Low Body Fat and abnormal menstrual cycle? please explain?

[tickledpinko]

what is the minimum body fat percentage a woman can attain without having it affect her menstrual cycle at all?
how many percent of body fat does a woman have to be at to banish away cellulite and dimples?

btw i'm pretty new here and am very much a beginner in weight training...although i'm definitely not a beginner when it comes to weight loss and diets so hi everyone i've started lifting weights (squats, lunges, bench presses, push ups, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, sit ups and legraises) , doing cardio and am on the Zone method of eating (1300kcal calories per day),i also drink 3-4 litres a day...i'm 5'6, 139lbs at 28.7% body fat, and my first goal is to get to 25%, then 23% and finally 20%...I might get lower than that if i feel like i need to when the time comes...i don't want six pack abs or muscular arms or anything, i just want a sleeker, toned body, minus dimples and cellulite...i was thinner before, but i was 'flabby skinny' at a lower body weight and 26% fat...my cellulite was all over the place, especially on the butt and back thighs, i understand now that i probably lost alot alot of muscle at that time together with the fat, that was last year and i've gained some poundage after coming back from vacation, so here i am trying to fix things up and transform my body slowly but surely by doing the right things...anyways, i've been on this program for two weeks now, and i'm really excited

any suggestions are more than welcome

[brukaoru]

I actually experienced an abnormal menstrual cycle (did not have a period for over 7 months) but I was not at a low body fat %. It was due to my calories being too low despite having a cheat day once a week. Now my calories are only about 500 below maintenance level and I refeed once a week and my period has become normal again.

I suggest reading this article for more information:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark60.htm

Here's an excerpt from that article^:

Female Leptin Levels:

Females should take particular caution when dealing with leptin levels as a halt in reproduction hormones can occur when leptin gets low enough. This is shown through the stoppage of menstruation, commonly experienced by those in the bodybuilding/fitness realm.

This is very dangerous, as females who go long enough in this state risk a whole host of problems such as decreased bone mass and density along with a risk of osteoporosis. Therefore, women should be refeeding on a regular basis to ensure this does not become an issue.

Hope that helps,

[GeminiJedi]

I'm not quite sure, but I think it's somewhere around 15%. It is different for everyone, of course. http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2402.html I found this article just by googling "amenorrhea, body fat percentage" and this was the first article that came up. Hope this helps!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...20/ai_94981928 better article!

[lollerskatez]

i lost my pd below 18% bf...i do get it but every few months...i also lost weight rapidly which also caused it.