Injuries because of no period?

I feel like I could have made an identical post ~10 years ago. While I am about to share my experience, yours might be very different. I highly recommend talking to a doctor you can trust- and maybe a therapist to boot!

In my case, I feel that injuries were definitely related to REDS. In my mind, I had been really prioritizing my running! I was eating more healthy food (read: vegetables), running more miles, times were dropping! And then about 1-1.5 years in, I started to get injured. First was some tendon issues, then I started to feel perpetually tired, but couldn't sleep well. This made me only want to try harder to get back to racing well. But I just couldn't stay healthy. I had about 6-8 months of soft tissue injuries before I started having problems with stress fractures.

At the time, I wouldn't have said I had an ED, I would have just said that I was diligent about eating healthy. But I had totally neglected eating fat-- and probably was not eating enough carbs. I also felt like I had more control over my life when I was able to have a "ideal" diet. Anyways, when the bone injuries started, I hadn't had my period in about 3 years so my coach encouraged me to start taking the pill to get my period back. I saw a dietician who told me to take omega 3s to up my fat intake (they also said otherwise my diet was fine lol, even though deep down I knew that it wasn't). I remained in a perpetual state of injured-recovering for the next few years. In retrospect, I wish I had just given myself a year or two to recalibrate my body and work on eating appropriately and getting my hormones back in order.

Now, I run a lot-- even more than in college! And no longer have REDs-- it took a long time to get my period back. But now I am rarely injured. Tbh, in the first few months it will suck trying to get your hormones in order (and it is SOO hard to stop thinking about "eating healthy"), but it will be so worth it! Stay strong and good luck! You can do this!

Nothing more to add to this thread, but just wanted to say that this has been one of the most positive and supportive threads on this site I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing and being open about a relatively uncomfortable topic.

Couldn’t agree more. A lot of good advice in here!

Talk to some trusted adults (parents, doctor, mental health professional) and see where that gets you.

I promise you this - ignoring the symptoms or avoiding help will cost you so much more in the long term. But, taking a step back and focusing on your health now will help lead you a long life full of good health and fast running.

You got this!

+1

TBH I'm very surprised to see so many thoughtful and helpful posts in this thread. I wouldn't have thought that LRC was capable of it. Well done, all.

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Full disclosure: I started coaching women 50(!) years ago and at that time "thin to win" and mega-mileage ("If a little is good, a lot has to be a lot better!") were standard issue. Mea culpa.

But even I, while prescribing weekly two-hour runs for women racing three miles, was able to tell my athletes that if their periods were irregular or absent, something was wrong.

Sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders. Makes me feel like you're serious about getting better and not actively trying to self-destruct.

Truth is, although a lot of us are heavy on the shtposting here, when it comes to the serious stuff like this, most of us know better because we have either been through something similar or know a close friend or family member who has. I fall into both of those camps, but for me it was more about being self-destructive when I look back on it.

Anyway, wanted to note two more things.

1. When your sleep quality is really bad that's often a sign of over-training. Not sure of the exact reason scientifically speaking, but intuitively it seems like a protective mechanism of the body, as being tired reduces our will to suffer/train. Less rest at night means more rest will usually be the result during the day.

2. There is a huge community here that will step up for those that truly need support. Otherwise, as mentioned before, it's mostly shtposting if we're being honest. Point being, if you find yourself slipping and need some support that you're not comfortable asking for in person, one of the only ways to get it here is being vulnerable like you've been.

Wishing you the best.

You lost too much weight. You need a certain amount of body fat to get your period. No period means you’re not producing estrogen, essential to bone building and health. That’s why your legs hurt. You’re caloric deficient.

For once a decent thread on LR... there is a great deal of useful/important information here.

onceuponatime... what type of diet do you think was needed to correct your situation... maybe more specifically? I think many female distance runners often try to eat correctly but end up heading down the REDS road unintentionally. How do you feel that can be prevented?

I ask because nutritionists aren't always as informed as some would hope.

Thanks

I'm not the person you've tagged, but our experiences align. I think it's important to focus on variety, make sure every mean has protein, fat, and carbs, and to never respond to cravings with restriction (first of all, you're craving something because your body needs it, and second, restriction probably won't lead to you eating less of the thing in the long run). So my staples are yogurt + granola + fruit, oatmeal + fruit + pb + protein powder, avocado toast with egg, any sort of nutrition bar, pizza, pasta, bagels, meat+rice+veg+sauce/cheese, and always a ton of desert foods, like cookies as a snack, ice cream + brownies as a dessert, etc. I have a hefty desert every single night. I also snack on trail mix, candy, popcorn, cheetos, etc. Basically nothing special, just try to always eat exactly what I want lol

If your Dr. is a runner that will help too. He/She will see things a little differently than a non-running Dr.

Second what everyone else have said, but I just want to add that you were not "heavy for a distance runner" at 135. Like you really weren't. That's a perfectly normal weight and clearly your body was much more comfortable being at that. Yes, some runners are rail thin, but many other high level collegiate runners are not. Trust me, I know how easy it is to compare yourself to your teammates, but its never worth it. Please put your health first.

Chiming in to agree with the advice on here - talking to a doctor and probably a registered dietician is probably the route to go. If you're not sure how to find these people yourself, often times an athletic trainer could be able to help with this.

Females runners definitely need to make sure they are consuming sufficient fat and carbohydrates within their diet. A huge problem I see is that many doctors and nutritionists promote a low fat diet, which by can be detrimental to the health of female athletes. When you are very lean, you need a higher amount of fat in your diet to promote healthy body functions and provide sufficient energy for training. Nuts, nut butter, eggs, avocados, coconut and full fat dairy are healthy caloric dense foods great for preventing RED-S in active individuals. Yet many people are afraid to regularly eat these foods, as the medical and nutrition community heavily portray that these foods will make us fat and contribute to the development of disease. However, very active females have a lot different nutritional needs than the general population. When I did a diatary analysis eating as I normally do for a sports nutrition course, I discovered that I was eating 40-45% of my calories from fat. Many doctors and nutritionists would tell me that this is unhealthy but bloodwork would indicate otherwise. My lipid profile is excellent with my HDL cholesterol being higher than my LDL. I also never experienced ammenohrea and other signs of RED-S while eating in this matter despite being 16% body fat and running 50 miles/week with lots of additional lifting and cross training.

Additionally female athletes need to make sure they are consuming sufficient carbohydrates to prevent RED-S. Not only does consuming inadequate carbohydrates impair performance and ability to recover, but also can trigger menstrual dysfunction. Carbohydrates serve as a source of fuel to a developing embryo and when a woman does not consume enough, it is an indicator to cease menstruation. In fact, there have been many cases of women experiencing ammenohrea when on a ketogenic diet.

+1

A balanced but unresisted diet is the key to making a runner both healthy and fast. The optimal macronutrient profile will vary for each individual runner, but a low fat or ketogenic diet will create problems for most female runners.

Seems like you overdid it by just a bit. Totally fine because you didn’t just run yourself into the ground. Focus on recovery. Maybe add 500 calories. Could be candy for all anyone cares since you said you eat 3000-3500 already and it’s probably decent food. But maybe try putting 5 pounds back on and letting the legs heal and then build back up slowly. No need to panic but it’s time to listen to your body.