A missed period can sometimes indicate a health issue. Some causes of a missed period other than pregnancy include stress, low body weight, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, use of birth control, chronic diseases, thyroid issues, and early perimenopause. Alexiou, E., Hatziagelaki, E., Pergialiotis, V., Chrelias, C., Kassanos, D., Siristatidis, C. ... Trakakis, E. (2017, March 1). Hyperandrogenemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: Prevalence, characteristics and association with body mass index [Abstract]. Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation, 29(3), 105–111 Andrew: Yeah, yeah. Just going through some other pathologies, I guess, that we have to be aware of, things like pituicytomas and things like that that can really mess up the actual mechanics of the neural systems. Andrew: Got you. And for further information, where practitioners can get good information where they can learn. You’re obviously working on a course for dieticians. It seems to me by a couple of comments that doctors need to have a course as well. Where's good information where we can glean?

Period problems - NHS

In the short term, there are no complications of missing a few periods. However, if it goes on for a longer time, it may cause some problems. Infertility Absent menstruation (amenorrhea) is the absence of menstrual bleeding. This can be caused by natural causes, lifestyle factors, or hormonal imbalances. It’s important to see a doctor, as the underlying cause may require treatment. However, do not take ibuprofen or aspirin if you have asthma or stomach, heart, kidney or liver problems. Aspirin should not be taken by anyone under 16 years of age. Andrew: Got you. Okay, so let's move on to exercise-induced stress because this is a big issue. Are the recovery requirements different for the elite athlete or the professional athlete compared to the weekend warrior? What's happening here?

Amenorrhea

A number of operations may result in absent periods. For example, after a hysterectomy you will not have periods. A hysterectomy is an operation where the womb is removed. As the blood during a period comes from the womb, you will never have periods again afterwards. Another operation (called endometrial ablation), which is sometimes done for heavy periods, also causes periods to stop. In this operation the lining of the womb is removed. This is not usually permanent and periods start again in time. One unique part of No Period. Now What? is presentation of results from the survey of over 300 women that Dr. Sykes completed. Participants were asked a variety of questions about factors leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea, steps taken to recover, and recovery success (as well as trying to get pregnant, pregnancy, and beyond.) From that survey she was able to get a much better picture of the range of women affected by missing periods. Nicola: So, I've seen other practitioners say, "Well, it's different for elite athletes," but I've worked with a few elite athletes and they've also found that they've had to follow the same recommendations of basically cutting out the high-intensity exercise. You can certainly try just eating more and really making sure that you're fuelling properly, but I think that the rest itself is important. How Dr. Shulfelt came to be interested in amenorrhea and heart health. Ways in which it's reasonable to make comparisons between people who are post-menopausal versus amenorrheic. Low estrogen affects the stretchiness of blood vessels, changes in cholesterol, and can be associated with insulin resistance.

Nicola Sykes Author | No Period Now What | Hypothalamic

Stress: This is one of the most common reasons for a missed period. Stress can result in a hormonal imbalance and even affect the hypothalamus — the part of the brain that helps regulate your periods. Stress can also lead to weight loss or gain or other illnesses, all of which can affect your cycle. Stress can result from many factors such as traveling, professional and relationship issues, emotional problems, financial concerns, etc. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb (endometrium) grows in other places outside the womb, such as in the ovaries and fallopian tubes. The birth control pill introduces different hormones into your system. Learn how this may affect your menstrual cycle. READ MORE People who miss three periods in a row but are not pregnant or likely to be entering menopause should see a doctor. This is especially important if they are experiencing additional symptoms.Andrew: There's a few athletes that I've spoken to here in Australia, and indeed they talk about how the recovery recommendations go against what is commonly prescribed as healthy advice. How can this be right? What does life look like after recovery? How do they continue? some types of hormonal contraception, such as the intrauterine system (IUS) or the combined contraceptive pill Nicola: The medical community is a hard one to break into because I don't have an MD. I have a PhD, and so there tends to be some thinking that I don't really know that well what I'm talking about. I know there are some medical practitioners who have read my book and recommend it, but I don't really know how to break into that community. That's something that I'd love to work on but I haven't really gotten there yet. And I find that really surprising because many of these women were in small bodies to begin with and having that level of weight loss was way more than I expected. But I think that speaks to the ongoing energy deficit because obviously being in energy deficit can cause weight loss. And then if you're just maintaining that lost weight for a long period of time, you've probably been under fuelling that whole time so that seems to be a very common association.

Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (Missing Periods Recovering From Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (Missing Periods

A delay in starting periods isn't usually a cause for concern. Most girls will be having regular periods by age 16 to 18. Nicola: Well, I mean, if you think about it from an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense because, if it prioritises fertility over survival, then yes, you get to have your baby maybe… If no sperm fertilizes the egg, pregnancy does not occur, and the egg dissolves. The levels of estrogen and progesterone decline, and the womb lining falls away. It leaves the body through the vagina, giving the person a period. When the absent periods are combined with low levels of the female hormone oestrogen, there may be a risk of bones weakening. Oestrogen helps keep bones strong, and they start to weaken after menopause. If they become excessively weak and break (fracture) easily, this is called osteoporosis. This only applies to women who have not had a period for a long time (a year or more). It is particularly a risk for women whose periods have stopped due to early menopause, weight loss, anorexia nervosa or excessive exercise. Heart diseaseAndrew: Can we go through just a few of those just so that we get them out of the way so that we know that what we're dealing with is an otherwise healthy woman? It's kind of an indictment of the whole intermittent fasting idea, particularly for athletes, anyway. Basically it's a thing that's fairly common in women with HA. There's a lot of women who get up in the morning, get ready, go and do their exercise, go to work and then maybe they'll eat something at that point. Some women naturally have heavier periods than others, but if your periods are so heavy that they impact your life, there is help available. The pituitary gland releases the hormones that control the menstrual cycle. Issues with the pituitary gland, including those below, may lead to amenorrhea:

No Period. Now What?: A Guide to Regaining Your Cycles and

Andrew: The thing is, you know, we concentrate so much on lean muscle mass as being the health indices, if you like. But there's a certain amount of fat that we need for our bodies to work. Nicola: So, that is not my research but there are studies that have been done that have found out to be the case, that women that have HA tend to be sort of more of the type A controlling perfectionist.Nicola: So that's one of the issues with it.I've also seen some doctors prescribe the pill to women who have HA saying, "Oh, it'll fix everything." No, it doesn't actually fix anything. Again, it's just an artificial bleed, and it does nothing whatsoever to alter the underlying hormonal system to then make you get a period when you stop taking them. I mean, you will get that last pill bleed but it does nothing to fix your hypothalamus. Some antidepressants and mood stabilizers may affect how the hypothalamus and pituitary gland work. If they are not producing the right levels of hormones, a person’s periods may stop.