Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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About the HPA AXIS, hormones and fertility. I have hypothalamic amenorrhea, and the ONLY studied and proven cure is leptin injection, however that is obviously not affordable. I am 25 years old, female(obviously ha) and trying to gain back my fertility.

From what I know and have studied, leptin isnt all it is cracked up to be 'via the carbs' as many exercise gurus think...my problem isnt leptin getting released from my fat cells, it is leptin being translated from my HPA to my ovaries.

Currently eat Primal- went from lowcarb to ZC, relapsed and am sticking with primal...its easy and no thinking involved and my weight stays up and food choices are endless :) I use a lot of full fat dairy, and eat close to 3000 calories a day(sometimes more, not usually less) and get around 150ish carbs and try to use starchy carbs from tubers/roots with some green stuff thrown in. Also eat liver, heart, marrow bones when i can get them and i actually like sardines. Breakdown is prolly around 60/20/20 but i am sure it varies i eat pretty carefree as opposed to trying to pinpoint or track or count anything, due to an eating disordered past.i did keep track of caloric content recently to see where i stand.

height 5'6 or 5'7 (bone damage caused a slight shrink) weight 125-130 (i only weigh once a week or biweekly, again for accountability)

I take Vitamin D & krill oil(3-4 times a week), and occasionally digestive enzymes when i down a lot of food in one sitting(which i am trying not to do but spread out big meals throughout the day- doesnt always work i have a job & life)

edited Mar 5 2011 at 2:51

Stephen-Aegis
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asked Mar 1 2011 at 21:17

Mallory
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	Hi, can you make the title of your post more helpful? – Jon Thoroddsen Mar 2 2011 at 12:17
	I downvoted your post because of the terrible title. – Wozza Mar 5 2011 at 2:36
	fixed title, tags and upvoted to cancel the down. – Stephen-Aegis Mar 5 2011 at 2:51

mari · Answer 1 · 2011-03-02 01:39:07Z UTC

Mal,
I've followed your story a bit over at MDA and on your blog. I think though, that time will be your solution. I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but it may be the best one. You did a lot of damage to your body, and you deserve a lot of credit for overcoming your disease. But, the fact that you're not gaining much weight at 3000 calories and 130 pounds is, I think, evidence that you are still healing. I'm 5'7, a lean 140 lbs, and only eat 3000+ calories on days I play 5 hours of tennis and do fitness. It's a bit like a diabetic and his blood sugars. They will improve over time, and return to normal if they're not too badly damaged, but it will take time. Even then, they may not fully normalize, despite dramatic improvement. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think there will be a quick fix, but you are on the right path. Good luck :) .

The Quilt · Answer 2 · 2011-03-02 02:44:26Z UTC

First you need a complete work up. Hormonal studies - blood tests that measure the levels of the hormones, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and prolactin. Low levels of FSH and LH may indicate hypothalamic amenorrhea. High levels of prolactin suggest a tumor on the pituitary gland, which can lead to amenorrhea. HCG is a test used to confirm or eliminate the possibility of pregnancy Progesterone challenge - a test that will induce menstrual bleeding (after taking progesterone) in women with certain types of amenorrhea, but not in women who have hypothalamic amenorrhea (MRI) - a 3-dimensional scan that produces an image of the pituitary gland to detect a tumor or other abnormality of the hypothalamus.

If you cant afford leptin call Amgen's corporate number......they are looking for people to test their synthetic leptin on.

there are many foods and drugs whose side effect also increases leptin but I think you need to do this only with a doctor supervision......and I would not mention them here because without knowing how and what to do you could harm yourself.

Good Luck

Helen · Answer 3 · 2011-03-01 21:26:24Z UTC

Have you tried any fertility-boosting herbs like red clover, Dong Quai root, etc? A book you might want to get is called Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S Weed. Even if you aren't planning on becoming pregnant, and just want to restore your fertility, that book will have alot of good information for you.

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan · Answer 4 · 2012-02-27 00:06:34Z UTC

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I have had a lot of friends with similar (not exactly the same) fertility issues. A few of them swear by (and have the babes to prove it) acupuncture. There are many acupucturists that specialize in fertility - definitely worth just a consultation to see what one may say

Good luck!

edited Feb 27 2012 at 0:06

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan

answered Mar 1 2011 at 22:12

Thumper
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I still don't get how acupuncture can work if chi doesn't exist, does anyone have a link to some science? I used acupuncture as the main example for a presentation on the placebo effect, haha, so the studies I've found aren't helping me figure it out... – JeJ Feb 27 2012 at 0:18

Mallory · Answer 5 · 2011-03-02 01:23:57Z UTC

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*affordable options... i cant afford accupuncture, can barely make rent lol but youre right i have heard nothing but good things about it

answered Mar 2 2011 at 1:23

Mallory
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	Check out community acupuncture clinic; maybe there's one in your or a nearby community? People all sit in a room in comfy seats getting acupuncture, the way apparently it is commonly done in China. My experiences have been positive. – L.S. Mar 2 2011 at 2:04
	I agree. I go to one and it's $15 a session and it's great. – Shari Bambino Mar 5 2011 at 2:38

Mallory · Answer 6 · 2011-03-02 15:26:17Z UTC

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i looked and the closest place around is is 84.6 mile travel....

answered Mar 2 2011 at 15:26

Mallory
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Anne · Answer 7 · 2011-03-05 01:47:23Z UTC

Hi Mallory, You may want to check out this board: http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/lifes-journey/343535-hypothalamic-amenorrhea.html It's over 5 years old and almost 4000 pages long. The women on this board have all been diagnosed with hypothalamic amenorrhea and are helping each other through it. I frequented this forum as I recovered from hypothalamic amenorrhea last year brought on by restrictive eating (paleo + zone), over exercising and a ton of stress. I tried acupuncture for 7 months and it didn't help. What did help taking all foods off my restricted list and reducing my exercise to merely walking. I hope some of this helps.

Madeline · Answer 8 · 2013-05-03 05:16:14Z UTC

Hi Mallory,

I too have been diagnosed with hypothalamic disorder. I am 30, 5'8", and about 134. I have had the diagnosis since I was 25. I embarked on Paleo hoping to cure this - I've tried acupuncture and bio-identical hormones, which felt like they were doing something...unfortunately, like you, I couldn't afford acupuncture anymore after 6 months of once/week sessions. Doctor's don't know what is the problem but that something got "turned off" from my brain to my ovaries. However, my period stopped when I got the Depo Provera shot in my teens and never returned. I blame the shot but the doctors always defend it and say it's something else. I've had two MRI's and all of the blood work-up. So that's my diagnosis because they couldn't figure out what else was wrong. The diet is definitely helping but again I won't know until I finally get my damn period. Good luck and all of my sympathies. It sucks doesn't it?

Madeline

Tell me what you know about Hypothalamic Amenorrhea.

8 Answers