Hi I don't know if any of you remember me...I'm an occasional poster that hasn't posted here in a while.
I was just wondering if any of you have experienced amenoreah as a result of weight loss. I haven't had a period since I stoped taking birthcotrol pills 7 months ago. I've lost about 107 pounds and am now at the top of my weight range for my height (I'm just under 5'2" and weigh 136) and my BMI is around 24. I've seen a couple of doctors and had 3 blood pregnency tests,a full blood pannel, a gyno exam to rule out cysts or other abnormailities as well as a several blood tests to rule out hormonal imbalaces or thyroid disfunction. I am completely healthy...and all my levels are normal. I do exercise a lot...but it is at a level that allows me to maintain my weight. I also eat very healthy very clean....usually between 1200-1500 calories per day. I know my body now and if I eat more or exercise less I gain and I gain fast.
My gyno gave me provera to try and induce a period...nothing happened.
Sooo it appears that I am a medical anomally....or at least I am to the docs that I have seen. The best thing that they can come up with is that maybe I need to eat more and exercise less...That just makes me want to scream. Yes I know that it is not health to not have my period, yes I know that it puts me at an increased risk of osteoperosis, etc. but I don't think that gaining weight should be an potion especially since for my age, weight and height I could stand to loose a bit more. I'm just frustrated and I was wondering if anyone had any info on the effects of hormones on weight loss.
Dee, how old are you? My period disappeared fairly abruptly when I lost weight too, but at 46 and having had endometriosis all my life, I was thrilled.
I seem to remember a few others mentioning this too, who were considerably younger...in their twenties. I think they resumed sooner than you, though.
Losing weight decreases the amount of estrogen in your body in general, so this makes sense for someone like me who was in perimenopause at the time. If you are young and off bc pills because you are trying to conceive, I'd head to a fertility specialist at this point.
Dee,
I agree with Mel, your age is a factor. I began menses at 10 and was finished with menapause at 37-totally completely finished.
But prolonged dieting (even healthy diets) and exercising ( even sensible amts) can affect your cycles. If there is no other explanation that the MD's can offer, you might be wise to seek a specialist.
Thanks guys...that was kind of what I was thinking as well.
Mel I am 25....much too young for menopause. I am still trying to decide if I want to have children or not so it wouldn't be the end of the world if it turns out I am infertile. More then anything I just want to know what is going on with my body...and I am soo sick of doctors who pretend to know about the long term effects of drastic weight loss...but lets face it there just hasn't been enough research on it.
I started menstrating when I was 11...I think it began early because I was an overweight child and I have heard that that can cause girls to get there periods earlier...intersting that the reverse is happening.
Right now I am just taking calcium supplements and I think I want to focuss more on weight training to encourage bone density because for all I know this may be permanent.
I'm 28 and started skipping periods just before I reached my goal, approximately two years ago. The following year I think I only had 2-4 periods, and I haven't had any this year. I blame my low BF%, but from your stats, it doesn't appear that this would be the issue for you as well. I, personally, don't want any more children, so I'm not too torn up about missing out on that monthly nuisance! But since you're young and still undecided about children, I can totally understand your concern. Maybe it's just gonna take some more time for your body to adjust to this drastic change, I dunno. But I do hope your doctor is able to figure this out and get you back on track. Please keep us updated if you find the culprit, I sure would like to understand what the heck is causing this for you.
I've mentioned this before but I stopped having my period awhile back (sme circumstances, going off BC, more exercise etc) and it lasted for 6-7 months. I went to see a Dr and they basically told me not to worry about it because stress may cause you not to have your period either. I started back on BC, just ortho tricyclen and my period started again the following month. Good luck and try not to think about it too much!
I haven't had mine for a year - no menopausal symptoms (other than that) and I'm 38. I feel great, no fatigue, hair loss, hot flashes, etc.
Doc thinks it's due to overexercising although I am not doing extraordinary amounts (an hour a day with a rest day here and there) so /shrug. My BF isn't horribly low (around 17-18%) and my weight is normal. Other than that I feel fine. HOWEVER, amenorrhea can lead to fun things like osteoporosis and that's no fun so I am exercising a bit less and have increased fats in my diet by a bit (good fats of course) so I am hopeful it will be back.
It's a shame that there isn't more reserch on the long term effects of weight loss. I know that it isn't due to stress.
I'm actually the least stressed that I have ever been. My body may percieve that is is stressed due to going from 20 years of overeating and under activity.
I do have some symptoms not sure if they are menopausal or not...no hot flashes but I'm always cold, hair loss, dry skin, my hair has gone from straight to curly...weird stuff.
Hi, I was interested to see your post because I have very similar issues and can't seem to get any good answers from doctors or the internet. I haven't had my period since March, my hands and feet get really cold and my hair is thinning. These are all signs of hypothyroidism (if you haven't gotten checked, you should). But I had 2 sets of thyroid tests that came back with healthy numbers.
I have lost 69 pounds this past year using Weight Watchers, and I took up running and now run about 20 miles a week. I'm at the TOP of my healthy weight range for my height (5'3", 135 pounds) and have a good BMI (24). In some ways I feel healthier than I ever have, yet I also have all these new health issues that I never had when I was 204 pounds. In fact, I didn't really have any health issues when I was heavier, other than being heavier!
It's so frustrating that you don't really hear about any of these issues on most health and exercise websites. I'd love anyone elses thoughts or experiences with this. I'm like you, I hate that the only answer is to eat more and exercise less.
Hi Dee,
I went through exactly what you are going through. I went to my GP and when he had no answer (nor did he seem to care) I went to a Naturalpath(sp?) we played with the theory that the loss of my period was due to losing 65 pounds (I was down to 130 pounds). She reccommended that I gain back 5 pounds, see if my periods came back, if not then gain another 5 etc etc. This was the worst time of my journey as I had just worked my butt off (literally). So I started gaining back the weight 5 pounds at a time until I gained back 25 pounds and my periods came back HARD!!! I'd never had cramps or any discomfort since i started at the age of 13. I was as regular as regular can be before the weight loss and after it was all over the map. I gained anothe 15 pounds and my periods are fine, regular and easy but I'm not happy at this weight so I'm back to losing 25 pounds and this time if the cost is losing my periods then so be it. There are down sides to losing them before age 50 the Naturalpath said but women younger than me go through menopause so I decided to feel good everyday and weight train to offset bone density loss best I can. In my experience (not medical because they really don't know) the loss of your periods is because of the loss of all that fat. Now you have to decide if the trade off is worth it. Ask questions as to what problems you could face by not having your period and then make an informed decision Good luck.
I have had some thinning hair and cold hands/feet issues too (I'm 23) the past couple months. I am on the pill so I get a "period" but it has gotten a lot lighter and shorter (I've been on the pill about five and a half years though, which in itself might cause that I guess). To be honest I'm kind of afraid if I went off the pill my period would disappear, since I would like to have children sometime in the next ten years. Anyway, I'd love to hear about it if anyone has answers to the thinning hair/cold hands and feet problem.
hey paperclippy,
The cold feet and hands is a body regulation thing that once your body gets used to less insulation it'll even out but I know people who 2 years after losing their weight are still cold. Look on the bright side. It'll come in handy on the hot days of summer. As for the hair loss, yup that's a low body fat thing and a deficit in nutrients. I know that hair loss slowed way down when I ate more protein. Check your nutrient break down and see if your menu is missing something and add it back. That's what worked for me.
Paperclippy, I have both cold and hair issues. I was always cold blooded though, even before weight loss. I think though, that I'm losing less hair since I've started upping my calories (to hit maintenance) over the last few months. :fingers crossed: on that one
I bet it's just your birth control that's making your period so light. I had a very light period while on the pill and when I went off it, it went back to being heavy within a few months. Now I'm back on bc again (the ring this time, looooove the ring) and it's light again.
Thanks for the tips, I will definitely look at my calorie breakdown and try to add more protein. The reason I am not sure if it is just the birth control making my period light is that I have been on the pill for over five years, and it only started being really light about three or four months ago. It has always been much lighter on the pill than off, but it used to last five days, and lately it has only been two or three (I know that is still in the normal range). Maybe this is just a long-term effect of the pill, but it seems a little weird that it would suddenly change like that.
In any case my fiance would have a heart attack if I went off the pill right now, so I guess I won't find out for a few more years. I have been thinking about switching from the pill to the ring though, maybe that would make a difference.
Wow it has been a while since I checked up on this post. I thought that it had died...but it seems that there are others out there. In fact the more reseach I do on this the more women I find that have had some form of change to there menstral cycle as a result of losing weight. I recently decided to change OB/GYN's since the one I had been seeing wasn't following through with me at all. My new Dr. put me on another round of provera (she said that some times it takes several tries before it works) but after 10 days on and 15 days off and no bleading of any sort she gave me a perscription for 25 days of estrogen to be followed by 10 days of the progesterone. Aside from a little bit more moodiness I have noticed nothing so far (I've been taking it for 6 days so it is still too early to make any determinations). I certainly feel like a freek of medical nature. I am still undecided about having kids though it would be nice to know if this is even a possibility.
I also have more medical issues now that I am "healthy". I am healthier now but I do see Dr. now more then I did when I was obese. I did have a lot of hair loss for a while thought I have noticed that it seems to be growing back and not falling out any more. I tried a number of things including upping my protien but I found that the only thing that helped was just time. The constant coldness is still present and I doubt it will ever go away! I will let you all know if this round of hormones brings my period.
amenoreah
I was always cold blooded though, even before weight loss. I think though, that I'm losing less hair since I've started upping my calories (to hit maintenance) over the last few months. :fingers crossed: on that one
I have been thinking about switching from the pill to the ring though, maybe that would make a difference.