Blog

0

I'm fifteen. I lost my period about a year ago because I lost too much weight unhealthily, and a blood test last year showed that my female hormone levels were too low.

I have since gone back up to my regular weight where, in the past, I was able to menstruate. However my period has not returned.

I'm a runner. I run 6-7x/week and go to the gym 3x/week. Everyday I eat about 2500-3000 calories (Paleo and white rice), definitely more than enough to sustain my training seeing as I'm still gaining (albeit a bit slowly).

Recently I have not taken a blood test of any sort. Should I see a doctor and start taking birth control pills to get my period back, or will it mess up my hormones even more?

flag

3 Answers

2

Similar situation (although 22 not 15): I don't know any solution, but I would NOT suggest birth control pills. The reason is that birth control pills don't actually give you a period in the same way that your normal cycle would: when they were being designed, the makers thought that women would feel more "natural" if they bled every month, so they made the pills so that a withdrawal symptom was bleeding from the uterus (obviously these things were designed by men). So the "period" you get on the pill is not actually a normal period; it's just a withdrawal symptom when you go on the placebos for a week. This is why it's possible to just keep taking the non-placebo pills and not have a period at all for 3 or 4 months. I'm not an expert, but it doesn't seem to me like that would help you get your regular period or healthy hormone balance back.

link|flag
Thanks. Have you gotten your period back yet though? – lacesandlabcoats Oct 26 at 0:56
Nope! Still MIA, although this may have been confounded by the fact that I was on the pill while I was losing weight, and went off it about 6 months ago. I know it can mess up your hormones for a while after you stop taking it, so that might be why my period still isn't back. – Maria Oct 26 at 19:19
0

sometimes you have to gain more than you originally weighed when you had regular menses (one study showed 2.4kg more). also, sometimes exercising/running that much makes menses disappear despite caloric intake. you've got the female athlete triad going on with secondary/hypothalamic amenorrhea. unfortunately hormone replacement has not demonstrated a protective effect on bone density measurements according to the literature. it may help if you have other symptoms of low hormones, but it isn't a solution by any means.

keep gaining weight slowly and cut back on the exercise if possible.

I have searched far and wide for a solution to this problem that didn't involve gaining weight. so far the only other thing that can cure secondary amenorrhea is leptin injections, since leptin is the hormone secreted by fat that tells the brain it's safe to reproduce. unfortunately, this treatment is experimental and not available yet.

link|flag
Okay, I know nothing about the topic but - what about leptin reset protocols etc then? leptin is connected to hunger and eating patterns/macros etc....perhaps theres an eating pattern that may also help? – Jamie Oct 25 at 10:55
your leptin is too low which is why you don't have a period. you need to raise it, and leptin resets are geared toward resensitizing leptin receptors so that less leptin is needed. but your receptors aren't desensitized, so a leptin reset protocol wouldn't help you unfortunately. you are most likely just going to have to gain weight. – nursling Oct 27 at 6:24
eating high fat and cholesterol may help since cholesterol is needed to manufacture hormones. also reducing any stress in your life will help signal to your hypothalamus that it can relax and reproduce – nursling Oct 27 at 6:27
0

You must see a doctor. This is far too complex for random Internet strangers to advise you.

link|flag
it's pretty clearly hypothalamic amenorrhea actually, and in my experience most doctors think it's no big deal despite the negative impact it can have on bone mineral density. they will tell her she's fine and to either not worry about it or gain weight or take birth control to have a "period" even though birth control doesn't cause menstruation but rather withdrawal bleeds when you stop taking the hormones. – nursling Oct 27 at 6:26
You can't diagnose someone over the internet, and you certainly can't presume to know what her doctor will say. Plus, there may be more to the story than we are getting here. – margarets Oct 27 at 16:18

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.