Magic Period Number

So two things happened. I went back to my doctor who told me that the EKG says my heart is great (yay!), that I have subclinical hyperthyroidism and am hypoglycemic functionally, that its great that I run so much and that I don't need to gain weight and should stay active and avoid weight gain. I'm not kidding. Then, I went to get my Rx for NuvaRing filled (I'd been living on freebies from the doctor) and found out that it is going to be REALLLLLLLLLLLY EXPENSIVE. I felt like crap before I started with BC. I like my girl hormones.

If I follow my doctor's advice ("Hey, after your half marathon you could be ready for a marathon in a couple of months!"), I will never get my period back. According to him, I don't need it, and he doesn't think my bone density scan will show anything despite 4.5 year amenorrhea and breastfeeding and pregnancy.

I was thinking back to when I was a kid - I got my period at 11, I was 5'4" and 117 pounds after having lost a lot of weight that year. It never came back - well, not for 7 or more months, and by that time I had stopped purging, stopped starving, and stopped running, and was probably like 5'5" and 135 pounds.

I'm almost 5'8", and I know I still menstruated at 140-145 but I was never lighter than that until after my babies were born! I went from 113 to 133 to get pregnant with #2, but didn't start periods on my own - I only got one and that was from Clomid. I wasn't running then.

So would 140 be a good target? I'm sorry it's just that I'm doing this on my own. My OB didn't say too much and every time I see my GP I'm aghast.

If you have been amenorrhic, can you tell me what your stats were when you got yours back?

This week I accepted that I was never made to be a tiny person and that I should have been taught to looooooove myself when I was a kid rather than  hating my body. So that's an accomplishment. But the doctors aren't on my side. You guys are basically, nutritionally, all I have!

WOAH. TWINS.

Same issues! Look at some of my other posts. I've been struggling with ED for almost 4 years. Diagnosed hypoglycemic w/ possible hypothyroid (blood tests came back borderline low) and have had ammenorrhea for over 2 years...almost 2 1/2. I worked hard this past summer on getting my energy output/calorie intake in line. Still trying to balance it. Here's a few things that I can suggest:

1. Get an endocronologist as well as an OB Gyn. If you don't like your doctor, get a second opinion! I had a doctor that wouldn't take me seriously when I stated that I thought I still might have PCOS even though I wasn't underweight anymore. It's in my family, and both sides have trouble with diabetes. I finally got an endo that would listen, was put on metformin, and have fewer highs and lows.

(Okay...trigger alert, I post weights. This is for info and exemplary purposes only, but feel free to edit it.)

2. However, I also really focused on proper nutrition/exercise habits this past summer. I was never really severely underweight, but enough to feel sick- especially last year when I was under stress (my lowest was 132). I was never really at a steady weight, and didn't want to really consider being healthy because it was my cry for help. I gained up to somewhere around 140-145, exercised moderately, and with the addition of metformin...I started at least showing symptoms of my period. First in two years!

I sincerely hate b/c too. It feels so unnatural, and I get very sick when I'm on them. I'm here for support. I'm still trying to accept that I'm supposed to be bigger too.

Hey, thanks! The doctor DID say he was going to continue to monitor my TSH and I asked him to do it tri-monthly so that if there's a downward trend I can go in for it. I think that the trick to curing my thyroid is to get my period back.

How tall are you again???

I'm frustrated with myself that I want to hear this from a doctor. My husband should be enough. I just want to be able to feel "structured" about it.

Did you get your period? Or are you just feeling hormonal (which is good!)?

Hi. Ok I have seperate conditions from my anorexia. I have been to the best specialists and the top hospitals. I am talking every specialist and test possible. Through the best ones from UCLA,Cleveland Clinic,neuros,reumo,gps,endos I could go on I have had very few comment on concern even when I was so underweight. This is because many even top doctors who are not ed professionals don't know much about ed and don't want to go out of there territory. I agree that at this point I would go to an endocronolgist. I am not sure why your gp has not refered you to one. They can follow up on bone density and due other tye of tests that are more entailed.  I don't know what your set point weight is. I am proud of you for accepting you may not be a size 2 to be healthy. That is very key to recovery and being well. On the side note of periods. I have gotten mine back at very low weights and then at times have not gotten it at a higher weight. I think much depended on how active I was which led to lack of one,proper calories/nutrients. Can you remind me what your calorie level is vs your activity? Your weight? If you are going to train and get healthy you are really going to have to push the calorie level. Is it balanced with fat/carbs/protein? Hypoglycemia can be managed by making sure you don't go too long without fuel meaning every few hours so a 3 meal/3snack plan and a combo of protein/fat/carbs at each

BSH: Everyone's body is a bit different. I am the same height as you and got a full-on period when I was 94 pounds sans-BC.

If you are not getting a period, try eating a higher % of fat in your diet. Sometimes its not 100% the number on the scale, but also your diet as well. If you aren't eating enough fats/lipids, that in and of itself can make it difficult to get a period. Gaining a few more pounds wouldn't hurt either of course, but do try to make sure you are getting a good amount of fats at every meal and snack. 

On the note of your doctor - when I was 15, I had to start seeing a therapist for other issues. At the time, I was about 5'7". My therapist put me on the scale one day after my mother mentioned being concerned about my weight. I was fully clothed (talkin combat boots,floor length military skirt, sweater and sweatshirt, studded belt on me) and was a whopping 103 pounds (at home that morning, I was around 97-98). The therapist said I was skinny but not unhealthy and that she had seen girls who weighed less. Nice job, eh?

abbi, I have plateaued at 50mpw running 8.5 minute miles before the half marathon which is October 3. I eat reasonably balanced but I always have dessert at the end of the day. I've been getting more fat, in the form of cheese and taking Flaxseed oil supplements. I aim for more than 2,500 per day, bt the past 2 days I wasn't as dilligent because I was nauseated on my period, though I tried to make sure I kept the balance with meat/dairy/wholegrains/fruit.

I had amenhorrea for a little over a year when my body fat got down to 12%, I lost weight by accident and liked the weight i was at so I tried to maintain it by slightly undereating (1500) and doing alot of intense exercise. Once I got serious about getting my period back I ate to gain weight (10lbs) and reduced my workouts to 45minutes 3 times a week and it came back after 3 months of properly trying. My first cycle was bout 65days and my last only was 55days so im hoping this one is a little shorter. I am now 5f3 and am 118 so a healthy weight now.

Maybe after your marathon you might reduce your running as it is very hard on the body and burns alot of calories, you may have an energy imbalance. Hope this helps

I'm 5'3",  I've been amenorrhea for awhile now-on and off for 8 years. i'm about to be 24 y/o, and i started anorexia/bulimia when i was 15. i get this 1-2/year....it's pms symptoms- breast tenderness and "feeling fat", and very little internal dried blood. i don't know if that fully counts as a period, since it actually doesn't come out. my weight is very sensitive. at 95lbs, my period comes back. the moment it goes to 94lbs, it's gone. i hate my period though and the hormones that come with it.

flowerbomb - I can't believe you don't miss your period! I know that sounds weird but I miss getting mine. The NuvaRing withdrawal  bleed feels like a cheat. You're 24 - I think you need to gain a little more weight, even if it is a sensitive issue with you. I k now you may be tiny and stuff like that but the dried blood isn't necessarily a good sign. Have you been to your OB about this? Have you had your hormones checked? There could be some kind of blockage. You're probably not thinking about a family right now but you don't want to let it go... because you might want little kiddos some day.

xxsarah- SLIGHTLY undereating?? That's what I was eating - 1,500 or just under - when I came to this site and I was starving. My body was eating itself, even though my weight had plateaued. I think my body is in protection mode right now and the NuvaRing hormones help keep the weight from falling or at least it did before I started eating a lot more. Did you run? I think you're right about the running, and knowing that I have to keep training and have this "hanging over my head" is definitely a chore. The compulsion to train is more the compulsion not to be walking after 3 miles during the race. I'd like to take a few weeks to sleep in. What happened with your body, with your moods, with how you felt about yourself after you stopped exercising so much?

rebelchick - I have been trying to eat more fats, and since I'm eating a lot of those fats from cheese I have been religious with my flaxseed oil which is like the best fat someone can get! I was raised by an anti-fat mom who was always on a diet so I think I have been trending low fat for a long time, at least until I started trying to eat more by adding dessert. I ate really healthily but not enough healthy fats. Next food shopping, I'm buying some avocados...

I'm very conflicted about the running stoppage. My mood seems positively affected by exercise, moreso than my body image. I don't know what that means.

it means excercise addiction

do u feel anxious if u cant go to the gym or work out?

No no no not anxious. I've been really relaxed lately.

I just mean that I don't have as much energy, and as such I'm not as patient with my kids. I took three days off two weeks ago and I didn't have any compulsion to work out at all!

agru, I'm at the point where I wish my doctor had said "don't run" instead of "hey, this means you can run a whole marathon!" so I'd have an excuse, but I won't have any problem with it after the race

Bsh0611: Thanks for opening my eyes to the fact that 1500 was starving myself, I needed to hear that as I have always convinced myself I was only slightly undereating   I ran a little but not too much, I did really hardcore heavy weight lifting and a lot of high intensity training sometimes sprints and I was really lean. I never took any rest days and I believe I had an exercise addiction. I have a really controlling personality and for me to get my period to return I had to learn to let go a little by stopping tacking my calories and relax my eating habits and eat whatever and stop worrying about getting 33% carbs fats protein.

A about a month or two before my period returned I noticed I had discharge a lot, which my doctor told me was a good sign. Mood wise was up and down, getting frustrated thinking my period would never come back then happy when it did then worried hoping it would come back the month after. Honestly I feel okay with my body SOME of the time but I would be lying if I said I was completly happy with it. I thing I have learned is that I won't put on weight if I dont exercise everyday. I am actually hoping to have a baby soon so that was a big motivating factor in gaining to get my period back.

xxsarahquinn I had to gain weight to have a baby in 2007. I want you to know that it IS necessary and because you were underweight your body will hold about 5 pounds of water weight RIGHT AWAY in order to create enough water "just in case" for the baby. I don't want you to be alarmed by this. I will go away after the first few months but it is to protect your body in case of miscarriage.

Don't be afraid of weight gain during pregnancy. Your appetite determines your baby's appetites, its no lie. I gained about 37 pounds with baby 2 - and 20 of it was pure water! - and she eats like a horse is little, but I lost 30 pounds in the 2 weeks after with both babies.

I promise you its worth it to gain weight to have  ababy. I love my kids, they are the best, and they both came with weight issues that they forced me to address.

I have been wondering about this same issue for a while now.  I try to limit the fats that I am eating, which I know that I shouldn't be.  I just get so nervous about fats because all you ever hear is, "low fat diets," "watch your fat intake," etc..  Although, I guess that mainly applies to people trying to lose weight, which I shouldn't be doing.  About how many grams of fat is reasonable for 1,600-1,800 calories?  I have been keeping mine to 30-36 for the past month or so.  That seems low, but when I get to even 40, I freak out and think I need to have even less the following day.

Original Post by bsh0611:

flowerbomb - I can't believe you don't miss your period! I know that sounds weird but I miss getting mine. The NuvaRing withdrawal  bleed feels like a cheat. You're 24 - I think you need to gain a little more weight, even if it is a sensitive issue with you. I k now you may be tiny and stuff like that but the dried blood isn't necessarily a good sign. Have you been to your OB about this? Have you had your hormones checked? There could be some kind of blockage. You're probably not thinking about a family right now but you don't want to let it go... because you might want little kiddos some day.

xxsarah- SLIGHTLY undereating?? That's what I was eating - 1,500 or just under - when I came to this site and I was starving. My body was eating itself, even though my weight had plateaued. I think my body is in protection mode right now and the NuvaRing hormones help keep the weight from falling or at least it did before I started eating a lot more. Did you run? I think you're right about the running, and knowing that I have to keep training and have this "hanging over my head" is definitely a chore. The compulsion to train is more the compulsion not to be walking after 3 miles during the race. I'd like to take a few weeks to sleep in. What happened with your body, with your moods, with how you felt about yourself after you stopped exercising so much?

flowerbomb - bsh is right, not getting your period can cause infertility. But (imo worse, since you cannot adopt new bones) lack of a period also means a lack of the hormones which keep your bones strong. You are risking arthritis and osteoporosis. I have the triple whammy - infertility, arthritis and early-stage osteoporosis - and I'm 22. Don't waste your time staying underweight when your health and happiness is at stake.

bsh - I know you are working on this one, but with your running schedule I believe you are still seriously undereating on 2500 calories, especially as you are underweight. Remember that 2,500 is recommended for sedentary weight gain, so if you are going to exercise - which is not doing your health any favours at this stage - you need to add on what you burn off on top of that.

Hi. Ok these are my thoughts and my number 1 thought it to stop running so by me making these suggestions it is based on that you are not willing to stop that but I think for full recovery it is in your best interest too. You have many years ahead to run a race.You are undereating and I will break it down like this. You are running 7 miles a day which is around 700 calories or so. You take in 2500 so right there it is really only 1800 a day. That is no way a weight gain diet and to repair you can't. It is just like if you drive a car more you need to fuel more. So on top of the sedentary 2500 you would need to make up at least the 700 possibly more cause after your metabolism is still reved. I am obviously not a nutritionist or doc but from past experience. I am not trying to be mean but often people ask ?'s like why do I feel dizzy,lack a period,etc and they are looking for other causes but in many cases it is from having an ed. I am like rebel who got a period at low weight but had other health complications aka being in a cardiac unit so just again fyi it is not always an indicator of full health. I also hate to tell you this but many women who don't have ed and run to an access will lack their periods and it is unhealthy. I have always felt that some people are meant to be runners and some are not. I have 2 friends who one is with constant injuries and one who never gets it. It is not from an ed but I just feel that some bodies are more prone to problems. Lastly I hope you read back about not doing as good for the few days cause you were nauseas. I am sorry you were but you can't use that as an excuse. Trust me I know nausea as I am on many pain meds for a condition and have spent nights in the bathroom feeling ill but i still complete the plan. Sometimes when I feel like can't I ask myself if someone said here is a million dollars to do it and if I could push for that then why not my health. Health is number 1

abbi I'm sorry I meant more than 2,500 in that 2,500 is the base +mileage added. I was really sick feeling those 2 days but i started making up for it yesterday. It's just 1 month and I will stop running. But i will keep eating until thin and beyond then. I really started this looking for input about the period number KNOWING it entails a lot of weight gain. some of it is planning ahead as I know I won't get jack squat keeping this schedule. the date is October 3, after that the running can change.