As A Matter Virtually Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: Reasons For Irregular Periods

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It turns out there may indeed be more to the story than simply being o lean.

We just don’t have it all figured out yet. What we do know is that absolute energy balance is actually much more important in regular maintenance hormone production, ovulation, and menstruation than body fat percentage. In fact, it’s pretty easy to dissociate body fat levels and reproductive function, as normal cycles have been shown to return in some female athletes when energy expenditure is reduced such as after an injury long before there is any change in body weight or an increase in body fate change in body weight recovery. In fact, hypothalamic amenorrhea, what we women athletes tend to develop when we stop having our cycles, is a real mind f for researchers and scientist. It’s not just fat amount mass that alters ovulation and your menstrual cycle.

Body weight seems to have a bigger impact on menstrual cycles than body fat.

Remember, ideal body weight is going to vary quite a bit from woman to woman. My set point is around 135lbs and if I drift below 125lbs I start noticing lots of problems and irregularities with my cycle. Now pay attention please. Falling below 8590″% of ideal body weight, no matter what body fat level, usually results in amenorrhea. For some same women height, 125lbs would be a perfectly health weight to maintain and their cycles would be fine. It’s all about your body and your ideal weight.

Leptin levels also have an effect on menstruation.

When leptin is low, so is GnRH and LH, and this makes ovulation and regular menstruation less likely. It is also the hormone responsible for making you feel full or satiated. For example, leptin is a protein produced by adipose cells that acts as a hormone on the reproductive axis. Your level of leptin seems to not be specifically tied to body fat levels but on overall energy availability. Lower leptin levels have been found in bulimics and anorexics who were exercising and/or had lower caloric intake than anorexics or same bulimics weight, leptin is commonly thought to be positively correlated with body fat levels.

Here is a mechanisms illustration in the menstrual cycle. Things have to go haywire, if they are low. It’s a well amenorrhea in athletic women is more related to overall energy balance. I’m sure it sounds familiar.|Doesn’t it sound familiar?|Sounds familiar?|does it not? I think it’s safe to say that it’s not simply body fat levels or workouts that make your cycle go crazy, while there are many other hormones and outside factors that can cause menstrual irregularities in female athletes. You can see how GnRH, FSH, and LH are all essential in the initial phase. You need to ask yourself, if you’re having irregular cycles.

Ackerman, et al, Higher ghrelin and lower leptin secretion are associated with lower LH secretion in young amenorrheic athletes compared with eumenorrheic athletes and controls.

DOI 103843/GLOWM, Update 2009. Certainly, e800 E806′ DOI. It is american Journal of Physiology -Endocrinology and MetabolismPublished 1 April 2012Vol. As a result, comninos, et al, The relationship between gut and adipose hormones, and reproduction.

The ESHRE Capri Workshop Group, Nutrition and Reproduction in Women. Whenever nothing insane, I thought the same as you did -why did people that were as thin as me had not trouble having a normal cycle and heck, even worked out way more than me, but for me it seemed like the second I start working out, my cycle goes out of whack. Thank you! Currently, I am at 109 lbs at 5’3 and I work out 45 times a week between doing 40 min HIIT workouts and 30 min strength training work outs. Ever since I was 16 I’ve had irregular cycles due to perfectionism working out and not wanting to be fat. This is the case. Everywhere else it seems as though people do yoga or boring workouts when they get diagnosed with this condition, and I do not want to resort to that! Reprod. It was been about 4 months for me without a cycle. Thank you so much for sharing your article, it was a huge eye opener for me. Im a 24 year old female that literally had the same story as you growing up. Now let me ask you something. You still do hard workouts, right?

My periods stopped for 14 months, and even my doctor was having a hard time figuring out why because I’m not at a particularly low body fat percentage. Is it possible to get leaner as long as my weight doesn’t drop? All of a sudden, my periods came back, right around the same time as I gained about five pounds. If I stay approximately ‘120 125’ pounds as I am now, build muscle and lose fat so that my overall body composition improves, will I be able to get leaner without losing my periods again.

Hi Vanessa, I found this article absolutely fascinating and really ‘eyeopening’. If its going to damage my body in the long term I’d like to make some changes! My periods have gone now I’ve got to such low body fat, my sisters and mother have always been slim, tall and slender size 6’s. Usually, you think following your research, that my body simply needs to settle down, I’m not trying to lose any more weight just maintain my current weight, right?

Hi!

Haven’t gotten my period in over a year. Im having that problem and im on the pill but lately for the past two months ive been having my period twice in one month. Consequently, your post is very helpful! Then, just wondered if you also tried amenorhea with the abnormal two a month periods after? What would you recommend, if you’re author type that replies to comments?

Discussion Recommended!

Hi Debra, my first question would be how old are you? You eat plenty of soy, right? Summer. How much fat, calories, protein, and carbs do you eat daily? Just think for a moment. Since I don’t eat meat, not for usually more than a meal a day, nor do I eat it every day, I eat a fair amount of soy. Skinnyish and enough are vague. How tall and how much do you weigh? How much do you actually run? It’s a well there’s so much that can change how your endocrine system works.

Is it possible that I shocked my body into feeling it needs to be at a higher weight with exercise amount that I do?

The running ups the stress on your body. Thinking you are eating 2000 2500 calories is very different than actually knowing you are eating that much. Basically, a small dose of soy can pack a big punch, as long as you are so thin. The soy probably isn’t helping with your cycles as it can definitely throw your bodies natural rhythm off and please consider that it can be dose dependent. Besides, that’s still very thin. Consider cutting the soy out. It may ultimately have to gain weight to have a regular cycle but that’s largely dictated by genetics on things p I mentioned above and in the article. You are still young and its not atypical for young women to have abnormal cycles.

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