Question: Not getting periods but having normal iron levels/body weight... what is the problem?

Have you been sexually active?

Hopefully you are not a vegetarian or vegan and are not eating soy products...

dasfghjhgfkdl wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had experienced the same... I get irregular periods, maybe once every 2-3 months (the last was 2 months ago, and before that was ~1.5 months ago) for a while (a while ago it was more regular). I have definitely increased my mileage the past year but I am making sure I am getting enough iron (supplement, and not taking it with calcium), and my iron levels are fine. Is this still cause to be worried? I am also an average body weight, BMI of 19-20. What could be the problem? Thanks.

Unless you are male, there may be no problem. Do a little reading on the web.

Regular periods are a rather recent occurrence in human evolution.

There is an essay that address this in Gladwell's "What the Dog Saw" collection of articles. See the one about the invention of the birth control pill...by a Catholic doctor, btw!

This happens because you, like many other female runners, take yourself waaaayy too seriously. Despite what you say in your opening statement, you're obsessed with body weight and its affect on your performance. You starve yourself.

Well, you don't think you do, but you do. You go out to the local burger joint with friends/teammates. Everyone orders a juicy burger with fries, everyone except you. You order the mediterranean salad with vinaigrette because you "have more self-control than your friends" or because "you are sooooooo dedicated to running..." Imbecile. You would never go near a beer. You're so dedicated (and your social life probably reflects that dedication, if you know what I mean), yet you run shitty race after shitty race. AND you can't get a period. Gee, I wonder why. You're body is like "FEED ME," and you're like "here's a spinach leaf." You tell yourself that you're satisfied and full, but it's all a big lie.

Quit kidding yourself. You're pathetic. I bet you even run the majority of your miles on soft, padded surfaces like gravel and grass. Laughable.

Keep it on the crete, and eat a burger every now and then.

It's all about ENERGY BALANCE (energy intake vs. energy expenditure). Your reproductive system shuts down when you're not providing enough energy for yourself, let alone for a fetus. Soups, salads, and sandwiches won't cut it. Distance runners DO NOT need to be eating anything low-fat, skim, lean, etc.. You need to eat when you're hungry and eat until you're full. If you cut back your training (less energy expenditure) and/or increased your caloric intake, your period will come back. Then, it's a matter of listening to your body and fueling it when it needs it. Stress expends energy and impacts your hormones too.

Your bodyweight has little to do with you getting your periods or not. Amenorrhoea results from below normal energy balances. This could be due to an increase in mileage, under-eating, or both. Iron has nothing to do with your menstrual cycle.

However, since you're still getting your periods (even infrequently) the problem could lie elsewhere. You should go see a doctor sooner than later. Infrequent periods could be related to hormonal imbalances, and if your estrogen levels aren't where they should be you're running a high risk of stress fractures.

Take a serious look at the mileage you run and the calories you consume. At a BMI of 19-20 you should NOT be running a deficit.

Yes, I am pretty sure I am not running a deficit... I do not weigh myself that often, but when I do the weight has remained around the same area for a while now. I definitely eat a lot too (though I don't count calories).... so I do not think under eating is the problem. I have increased mileage, and gotten into the transition of high school to college fairly well. I am feeling good on the higher mileage and haven't had any injury problems in a while.

Having irregular periods is a sign that something is not right. You may well have a BMI of 19-20 but not everyone fits nicely on the BMI bell curve-19-20 may just be too low for your body type. Is your weight constant? Large fluctuations even within a normal range can cause irregular periods (as above it's energy balance). Also stress can be a factor- are you under a lot of pressure at the moment?

Amenorrhea can result from a multitude of factors, of which low BMI is only one possible cause. You may have a thyroid imbalance, polycystic ovary disease, a pituitary problem, ovarian failure etc. I agree with previous posters that you need to be evaluated, preferably by a gynecologist or endocrinologist. Among other things, your condition places you at high risk of osteoporosis, stress fractures, etc.

Yes, I am pretty sure I am not running a deficit... I do not weigh myself that often, but when I do the weight has remained around the same area for a while now. I definitely eat a lot too (though I don't count calories).... so I do not think under eating is the problem. I have increased mileage, and gotten into the transition of high school to college fairly well. I am feeling good on the higher mileage and haven't had any injury problems in a while.

Yes you are. Your body weight is staying stable cause you're metabolism is slowing down to store what you DO eat (which isn't enough) to balance out the energy expended from the increased mileage. Your body may also be indiscrimately metabolizing itself (muscle, fat, glycogen stores) to provide energy for cells where it's most needed (brain). Your body has likely stabilized such that you no longer "feel hungry" (or too busy to notice), but the fact that you're not getting your periods indicates you're hormonally off (it's a whole cascade, ultimately impacting estrogen). Since you indicate transitioning from high school to college, that's added stress (= greater cortisol), and you're probably so busy you're not as "in tune" with your body and fueling it when it needs it. Carry snacks to class, eat right after workouts, always have snacks available in your room.

It means you're a man. Men don't typically have periods. It's nature.

your bmi is low, so it's likely oligomenorrhoea due to this/excess exercise

you can be a world beater with bmi of 22/23 providing your trainer can focus on putting on some leg muscle at the gym to give you more power = speed

this however though, needs more gym work & quality protein to build muscle ( look at maggie vesey )

otherwise, you need blood tests for thyroid function ( hypothyroidism exclusion ), polycystic ovaries, meaning - FSH/LH, testosterone, prolactin & SHBG & if any suggestive of later, an U/S

Most of what is posted is BS. Women who run high mileage often stop menstruating. Grete Waitz often talked about that at her lectures. So did Joan Benoit. It is normal for elite, high mileage women runners.

If you think you're getting enough food, maybe the running is coincidental. Have you looked into other possible causes?

Hi--

I am 22, and I have similar problems. I don't run anymore (I haven't been running for over a year), but I ran competitively in middle school, high school, then part way through college.

My doctors always said I was healthy, and that my irregular periods were because I run so much. The only way I could get on a normal cycle was by taking birth control.

About a year ago, I stopped taking birth control and I haven't had a period in 6 months. I am 5'6" and weigh 121 lbs. Like I said, I haven't run in over a year. All I do now is rock climb and snowboard. Different doctors give me different reasons for this. It really annoys me because I want to know what's wrong with me. I also just got married and I eventually want to have children, but wonder whether my irregular periods/ lack thereof will be a problem.

I know I am still young, but I have been visiting doctors about this since I was 16 and I still have not received direct answers. I hope you have better luck than I do!

stopping pill can often mess up your periods ( or stop them for months )

not getting a period for months isn't pathological - you may just be upper end of normal range

just get FSH/LH levels done a few weeks apart to see if you are biochemically ovulating

the other blood test of use is prolactin level which is best indicator of normal hypothalamic-pituitary function

if these are indicatory of ovulation/normal H-P function, you have nothing to worry about

Has anyone mentioned regular ol' stress? If you are a high anxiety person (how's your blood pressure?), or consistently under excessive stress, that could cause irregularity in your periods. Although I take the pill, occasionally I have a lot of stress (maybe once a year or so) that almost invariably causes me to miss a period.

Hope you find out what's going on, it's scary to not know what your body is doing.

Most of what is posted is BS. Women who run high mileage often stop menstruating. Grete Waitz often talked about that at her lectures. So did Joan Benoit. It is normal for elite, high mileage women runners.

No what's posted is not BS, and although it may happen frequently with elite high mileage women, it's not normal, for anyone. We've come a long ways, since the days of Grete Waitz, in understanding what's going on. It all comes down to energy balance, and yes, stress levels affect energy balance and the hormonal milieu. This is the truth.