Hi chicks, I usually don't post here, but i have a question for all of you. I am almost 42 yrs old and ever since I lost weight I have been having problems with my period. This is a little embarrassing for me, but I figured you all are in your 40's and I would love to hear what you think. I started eating whole foods and limiting my fat intake to under 10 grams of fat and reduced my calories in Sept. 2008, I lost 67 lbs by May 09. Three months after I started dieting I noticed I didn't get cramps, bloating or the weight gain anymore that i always expected when my periods were due, but did get periods. Three months before I got to my goal, I started exercising. I started walking 45 min a day then gradually challenged myself with, walking 4 miles per hr., walking hills, lifting 5lb weights while walking and now I'm including some jogging w/ my walks. I feel great and don't want to change a thing, but as i got closer to my goal of 110lbs. my periods became farther and farther apart. Every 2 or three months for a while, now it has been 4 months since I had my period and it's starting to worry me. I took several pregnancy tests they are all negative. I found out that my body fat percentage is 18 to 20%, I now weigh 106.6 which is within normal range for my height. I am small so I don't look under weight and I have alot of jiggle left on my inner thighs, upper arms and stomach, loose skin I guess. I've read that athletes have trouble with their periods, but I am in no way an athlete and I don't think I exercise as much as most people do. Do you think my problem could be my age? Am I going through the change of life? or is it my diet and exercise? I'm confused, can anyone help?????

Check with your gyno. I am exactly your age. In November I started getting my period TWICE A MONTH after losing my first 20lb, and I went thinking she would either tell me it was the weight loss or "the change." It turned out to be something called a uterine polyp, and after she took it out, everything went back to normal. I asked if it had to do with the weight loss and she said it was probably just a coincidence. All my older female relatives later told me this is very common after you hit 40 and they have all had this (thanks for announcing it on Facebook, Mom!). It usually causes extra bleeding rather than no bleeding I think, though.

Are you still eating only 10% fat? Out of what amount of calories? That could maybe do it too, even if you're not skinny/starving.

Irregular periods are my life and I have had problems with them since I was 19. I'm 40 now & have had more years of irregular cycles than regular ones.

Go see a doctor, but don't be surprised if they don't provide much help. I've seen many doctors over the years including an endocrinologist. Pretty much they have offered me the pill. Now that I'm 40 and single, I don't want to be on the pill.

When I was in my 30's and my highest weight, I stopped having my period for 9 months. The endocrinologist didn't seem the least bit concerned and insisted I didn't have PCOS, even though I had cystic ovaries.

So, I do what other ppl do with PCOS. I diet and exercise, but don't take the PCOS meds. And it worked. I lost 20 pounds and finally got regular again.

But, I have recently lost 20 more pounds and my period is irregular again. My hope is that the hormones will right themselves again. But I need a thorough workup with a gyno ASAP. I want to make sure I'm ok.

Now that I am 40 and periomenopause is around the corner, I like my periods and was disappointed when it didn't come this month. Funny how they call it the curse, for me it has always been a blessing - a sign that my hormones were balanced.

I would suggest going to see your gyn doc if you are concerned, but also that it's very possible that changes in diet, activity levels, weight can affect your hormones and your cycle.

Mine has been messed up pretty much since I started eating good foods and exercising, but I had my tubes tied 26-ish years ago, so I know I'm not preggers. I just figure my body will sort itself out when it's ready and I know I am eatng mostly good food and doing helathy stuff, so it isn't a big deal right now. Also, I am 48, almost 49, so an irregular cycle would not be uncommon anyhow. If it ever becomes a concern, I'll go see the doc.

Barb

I'm your height, and when I was 29, and lost about 85 pounds, getting down to 105 pounds -- I don't know what my body fat was -- my periods stopped for 18 months. I also exercised for nearly two hours each day. This was considered not good, within the context, as I had developed an eating disorder. (First anorexia, then exercise bulimia, or purging through excessive exercise.) They resumed again after I gained weight & body fat, even though I continued exercising, though closer to an hour or 45 minutes daily.

This time around, after losing 105 pounds, my periods never stopped, not even once, but they are a bit lighter, though longer-lasting. But I have difficulty distinguishing what was caused by weight loss & how that affected my hormones and what may be caused by perimenopause.

I have been having TTOM problems since losing weight. My periods have been coming more frequently and are longer. I went to the gyno. She did an endometrial biopsy and 2 different ultrasounds. She didn't find anything wrong. The only thing she could figure is that I am having estrogen dominance since losing weight. She wanted to put me on progesterone 10 days out of the month. I wasn't interested in going that route. I chose to use an progesterone cream once a day and take raspberry leaf extract once a day to try to balance my hormones.

I've been tracking my periods for several years, and I just turned 41. When I got to my heighest weight, they were very irregular - at times there were three months in between. I chalked it all up to perimenopause, but then almost the minute I lost 30lbs, they went back to around 30 or so days apart. I had also started eating healthier and taking vitamins, so maybe that had something to do with it. It seems like either being thin or heavy for your height and frame really affects hormones.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Sounds like alot of you got heavier or more frequent periods. I'm just the opposite, when it first started to get irregular, my periods were much lighter( I was a heavy bleeder in my 30's and overweight)with no cramps or bloating til they just stopped. I feel better now than ever and I don't want to change anything. I only exercise 30 to 45 min a day, I did build alot of muscle in my legs from walking, so I don't think I'm exercising too much. I'd love to hear more of your experiences, thanks chicks!

Sorry, I forgot to mention I'm eating 1200 cal. and under 10 grams a fat a day, but usually once a week I have a pig out day and that more than makes up for the fat I don't usually eat on a daily basis. Since I am small, I am never hungry on 1200 cal a day and if I ate any more than that I would gain weight, so I figured it was the right amount. When I was dieting I was only eating 800 to 1000 cal. a day. somehow I gradually upped my calories to 1200 with out gaining, most of the time I lose weight on that amount. Thanks again, more of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I'm 46 and for the last few years my cycles has been fairly short - usually every 24-26 days although it's been as low as 23. I get pre-menstrual symptoms such as water retention and my periods are fairly heavy. Since it was the same pattern last year this when I was at 224 and completely sedentary, there hasn't been a notable change since dieting.