anemorrhea

Ok, so I lost my period around 8 months ago (I've had it once since Febuary and it was extremely light).

I realize now that I lost it probably because I wasn't eating enough, and I lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. I am very intelligent and I know about minimal body fat and such.

I am now developing a very healthy and happy relationship with food. I eat around 1800 calories almost everyday and I run, do yoga, swim and use an eliptical. I ahve a few slip ups every now and again..going both ways (too much food or too little food) but all in all I am becoming a balanced person.

Weight gain has been relatively slow..but very unpredictable. I mean, one week I was 103 and the next I was 98 without changing much of anything.

My question is; does your period come back as soon as you have enough body fat to support mestruation, or will it be even mroe delayed because of my history?

Any input would be appreciated?!

finallyme,

your period will come back when your body trusts you again.  period.  as a result, some ppl recovering from eating disorders go on birth control for a couple months to "restart" their hormones.  doctors recommend you stay on them for a while, but i know many people feel uncomfortable about taking pill sand THE PILL in general, so you might try it for just a little while and see if you'd still get your period w/o it.

i cannot stress enough how bad it is for your bones to not have your period--it means your body has no estrogen running thru it, and the calcium is being leached from your bones. 

the sooner you get eat healthy and the longer you maintain a healthy weight, the sooner your body will trust you enough to have a cycle and bear children and whatnot.

maintaing a healthy weight does not mean being on a diet 80% of the time and bingeing three times a month.  it means regular, healthy meals w/fat and protein and carbohydrates.

i wish you and your bones the best of luck.

Hmmm...

I'm having a slightly different experience.  I haven't had mine since January, but I haven't lost that much weight and my BMI is well within healthy limits.  I went to my doctor in May for a physical and she said it was more than likely because I run.  She did an ultrasound and everything was ok.  She said if I haven't had my period by December then I can go on the pill to get it back.  She also said that it wouldn't have any adverse side effects on my future or my present health.  Hope that makes you feel a little better!

Due to my past eating disorder, I had lost my menstrual as well. I actually just got it back this past year when I had gotten my weight higher up. It took me two years! But, safe to say you CAN get it back.

thank you guys so much, that makes me feel better!

I haven't had my cycle since June, and I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I have lost nearly 20 lbs since April at a slow, steady pace. I exercise at least a bit everyday, and workout about every other day. I'm about 5'4 and 131lbs right now. I eat 1,200 calories daily. I try to eat 30%fat 30%protein 40% carbs.

Any Ideas where I'm going wrong?

hey juliannah,

hmm.  i can't say i know for sure, but i do have some ideas.  one is that you're 15, and 1200 calories sounds super duper low for a 15 year-old to live on.  the idea of a "menstrual cycle" is that it's your pregnancy calendar.  so if your body doesn't think it could nourish a child then it will cut off your menstrual hormones to make pregnancy impossible.  upping your calorie intake to a healthier number (2000) would probably be sufficient.

i can't believe you're so exact w/your nutrition percentages at fifteen!  i'm impressed.  i'm guessing you're a pretty healthy individual, then, though i don't know.  but you ARE fifteen, and your body is going through so many changes--your drastic change in diet may be a little more than it was prepared for.  give it time, and it will accept your new healthier lifestyle.

good luck

I have a similar situation. Haven't gotten my period since March, but I haven't lost a too significant amount of weight. I do work out anywhere between 40 and 60 minutes a day, so I expect that has something to do with it. I assume it will return if I start gaining weight? 

this is a brief but interesting article on amenorrhea in female athletes.  basically it says:

1) you lose your period when your body is in an energy deficient state.

2) your energy deficit could be a result of the intensity/frequency of your exercise AND/OR too large a calorie deficit.  http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldep artments/internalmedicine/amenorrhea/index.ht ml

so you don't have to be underweight to lose your period.  super active people and people who're not eating enough can both lose their period.  (the article mentions the pill to get your period back before losing too much bone mass.)

Thanks for the adivice. I'm going to try eating 1,600-1,800 and see where that gets me.

Even though I exercise daily, it's not nearly enough upset my hormones like this.

Thanks again!