Menstruation (!?)

Within the last 9 months, I’ve dropped about half of my body fat (I’m now 22% instead of 44%). For the last 3-4 months, I noticed that I had little to no monthly blood flow. The first thing I did was a pregnancy test, but that came back negative… however, the lack of periods has continued. So, I looked this up on the internet, and found out that it’s a condition called .

I’m not anorexic (I eat 5 - 6 times a day, very healthy/organic foods), and I don’t think I’ve been over-exerting myself in the exercise department, so I’m at a loss as to what may be causing this. I know I’m not down to a dangerously low body fat percentage, but I’ve heard that significant weight loss in a relatively short period of time can cause this condition. Has anyone else had any similar experiences or advice? I’ve got an appointment with my doctor to discuss this… I'm a bit worried...
 
Def. see your doctor!
 
See your doc, but I would be it has alot to do with the amount of weight you have lost in a short time frame. Athletes get this condition very often. I wouldn't worry too much until you see your doc. How old are you???
 
Thanks for the response, you guys...

I'm 25 years old, still relatively young. I'm also thinking that I may not be eating enough fat (the essential/beneficial kind) or protein for my physical activity level...

I'm definintely seeing my doctor about this, and have an appointment with a nutritionist as well.
 
I think your spot on with that one. Its no big, once you get things in order it will straighten out , your doc may put you on something to help and prob do blood work to check hormones levels etc.. good luck and keep us updated :)
 
Jen is exactly right. It has to do with your body slowing down the estrogen production. Your doctor will most likely have some solutions, in the extreme end you might be put on estrogen replacement medication. If this is suggested I would be sure to go over all the facts and side effects with your doc as this kind of medication has been proven to have some "not so good" long term side effects.

Another reason that you should see the doc is because with a decrease in estrogen, you are at more of a risk of osteoporosis. This is usually only a concern when you would reach the menopause age range as it is during this time that the body naturally slows down the production of estrogen.

Estrogen has also been linked to cardiac diseases in that it is the reason that women, on average, tend to be less at risk of cardiac disease as men are. After many women experience menopause, it has been shown that their risk factor for cardiac disease is almost on par with that of males.

I hope this helps, and I will look into it a little further to see if there is anything non-medication related that you could do. I will also see if I can help with anything side effect related, even if it just has to do with things you can bring up with in conversation with your doctor.

- Mike (none of the advice given should be taken as medical advice as it most certainly is not. you should always consult a medical professional)
 
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Thanks again everyone... I'll definitely ask the doctor to run tests if necessary.

Hopefully I won't have to be put on hormone medication - I hate taking any kind of pharmaceutical product if I can tackle the problem in a more natural way (I'm hoping this can be corrected by something as simple as diet). But of course I'll do what my physician recommends...
 
saphron girl, don't worry. I've had the same. In my case, it totally stopped (also bc of rapid weight loss) at first I actually liked it that my period stayed away. Then, after a few months, I started to worry, looked it up on the internet, like you and well, that wasn't a comfort either. So I went to the doctor. He put me on birth control pills and voila, it all started again.
 
Thanks for the info, maverick!

I've been on birth control pills before, but had to stop because I got pain in my calves and have a family history of blood clots.

I wonder what my doctor will recommend for me...
 
I would say prob just evaluate your diet and activity levels do some tests first.. and don't fudge the truth ok tell him straihgt up, and then prob go from there... I was put on estrogen just to get my levels up a while ago.. then when I started school and was stilll very active and even more so etc my test levels plumitted so I was put on test to get the levels back up, but only for a short time!!! Just relax and see what the doc says.. stress won't help either that can cause the same prob.. so no worries until you get to your doc.. its really not anything to worry about if you aren't feeling sick and have other symtpoms like pain etc... oh and if he orders an ultrasound its used to check for ectopic pregnancies bc they sometime will not show up on the urine test... so relax until you know for sure what the prob is.. okay
oh and btw i'm of a med background not a doc but I do have way more knowledge than the average joe, so trust me chill until your doc tells you otherwise, and keep me posted so I can help you if you need help with questions to ask him ok :D
 
My body has an evil, demented sense of humor.

So, I've had this OBGYN appointment lined up for a few weeks (my doctor seems to be in high demand), and it's scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. After four months of nothing, I get my period about 5 minutes ago.

WHAT THE HECK IS UP WITH THAT??

LOL... great, now I can't do the pelvic exam (one of the requirements is that I can't be menstruating). I'm not going to cancel - I feel like I should still go in and discuss WHY I missed so many months in the first place.

The only thing I can think that I changed was adding more calories to my diet in the form of protein.

And this also explains why I've gained 4 - 5 lbs in the past week. Water retension. D'oh.
 
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