Body fat percentage for women

Hi.

I was reading through some websites on how female body builders have extremely low body fat (around 12 - 15%). I am wondering if that's even healthy. Won't they be infertile if the body fat go down so much? As a woman, how low your body fat can go before you start to be VERY careful in case your monthly period stops (assuming you want to have kids)? What if your body fat is hovering around 23% and you already cease menstruating? Is that a bad sign (again assuming you want to be able to get pregnant)? I even read somewhere that when you stop menstruating (producing some hormones), you are more vulnerable to bones weakening. Is that true?

I'm just confused about ideal body fat percentage for women. It seems so much harder than guys to strike a balance between healthy body fat percentage vs healthy body in general.

I think that it depends on the person, but very low body fat percentage is not ideal if you're looking to get pregnant (though, if you got down to very low body fat percentage your period might stop for while, but that doesn't usually mean you're permanently infertile - once you get a little body fat up again your period will return). My body fat is around 24% (within normal range) and I haven't had any problems with my period.

Normal body fat percentages for women are as follows:
Ages 20 - 39: 21.0% to 32.9%
Ages 40 - 59: 23.0% to 33.9%
Ages 60 - 79: 24.0% to 35.9%

Ideal body fat percentage is up to you, for me I'm good with anything in the low normal range.

I think it depends on the person. Ive always had a VERY low body fat (8-15% with my high and low weights) and have never missed a period.

Maybe it has to do with nutrition also? If you are getting the correct amount if nutrients then the body with continue to work correctly.
When I was struggling with eating last year and my weight was quite low (95ish lbs at 5'7) I still never missed a period and my doctors claimed I was "healthy" and everything was working correctly (:

I had my body fat % checked last using calipers. At 5'8" and 159 lbs (at the time), I had 18.3% body fat. My periods are very regular, and I must say the PMS, cramping, bloating, and negative symptoms have really decreased since I increased the amount I work out and started eating a more natural, unprocessed diet. I still don't like my stomach, even at 18%, so I'd prefer to see myself drop down closer to 16%. I certainly don't feel unhealthy, and I never feel like I'm starving myself.

What I'm getting at is that this is what's working for me, but it may not be right for everyone. If you start to develop what you consider negative symptoms such as losing your period, it's worth looking into and adapting your lifestyle to fix it. But before reducing exercise and eating healthfully, I'd go to the doctor to see if there was something more serious going on there.

I have a bf% of 13.8 (via DEXA scan) and I still have regular periods. I assume this is a pretty regular percentage for me- I exercise and eat like a normal person (1800-2000+ckals/day). I'm sure my bf has fluctuated a little at different levels of activity in my life (and I have never restricted food in my life, but it has always been in the low/mid teens (16% in college) and I didn't have a problem getting pregnant either. In fact, I had one large baby (9+ lbs) and one average sized baby (7+ lbs) and I nursed them both for years. I did have problems keeping weight on while breastfeeding and some milk supply issues, but I worked through those.

I don't think bf% alone determines menstrual irregularities. I think huge swings in caloric intake, macros, exercise level, etc. can play a role. We probably all have set points that our body likes to be at and that might play a role.

I am at 10% body fat and just have lighter periods but they are still regular

Hi leenites,
I am 5'3" and 125lbs my body fat is 11% and I do not have a period. At the moment I would be considered infertile simply because my body doesn't have enough fat and nutrience to host a child. My doctor said once my body fat comes back up it will all be normal again I wouldn't worry about it if I were you; unless your planning on spending TONS of time in the gym you have nothing to worry about. You can always bring it back up too.

Hope this helped!

So irregular menstruation has more to do with rapid loss of fat rather than a grand total big loss of fat? As for iron level, how much iron does a female need and what are some good sources of iron to be considered?

What about having strenuous workout? Does that impact the menstruation cycle too? Say if I do HIIT 6 times a week or HIIT 3 times a week, will there be a significant difference assuming I eat back all my workout calories? Would the sole "stress" caused by working out (especially weight training) be harmful for a female's menstruation cycle?

random question but are you really doing HIIT 6x a week? i'm no expert but i thought i read it's better to do 1x or 2x a week (maybe 3x). maybe i'm wrong . . .