OK SO WE'VE ALL LOST WEIGHT and now..

For those of you women who all lost a fair amount of weight, does your period mess up?  I've talked to a friend and she hasn't had her period in 3 months (but i dont think she was on a diet) and I haven't had mines in 3 months either..but mines is probably cause i lost so much weight in 3 months.  I don't know. I took a pill to get it going this month, so hopefully that regulates it again but i'm not sure, igotta see next month.
Anyway this isn't too unnormal right ? after all we're all loosing weight here its bound to happen right?

Losing your period is NOT normal.  Or rather, it's what happens if your body fat drops below a certain percentage, which most often in weight loss happens when you get to be too skinny!  Essentially, our bodies NEED fat for normal reproductive processes, and if you don't have enough, your body takes steps to protect itself from a pregnancy that could quite possibly kill you because you barely have the stores to keep you going in a famine, much less a baby.  There are a bunch of other health benefits from having a regular period - like keeping your bones strong. 

If you are losing your period while trying to lose weight, SEE A DOCTOR NOW.  Tell your friend to SEE A DOCTOR too.  Normal, healthy weightloss should NOT disrupt your normal cycle. 

It's NOT normal to lose so much weight that your period stops.

I checked your other posts - as of July 12th you were 5'3" and 98 lbs and had lost your boobs, and were only eating 1100 calories a day even though you exercise. Your BMI is a unhealthy and dangerous 17.4. 

You need to gain weight. Get to 110 and your period will return and you will feel better. Yes, I know you spent a lot of money on clothes that fit you in this unhealthy and dangerous state, but you will just have to get rid of them. Talk to your doctor. 

That long of a stop isn't normal, but for periods to become a bit irregular for a little while can happen; skipping just one, or the cycle length changing, or one's PMS profile altering. Those are probably nothing to worry about, but extended loss of one's period is.

Mine get a little out of whack with any diet I'm on; a week late/early, lighter than usual, etc. This time the length is very regular but I've beem having vertigo instead of migraines. (I guess it's a fair trade...) But I've only outright missed more than one when underweight.

Sometimes merely stopping weight loss and cutting back on exercising can bring it back. If not, then a small amount of weight gain might be necessary.

Estrogen is a hormone that plays a part in your regular cycle.  It is fat soluable and therefore is stored in your fat.  If you lose a very large amount of fat then there is a lot of estrogen that gets released into your system outside of your monthly cycle 'norms'.  This can sometimes affect your cycle. 

Losing weight below a certain minimum BMI will also make you stop having cycles, which for an adult, is very unhealthy.

In general, you should check in with your doctor to make sure everything is OK.  It is not terribly ABNORMAL to miss some cycles while losing large amounts of weight, but it should not be dismissed as normal and ignored as it could very rarely indicate other more serious problems.

EDITED: I hadn't realized when I posted this what a low BMI you were at.  Those stats, along with the fact that you are no longer having a normal cycle are huge warning signs.  Please check with a doctor regarding where you are at.

-Robyn

I have lost 20 lbs and if anything it's more regular, less painful and shorter now. Yay!

It's not normal to lose it or skip it for months at a time. Are you very young?

I would strongly suggest your friend and you see her gynecologist immediately as absent periods can be symptoms of such disorders as PCOS where fertility can be damaged if not attended to. I hope your doctor is the one who prescribed the pill adn that you aren't administering it yourself.

yes it is normal to lose your period if you've dropped weight in a short period of time. changing your diet from unhealthy to healthy will cause your body to go into schock. it's not used to it. i haven't had my period since december 06. my doctor said with the weight loss i've had that this is normal. however you do need to go to the doctor so they can help you get back on track.

chita~~

What are your stats? The reason I ask.. I am at 263 and I have lost a ton of weight... My period is like every 6 months..... Mine has done this a few times, and every once in awhile I will get one every 3 months. I have been to my gyny about 5 times since Jan  and  he told me its your body reacting to the progetrion levels changing in your body. As long as Im not cramping and in pain, I will be fine. This is my case NOT YOUR neccesarily...
But MY DOCTOR of 18 years and wonderful I might add, explained to me through charts and literature he had, that weight loss DOES infact CHANGE your Cycle. Everyones is different, but it depends on what content YOUR fat contains.... I looked this up on google: from uic/edu website

QUESTION: I have recently increased the length and intensity of my exercise routine. I now exercise nearly every day at the upper boundary of my aerobic threshold for thirty minutes as well as strted to chang my eating habits for weight loss goals. How much diet & exercise will cause my period to disappear for months at a time? Can I prevent it from occurring by maintaining a healthy weight or does it have something to do with the intensity of the exercise itself?

ANSWER: Amenorrhea is a condition that occurs in women of childbearing age, in which the menstrual cycle stops. Primary amenorrhea occurs when a woman has not had her first period by the age of sixteen. Secondary amenorrhea is a condition in which a woman who has previously had her period fails to menstruate for three consecutive months.

Amenorrhea affects 2% to 5% of all women of childbearing age in the United States. Female athletes, especially young women, may be more likely to have amenorrhea. While exercise or physical activity itself does not cause amenorrhea, it is more likely to occur in women who exercise very intensely or who increase the intensity of exercise rapidly plus change eating habits.

Secondary amenorrhea can be caused by a number of things, including (but not limited to):

? Pregnancy (the most common cause)
? Breastfeeding (lactation)
? Menopause, the normal age-related end of menstruation
? Premature ovarian failure (menopause before age 40)
? Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)
? Stopping birth control pills
? Emotional or physical stress
? Rapid weight loss
? Obesity
? Frequent strenuous exercise
? Cysts or tumors in the ovaries


To prevent secondary amenorrhea that is related to diet, over-exercise or stress, you can take the following steps:
? Eat a low-fat diet that meets your recommended daily nutritional needs.
? Exercise moderately, but not excessively, to maintain an ideal body weight and muscle tone.
? Find healthy outlets for emotional stress and daily conflicts.
? Balance work, recreation and rest.
? Avoid excessive alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

Information taken from Aetna Health

Just thought that might help!

Edit: I was not aware of how low your BMI is.. that is why I asked your stats.....Note.. the baove reference is for the over weight as its states.......Thanks trustwomen for pointing that out..

It's pretty easy to go to someone's profile and read their other posts.

It saves time because then you can learn that her BMI is 17.4. And adjust the advice accordingly.

be really careful, my cousin probably can't have kids because she didn't eat enough in her late teens.

Like many people have said, go see a doctor. I did, I got a bunch of tests, and now I have to wait THREE MORE MONTHS (I was put on a five-six month waiting list) to go to a gynacologist. That'll be almost a year since I haven't had my period. The sooner the better.

YES, it IS "too unnormal."  your body is starving, please give it some nutrients and fuel so it can begin healing itself!

(figured it couldn't be said too many times)

Now I hate to revive threads that haven't been posted in for a while, but I have a question about this as well...

I've been dieting for about two months now and have lost around 15 pounds, and I missed my last period.

Now, I'm definitely not "too thin"--at 5'4" and 133 pounds, I'm still a bit chubby (lol) and have a little while to go before I reach my goal weight. :)

So why the loss of period? Is my body just not adjusted to the change in lifestyle? I've also started running--1-3 miles or so, at least every other day if I can. Not too hard, mind you... more jogging than anything, really. I have been working out harder since my last period, which I got even though I was losing weight... do you think that's it?

So the question, of course, is... is this normal? Is it OK? It's only one period so far, but...

And of course... what do I do to get it back? Just wait? I don't want to gain more weight, and that shouldn't help, because if I gained more I'd be unhealthy again. I'm a little worried... but is it even a problem at only one period? :|

You're not getting enough nutrients and fat to have a period. (I think)

Every girl with irregular periods need to see their doctor. When losing weight in a healthful manner (no starving, at least 1200 calories a day with no more than 1000 cal deficit, maintaining a healthy BMI) you should not lose your period. If you do, see a doctor. It could be signs of other hormonal irregularities very common in women which can ultimately cause problems later on when you want to have children. These problems are often easily fixed now. Otherwise it might be normal. You won't know until you see your doctors, please.

I am having the oposite problem. At my heaviest of 291 pounds, I was like you, I might have 3 periods a year and they were very painful and long. Well now that I have lost 42 pounds (and am on birth control) my periods are very often and irregular...I might go 5 days and nothing for 4 days and go another 5 days...Going back to the gyno next week and she might switch my birth control.

The nice thing though is even the times when I bleed for 14 days straight, it isn't really heavy or super painful but it is annoying to have to wear a pad more than not....

 

zombie thread

wendy - since your concern is very different from the original post (from 2007), you might want to start your own thread - and (non-snarky re-direct) Health & Support might be a better forum for it.

sorry, I thought we were talking about irregular periods. Anyway my point is weight loss can mess us up in a variety of ways but it is best to check with your health care provider when you have a pattern of irregularity. I would say at your BMI low fat percentage might be the culprit.

Well, they were talking about irregular periods 2 years ago. But the original poster's account has been deactivated since then.

I know different forums have different etiquette - here, if you've got your own question or issue, it's easier to start your own thread - otherwise, people get confused and end up answering questions from long ago to posters who no longer use the site.