[suzi_d]

Hello Everyone

First let me introduce myself, I'm Suzi, I lost 45lbs following my own diet and excercise plan and have kept it off for a year. I have been lurking a while and enjoying all your posts, you are all wonderfully supportive

However I have encountered a problem which I don't know if any of you have come across. I came off the Pill 8 months ago after losing the weight, I have not had a natural period since. I have had loads of tests and my hormone levels are apparently normal.

I used to exercise a lot more than I do now I currently do cardio and strength training for 1 1/2 hrs 3 times a week, Pilates for 45mins 3 times a week and walk a lot, I also don't heavily restrict calories and fat, I have a treat if I want one and probably eat roughly 1800 calories on average a day. Has anyone alse had problems with amenorreah?? Any advice would be appreciated as I was hoping to start a family which looks unlikely at present.

Thankyou so much for reading

Suzi x

[suzi_d]

hello- sorry forgot to say I have introduced myself properly on the newbie thread!

[Mel]

Suzi- I'm waaaay past that point, but when I lost weight (about 45 pounds at first) I lost my period. I didn't think much of it because I was 45 years old. There's no way that my body fat level was low enough to cause it, but I have heard of this happening short-term to other women. What explanation has your gyno given you? Another possibility is that you are a few months pregnant and don't know it yet You can ovulate before you start getting your period again. I'd suggest talking to your gyno.

Congratulations on getting to your goal and maintaining.

Nice to meet you

Mel

[Lyria]

Hey Suzi,

The exact same thing has happened to me. I'm 21, and lost about 60 pounds taking me down to 112 which was way to low for me. I am now amuch happier 125 pounds on a 5'6 frame. I've kept the weight off for a little over a year now but when I came off the pill my period never came back.

It's been about a year now, and I too went to the doctor and he ran tests, poked, prodded, there is nothing wrong with my hormones. My BMI is 20 which is fine, the only thing he can put it down too is having a body fat thats just too low. Now that doesnt mean i am in essential fat or anything, in fact my doctor explained that the amount of body fat any one women needs to have a period can vary A LOT between us. One lady may have a BF of 16% and have her period, another might be 20% and still not have it.

My doctor tells me not to worry about not having a period, there are no adverse side effects to it, if and when I want to have children he recommends I gain about 5 kilos or 10 pounds but until then to just enjoy not bleeding. (Hmmm...you'd probably have to meet him to get his humour, he's a riot!) He reckons he will never understand why women feel they HAVE to bleed to be normal lol, I said it's just a comfort thing, you know everythings happy down there! He said you can still ovulate even without having the period so he could understand wanting a period to keep track of pregnancy, but other than that its a messy complication.

I just laughed and shook my head. Men! Of course they arent going to understand! :P

Livi

[suzi_d]

Hello- and thanks for your replies

It's nice to know that this isn't a hugely uncommon problem, I'm definately not pregnant and my doctor has given me an ultrasound and loads of blood tests and it seems that my hormones are at a normal level.

I have never had my body fat tested but know that it is much lower than it used to be I have been doing a lot of strength training and maybe need to cut down on that a bit if I want to get them back, obviously it is a bit of a scary thought to put weight back on but I suppose it is better to be healthy. It does strike me as strange though as I am 5' 6" also and my BMI is 21 which is ok, but I don't have the smallest frame so maybe a healthy weight for me is different to others of my height.

Anyway thanks so much for replying, I'll go back to my Doc and see if he can come up with something else, or get to the fridge

Suzi xxx

P.S Your doctor does sound like a laugh riot

[Mel]

Suzi,
If your hormones are fine, can your doctor tell you if you are ovulating? if you are, I don't think you need to gain weight. If he can't tell, you could probably figure it out by buying a basal temerature thermometer and taking your temp before you get out of bed in the morning. If you track your temp over a month, you should see a slight rise and fall...I don't remember the sequence. Ask your doc, or look at the package insert. They are available at any drugstore. Women use them to predict when they will be most fertile when they are trying to get pregnant. You may want to have one anyway

Mel