Period stopped

[crazy_diamond]

Hello, I have been trying to lose weight since June and have dropped from 65kg to 55kg just by a healthier diet and light exercise.  When I started my bmi was borderline overweight and now it is about 21 in the healthy bracket.  However my periods seem to have stopped (I am definately not pregnant) and I am unsure what I should do.

Do you think if I try to stabilise my weight at 55kg my periods will come back?  I was origially aiming to drop to around 50kg (bmi 19) but is this too low?  Could they have disappeared due to the speed of weight loss rather than the actual amount? I really don't want to put weight back on as I have mainly just lost belly fat and dont look underweight.  I think my bodyfat has reduced from around 28% to around 23%.

I am currently eating around 1200 calories a day however I only burn around 1600 as I have a desk based job. I have cut out bread and processed food and tend to eat fish for breakfast, a large salad with meat, fish and cheese for lunch and a 500 calories dinner (e.g spaghetti bolognese) but no puddings or snacks.  I have found I am just not hungry anymore on this diet and am reluctant to increase calories.  What shoud I do?

[Dominique]

Your loss of 10 kg was 15% of your starting weight of 65 kg. That’s a lot in just two months. A common recommandation (especially for people in or close to the normal weight range) is to lose no more than 1% of your body weight per week. In this link, a RD provides more information about amenorrhea. Here is another one from Mayo Clinic.

BMI 21 at 55 kg implies a height of 162 cm. This doesn’t strike me as underweight. Female physique competitors can experience amenorrhea when their body fat starts to be around 15% and lower, but I don’t think you would currently be in that situation.

You definitely shouldn’t aim to lose further from the current level at this stage.

[crazy_diamond]

Thanks Dominique for your reply and for the useful links.

Do you think I shoud be looking to gain weight or will my period restart if I just keep my weight stable at 55kg for a while? 

I was also thinking of trying to exercise a bit more (in conjunction with more calories), is it a good idea to hold off all excercise until my period comes back? I was mainly thinking about doing weights to build muscle rather than cardio.

[Dominique]

Well, for obvious reasons, I have no personal experience with amenorrhea, but my educated guess would be to maintain your weight (or maybe even let it go a little bit higher) for at least 1-2 months, eat a balanced and healthy diet (including a sufficient amount of dietary fat, as fat is important for hormone regulation) and see what happens. If the problem persists, see a healthcare specialist.

[bikerhiker]

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@crazy_diamond wrote:

Hello, I have been trying to lose weight since June and have dropped from 65kg to 55kg just by a healthier diet and light exercise.  When I started my bmi was borderline overweight and now it is about 21 in the healthy bracket.  However my periods seem to have stopped (I am definately not pregnant) and I am unsure what I should do.

Do you think if I try to stabilise my weight at 55kg my periods will come back?  I was origially aiming to drop to around 50kg (bmi 19) but is this too low?  Could they have disappeared due to the speed of weight loss rather than the actual amount? I really don't want to put weight back on as I have mainly just lost belly fat and dont look underweight.  I think my bodyfat has reduced from around 28% to around 23%.

I am currently eating around 1200 calories a day however I only burn around 1600 as I have a desk based job. I have cut out bread and processed food and tend to eat fish for breakfast, a large salad with meat, fish and cheese for lunch and a 500 calories dinner (e.g spaghetti bolognese) but no puddings or snacks.  I have found I am just not hungry anymore on this diet and am reluctant to increase calories.  What shoud I do?

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The best way to determine the ideal body weight is to consult with your family doctor or with a professional health care practitioner, because nothing is more accurate than seeing and diagnosing an actual condition than seeing an actual person.  How do you get your BMI reading?  Is it from an Aria scale or other body weight scale?  Is it from your Fitbit app?  These readings are not construed as medical grade advice and as such should not be taken as professional medical advice either.  Having said that, it may be that as you transitioned to a more healthier weight, your hormonal changes may have stopped your period.  Once you stabilized your weight loss, your normal period should return if no other underlying medical conditions unrelated to your weight loss exist.  If you are concerned about your condition right now, a visit to your doctor would clear up a lot of your anxiety regarding your period and weight loss.

Hope this helps.

[Dominique]

@bikerhiker wrote:

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How do you get your BMI reading?  Is it from an Aria scale or other body weight scale?elps.

Looks like you’re confusing BMI with body fat %. BMI (body mass index) is a ratio between body mass and height (more precisely, height squared). Any remotely accurate scale (including scales not graded for medical use, and basic scales that only do weight) will be sufficient to determine BMI. Now, one may argue whether or not BMI is a good indication of your "ideal" body weight, but that’s another debate. I believe it is for the vast majority (95%+) of the population.

As to body fat %, the drop observed by @crazy_diamond (from 28 to 23%) would be in line with the drop in body weight. People seldom gain body fat when dropping a bunch of weight.

[Dominique]

@bikerhiker wrote:

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How do you get your BMI reading?  Is it from an Aria scale or other body weight scale?

Looks like you’re confusing BMI with body fat %. BMI (body mass index) is a ratio between body mass and height (more precisely, height squared). Any remotely accurate scale (including scales not graded for medical use, and basic scales that only do weight) will be sufficient to determine BMI. Now, one may argue whether or not BMI is a good indication of your "ideal" body weight, but that’s another debate. I believe it is for the vast majority (95%+) of the population.

As to body fat %, the drop observed by @crazy_diamond (from 28 to 23%) would be in line with the drop in body weight. People seldom gain body fat when dropping a bunch of weight.

[crazy_diamond]

Thanks for the replies.  I use the NHS calculator to calculate my bmi https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx

I have ozeri electric scales which give a body fat % when I stand on it.  My crosstrainer also gives a body fat % when I hold it.  The two methods vary hugely (19.1% scales, 27.9% crosstrainer) so I have taken an average. I also used an online calculator based on measurements https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html which broadly agrees with the average figure I am getting so I think 23% is about right. The scales are ok at showing a trend but the absolute figure is pretty inaccurate.

[bikerhiker]

@Dominique

When you re-read the OP's question, you will see the OP was saying that as I quote..

"When I started my bmi was borderline overweight and now it is about 21 in the healthy bracket.  However my periods seem to have stopped (I am definately not pregnant) and I am unsure what I should do."

My question was in response to how she got her BMI and why she thought she was borderline overweight.  I work in the medical profession so as professionals we do not make personal assumptions and personal biases.  I'm not sure why do you think I'm confused, because this is what a nurse or a doctor would ask to clarify certain statements clients or patients make while they visit the hospital.  That is what I do.  🙂

[bikerhiker]

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@crazy_diamond wrote:

Thanks for the replies.  I use the NHS calculator to calculate my bmi https://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx

I have ozeri electric scales which give a body fat % when I stand on it.  My crosstrainer also gives a body fat % when I hold it.  The two methods vary hugely (19.1% scales, 27.9% crosstrainer) so I have taken an average. I also used an online calculator based on measurements https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html which broadly agrees with the average figure I am getting so I think 23% is about right. The scales are ok at showing a trend but the absolute figure is pretty inaccurate.

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Two wrongs don't make a right.  Averaging both body fat% from 2 scales that you don't have any references to don't make the average correct either.  You are absolutely correct in saying that the scales you see and use are good for tracking trends.  This is more important for managing good health.  

But I like to make you aware that a human body is an excellent feedback system.  It's an early warning system in telling you to impending health issues.  The only person that knows your body well is "YOU" and you know how well it should function.  Which is why, when there is something abnormal going on and you are concerned about it, the best course of action is to consult with a medical professional and let him or her diagnose the condition.  I live in Canada where health care is public and free and many Canadians take advantage of this and obtain a second more professional opinion about their conditions.

What I do with my Renpho scale, which is similar to yours is that I know my healthy weight because I did the blood work to check for my glucose and insulin level, my triglycerides levels, my BP, my HR etc and these medical metrics form a base line.  I simply match them to the metrics from the Renpho and track trends.  The scale is pretty good in doing that.  That way, I know I am living a healthy life and managing a healthy weight.  Anything else, like trying to achieve some ideal weight, to me is no longer healthy but rather trying to achieve a certain figure and look which I'm not obsessed about. 🙂

[Heather-S]

You should speak to your doctor or health practitioner. Even when I was anorexic and 94lbs (at 5’5), my period never stopped but I was dangerously underweight and malnourished. 

I do know that abrupt changes in weight and excerise can affect your hormones and may cause a temporary disruption in your cycle. Have you only missed this one? 

Absolutey talk to your medical professional. 

[WendyB]

Please talk to your DR and do not rely on posts here.

Your DR knows the best course of action

[oh_suzanney · Accepted solution]

This is absolutely a situation where you need to make an appointment with your physician or gynecologist for a checkup. This is not something that an internet forum has the capability to offer advice on. Be well!

[DanielleinDC]

You definitely should talk to your doctor. I assume you took a home pregnancy test and it was negative. Are you under stress? That can also mess with your cycle. 

[emili]

@crazy_diamond you need to go visit your gynecologist. As well meaning as everyone is, there can be several other reasons why this happened. Have a frank discussion about your weight, your diet, your activity level and all the other big and small changes in your life. Let the Dr. recommend next steps, not strangers who have incomplete facts and more than likely lack a medical license.