I'm curious as to how many women here have amenorrhea?

SoulMeetsBody · 02-06-2008, 01:39 AM

I think mine is mostly stress related, diet fluctations, and too much cardio....How many others have this? I'm wondering if it's safer to just let it come naturally or to go on birth control pills to make it come...

Julie5150 · 02-06-2008, 06:23 AM

There are a lot of causes for it - and just two of the causes are because of low-bodyfat and poor nutrition.

But it can also be due to other problems, as well. It, actually, has a huge list of other "causes" and a lot of these things should be a concern for you...
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/amenorrhea/page2_em.htm

Call your Dr - see what she says. Always err on the side of caution when it comes to your body

imperfectly_lou · 02-06-2008, 08:37 AM

Its not ideal to go for too long without menstruating. You are putting yourself at risk of bone density problems in later life. I would see your doctor and get yourself fully checked out. If you haven't had a period for awhile (I would guess 6+ months), I would be going on birth control.

cricketro · 02-07-2008, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imperfectly_lou

. If you haven't had a period for awhile (I would guess 6+ months), I would be going on birth control.

I'm on birth control (married and we don't want kids yet ) otherwise I bet I would be having troubles b/c of the changes.

so I second that advice, do talk to your ob/gyn and go on birth control.

lollerskatez · 02-08-2008, 04:39 AM

i lost it for a long time when i was dieting and training hard, now i get it every 2 months, which is much better...im sure i'll entirely regulate when my body finishes adjusting. my doctor makes me keep a close eye on it.

CharliC · 02-09-2008, 02:17 AM

Be careful with birth control- it doesn't give real periods and it's possible to go through a premature menopause whilst getting 'token bleeds'. This happened to my doctor in her twenties, which is how I came upon the information in the first place. I also have amenorrhea (due to low bodyfat/weight) and am trying to address it through alternative means. You should talk to a doc.

twinnett · 02-09-2008, 07:45 AM

What alternative means do you use? I have it as well, even after returning to a healthier weight and bodyfat, reducing cardio and eating more

gouvernance · 02-09-2008, 08:44 AM

I am on the pill and havent had a period in over 6 months. My doctor is unconcerned as i have little bodyfat and train hard as well as working in the aerobics sector of the fitness industry.

Simpy · 02-09-2008, 01:51 PM

I no longer have a period, due to my birth control. But before that I never experienced it. My period would get much lighter when I would lean way down, but I never lost it all together.

I would ask your doctor what his/her suggestions are about losing your period.

SexyChic · 02-09-2008, 01:57 PM

I have never heard of b.c. stopping periods, but I have heard of it regulating them.

I have also read somewhere that the longer you go without your period, the more likely you are to have osteo porosis and problems later on in life. Not sure how true it is, b/c I am not a doctor but I can't see it being healthy.

dani5162 · 02-09-2008, 02:29 PM

I have it, but am on the pill.
I hadn't yet started exercising much when I lost it, so it's not due to my training (though there have been some, um, complications since then), and am on the pill till I can figure it out.
I've gone without a period for months and months, and I agree that it is not a good idea to let it go too long.

PoetryInMotion · 02-09-2008, 02:33 PM

I have it as well...

CharliC · 02-09-2008, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinnett

What alternative means do you use? I have it as well, even after returning to a healthier weight and bodyfat, reducing cardio and eating more

I use a progesterone cream and a herbal supplement that promotes progesterone production (the hormone that regulates your cycle).

Simpy · 02-09-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SexyChic

I have never heard of b.c. stopping periods, but I have heard of it regulating them.

I have also read somewhere that the longer you go without your period, the more likely you are to have osteo porosis and problems later on in life. Not sure how true it is, b/c I am not a doctor but I can't see it being healthy.

I use Mirena. I have also had two doctors tell me that periods are over-rated. Today's woman has far more periods than women of any other generation due to the fact that we have far fewer pregnancies.

However, having your period just stop, not because of b.c. is abnormal and should be discussed with your doctor.

MAANGER · 02-21-2008, 10:05 PM

i stopped having my period due to very intense training and having my bodyfat drop very low(9%) and low bodyweight. I now have a healthy bodyweight, healthy bodyfat %, and do not go all crazy for hours at the gym, just a 1 hour workout with mroe weights/less cardio, and still do not have my period. I took birth control and it still did not bring them back. Kind of scares me because my husband really is getting baby hungry and i just have that fear of having a very difficult time getting my period back and regular enough to try to get pregnant later this year (I had NO problems with my first two children). I def think I need to go visit the OBGYN again about this. I think I am afraid they will tell me to quit working out or something or that somethings really wrong.

itlnchik · 02-21-2008, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAANGER

i stopped having my period due to very intense training and having my bodyfat drop very low(9%) and low bodyweight. I now have a healthy bodyweight, healthy bodyfat %, and do not go all crazy for hours at the gym, just a 1 hour workout with mroe weights/less cardio, and still do not have my period. I took birth control and it still did not bring them back. Kind of scares me because my husband really is getting baby hungry and i just have that fear of having a very difficult time getting my period back and regular enough to try to get pregnant later this year (I had NO problems with my first two children). I def think I need to go visit the OBGYN again about this. I think I am afraid they will tell me to quit working out or something or that somethings really wrong.

This describes me to the tee!! (well, except the husband and baby hungry part..lol). I didnt have my period for about 2 years and my gyno said i had low estrogen receptors due to the low body fat and intense activity. She suggested I go on birth control to regulate but I didnt like the idea of the pill for several reasons. However, after about a year of irregularity and some weight gain (not excessive) and dietary changes, I am now regular again. I was also diagnosed with the female triad which kinda freaked me out bc of osteopenia so I had to make some big decisions and prioritize my goals! Of course I wanted to look and feel lean all year round but it wasnt the healthiest of choices! Esp bone density! We have to think of our bones as "banks". Up until the age of about 25-30 we can "deposit Ca" and invest in our future...after that we can only "withdraw Ca" and feed off what weve built. Something to think about as many of our choices happen in our early years!!! Good Luck to you!

MAANGER · 02-22-2008, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itlnchik

This describes me to the tee!! (well, except the husband and baby hungry part..lol). I didnt have my period for about 2 years and my gyno said i had low estrogen receptors due to the low body fat and intense activity. She suggested I go on birth control to regulate but I didnt like the idea of the pill for several reasons. However, after about a year of irregularity and some weight gain (not excessive) and dietary changes, I am now regular again. I was also diagnosed with the female triad which kinda freaked me out bc of osteopenia so I had to make some big decisions and prioritize my goals! Of course I wanted to look and feel lean all year round but it wasnt the healthiest of choices! Esp bone density! We have to think of our bones as "banks". Up until the age of about 25-30 we can "deposit Ca" and invest in our future...after that we can only "withdraw Ca" and feed off what weve built. Something to think about as many of our choices happen in our early years!!! Good Luck to you!

Ok...This gives me hope that I haven't permenantly screwed with my system. I now live a lifestyle of Eating clean and consistant excersize/training, not just to get all crazy lean, but because I love it and its a lifestyle. So...i am eating a more rounded diet and treating myy body better. i think used to always kind of be on somewhat of a cutting diet, but then I realized there was no reason for this year round. I am happy with where i am at now, and am so much healthier, but still, no period yet.

Tiffany_P · 02-22-2008, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SexyChic

I have never heard of b.c. stopping periods, but I have heard of it regulating them.

This happened to me. I went on Loestrin, which is supposed to make your periods shorter. For a few years my periods were 1-2 days. Then they were about 3 hours. Now they are gone completely. I haven't menstruated in 2 years. I just stopped taking them a few days ago because I want to see if my period will come back.

JessFM · 02-22-2008, 05:49 PM

I have been on the pill since I was about 12, because i had very irregular periods. I tried going off of the pill about a year ago and I did not have a period on my own. After about 6 or 8 months with no period (and many birth control tests later!!!), I had to go back on the pill to re-start them

DanishThorn · 02-23-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lollerskatez

i lost it for a long time when i was dieting and training hard, now i get it every 2 months, which is much better...im sure i'll entirely regulate when my body finishes adjusting. my doctor makes me keep a close eye on it.

Me too...Im about every 45 days. Its light and short, but Im not complaining

sskeckowski · 02-25-2008, 09:08 PM

Hm... I haven't had a period in over 3 years due to an eating disorder (which i am now recovered) and an intense exercise schedule. I had a bone density test 2 years ago in which I was diagnosed with osteopenia in my spine and hip... and I'm only 21!! My doctor told me to take calcium supplements every day along with a diet rich in diary products. I recently saw my gyno and he told me my pituitary?? gland isn't producing hormones and he gave me a prescription... which he doubted would work. HOWEVER, he said not to worry about infertility because it is likely that it wont be affected. I was definitely surprised to hear that and relieved!! I've been worried about not being able to have kids when the time comes. The only area in which my loss of my period has really hurt me is my sex drive..... damn. haha

nhuner · 02-26-2008, 01:19 PM

I've been going thru this as well. I've worked out pretty intense since high school, playing sports, got to a very low weight and body fat %, never actually getting my period on it's own. Then, from 18-21 I took bc and had it regulary. I wanted to see if I could have it on my own, so I went off the pill and since, haven't had it (I'm now 28). However, I've been working with an endocrinologist to see what's going on. I guess when someone comes in with ammenorhea, there is a dx process endo's go thru...ruling out option A, then B, then C...on and on, step-by-step, until they can pinpoint the cause.
I had a full blood panel done by him to see how all the other hormones (other than estrogen) were, and all was fine.
Next, I had an MRI of my brain done (something like Step #4) done to check if anything 'organic' was the problem (benign tumor, vascular troubles, inflammation). Nothing. So now he believes my pituitary just isn't producing the full amount of estrogen like it should. The levels are there (b/c I have my secondary sex characteristics...also initiated by estrogen), but just not enough to produce a period.
He also said I could have children someday, it would just take 'extra work and possibly medication' to stimulate the process.
I found the endocrinolgist very helpful over my regular gynocologist, who just wanted to throw me on bc and be done with it

Laurenkes99 · 02-28-2008, 09:55 PM

This is something that always concerns me. I had amenorrhea for a couple years when I was younger. I gained some weight, took some hormones that were supposed to jump start my period and eventually it did come back. Then I went on the pill which made it regular. Fast forward to 2008 I am off the pill but went through a stressful time, stopped working out and gained 20 pounds so naturally my period is not a problem. However, now that I'm working out again I'm worried about losing it again (once I get the fat off). Sucks that for all of our efforts we could actually be harming ourselves. One thought I had was if you got to a low body fat percentage but ate sufficient calories and a good amount of fat would that allow you to continue to have your period? I know when I lost my period not only was my bf low (prob 15%), I really wasn't eating enough calories or fat and I think that's something a lot of active women do (unconsciously or not). Any thoughts?

girl81 · 03-13-2008, 04:31 AM

In turn, does bc reduce the risk of osteoporosis?

Samus_Fan · 03-13-2008, 08:31 AM

.... I started having mine when I was 11, and it used to be really heavy. When I was larger and not eating well, it was also worse.... I have been on BC pills for years, and it has gotten lighter.

However, last time I was due (2 weeks ago), I had very, very light spotting and no actual period.... That kind of bothered me, and if it happens again, I will take a pregnancy test (but I do take BC on time everyday, and honestly, my husband and I haven't been that active lately either...)

I don't think I am very lean.... could the change in diet and exercise alone make me lose it???

jennyruns · 03-13-2008, 01:36 PM

I also have amenorrhea as well. Nancy Clark discusses it in her Sports Nutrition Guidebook (I originally bought it because I was trying to eat for performance, for my races). I am not sure if what she says is correct, as it seems to go against what my gyno and doctor have been telling me (that I exercise too much). But I just wanted to throw it out there. In her book, she says the following:

"Many women believe they have stopped menstruating because they are exercising too much. Not the case. Many very thin athletes who exercise very heavily have regular menses. Other women believe they have stopped menstruating because they are too thin. Also false. Studies suggest no differences in body fatness between athletic women who do and do not menstruate regularly.
The question remains unanswered: Why, given a group of women who have similar exercise programs and a low percent body fat, do some experience menstrual problems and others don't? The answer commonly relates to nutrition. The woman with amenorrhea may be striving to maintain a weight lower than what is appropriate for her genetics. When the cost of achieving this desired leanness is inadequate nutrition, she'll stop menstruating."

She also says:
"You are more likely to become amenorrheic if you have lost weight quickly, have a low body weight, low percent body fat, exercise very hard, had irregular menstrual periods even before you started to train hard, are feeling emotionally stressed, and have a restrictive diet."

And she also says in her book that "the possible changes required to resume menses include exercising 5 to 15% less and eating a little more. If you totally stop training, such as may happen if you are injured, you may get your period within a few months. Some amenorrheic athletes have resumed menses by simply exercising less and gaining no weight or less than 5 pounds. This small amount of weight gain is enough to achieve better health yet does not result in your "getting fat."

But...it seems like some of you ladies on here have tried that route, and it didn't work. I am contemplating whether or not I should go on bc as well, as my doctors strongly suggest.

LionChick · 03-17-2008, 06:19 PM

have you all had DEXA scans? they can tell you whether or not you have low bone density... this might give you a hint as to whether or not your lack of periods is causing you to have damage...

i know when i didn't have mine i got very low bone density (osteopenia) in my shoulders. it has since gone up, though... go estrogen!

girl81 · 03-17-2008, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LionChick

have you all had DEXA scans? they can tell you whether or not you have low bone density... this might give you a hint as to whether or not your lack of periods is causing you to have damage...

i know when i didn't have mine i got very low bone density (osteopenia) in my shoulders. it has since gone up, though... go estrogen!

As I show my true ignorance on the topic...
1 Can low estrogen levels be made up for (in the prevention of bone density loss) by supplementing more calcium/d/magnesium?
2 Is it possible to be lacking a period yet still have normal estrogen levels?

Ready2WorkOut · 03-18-2008, 01:32 PM

If you're nervous, talk with your doctor. I've had amenorrhea in the past, but it had a lot more to do (for me) with diet than exercise. My doc always got a little hyper if it were 3 months or more between...

heidismommy · 03-18-2008, 03:42 PM

I've experienced it in the past and have actually gone years at a time without menstruating due to eating disordered behavior. The problem with going too long without a period is that, as others have said, bone density suffers. I had a DEXA scan at the age of 16 after having gone a year without a period and was diagnosed at the time with osteoporosis.

The good news is that bodies are resilient. I was able to get to pregnant after having returned to a healthy weight and my bones have improved so that I now have osteopenia (not as severe as osteoporosis) and hopefully that will continue to improve.

BCP's should help. I stopped menstruating again a couple years ago after relapsing and birth control brought my cycles back. I've gained 16 lbs since, so I don't know if I'd still need it to regulate cycles, but it's a moot point since my husband and I aren't yet ready for another child.

Long story short, you should consider something to bring your cycles back for the health of your bones. Talk to your doctor and weigh the options. Good luck.