Fyi: You Definitely Dont Want To Play Around With Progestin
The progestin-only birth control pill doesnt contain estrogen so it really relies on progestin to thicken cervical mucus and thin the uterine lining to prevent pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
There are two reasons why you shouldnt try to work this period magic with the minipill. First, the minipill comes with 28 active days and no placebos. That means theres not even a placebo week for you to take earlier than scheduled to make your period arrive. Second, since the minipill doesnt have estrogen and also contains a lower dose of progestin than combined pills, you have to be really on top of taking your pills at the same time every day if you want your best odds of avoiding pregnancy, the Mayo Clinic says. That means you definitely shouldnt skip a week just to try to get your period earlieryoud be putting yourself at a huge risk of unintended pregnancy.
Supplements On The Period Diet
There are a few supplements that you can take in order to assist in your efforts to get your period back. But it’s important to note that you can NOT out supplement the previous recommendations. Don’t expect to take these supplements but not fuel your body appropriately, reduce high intensity activity, and manage stress. It just doesn’t work that way. Here are a few supplements that the No Period, Now What? book recommends:
Aceytl-L-Carnitine
In several studies L-carnitine has shown to improve low LH, which is a lab test that you want your doctor to check. LH is low in those with hypothalamic amenorrhea and can be due to reduction in stress induced adrenal activity.
Some say carnitine is touted for weight loss, by the authors of No Period, Now What? could not find any actual evidence of this, only hypotheses. So the concern of well, youre trying to have me gain weight, but I could take this supplement, isnt really a concern.
Flax Seed
Flax seed contains fiber, lignan alpha-linoleic acid, and phytoestrogen precursor secoisolariciresinol diglucoside which contribute to its health benefits. Some benefits observed are:
Ashwagandha
How Long Can Stress Delay Your Period
The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long, although its normal for a menstrual cycle to be anywhere from 21 to 35 days, and this can vary by a few days each cycle without being considered late.
A general rule of thumb is that a period is considered late if it is delayed by five days or more.
Anyone who gets a period will probably experience a late period at least once in their life. It may come as a surprise that stress is actually a very common cause for a late period. If a period is delayed due to stress, how late it is depends on many factors, including the amount of stress, coping abilities, and the persons individual cycle.
If the stress is acute, your period might only be a few days late, but some people who experience severe chronic stress can go months without getting a period.
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Real Talk: Yes Your Body Might Need To Gain Weight
No matter which option you choose, you will most likely need to gain weight in order to heal your hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Gaining weight is completely OK. Doing so doesnt mean youll be less healthy , less worthy of a person, or that youll be less happy.
If your period went missing while you were pursing a certain weight you thought you should be, its important to recognize that your health and happiness is not a destination. Weight loss doesnt equate to improved health, and there isnt a linear relationship between leanness and happiness.
Very few women can reverse HA without gaining some body fat. Yes, even women who are at what most people would consider a healthy weight may have to gain weight to get their period back.
For most women, youll need to get back to the weight you were at the last time you had a period, and you may have to even go above that.
Theres no set number or body fat percentage to strive for, but youll know youve gained enough weight when you get your period back. Essentially, you are trying to get to a place where your body knows there is enough energy available, hormones have the nutrients they need, and cortisol is within normal ranges.
Its Also Possible To Manipulate Your Period With The Birth Control Ring And Patch
The ring is a donut-shaped piece of flexible plastic you insert into your vagina, the Mayo Clinic says. It essentially works the same way as the combined birth control pill: It has estrogen and progestin to suppress ovulation, thicken your cervical mucus, and thin your uterine lining. The patch also contains estrogen and progestin, and you wear it on your butt, upper outer arm, stomach, or back, per the Mayo Clinic.
Like the combined birth control pill, both of these methods involve using the respective devices for 21 active days and taking seven off days, so youd simply take your ring out or your patch off when you want to get your period, then start back up again with a fresh ring or patch after seven days. Again, its important to talk to your doctor about this before trying it so that you can make sure youre fully protected against unwanted pregnancy and you arent putting yourself at risk of any side effects.
When it comes to long-acting reversible contraceptives like the IUD or the implant, you cant really use them to reschedule your period, though they may make your period lighter or shorter over time.
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You Have Uterine Polyps Or Fibroids
Uterine issues like polyps or fibroidsbenign lesions or tumors that can grow in the uterusare very common and may be related to hormonal issues. Uterine polyps can cause bleeding in between periods, says Dr. Dweck, especially if they are touched, like during sex, and fibroids can cause pain, back pain, abdominal bloating, anemia, pain with intercourse, and spontaneous bleeding because theyre not associated with the menstrual cycle, explains Dr. Richardson.
While fibroids can affect women of any age or race, Black women are about three times more likely to develop them compared to white women, and their symptoms tend to emerge at an earlier age with greater severity. Its unclear why exactly Black women are disproportionately impacted by fibroids, but some studies suggest that greater exposure to racial discrimination or genetics could play a role.
As the Black Womens Health Imperative notes, heavy, painful periods may seem like a fact of life since theyre so commonand many women wait years to seek treatment for fibroidsbut you dont have to needlessly suffer.
What to do about it
Head to your ob-gyn for an ultrasound, a uterine biopsy, or a hysteroscopy . Hormonal medications such as progestins and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists may lessen symptoms of polyps and shrink uterine fibroids.
Get Pumped For Papaya
In ayurvedic medicine, its thought that eating unripe papaya might help bring a late period out of hiding, and some alternative medicine practitioners suggest unripe papaya might induce proper menstrual flow.
A study on mice found that papaya appears to have anti-fertility properties and seems to act as an abortifacient, so it could be dangerous for pregnant women.
Papaya has a ton of vitamins and minerals, so if youre not pregnant, feel free to indulge.
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How To Heal Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
If I had to sum up how you can heal hypothalamic amenorrhea in one sentence it would be: eat more, exercise less.
Because HA is caused by an energy imbalance, the only way to truly heal it is to correct that imbalance. The energy imbalance is a major source of stress, which is shutting down hormone production. Stress has a profound impact on your endocrine system and hormones, and unless you deal with the root cause of the stress and the imbalance, you wont be able to get your period back.
Its also important to remember that eating too little puts your body in a state of nutrient deficiency. So, if youve been chronically cutting calories and working out a ton, your body isnt going to have the raw materials needed to create and secrete hormones. There are other functions that take priority, like the stress response, which is why your body shuts down your menstrual cycle.
The fastest way to recover from HA is to stop intense exercise and eat above your calories needs . If you listen to my podcast, youve heard Stef and I call this Eating All The Things.
Think of the energy imbalance caused by HA like a big, deep hole. Not only do you need to stop digging it deeper , but you also have to fill it back in. Thats why eating not just enough calories for your daily needsbut a surplus of caloriesis so important.
You can take a more moderate approach, too by reducing exercise and slowly increasing your calories, but it will definitely take longer to recover this way.
Exercise But Not Too Much
Since amenorrhea is very common among active people who menstruate, at times it may be best to reduce your intensity at the gym. Taking a rest day can not only benefit your reproductive health, but can help with muscle recovery and protects you from injury.
Bottom Line:
Getting in your daily physical activity can do wonders for our health, however over exercising and going overboard at the gym can have a negative effect and put your reproductive health at risk.
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Is Your Period Mia 3 Strategies To Get It Back
Menstruation, periods, aunt flow , shark week whatever you call it, it is a fundamental reality of being a woman.
Your period has been hailed as the fifth vital sign of health alongside blood pressure, temperature, pulse and breathing rate. Yep, it is THAT important, ladies.
So, when something isnt quite right with your periods, this is a cause for investigation and leaves many women who come to see me wondering how can I get my period back, naturally?
Drink Apple Cider Vinegar Daily
The results of a study published in 2013 showed that drinking 0.53 oz of apple cider vinegar daily may restore ovulatory menstruation in women with PCOS. More research is needed to validate these results, as this particular study involved only seven participants (
30 ).
Apple cider has a bitter taste, which may be difficult for some people to consume. If you want to try taking it but have a hard time with the flavor, you can try diluting it with water and adding a tablespoon of honey.
SUMMARYDrinking 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar a day may help regulate menstruation in women with PCOS.
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What To Eat To Get Your Period Back
When it comes to healing hypothalamic amenorrhea, food quantity is more important than anything else. Youve got to have enough food to fill that hole back in.
I recommend 2,000 calories a day as a minimum for women who are already healthy. Supplying your body with quality nutrients is the entire basis of my book, Coconut and Kettlebells. If you have HA, 2,300 2,500 calories per day is a good place to start, but know that you might need to go higher .
You dont have to track calories, and you should never stop eating if youre still hungry. That being said, if youve been undereating for a long time, you might need to count calories temporarily just to be certain youre eating enough.
After food quantity, the most important food for healing HA are carbohydrates. In fact, according to Dr. Lara Briden, even if youre getting adequate calories, undereating carbohydrates can trigger HA for some women.
Yes, some women can eat a low carb diet without losing their period. But just because it works for them, doesnt mean it works for you. If you have HA, you must eat sufficient carbohydrates to recover.
You’re Seriously Stressed Out
High levels of stress can cause either more frequent periods or completely missed ones, says Dr. Masterson, because the hormones that trigger your ovaries to ovulate every month originate in the brain .
Basically, when youre swamped at work or worrying a lot , those hormones can misfire and affect your cycle in negative ways.
What to do about it
If you know youve been mentally stretched to the limit lately, consider doing some yoga or meditation exercises, or talking to someone who can help manage your stress. Youll be surprised how much it can help your mind and body, says Dr. Masterson.
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Getting My Period Back Postpartum
So, what is normal? There isnt really a normal here, it varies from woman to woman. I personally did not get my period back until about 7-9 months after I gave birth. I was breastfeeding and I still plan to until my daughter is 2 years old, so this delayed the return of my period somewhat. For women who dont breastfeed, your period will usually show up about 4 months after youve had your baby.
Im sure youre wondering how I did cycle syncing when I didnt have a menstrual cycle during this time. Post-pregnancy I didnt start cycle syncing my meals until I got my period back. I did, however, eat a special post partum diet, which Ill be sharing more about in the future. You want to be performance eating almost like an athlete to rebuild your micronutrient resources and rebuild your hormones, not to mention making good quantity and quality breastmilk.
I was 210 pounds after I gave birth to my daughter, but within 6 months I had lost all the weight without depriving or starving myself and without causing any hormonal symptoms. I ate lots of super nourishing, nutrient dense foods. I actually ate a whole lot and filled up on good fats. Take a look at my post-pregnancy meal plan. I did this with my health in mind, as well as knowing this would help me to breastfeed as long as I wanted to. Luteal phase foods will boost your progesterone levels and protect you from the pitfalls of progesterone deficiency that can happen post-pregnancy .
to your FLO,