Periods.

My periods have been VERY irregular the past few months. They've just gotten farther and farther apart. My periods used to be 31 days apart exactly, every month. But then they went from 34 days apart, to 35 days apart, now, I'm at 37 days and still no Aunt Flo! I'm just a little bit confused. I'm almost 17, got my period when I was 12, so it's not that I'm new to getting them.

Monthlyinfo.com (very helpful website btw) says that I'm in the Ischemic phase of my menstral cycle. I'm not quite sure what that means. Anybody have an idea what's up?

are you pregnant? sounds stupid but that's the first question? have you lost a lot of weight? are you overtraining? is your fat intake normal?

Original Post by chrissy1988:

are you pregnant? sounds stupid but that's the first question? have you lost a lot of weight? are you overtraining? is your fat intake normal?

I'm not pregnant. I've only lost around 10-12 lbs, the irregularities started shortly before I started losing and I don't feel like I'm overtraining. I'm hoping that my fat intake is normal, I try not to limit it too much...I've had around 17g of fat in my breakfast today, which may be a little high, but I had eggs.

around 20-30% fat is recommended so as long as you're getting about 35 grams for a 1500 calorie diet, or 40g for an 1800 calorie diet then you're getting the minimum 20% but you can have even more than that and be within the range. so 65g is 30% of a 1300 calorie diet. i think that a safe intake is probably a minimum of 40g since that's 30% of a 1200 calorie diet. 

Here are some other reasons for secondary amenorrhea:

Secondary amenorrhea
Secondary amenorrhea is more common than primary amenorrhea. Many possible causes of secondary amenorrhea exist:

• Pregnancy. In women of reproductive age, pregnancy is the most common cause of amenorrhea. When a fertilized egg is implanted in the lining of your uterus, the lining remains to nourish the fetus and isn't shed as menstruation.
• Contraceptives. Some women who take birth control pills may not have periods. When oral contraceptives are stopped, it may take three to six months to resume regular ovulation and menstruation. Contraceptives that are injected or implanted, such as Depo-Provera or Implanon, also may cause amenorrhea as can progesterone-containing intrauterine devices, such as Mirena.
• Breast-feeding. Mothers who breast-feed often experience amenorrhea. Although ovulation may occur, menstruation may not. Pregnancy can result despite the lack of menstruation.
• Stress. Mental stress can temporarily alter the functioning of your hypothalamus — an area of your brain that controls the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle. Ovulation and menstruation may stop as a result. Regular menstrual periods usually resume after your stress decreases.
• Medication. Certain medications can cause menstrual periods to stop. For example, antidepressants, antipsychotics, some chemotherapy drugs and oral corticosteroids can cause amenorrhea.
• Hormonal imbalance. A common cause of amenorrhea or irregular periods is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This condition causes relatively high and sustained levels of estrogen and androgen, a male hormone, rather than the fluctuating levels seen in the normal menstrual cycle. This results in a decrease in the pituitary hormones that lead to ovulation and menstruation. PCOS is associated with obesity; amenorrhea or abnormal, often heavy, uterine bleeding; acne; and sometimes excess facial hair.
• Low body weight. Excessively low body weight interrupts many hormonal functions in your body, potentially halting ovulation. Women who have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, often stop having periods because of these abnormal hormonal changes.
• Excessive exercise. Women who participate in sports that require rigorous training, such as ballet, long-distance running or gymnastics, may find their menstrual cycle interrupted. Several factors combine to contribute to the loss of periods in athletes, including low body fat, stress and high energy expenditure.
• Thyroid malfunction. An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) commonly causes menstrual irregularities, including amenorrhea. Thyroid disorders can also cause an increase or decrease in the production of prolactin — a reproductive hormone generated by your pituitary gland. An altered prolactin level can affect your hypothalamus and disrupt your menstrual cycle.
• Pituitary tumor. A noncancerous (benign) tumor in your pituitary gland (adenoma or prolactinoma) can cause an overproduction of prolactin. Excess prolactin can interfere with the regulation of menstruation. This type of tumor is treatable with medication, but on rare occasions, it requires surgery.
• Uterine scarring. Asherman's syndrome, a condition in which scar tissue builds up in the lining of the uterus, can sometimes occur after uterine procedures, such as a dilation and curettage (D and C), cesarean section or treatment for uterine fibroids. Uterine scarring prevents the normal buildup and shedding of the uterine lining, which can result in very light menstrual bleeding or no periods at all.
• Primary ovarian insufficiency. Menopause usually occurs between ages 45 and 55. In some women, the ovarian supply of eggs diminishes before age 40, a condition known as primary ovarian insufficiency. The lack of ovarian function associated with this condition decreases the amount of circulating estrogen in your body, which in turn thins your uterine lining (endometrium) and brings an end to your menstrual periods. Primary ovarian insufficiency, also referred to as premature menopause, may result from genetic factors or autoimmune disease, but often no cause can be found.

Hope this helps. :)

I'm pretty worried about a similar issue.  I'm 17 and got my period literally days after turning 14.  I'm still not totally regular and I have had very long gaps between periods but nothing like this!  I haven't had my period since I think the end of August.  I'm seeing a doctor soon for a physical so I'll ask her what's up.

But I hope you find out what's wrong.

I haven't had a period since February.

No, I am not pregnant.

I am 23 years old, 5'8", 125 pounds, athletic, and healthy. I eat 1,800 calories a day.

It stopped when I began to increase my exercise (from running 30 minutes 3 days a week to running 30 minutes daily, plus strength training 2-3 days weekly).  At this point, I'd already lost about 40 pounds from my hard work.  Around August, I saw my primary doctor. I had lots of tests done along with the typical gyn tests, and everything came back normal.  She sent me to a specialist.  The specialist ran tests galore, and guess what, he told me I was normal!!!

He informed me that, believe it or not, TONS of healthy girls our age have this happen. He said some girls go to college, become stressed, and lose their periods for four years. Then once they graduate, it comes back (talk about a crappy graduation present!).  He said it's sooo much more commen than you'd think.

I told him I wanted my period back (because, to be honest, it's hard to tell if you're pregnant if you're not having a period!) and he put me on birth control pills. I've taken two courses (two months).... still nothing. We'll see!

Still, it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor. Even though I'm "normal," you never know what you may have. I suggest getting checked out! Better safe than sorry!

sita900,

you said all tests were normal?  Do you mean hormone levels?  Do you now what they checked?  estrogen, thyroid, progesterone?

I haven't had a period since end of jan (and that was on the pill, I quit the pill in jan)  My OB gave me a 10 day Rx for progesterone, to induce a "withdrawal bleed" within 3-10 days after stopping them.  I am on day 7, still no bleeding.  If I don't bleed, it means low estrogen, which I fear....I am working on increasing fat in my diet however, as this is probably why I have not had mine.  I am 5'5, only 110, exercise 3-4 days a week, but nothing too strenuous. I was on BC for 6 years.

Original Post by sita900:

I am 23 years old, 5'8", 125 pounds, athletic, and healthy. I eat 1,800 calories a day.

With a BMI of <19 you're statistically more likely to lose your periods than someone with a BMI of >20....  so gaining 7 - 10lbs could help you considerably.   And 1800 cals a day is not enough for someone with your stats who is 'athletic'..... Since a poor/inadequate diet is also a big cause of losing periods you could see what happened once you got the right amount to eat.  And since 'overexercising' is another reason for the problem.... again, you could address that by exercising less than you currently do.

So yes you're 'normal' in that your body is behaving exactly as you'd expect for someone underweight, undereating and overexercising..... but I think you could quite easily do something about all three.

 

 

sita900- Gi-jane beat me to it. 1800 calories is not enough for someone running daily, so it makes sense that you have lost your period through undereating for your activity level.

chrissycoff - at a BMI of 18.3 you are also underweight, which is the most likely explanation for lack of a period. Low estrogen levels are also often a result of low body fat.

looseymoose - aside from other issues that chrissy has already mentioned, some women do just have irregular periods. It's good that you're going to check with your doctor, but be reassured that irregular periods (if they have always been irregular) doesn't always mean something's up.

 

So yes you're 'normal' in that your body is behaving exactly as you'd expect for someone underweight, undereating and overexercising..... but I think you could quite easily do something about all three.

 

Just wanted to say, I addressed all this with my primary doc AND the specialist. I told them my current calories, what I eat, how much I exercise, and how much weight I've lost, and how I've been MAINTAINING my current weight for about 6 months. I was told by both doctors that my exercise and diet was not severe enough to stop my period.  I was informed I was healthy. Believe me, I assumed I was simply exercising too much. Alas, that was not the case. :)

 

Chrissycoff,

 I cannot recall the exact blood tests they took, but there was nine of them! Estrogen, thyroid, and progesterone were onthe list. Funny how you went off the pill to get your period, and I was put on the pill to get it. ;)

 

 

But have you tried eating more, exercising less and gaining a little weight.....?  If you did all three and still didn't have a period you'd at least have eliminated the obvious culprits...  There is a wide range of what constitutes 'normal' admittedly but this seems like a no-brainer to me, sorry.

See, I'm different. I'm not underweight. Yes, my periods did begin to get farther apart when I decided to exercize regularly, but I'm not underweight. I'm at a normal weight trying to shed some vanity pounds while still staying in a healthy weight range. I'm 5'3" and 127 lbs, trying to tone up and get down to 115.