Re-starting menstrual cycle after ED??

Has anybody here actually gotten their period back after an eating disorder *without* going on hormone treatment?  If so, how long did it take and how "recovered" were you (weight, exercise and calorie intake?)?

Thanks in advance?

I'm curious! Still waiting for mine...

Wish I could say without treatment, but I was put on BC.

I think you have to be atleast 15% bf, not sure though.

I have! I have! I've never been on BC or any sort of hormone treatment so feel free to ask me anything....I've gone through the restarting menstrual cycle post anorexia three times in the past three years...most recently this past month.

I suppose I'll use my most recent time as an example...so I'm 5'2 and keep in mind that each person is different at what weight they menstruate at/not...

So the first time a few years back I lost my period at around 95 lbs, but I didn't regain it back until I was around 100...however, this time what had happened is this past april I'd relapsed a bit and made it down to 88/89 lbs and then basically May-August I was eating completely normally (no skipping meals, nothing)...but not exactly weight gain amount...I'd estimate around 1500 cals a day which still isn't technically enough I think (but I've upped it in the past month to closer to 2000) and by nourishing myself constantly I found that I got my period back at 94 lbs- completely normal blood tests/vitals etc...and it was a full on real period! I think the difference is that this time I am a lot healthier at 94 then i was the first time I lost weight (2 years ago it had only taken me about two months to go from 112-94...and i kept on going down, so you can imagine how malnourished and sick i was then)

It will come eventually...definitely takes patients- but you have to be consistent with upping your caloric intake and assuring your body its healthy enough to have a period...also I found eating good fats (nuts/avocado/etc) REALLY helps so make sure you eat ENOUGH fats.

94 is still a low weight for me though longterm so I am trying to get to 98-100 at the time being...currently around 95.5, but i definitely feel a gajillion times better now that i get a real period :)

I never had a full-blown eating disorder, but for several months starting about last November, I ate very little and basically my period disappeared. For a while, I didn't tell my mom because I didn't want to go to the doctor and be put on hormone pills - I'm pretty much dealthly scared of them.

Anyway, this summer we went to Russia (where I'm from), and I saw an ob-gyn there. Surprisingly, she didn't put me on hormone pills, but instead suggested taking a herbal supplement. She gave me Cyclopret (a non-prescription herbal supplement that aids in fertility, here's the site of the company: http://72.167.125.27/index.php?option=com_con tent&view=article&id=107&Itemid=2 36; ), to be taken once a day. I started about a month and a half ago, and I've gotten my period back. It's still sort of weak (only lasts for a day or two), but it'll take time for it to become regular again. I have to take this pill for a total of three months.

I hope this helps! I would hate to be put on hormone pills, and I'm so relieved I've found something more or less natural that helped. But you have to remember that you have to start eating normally, otherwise it won't work. I eat about 1800-2100 cal/day (I don't count anymore, but this is it when I check once in a while). I haven't gained much (only a few lbs), but it's much better to be a little fuller (people say I look much healthier :) ) and completely healthy than be thin and not have a period.

Good luck!

I'm another curious one! Any more info is greatly appreciated, and all the stuff that is already suggested will be very useful

One question I do have tho, is it more important to increase your calorie intake or your fat percentage in order to get your period back in your experience? Obviously both are important, but I'm really struggling to do at least one of those two on a daily basis, let alone both :(

Thanks

Original Post by raspberrydreams:

I'm another curious one! Any more info is greatly appreciated, and all the stuff that is already suggested will be very useful

One question I do have tho, is it more important to increase your calorie intake or your fat percentage in order to get your period back in your experience? Obviously both are important, but I'm really struggling to do at least one of those two on a daily basis, let alone both :(

Thanks

I've done both. :] I make salads dressed with pure sunflower oil (rather than dressings), eat lots of peanut butter and nuts, have whole eggs, salmon (I love baked salmon or smoked salmon), trout. I like making chicken and veggie stir-fries with sunflower or olive oil - you can add some seeds or feta cheese to them, very yummy.

Hope that helps! :)

When I came to a point of losing my period when I got too thin(107 pounds, 5'7)I remember my period coming back in a couple of months.That is after I started to eat better and listen to my doctor to start gaining weight.

Original Post by annielikesapples:

Original Post by raspberrydreams:

I'm another curious one! Any more info is greatly appreciated, and all the stuff that is already suggested will be very useful

One question I do have tho, is it more important to increase your calorie intake or your fat percentage in order to get your period back in your experience? Obviously both are important, but I'm really struggling to do at least one of those two on a daily basis, let alone both :(

Thanks

I've done both. :] I make salads dressed with pure sunflower oil (rather than dressings), eat lots of peanut butter and nuts, have whole eggs, salmon (I love baked salmon or smoked salmon), trout. I like making chicken and veggie stir-fries with sunflower or olive oil - you can add some seeds or feta cheese to them, very yummy.

Hope that helps! :)

 Thanks for the advice, I will try to bear it in mind. The problem I have is more to do with psychologically eating more...like seeing high calories still freaks me out so things like salmon, cheeses, nuts etc. still "scare" me. And as well as that, I've never been much of a fat-eater anyway...always my veggies, fish and cereal. Olive oil tends to upset my stomach too. I really want to be brave and try to do it all at once like you, but I'm just not sure I can :(

I'm considering going back on the pill to get my period back and I've been eating a pretty high fat diet (loads of PB, avocado, hummus) and only have about 5 pounds (i think) left to gain before I'm "normal". I asked my doctor and he said going back on Yaz was up to me. Any thoughts on if I should?