Lost my periods! Help!!

I am a 19 year old female that weighs 117lbs and is 5'8'' I have lost my periods since June 2007 and now I am getting more and more worried and scared! I also exercise for 60minutes per day 6-7 days a week on the elliptical. I eat healthy but my food diary indicate about 1600 calories per day. The machine says I burn 600...which I do not think is right. So even if say 400, then I eat a net of 1200 calories. Maybe this is not enough for my body...that it has shut down the ability to reproduce. I have been to obgyn and all the tests came back normal... the doctor said "gain some weight" but the thing is, there are people who are way thinner than me who have their periods AND I used to have my period at the weight that I am now..actually, even LOWER... 114lbs. I really do NOT want to gain weight and I feel very healthy. I do not look starved...I have heard of athletes having ammenorrhea because they do not eat enough for their training...maybe this is the case for me. Also, I try to eat more but after doing so, I feel really full and bloated and I just do not feel good. :( I think 1600 cal/day feels the best but then maybe I need to reduce my exercise/? But I heard 60 minutes a day is really good. I am so confused. Can anyone give me good advice?? If I eat more but exercise the same, would I gain weight? If I exercise less but eat the same, would I gain weight? So this problem basically started after about 3 months of daily exercise...please help!!

What are you trying to do here?   Find out how many thinner people than you have periods so that you can say..... "told you so doc, you're talking a load of old hogwash"?   That's just living in a state of denial.  We can all point to some lively-looking 80 year-old that smokes 20 a day.  Doesn't mean that if the doc says 'give up smoking' that we should think they're talking rubbish and it doesn't apply to us. 

 A normal BMI is 20-25.  Once a woman's BMI drops below 19 she is classed as underweight and is very likely to lose her menstrual cycle.  Your BMI is 17.8 so you are well into the 'clinically underweight' bracket.  You're malnourished because you're undereating which puts the body even further under stress.  Plus... you're exercising a lot.   Those are the factors in why you haven't menstruated for a year.

You must gain weight, eat more and stop doing so much exercise if you don't want to be infertile for life.  You need to get at least to BMI 19 and preferably to 20.  1600 cals a day is too low for someone your age, size even if you did no exercise whatsoever.  So you need to eat more  To get your body healthy again you'd need to be consuming well over 2500, without exercise.   If you choose energy-dense, low-bulk foods you won't feel full and bloated.  If you eat a lot of low-calorie, bulky foods, you will.

Chronic undereating, excessive exercise, fear of gaining weight, denial that there's a problem, thinking you're 'getting it right', perfectly healthy and everyone else is talking tosh .... they're all symptoms of disordered eating, I'm afraid.   Talk to your doctor again and ask for some specialist support (dieticians, therapists) if you don't feel able to do this solo.  Best of luck

I'm sorry, but Jane is right. You need to gain weight and stop exercising, particularly if you want your period back. Your BMI is only 17.8 as she has also said. The danger of being underweight is not worth the physical and mental strains, one of those being the loss of period you are experiencing. You also put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common in undereaters, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder. From The Body Neglected: Between 5% and 20% of people who develop [anorexia] eventually die from it.

You will likely also shoot your metabolism to all hell by entering what is known as starvation mode.

An adult woman needs 1200 calories per day to survive, a teenage girl or an adult man 1500 per day bare minimum, and a teenage boy 1800 per day minimum when SEDENTARY. Given your activity you would not be sedentary. Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietician for a  5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing:

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

Reference: http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/3178 .html#6

At your age, height, gender and weight and activity level you need a lot more than the meagre amount you are consuming right now. More than 1200, more than 1600. Much more.

It is, however, reversable. Given your low BMI you should aim to gain some weight. It sounds hard, but you'll want to get to a calorie intake of 2500 without exercise if you really want your metabolism to kick back into gear and put on weight to get you to at least a healthy BMI - the 19-20 range at best. At first this may physically be trouble for you as the stomach sometimes shrinks to adapt. As such, both to help you manage your foods, to make it easier to digest and to help your metabolism, I suggest:

1. High calorie, low density foods. These are foods that are as the name says - high in calories but low in bulk. These are not only vital in the sense that they can still easily be broken down by a stomach trying to mend itself but also because they add calories without adding bulk. Examples of these would be whole fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, avocado, oils like olive oil and canola (rapeseed) oil as two examples, oily fish, dried fruit and dense fruit like bananas as just a handful of examples. There are two threads stickied at the top of this forum: Support Recipes and The Official High-Cal Food List. The first of these is a list of example recipes that are tasty, high calorie and helpful in gaining. The second is a more general list of foods that will also help in gaining.
   
2. Eat your meals spaced out over the day - aim for about five to six total. Breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner, or switching one of those snacks for an evening snack would be an example. This is both to make it easier on your stomach and to help rev your metabolism. Do not skip them. If it is easier for you, devise a meal plan routine by yourself or with a nutritionist and stick with it.
   
3. This is an important one: do not weigh or measure yourself for two weeks when beginning refeeding. Why? Because our body will hold to a large amount of water initially. This water shows up on the scale, but is not a true indication of weight gain and will flush out after two weeks. However, seeing any increase can understandably be triggering for a recovering undereater and as such you should find someone to hide your scales and your measuring tapes until two weeks from managing a steady 2500. If numbers trigger you full stop, I highly recommend you steer clear of scales altogether and ask your doctor to blind weigh you.
   
4. If you eat a steady 2500, and then find you are maintaining or even losing weight, you will need to increase. Do not think about this just yet - just get to 2500 first at a good pace. Either increase a couple of times each week or once a week in jumps of about 200-500 calories.

Aim for carbs, proteins, fruit or veg, healthy fats and dairy in all your meals over the day and take a full multivitamin as a buffer while getting your calories up to a higher level. Think of food as your medicine to a healthier, happier you. As you mention your loss of period, you will need to focus particularly on healthy fats and fats in general. Example Sources of EFAs, or essential fatty acids:
Oily fish - eg salmon, pilchard, mackerel
Seeds - eg sunflower, flax, pumpkin
Nuts - eg walnuts, almonds
Nut butters - eg peanut, cashew, almond
Oils - eg extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, rapeseed (canola) oil - there is a massive list of EFAs in oils here. http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/esstable1.htm l
Avocado
Whole eggs

I think you need to stop exercising or to cut down to weight lifting and resistance work like yoga and pilates minimum. Really, though, I think you need to consult your doctor and expect they will tell you the same. Cardio at your weight is detrimental not only for the stress it puts on your body but because it negates the calories you need to return to working order. The only way I have found to break a compulsive exercise cycle is to stop altogether, as really this is the only way you can then start to appreciate what exercise is meant for: wellbeing, health, and fun, not calories burnt per hour.

I suggest you speak to a doctor, a college councellor, a family member, a friend, a clergymember - anyone you can trust - about this problem as you sound as though you are in the midst of or verging on the dangers of an eating disorder. Please look at this website - http://www.something-fishy.org - as it is an invaluable resource for people who struggle with disordered eating.

And a reminder,

Posting Guidelines

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines.  

• Your post is subject to modification or deletion by our moderators. Repetitive, off-topic, disruptive, and frivolous posts will be removed. We will take down any posts that violate either the letter or the spirit of any of these rules.
• Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

- Ellie.

why do you keep posting on the same issue? No one here is going to tell you that you should stay in your weight. You'd have to be crazy to say that, or ill. You MUST gain weight....the lowest I can go for my height and age is 110, and Im only 5'4''...117 is NOT the weight you should be in. Seriously...you cant keep doing this to your body....you are in a state of denial that is only harming you. Your body will decay if you continue this....and not to mention, you are entering the ED zone...and thats the worst part of all. Please get help, adn listen to your doctors...you need to gain weight....asap.

do all that lalabanana told you, and use the stuff she gave u....

but pleaseeeee just gain weight. ITs what you need, and I bet anythign that you have a very disorted body image (like I did when I was barely 103 pounds...I look back at pictures of me back then and I look HIDEOUS).

get help!

-xo

THank you so much for all of your responses. I was just confused about what I need to do because I do "feel" fine right now...but like everyone mentioned, I probably do not feel hungry because I do not eat enough. I usually eat around 1600-1800 cal/day but that is probably not enough  :( I just hate how all the doctors that I talk to (more than one) just say "go on the BC pill." Some of them say, "gain some weight." Others say "I didn't have a period for 2 years when I was 17 and I never told my mother." More others prescribe the BC for me. I did not take it because I want to resolve this problem healthfully instead of via synthetic chemicals...and fake hormones.

I am thinking of adding olive oil to my diet to inc my calorie intake, especially since I do not eat enough fat anyway. But do you think there is some issue with protein intake also that might be contributing to my problem? I did have my periods at the weight I am at but I did exercise less...maybe 30 minutes and skipped a lot. I think I need to decrease my exercise, eat more, and instead of doing the elliptical, I should do stretches...and yoga, etc.

Well, thank you for all of your tips. It is much better than what the doctors have told me in the past and you guys don't try to make me take BC pills.

Once again, thank you. :)

Increase your fat intake, protein intake, carbohydrate intake.... everything basically is going to help you get to the 2500-3000 you need to gain weight.   Birth control pills aren't harmful and if your doctor advises you to take them as part of the treatment then follow his/her advice.  Unlike you and me, doctors are quite good when it comes to medical matters.

Glad you're going to do something about this. 

Hm. But do you think I should increase my calorie intake slowly??

How long would it take for my body to realize it is not "starving" anymore and is getting more and more calories? That is why I think it would be ideal to increase slowly....

Also, what are your thoughts about not cutting the exercise completely? I think it is good for the body in general..

Exercise is good for the body in general, but so is getting your period. Like others have said, cut out the cardio and if you must exercise do yoga or weight lifting. At your weight, cardio is doing more harm than good.

I do understand your reluctance to go on birth control pills.  So first, try the suggestions here for gaining some weight and eating a balanced diet (including fats, carbs, and protein), and reducing your exercise to a reasonable level for what you're eating.  If you still don't get your period you might want to consider taking the birth control pills for a period of time to see if that can make your body continue on it's own.

When you next visit your doctor, I'd suggest telling them the complete story as if you have never told them anything before.  The bits and pieces that patients assume that doctors will remember really are not remembered most of the time.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Your amenorrhea is due to your body being under stress.   In nature's eyes, your body isn't strong enough successfully bear children so it has stopped you ovulating.   A combination of you being clinically underweight, not eating enough, and doing too much exercise.  All three...  not one in isolation.  Your body is your body, not other people's.  You should listen to your doctor because they're diagnosing you on the basis of your personal needs ... not someone else's.

You're not hungry because you've been starving for so long that your body has got used to less food.  You will be still losing weight, very slowly, but your body has slowed itself right down to conserve your fat stores... it's an emergency state induced by chronic starvation.

Stop exercising, increase your intake to past 2500 and get some external help and support..... friends, family, doctors.  Best of luck

 Transferred from duplicate thread.

Original Post by bananee:

like jane said its a combination of everything you're doing. Im barely 5'4'' and I eat 1,600 SEDENTARY days meaning...sitting on my behind all day....so you're burning aroudn 300+ calories in your work out so you're rounding up a total of less than 1,300 calories  a day...this WILL make you lose your period. Some people are able to maintain a lower weight eating a lot more (1,800-2,000 cals a day) but this is still not as healthy as it could be. I suggest first of all, gaining some weight, reducing your exercise for now because your body is stressing out, and eating more.

Focus on being healthy, thats it. Im on the same boat as you. I have amenorrhea because of low body weight, and because I wasnt eating enough. Im now gainign weight (this part is very hard but it has to be done) and eating more.

just look for help....it wont be easy but it just has to be done if you want to be healthy and not suffer from a lot of diseases once you reach 40,50, 60 years old.

(remember being clinicaly underweight is just as bad as being obese....they both have long term effects on your body that will seriously harm you)

good luck

-xo

 Transferred from duplicate thread.

Why increase slowly?  Why delay moving from 'sick' to 'healthy'?   If you prevaricate you'll get nowhere.    You only need to go from 1600-1700 to 2500+.  It's not a major shock to the system to increase by 800 cals.  Your metabolism will catch-up very fast.  If you go with energy-dense foods you can add those extra calories without even noticing.   A medium-size avocado... 300.  Doesn't touch the sides.   A couple of ounces of cheese.... a 250 cal snack.  5 dates.... another 250.  A tablespoon of olive oil on the suppertime side-salad... 140.  A cuo of full-cream milk ... 150.  If you think it out in advance it's incredibly easy to get into weight-gain without feeling like you're eating huge amounts.

If you reduce the exercise now to something gentle like a half hour walk every day... no more than that... and sort the diet out you'll be up to a healthy weight and much more likely to resolve the infertility problem.

How fast would I gain weight if I ate 2500 cal/day and did light exercise?? Also, does sweating more mean you are working harder? I can exercise light enouh so that I do not sweat much. Also, how long can I wait until I get my period back? I don't need to take the BC pill to "jump start" or anything, right?? I have heard that some people GET amenorrhea from coming off the BC.

Original Post by quest89:

How fast would I gain weight if I ate 2500 cal/day and did light exercise??

who.cares.
I SERIOUSLY do not understand you guys. It's between gaining a bit of weight or seriously damaging your body, maybe beyond repair. WHY do you even need to bother asking if you'll gain weight? YES. you will gain weight. That's what happens when you've been starving yourself. This is ABSURD.

Why the cynical comments?? That is not very helpful. You should leave me some helpful comments, not discouraging ones.

Original Post by quest89:

Why the cynical comments?? That is not very helpful. You should leave me some helpful comments, not discouraging ones.

That isn't cynicism, it's realism.
All you've been getting is helpful comments. We're all telling you to eat more. & obviously those comments haven't been working. & it's frustrating as hell. If you care about your health, you will increase your calories immediately, not continue to post about what's the least amount you can do to get your period back. Seriously, this is your LIFE here.
I'm obviously not trying to discourage you because I'm telling you to increase your calories. If I didn't want to help you I wouldn't bother responding.

How fast you'd gain weight depends on how badly you've been undereating and how much exercise you continue to do.   Initially the gains could be quite fast... but as you got used to eating more that would slow down.  You have to be prepared for this in advance and absolutely not panic.

'Light' exercise means not raising your heart rate and certainly not sweating.  Which is why I suggest walking rather than anything more strenuous.   How long it's going to take to get your period back is another unknown because it depends on the condition of your body.  If your doctor says you need BC pills, take them.  You'd be in no worse a position than you are now.

As starcrossedlovex points out... stop now trying to work out how little food you can get away with or how light you can get away with being.  Make 2500 cals a serious intake target, stop exercising, and make a BMI of 20 (132lbs) your real goal. 

everyone here pretty much has it covered. Dont look for ways around this issue. You have to gain weight, yes or yes...fast or slow, it will happen anyway. Dont you rather have it happen as fast as possible and just get over it? Your period might even come back sooner if you just do things quickly. Up by 100 a day...so you get more used to it. Add calorie dense foods, as has been previously suggested. Stop exercising...dont even worry about that...just walk for half an hour a day around a park, talking to a friend on the phone or just enjoying the fresh air, and thats that.

this is true, and it took me soooooo freaking long to realize it. Its MY body, MY life, and MY health. Why should I bother about weight if Im not healthy? Its not worth it...its not worth having your body decay slowly because you want to be extremely skinny, which is not even good looking. No guy likes an extremely skinny girl. No guy says Nicole Richie is beautiful. Only girls with ED's think so, thast it.

Just focus on good inspirations...on yourself as a whole, on your real happiness..not the number on the scale.

Not having your period is so freakign dangerous....focus on that.

Do what everyone has told you to do, and stop worrying so much.

the harder you work, and the more you push yourself, the greater the rewards.

good luck

-xo

i have to say that what people are saying on here, although blunt, is exactly what you need to hear.  being as underweight as you are and exercising as much as you are, not having your period leads to osteopenia, which GREATLY increases your risks for osteoporosis.  just ask yourself, do you really want to have osteoporosis in your 20s?  lose your ability to reproduce?  hit menopause early?  look like you're 50 when you're 30?  really?  does that sound appealing?

just be real with yourself.  if you're trying to work around this and get an easy way out, there is none.  if you really want to get healthy and have your body functioning at its best, i think you know what you need to do deep down.  now...work for it.  eat 2500+.  light exercise 3x max a week.  don't give up.

i really doubt you dont look starved. your 2 inches taller than me and weigh 20 pounds less. when i was 5'6" at 128, i got alot of comments about being too skinny. you need to gain weight. cut the cardio a little and eat more. you ARE NOT eating enough. you sound very active and you are a teenager, eat about 500 more calories a day. treat yourself right. i dont even know how you can live on 1200 and work out like that and now think about food all the time. you need more, being underwieght is why you are not having a period.

I'm 5'7" and I'm eating 1600 calories to LOOSE weight. If you are exercising for 60 minutes a day and eating that amount on a regular basis, that is too much I think. I would either add 100 calories, or cut down on the exercise by half an hour... Someone who exercises as much as you do NEEDS to eat more. Besides, there are some body types that can weigh 117 pounds at 5'8", BUT that's rare, and If you aren't having your period there is something VERY wrong with how you are treating your body. Everyone has their own ideal weight, which they are healthiest and look best at.

Also, it helps to ask friends and family (just to get some perspective) "do I look too thin?" also ask guy friends or whatever gender you are attracted to what they think, if that's a factor for you.

I've found from experience that most guys prefer a woman with a *little* meat on her bones. I'm not talking about "big and beautiful" or anything like that, just a little extra so that you look like a woman instead of a teenage boy....