I'm pretty sure it's gone. Period.

This is more of a question/expertice regarding my absent periods. As you know, I am recovering from anorexia and I havent had my period for about 2 years now. Kind of unrealistic now that i think about it. During my many doctor visits (during recovery) of course you know that is one of the first things they ask is if you have lost your menses. I had mixed reactions. My doctor said that it isnt a big deal, really, as long as you continue to eat plenty of nutrients (calcium, protein etc..) if you don't wish to have a baby....My psychiatrist on the other hand who specializes in ED said that it is imperative that i work on getting it back and it can be achieved by getting the weight back up.

First off..which one is right?? Has anyone experienced this mixed advice b/c it has be baffled. Another thing that has me baffled is its return...Im currently 100-105 pounds (depending on water etc..) and about 5"4. I have the eating thing down, its just the exercise anorexia that im still recovering from. And we're talkin some serious daily excerise. This kind of raises another question too..All said and done at the end of the day..my calories are about 2000, but minus the exercise i get it puts me at about 150-200 calories total. While i havent lost any weight, does this mean that it OK to be at that calorie level after exercise is taken into account. My energy is always good and i feel great but my "friend" still hasnt returned...i cant say i mind too much ;) just looking for some insight here..

i had the same kind of problems as you. i was anorexic but only reallt for a couple of months properly luckily. i lost my period for a few months and my doctor said it was very imprtant i get it back. apparently whilst you are not menstruating the calcium is getting leeched from your bones..i cant reemeber exactly but all i know is what the doctor said freaked me out.

 the fact you are over exercising so much, i doubt it would come. i do undersatdn though ebcause i did the same thing. when i did start eating about 1500 calories a day a exercised like a maniac and somehow justified it as healthy in my mind. this was actually far more detrimentral to my health than simply restricting was. your body must be in shock from over exercsing and over exercising can be so dangeroius. congratulations on chosing to recover though, and if you dont already include lots of good fats. i literally had a month of eating a good source of unsaturated fat each day like an avocado, salmon, bag of nuts e.t.c and my period came back. though i undersatnd yours has been absent longer than mine.  the fact your period isnt bac shows your body is not working, so even if you are feeling better, which is great and im happy you are, there still isnt enough energy in your body for your body to be able to menstruate, which is not healthy. as soon as you cut back on exercsise im sure you will get it back, and i wish you the best of luck in your recovery.

 

on another note could i just as you if you ever experienced hair loss? this seemed to of been my worst side effect and it has been so latent it has hit me a few months after recovering and is terrible atm. i was unsure if many anorexics get this?

i had an eating disorder which developed over many years and i finally was able to control it. my disorder never spiraled out of control but it was a serious issue. along with recovery i went into serious workout bulimia but i have slowly been able to work out a little less each day and not feel so guilty. i also experienced extreme hair loss and actually still do

I would say that whichever one specializes in disordered eating is probably right.  While from a physical stand point it might not concern your general practitioner too much (this doesn't mean that it isn't important just that it might not be the current overriding concern), from a mental stand point your psychiatrist is probably correct.

I am dealing with the same issue.  I have not had a period for a year and a half now and it is a major health worry.  I am eating about 2800 cals a day and according to CC even after exercise I only burn 1800....yet I'm not gaining weight.  I am at a healthy weight now and, as you can see, eat plenty (including lots of fats).  I exercise only moderately 6 days a week and generally try to do everything I can to be healthy.  But still no period.  I wish somebody would have the answer!?!

My vote is to get it back. Not menstruating increases the risk of osteoporosis, even if you're getting enough calcium. 

You might want to have kids some day. If you want to make sure you have that choice, work hard at exercising less and eating more.

I can't relate to having an ED and I know it must be very hard, but your fertility and bones are worth it. Stay strong! 

I started counting here in October of 2006 and by January of 2007 stopped having a period at all. That lasted for about a year and a half. 6 months into not having one I visited my doctor and she said not to worry about it, it was probably due to my diet. Mind you, I was not dieting healthily as I wanted quick results ( lesson learned).  About a year of no period, I went back to the doctor and she put me on a hormone for 10 days to make me have a period. Got one, and only one. Between this doctor visit and the one I had June 2008 I had moved back in with my parents and had been having some days of serious overeating. I was eating about 1800-2000 calories a day as opposed to my 1200 a day. I was 115 before I started overeating and weigh in at about 130 right now. Anyway, when I went to the doctor in June of this year I still had not had a period again and she decided to put me on the hormone again, and after I had a period put me on birth control to make sure it continued. Well, about two weeks later guess what suprises me? My period. Without any hormone or birth control. It has everything to do with your ED unfortunately. Getting better and healthier is the only thing that will bring  your period back. And it is very important to do so. Not only can you develop issues with fertility but all of that crap building up inside of you can cause ovarian cancer. I am not saying to go binge crazy on ice cream and cereal like I did just to eat more (because i am so pissed that I gained 15 pounds) but make more of an effort to get better. Good Luck to you!