular one? Tia
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  • ettaterrell
    ettaterrell Posts: 887 Member
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    No my thyroid is the only thing that made me miss my period or be late before. ::baby dust:::
  • erinseattle
    erinseattle Posts: 105 Member
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    YES! The first time I went into ketosis my cycle went haywire. Spotted for weeks. The last time I went into ketosis (after holidays) I was really late - like 2 weeks.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    Yes! It makes perfect sense though when you know that fat is required for healthy hormone production. So now that we are eating adequate fat, without making ourselves ill by also eating all the carbs, our bodies are hard at work cranking out hormones to get things running in tip top shape again.
    There's an adjustment going on but I figure it will work itself out in time.
  • tigakai
    tigakai Posts: 23 Member
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    Keto diet stopped my cycle completely last time I adhered to it, 3 whole months. Every body is different of course so things can vary, but this as a phenomenon is not unusual. See some studies done on it here:
    https://gokaleo.com/2013/06/13/restriction-and-menstrual-function/
  • heyjude2014j
    heyjude2014j Posts: 48 Member
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    Thank you everyone - interesting information. I don't recall going through anything like this when I went low carb in my mid-20's and made it to my goal weight. Although, now I have significantly more to lose after maintaining for years then changing jobs and not being able to exercise and gaining almost 100lbs. I will up my carbs slightly and see what happens. Thanks again!
  • LowCarbInScotland
    LowCarbInScotland Posts: 1,027 Member
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    My cycle is finally getting back into a groove after 3 months of LCHF. I was LCLF for years and never had issues, but then again, I never lost much weight either lol. I attribute my current problems to the flush of hormones into my body as my fat cells shrink, my body is playing catch up in managing my current hormonal changes.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,956 Member
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    Yes. It's a thing. Converting your fuel and losing fat all change hormone levels.
    My 1st 3 cycles were bonkers. Then they leveled out. I'm super clockwork now.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
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    Definitely can affect your cycle! I have been having weird spotting since I started this WOE. I'm hoping I'm through it now...but it is definitely a factor in changing things around.

    Also, good luck with le bébé :)
  • dtobio
    dtobio Posts: 55 Member
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    My cycles started getting longer when I started this at 100 gm of carbs a day. I started spotting when I went from 100 gm of carbs per day to 50. We're TTC and I have a history of miscarriages so I checked in with the Dr. and she said to expect that for the next few cycles at least. When I went LC in my 20's there was no difference.
  • mlinton_mesapark
    mlinton_mesapark Posts: 517 Member
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    Yup, this happened to me, too. I missed two whole periods. I'm waiting to see if it happens again this time. I turn 36 tomorrow, have 3 young kids, and my husband had a vasectomy after #3. I was sweating it a little when I went so long between cycles, but sure enough, it was just a hormonal adjustment. My body temp goes up, too, particularly if I eat toward the lower end of my carb range (under 50g). If you're taking daily temps to work out where you are in your cycle, you might run into that--I think it's called the thermogenic effect of fat burning.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    This happened to me - I got two periods in one cycle the first month of Keto and it freaked me out. To be honest, my cycle still hasn't worked itself out and it has been four months.

    I am 27 years old with no prior issues. I am just riding this out. I am not too worried...yeah, it's annoying but I want to trust the process and once my body has become fully fat adapted, then it will find its new normal.

    I am also on the pill.
  • annie422
    annie422 Posts: 114 Member
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    I was wondering if my spotting had anything to do with this new woe. Sounds like it might. I'm on the continuous pill and haven't had any issues with spotting for about a year until I started eating LCHF. Now I spot regularly, but it's extremely light. I'm hoping I'm about done with that now.
  • Tanukiko
    Tanukiko Posts: 186 Member
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    Could it be that you really are pregnant? I would retest with a sensitive pink dye test in a couple days. I know the hcg rises slowly for some women. Baby dust!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    heyjude2014j wrote: »
    Thank you everyone - interesting information. I don't recall going through anything like this when I went low carb in my mid-20's and made it to my goal weight. Although, now I have significantly more to lose after maintaining for years then changing jobs and not being able to exercise and gaining almost 100lbs. I will up my carbs slightly and see what happens. Thanks again!

    You don't need to do that. The disruption is only temporary. It's kind of like missing a period during a really stressful time of life. If you wait it out, it should settle back down to normal (though may be a "new" normal) in a couple of cycles.

    I'm a bit backwards, as I have PCOS which screws with my cycles when untreated, but it actually fixed mine. I used to be regular when I was a teen, but after a miscarriage, birth control, a kid, and more birth control, plus the development of PCOS, it had been haywire at best and non-existent through most of my early and mid 20s. I was able to get it back with the help of myo-inositol, which helps a number of things for women with PCOS, but it was really light and spotty. However, once I dropped my carbs down to bare minimum, they became normal and like clockwork again. They go haywire if I go off of my ideal way of eating.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I went LC about three years ago, and my first period after making the change was seven days late! There are only four other times in my life I have been that late (those times resulted in my four daughters ;) ). So, yes, it absolutely can mess with your cycle. That said, I stayed the course (no need to increase carb intake), and the very next period was not only right on time, but lighter and shorter (sorry tmi, but after having kids my periods got pretty heavy and lasted longer; switching to LCHF fixed that and they went back to how they were before having children - pretty cool!).

    Stick with what you are doing - odds are being "late" won't happen again.
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
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    My cycle got shorter. Went from 30 days to 26. My PMS symptoms also got a lot less annoying and I don't cramp nearly as bad as I used too. Still moody, but no longer get irrationally mad about stupid things or snap people's head off.

    And baby dust! We're ttc too!
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    I went LC about three years ago, and my first period after making the change was seven days late! There are only four other times in my life I have been that late (those times resulted in my four daughters ;) ). So, yes, it absolutely can mess with your cycle. That said, I stayed the course (no need to increase carb intake), and the very next period was not only right on time, but lighter and shorter (sorry tmi, but after having kids my periods got pretty heavy and lasted longer; switching to LCHF fixed that and they went back to how they were before having children - pretty cool!).

    Stick with what you are doing - odds are being "late" won't happen again.

    Wanted to add - being late might not happen again, unless you are pregnant :). Good luck!


  • klkateri
    klkateri Posts: 432 Member
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    The first month on Keto I actually got my period 2 WEEKS EARLY!! That was a fun surprise at work... Keto Flu AND PMS. But, the next month, spot on and it wasn't as bad a normal. Normally, my cramps are killer and have me in bed for at least a day or two but these were fine. I mean, fine they were still there but I went to work everyday of my period which I can't usual do so it's nice to save my PTO for something fun than for a monthly period day lol. I'm also looking forward to this month's period to see if the same holds true again. If it does, then it's defiantly from this WoE.
  • heyjude2014j
    heyjude2014j Posts: 48 Member
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    Well, I don't know what to think, but thanks for all the baby dust wishes. Gonna test again soon. Scared there's something wrong with me healthwise, but I am a bit of a hypochondriac. Been crying a lot the past couple days and feel more emotional than usual. Thanks for letting me vent!
  • fileshiny
    fileshiny Posts: 149 Member
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    I'm in perimenopause, so I have completely given up on expecting anything like a regular cycle. An excellent book to read is Moody *kitten*: The Truth About the Drugs You're Taking, The Sleep You're Missing, The Sex You're Not Having, and What's Really Making You Crazy by Julie Holland, MD. I've given that book to a ton of women, and a bunch of men trying to figure women out.

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