Amenorrhea
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VintageFeline wrote: »Even if at the weekend you average 2500 calories (and we can't be sure because you don't track) and during the week it's 1000, you're averaging 1640 calories per day. 45 minutes a day on the elliptical as you've stated on other threads before. You could well still be undereating.
Thats true ! Yeah I will start increasing my calories slowly and then see what happens !0 -
ronjsteele1 wrote: »First, yes, LONG term loss of cycle can be an issue health wise but 8 months is far from long term. You are right to be addressing the issue now but you do not need to panic.
Weight loss has definitely caused my cycles to change. And definitely being too low (even the low end of normal) can be an issue for some women. That is all true. But my experience in dealing with hormone issues is how much fat a woman has in her diet is a huge factor. Hormones are processed in the liver and are directly affected by dietary fats. The combination of being on the low end of weight and not having enough healthy fats in your diet can be a double whammy on your cycle. I would encourage you to significantly increase your intake of dietary fats. Evening primrose oil is an omega 6 that can really help balance out female hormones in particular. It can take about 6-8 weeks to see the change but it would be worth trying. The general recommendation is 1300mg per day. Omega 3's will increase fat intake as well. Normally, I would suggest getting the increased fats from food but you are on a low enough calorie intake a few days a week that you may not want the calories as fat. If you find that to be the case you can take EPO, omega 3's, and coconut oil in capsules without taking a hit to your calories. Food wise you can look at things like avacados, nuts, coconut oil, fish, etc for getting good fats from foods.
*If* it were me I would try the fats daily for 6-8 weeks and see if you begin to notice any changes in your hormone levels or if your cycle outright starts again. Changes you would look for would be an increase in your normal signs that you are about to start a cycle (that can vary from acne, to water retention, moodiness, etc. whatever YOUR normal signs are). If you start to see that even if your cycle doesn't start right away (it's kind of like going through puberty again) then you'll know the issue was not enough fat in your diet and continuing the fats should fix it. If you don't see any changes heading that direction then I would suggest gaining a few pounds with the added fats and seeing what that does. It could be that increasing your good fats and only gaining 2-3 pounds will make the difference.
Given that your body is not exhibiting crisis mode (and you're not currently trying to get pregnant), I think you have some time to try a few things out before having to look at hormones to induce a cycle.
I tend to avoid specialists because they tend to be far more interventionist then a GP is. However, I think if you run this by either of your doctors they would probably agree it's both safe and worth trying before intervening with the pill (which correctly will only cover the issue).
I don't think you need to panic, but you do need to be proactive like you currently are in trying to fix this. You said your estrogen is low - did they also check your progesterone bc that can also be an issue.
Thank you for this ! Yeah, I dont eat healthy fats at all ! I only eat poultry , wholegrains , vegetables and junk so that could be it !0 -
healthy491 wrote: »Look up female athlete triad.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fitness-menstrual-health
http://www.femaleathletetriad.org/for-professionals/what-is-the-triad/
What it boils down to is that you're under fat, exercise vigorously, and under eat.
You may believe that abs and a hard body makes you look good. Maybe it even does do so. Who am I to dispute that!
But your body is interpreting it as dire times! Time to shut down all stuff not essential to survival just so that we can make it through.
I dont have abs and I do have fats and I do not have a hard body .. not at all .. thats the thing
OP, I am going to quote myself from the thread you posted in Motivation asking about eating disorders yesterday:Amenorrhea can be caused by low energy availability, which is the difference between calories in food eaten and exercise calories expended. The tipping point is EA at levels below 30 calories per pound of LBM. There is evidence that your body reacts to low EA within 5 days of it beginning. If you routinely eat 1000 calories through the week, that could absolutely be causing your amenorrhea.
As PAV pointed out, read up on the female athlete triad. You do not need low body fat in order to have it. It is a very serious thing to deal with. You are risking your long term health by continuing to stick your head in the sand and deny a problem every time that somebody points out to you that you have a problem.
I don't think you'll actually watch any of this but maybe it will help somebody else. Here is a good set of videos from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital that discusses FAT:
http://mdvideocenter.brighamandwomens.org/specialties/orthopedic-and-arthritis/female-athlete-triad-recognition-treatment-and-prevention/item/1
This is a great answer but I really cant understand it.. can you maybe explain it in simpler terms?0 -
What is your activity like?1
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run4yourlifegirl wrote: »Hi OP,
I am currently in the same boat as you are, but I haven't had a period for a year and a half.
I just want to encourage you to do what is best for your body, even if it means gaining weight. (SPOILER ALERT: it does) If your body has ceased to have it's normal menstrual cycle, something is wrong.
I was overweight in my teens (almost 200lb) and lost a lot of weight until I was 103-107lb(I'm 5'8
) and lost my period at about 118lb. I had gained back to about 113 but I still wasn't getting my period, and I was evaluated and diagnosed with a type of restrictive ED. Like you, my hormones (including estrogen) were very low. Your body has to have fat cells to produce hormones, and I didn't have enough! And I thought I was just being healthy!
Over the past four months I have gained about 15 pounds which I know is very healthy for my body. I'm in a healthy weight range now, but still have not gotten my period and will likely need to gain another 10 before my body thinks it's out of "famine mode." I just want to encourage you to GAIN THE WEIGHT YOUR BODY NEEDS, even if it's scary, even if you simply can't imagine gaining another pound. DO IT FOR YOU. Recover for your future!
But i am small and gaining weight would mean having a tummy bigger than my breasts , thick thighs and everything. Thats just not me and I will never be happy like that 0 -
ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »What is your activity like?
45 mins of elliptical everyday ( burn about 300 cals )0 -
healthy491 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »to be honest, i would be more interested in what the gynaecologist says, as they are a specialist, over a GP.
Really? I mean what I dont get is why I need to gain weight when I am definetely not under weight
Thanks for answering again btw !
Because BMI is a general guideline. The lowest weight that's "Healthy" may, in fact, NOT be healthy enough for you. Different people have different builds, so you can't compare to your friend either. Losing your period is a sign you do not have enough body fat.4 -
By the way ! I went to visit my nutritionist and she told me that I am not underweight and that I should not go lower than 48KG
So now I am even more confused0 -
healthy491 wrote: »healthy491 wrote: »Look up female athlete triad.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fitness-menstrual-health
http://www.femaleathletetriad.org/for-professionals/what-is-the-triad/
What it boils down to is that you're under fat, exercise vigorously, and under eat.
You may believe that abs and a hard body makes you look good. Maybe it even does do so. Who am I to dispute that!
But your body is interpreting it as dire times! Time to shut down all stuff not essential to survival just so that we can make it through.
I dont have abs and I do have fats and I do not have a hard body .. not at all .. thats the thing
OP, I am going to quote myself from the thread you posted in Motivation asking about eating disorders yesterday:Amenorrhea can be caused by low energy availability, which is the difference between calories in food eaten and exercise calories expended. The tipping point is EA at levels below 30 calories per pound of LBM. There is evidence that your body reacts to low EA within 5 days of it beginning. If you routinely eat 1000 calories through the week, that could absolutely be causing your amenorrhea.
As PAV pointed out, read up on the female athlete triad. You do not need low body fat in order to have it. It is a very serious thing to deal with. You are risking your long term health by continuing to stick your head in the sand and deny a problem every time that somebody points out to you that you have a problem.
I don't think you'll actually watch any of this but maybe it will help somebody else. Here is a good set of videos from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital that discusses FAT:
http://mdvideocenter.brighamandwomens.org/specialties/orthopedic-and-arthritis/female-athlete-triad-recognition-treatment-and-prevention/item/1
This is a great answer but I really cant understand it.. can you maybe explain it in simpler terms?
Simpler terms: read the linked information provided to you.
I have explained low energy availability to you. Both PAV and I have provided you with materials to look over. I'm not going to sit here and hand feed you every single bit of information. Take responsibility for yourself and your health.4 -
healthy491 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »to be honest, i would be more interested in what the gynaecologist says, as they are a specialist, over a GP.
Really? I mean what I dont get is why I need to gain weight when I am definetely not under weight
Thanks for answering again btw !
Because BMI is a general guideline. The lowest weight that's "Healthy" may, in fact, NOT be healthy enough for you. Different people have different builds, so you can't compare to your friend either. Losing your period is a sign you do not have enough body fat.
So I am naturally not slim and was meant to be a chubby short girl?0 -
healthy491 wrote: »healthy491 wrote: »Look up female athlete triad.
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fitness-menstrual-health
http://www.femaleathletetriad.org/for-professionals/what-is-the-triad/
What it boils down to is that you're under fat, exercise vigorously, and under eat.
You may believe that abs and a hard body makes you look good. Maybe it even does do so. Who am I to dispute that!
But your body is interpreting it as dire times! Time to shut down all stuff not essential to survival just so that we can make it through.
I dont have abs and I do have fats and I do not have a hard body .. not at all .. thats the thing
OP, I am going to quote myself from the thread you posted in Motivation asking about eating disorders yesterday:Amenorrhea can be caused by low energy availability, which is the difference between calories in food eaten and exercise calories expended. The tipping point is EA at levels below 30 calories per pound of LBM. There is evidence that your body reacts to low EA within 5 days of it beginning. If you routinely eat 1000 calories through the week, that could absolutely be causing your amenorrhea.
As PAV pointed out, read up on the female athlete triad. You do not need low body fat in order to have it. It is a very serious thing to deal with. You are risking your long term health by continuing to stick your head in the sand and deny a problem every time that somebody points out to you that you have a problem.
I don't think you'll actually watch any of this but maybe it will help somebody else. Here is a good set of videos from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital that discusses FAT:
http://mdvideocenter.brighamandwomens.org/specialties/orthopedic-and-arthritis/female-athlete-triad-recognition-treatment-and-prevention/item/1
This is a great answer but I really cant understand it.. can you maybe explain it in simpler terms?
Simpler terms: read the linked information provided to you.
I have explained low energy availability to you. Both PAV and I have provided you with materials to look over. I'm not going to sit here and hand feed you every single bit of information. Take responsibility for yourself and your health.
Wow sorry if it seemed like that ! I am checking both articles after work!
Thanks for your help 2 -
healthy491 wrote: »By the way ! I went to visit my nutritionist and she told me that I am not underweight and that I should not go lower than 48KG
So now I am even more confused
Also, underweight =/= "underfat". You can be a healthy weight and still not have enough body fat.2 -
healthy491 wrote: »healthy491 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »to be honest, i would be more interested in what the gynaecologist says, as they are a specialist, over a GP.
Really? I mean what I dont get is why I need to gain weight when I am definetely not under weight
Thanks for answering again btw !
Because BMI is a general guideline. The lowest weight that's "Healthy" may, in fact, NOT be healthy enough for you. Different people have different builds, so you can't compare to your friend either. Losing your period is a sign you do not have enough body fat.
So I am naturally not slim and was meant to be a chubby short girl?
Keep in mind you might not have to gain THAT much weight before your period comes back. But a healthy woman should get her period. There could be other factors, but you'd had doctors telling you the reason already. Just start with 5 lbs. See how it goes. And don't worry about how you will look. It might all go to your boobs and butt. You won't know till you try!1 -
healthy491 wrote: »ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »What is your activity like?
45 mins of elliptical everyday ( burn about 300 cals )
Eat more. That's it. Don't let it go so far that your hair falls out. Seriously.
you said:
"I mean what I dont get is why I need to gain weight when I am definetely not under weight "
"I dont want to look like I couldnt keep the weight off and I worked so hard to get here"
"But if I gain , I would end up where I was and would have done all this for nothing and just end up feeling like crap again"
" I dont know it just seems ridicolous that I cant be slim and its really making me go nuts"
I'll stop there. I feel concerned that your problem may be leading to disordered eating. I'm not saying that to insult or attack you in any way. I am just noticing this unwillingness to be anything other than dangerously thin. I hope I am completely wrong here. I really do. I hope you stop and take a step back and look at what you are thinking, feeling, and doing. Your health is at stake at this point. Your body is already signaling to you that it is in trouble. For what nearly a year now you have not had your period? Your doctor said your under eating has thrown your hormones out of balance, you're exercising a great deal and eating little most days. You need to get this under control. I suggest you seek help before you endanger your health anymore than you already have. That's all.
5 -
healthy491 wrote: »run4yourlifegirl wrote: »Hi OP,
I am currently in the same boat as you are, but I haven't had a period for a year and a half. I just want to encourage you to do what is best for your body, even if it means gaining weight. (SPOILER ALERT: it does) If your body has ceased to have it's normal menstrual cycle, something is wrong.
I was overweight in my teens (almost 200lb) and lost a lot of weight until I was 103-107lb(I'm 5'8
) and lost my period at about 118lb. I had gained back to about 113 but I still wasn't getting my period, and I was evaluated and diagnosed with a type of restrictive ED. Like you, my hormones (including estrogen) were very low. Your body has to have fat cells to produce hormones, and I didn't have enough! And I thought I was just being healthy!
Over the past four months I have gained about 15 pounds which I know is very healthy for my body. I'm in a healthy weight range now, but still have not gotten my period and will likely need to gain another 10 before my body thinks it's out of "famine mode." I just want to encourage you to GAIN THE WEIGHT YOUR BODY NEEDS, even if it's scary, even if you simply can't imagine gaining another pound. DO IT FOR YOU. Recover for your future!
But i am small and gaining weight would mean having a tummy bigger than my breasts , thick thighs and everything. Thats just not me and I will never be happy like that
a few pounds is not going to mean all this... plus your boobs will probably get bigger!3 -
healthy491 wrote: »run4yourlifegirl wrote: »Hi OP,
I am currently in the same boat as you are, but I haven't had a period for a year and a half. I just want to encourage you to do what is best for your body, even if it means gaining weight. (SPOILER ALERT: it does) If your body has ceased to have it's normal menstrual cycle, something is wrong.
I was overweight in my teens (almost 200lb) and lost a lot of weight until I was 103-107lb(I'm 5'8
) and lost my period at about 118lb. I had gained back to about 113 but I still wasn't getting my period, and I was evaluated and diagnosed with a type of restrictive ED. Like you, my hormones (including estrogen) were very low. Your body has to have fat cells to produce hormones, and I didn't have enough! And I thought I was just being healthy!
Over the past four months I have gained about 15 pounds which I know is very healthy for my body. I'm in a healthy weight range now, but still have not gotten my period and will likely need to gain another 10 before my body thinks it's out of "famine mode." I just want to encourage you to GAIN THE WEIGHT YOUR BODY NEEDS, even if it's scary, even if you simply can't imagine gaining another pound. DO IT FOR YOU. Recover for your future!
But i am small and gaining weight would mean having a tummy bigger than my breasts , thick thighs and everything. Thats just not me and I will never be happy like that
I knew you were going to say that! ;-) If anyone can talk about that, it's me. I didn't add the part about my being genetically flat-chested (like FLAT...like 32AA), no matter how big I am. My breasts just never store any weight, period. So my stomach was already bigger than my breasts, and my thighs were already huge. I understand how awful it is right now, how hard it is to imagine and how much you don't want to. But without the weight gain and with low hormones you suffer from 1) Bone density loss 2) Depression because without enough hormones your body doesn't know how to be happy [this DOES get better!] 3)Constant food obsession because your body thinks it's starving so it will always think about food 4)Much higher risk of early death 5)A metabolism that slows way way down
When I first was diagnosed, I was mad and didn't want to gain anything. But I discovered the recovery community on Instagram, and it changed my life! I started an account and you can scroll back and see how my journey had so many ups and downs but it's worth it. I may have to have thick thighs, but I will be alive and my body will be happy. And that's worth it. www.instagram.com/journeywithclaire7 -
OP, would you rather have amenorrhea and all the problems that come with it or gain some weight (possibly just a few pounds/2-3 kilos) and not have amenorrhea?
Basically, I'm asking you if how your body looks is more important to you than your health. From your other posts, it sounds like you don't really care and are looking for validations to keep your weight and eating habits the same.10 -
First of all i want to thank you all for helping me ! Seriously , I appreciate that so much ! ❤ secondly , I want to make myself clear that yes health does matter to me but also it just seems unfair that I cannot have the body I want and let go of this feeling of finally feeling happy with my body and feeling confident and just going back to where I was. It sucks. Honestly , I am still hoping that by increasing my calories, I will solve the issue without changing the way I look, but I guess thats not possible.0
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healthy491 wrote: »First of all i want to thank you all for helping me ! Seriously , I appreciate that so much ! ❤ secondly , I want to make myself clear that yes health does matter to me but also it just seems unfair that I cannot have the body I want and let go of this feeling of finally feeling happy with my body and feeling confident and just going back to where I was. It sucks. Honestly , I am still hoping that by increasing my calories, I will solve the issue without changing the way I look, but I guess thats not possible.
A lot of us have to deal with the same thoughts. It takes time but you can get to the point where the body you want right now has been forgotten in favor of the body that you can have while still being healthy.1 -
healthy491 wrote: »First of all i want to thank you all for helping me ! Seriously , I appreciate that so much ! ❤ secondly , I want to make myself clear that yes health does matter to me but also it just seems unfair that I cannot have the body I want and let go of this feeling of finally feeling happy with my body and feeling confident and just going back to where I was. It sucks. Honestly , I am still hoping that by increasing my calories, I will solve the issue without changing the way I look, but I guess thats not possible.
how many more times, you don't have to gain back ALL the weight you lost...
and as i said before, you need to work on your self esteem so you can love yourself regardless of your weight.0
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