Again, this is an incredibly personal one from me. After a recent post this week on this topic, I thought one IG post just wasn’t enough to delve into this issue, so thought I’d write a blog post in more depth on the subject. Most women would be jumping for joy knowing they don’t have a period anymore, and yes I was exactly the same at the time. But when you don’t have one for 9 months which is what happened to me (and no, I was not pregnant) it really can take its toll on you physically and mentally. It is the biggest red flag (pardon the pun) that a woman can receive which is your body telling you that it is not functioning correctly, especially in terms of hormonal function. And it should not be taken lightly. This is for anyone who has suffered, is suffering with Amenorrhea or wants to know more about it.
WHAT IS IT? WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
Amenorrhea is simply the absence of your cycle. There are 2 types: Primary is when a girl is late in starting her first period during puberty and Secondary is when a grown woman has missed 3 or more cycles. There are many factors affecting whether a woman develops it and here are a few:
· Seriously underweight or overweight
· Eating disorders
· Family history
· Stress
· Poor diet
· Extreme exercise regime
· Pregnancy/breastfeeding
· Menopause
· Contraceptive pills (before or after)
· PCOS
WHEN I SUFFERED WITH IT
Obviously, my causes for developing it stemmed from dieting for my bodybuilding competitions. Its disappearance a mere month into the diet (not a drastic one) was what I was most shocked about. It wasn’t restrictive (I was eating carbs and fats with every meal), my training had stayed the same since years before, I wasn’t even very lean to justify its disappearance and I was still on high calories. Yet I still couldn’t believe how quickly it had gone. It was like my body knew what it was preparing itself for throughout the next 6 months.
Admittedly, I was so happy when it disappeared-initially. It was great knowing there wouldn’t be any nasty surprises, I didn’t need to be prepared in case it made a sudden appearance, I didn’t have any horrible cramps and I was relishing in it. All I was focused on was competing and reaching that end goal to step on stage, I simply didn’t care about what was actually going on inside my body. It was great wearing whatever underwear I wanted and it soon became very normal as each month went by. I learnt to live without it and so it became the new ‘normal’.
Show day came and went and for a long time afterwards I was still struggling with my Binge Eating Disorder (B.E.D) and then eventually Disordered Eating (D.E). Even after piling on too much weight, I was shocked that it had not yet returned, even despite putting on more than what I had lost. It was something I started to become more and more stressed about as time went on and when it still hadn’t returned, frightening thoughts entered my head like was I still fertile? Would it affect my future? Would my cycle be gone forever? Would I ever be a normal woman again?
WHAT HELPED ME GET IT BACK AND WHY HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN AESTHETICS
I wanted it to return so much, just to feel human again that I started reading, research and listening obsessively to podcasts on the subject. I started to put my knowledge into actions and these were the things that I discovered that had helped many recover from Amenorrhea, many of which I put into practice:
· Increase of calories: one nutritionist mentioned eating between 2000-2500cals daily. Post show this happened naturally, but if you read further down, I eventually made sure these were nutritious calories. Eating to satiation was so important for me, so if I was hungry, I would eat more
· Putting on weight; like the above, this happened naturally post show, but I certainly fucked up my reverse diet. When I started cleaning up my nutrition, I had to push aesthetics aside, getting my period back was my only goal. Despite feeling and looking softer, it was the most normal I had ever felt post show, especially when consistency in my diet followed suit.
· Eating higher fats: fats are essential for hormonal function. I started having more eggs, salmon and so prioritised all healthy fats and lowering carbs slightly
· Relieving stress: I had to make sure I wasn’t getting overly stressed that it hadn’t returned yet. So I would find ways to relax, making sure I was getting enough sleep and I certainly napped whenever I needed to!
· One podcast I listened to mentioned tapering down training. Believe it or not, lifting heavy as much as I loved to, was only an extra stress on my body. I was so unsure how I felt about this one but knew there was no harm in trying regardless. So, instead of hitting PBs on my deadlifts, I went lighter and even including deadstops in there. My training overall certainly toned down
· Going back on the pill: I knew without a doubt that I wouldn’t be doing this, just because all the pill does is induce a fake period. This was a no no from me and I wanted to get it back naturally.
· Consistency: in weight maintenance and calories. This was super hard especially as my B.E.D and D.E were at its peak but over time and completely out of the blue on an ordinary day, it returned!
Men, this won’t mean anything to you. But ladies, the day it came back really was the most amazing day. I cannot express to you enough the happiness and elation I felt knowing my body was back to normal AND I felt like a real woman again. It required so much patience and pushing away the stress and anxiety was vital. That day, I remember hugging my Coach and a client at the same time when I announced the big news, it seems humorous thinking about that now, especially because we were in the gym at the time. As OTT as this may seem, it was the greatest relief. The waiting game was finally over. I was a woman again.
I hope today has given you something to think about. Especially if you are suffering with Amenorrhea due to your body fat percentage or eating habits, please DON’T IGNORE IT. Your body is telling you something. DO SOMETHING. I do not claim to be a GP or an expert in this field, the purpose of this is to share my experience.
Want to chat more with me about Amenorrhea and all things relating to health and nutrition?
DM me today.
@natashakostalas
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