No period after recovery?

Hey all,

To the moderators: I hope this isn't against the rules as a topic... it is related to weight gain...

If any of you remember me, I used to have an eating disorder around about sept last year to jan this year. After a long struggle I finally conquered ED and am happy to be set free from its hold since Feb.

The only thing is, my period hasn't been back. I lost it about a year or more ago, and even after my full recovery and being at a perfectly healthy weight, I still don't have my perod. I'm getting kinda worried because I've heard of endometriosis and dysmennorhea, and I really hope that it won't happen to me.

I'm not sure if menstruating has anything to do with the amount of food eaten or the TYPES of food eaten?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

i really would advise you to go to your doctor he will be able to see if it might be caused by anything i know. i also know it can take some time for periods to return . are you eating enough fat ? this can be a factor. also exercise what are your activity level ? what is your bmi ?if you are at the lower end of a healthy weight this may not be enough for your body

Just like tessa stated your daily caloric intake,dietary fat,activity,weight and height all may contribute to lack of period. Also have you had a physical and discussed this with your doc?I remember a nutritionist once saying if you try to control your body by even 5 pounds you may not get a period for some or have other health issues

Glad you are at a healthy weight. So, periods are all about the fat your body has stored. 

What this means is your body fat may not be where it needs to be. Some women may stop having periods if they go down to a body mass index (BMI) of 20 (which is still well within the healthy range for weight). I don't know where your BMI is, but it may need to be higher for your body to return you to regular periods.

Women menstruate regularly when the body fat stores are sufficient that the body knows it can rely on them when the woman gets pregnant to ensure both the woman and the baby make is safely to term. Bodies don't know about birth control, so they only trigger regular periods when the fat stores are there for a healthy pregnancy.

As others have said, it's time to see your doctor.

It's unlikely there's anything more going on than a need to put on a bit more weight (as little as 5 or 7 lbs, as another poster pointed out, can be the difference) but it should not be left unattended as it's been a while since you've been in full recovery.

hi-

IF i remember correctly, u either stopped gaining under a bmi of 20, or started eating too little for ur age+activity.  those could be key reasons for the absence.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

well I'm pretty sure I'm not underweight as I have just been gaining ever since recovery, so I don't think weight is an issue...  currently my BMI is 20.8 (according to a website calculator) and thats a pretty healthy weight.

My friends at school who are thinner and lighter than me have their periods, which is confusing. Maybe agruskin is right?

I did have ED when I was 14/15 which is I guess pretty young. Yeah, I might have to see a doctor but I'm scared of bringing it up with my parents, because I don't want this to start all over again.

Not sure if anyone else has covered this but if you lost your periods and became sick when your reproductive system was in a crucial stage of development they may never return.  So do see your doctor and be prepared for that outcome.

That is a possibility, although most people I know who lost their period during their teens (even early teens) was eventually able to get their period back.

I got my period back at a BMI of 21.5, it is quite common to need to be at a higher weight than the weight you lost your period at in order to kick your reproductive system back into action. So just consider that even though you may be a healthy weight, you might need to gain more before your period will begin again.

I am sure your parents would be happy knowing you are taking care of yourself and be willing to make you an appointment. However you could make your own appointment, talk to a school nurse or visit a free family planning clinic as other sources of professional advice.