I've had amenorrhea before after undereating, but gained my period back after I was made to gain weight. Now I'm seriously scared because my period has disappeared again (though it hasn't been 3 months yet so I'm not sure if it qualifies as amenorrhea).
I don't think I'm undereating anymore (or if I do[usually on really busy days] the lowest I've gone through is 1600 calories), on most days I eat 1900-2000-ish calories.
I do cardio for 150 minutes a week - supposedly 30 mins/5 days, but since I'm really busy on weekdays, it becomes 40 mins/3 days + 30 minutes/1 day. That doesn't include the strength training yet(3x a week). Is that too much? (I'm 15, by the way)
Second question - in case the minutes above are just right - when I do cardio, I do it FIRST THING in the morning, meaning without any fuel - and follow it up with a huge breakfast. I've heard it causes your blood sugar levels to drop - could there be a connection?
Any help would be great. I'm just scared..I don't wanna go through the whole thing again. It's only been a month since I last had my period, and maybe it's not too late.
It's not uncommon for people to have irregular periods rather than amenorrhea so don't panic unduly. However, given your history, if you skip a second month you should refer to your GP for advice.
In the meantime, make sure you really are eating enough for someone who is 15 and reasonably active by referring to this chart. http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html 2000 is more usual for adult women rather than growing teenagers. And, at the same time, make sure your BMI is above 20. Below 19 is when problems can start.
I don't think 1600 a day with your activity at 15 is enough. Even 1900 may not be. How is your overall diet? Is it adequate with healthy fats and nutrition? How is your weight because even if you try to control it by a few pounds you may not be able to get your period.
The core underlying factor for losing your period is a negative calorie balance.
That's why it's a common problem among athletes or very active people even who have "extra" weight.
Your body learns how to maintain your weight on very little calories and one of the things it cuts corners on is producing estrogen, which prevents your period and keping your bones strong.
The answer? Energy balance needs to increase. Eat more or do less or a bit of both.
I do that too; I work out first thing in the morning to get it over with and I was wondering the same thing! I just recently got my period back too, and I am so scared that it will stop coming again even though I'm not doing anything extreme either. I got my period back after being in England for two weeks when I wasn't working out but still eating pretty similarly...But then I got it the month after, so now this will be coming on my third month..and yeah I get worried too that it's going to stop again. It took so long to get it back, and so much weight even though I wasn't underweight ot begin with.
So I think the question that is being asked here is whether or not anyone thinks that working out first thing on an empty stomach could contribute to amenorrhea?
Is there a way to change this? I don't like to eat a big breakfast before I work out, but maybe having some fruit or an egg may do the trick to make sure nothing's completely empty?
well - I don't have a scale. so I don't know how many pounds I gained when I gained, and I have no idea if I've lost any weight ever since.
but I see your point[s]..would it be more sensible if I ate more rather than exercise less? Or both?
oh, and..yeah, the main question is the connection thing, but of course I need some advice on this calorie thing. I don't know what my level of physical activity is (light, medium, heavy) 'coz in school, we pretty much just sit down..the physical activity comes from walking to classrooms. I only work out on the weekends, Mondays, and Wednesdays - so I make the sessions long. But on weekends I'm a total couch potato, so I really wouldn't know what category I would fit into.
