recover your missing period
Not getting a period is a warning sign that something else is going on in the body.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) is when menstruation stops for several months due to a communication problem between the brain and the ovaries. The Hypothalamus (the part of the brain responsible for signalling hormones) decides to shut down reproduction because it doesn't feel safe. Essentially it deems our reproductive system as a 'non-essential' and reserves energy for more important bodily functions.
Other than a missing period, signs of HA include: feeling cold all the time, low libido, digestive issues, difficulty sleeping, anxiety/depression, low energy, weak or brittle hair and nails.
It is important to address, not only for fertility but for other long-term health consequences including cardiac, skeletal and physiological impacts.
HA affects 1-4% of women and is unfortunately commonly misdiagnosed as PCOS which affects 10-15%. The problem with the misdiagnosis is that whilst symptoms can present similarly (missing period & sometimes ovary similarities in an ultrasound), the treatment plans tend to be almost opposite which can be detrimental in the case of HA recovery.
The main thing to note is that Hypothalamic Amenorrhea is caused by an imbalance of energy in the body via too much stress, restrictive eating habits and/or overexercising - generally a combination of all three.
Your medical professional can help you in facilitating blood tests to check androgen levels (higher in PCOS), LH to FSH levels (also higher in PCOS) and overall hormones. However if these lifestyle factors contributing to HA ring true to you, its very likely to be the case.
hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery
HA is a is a symptom, not a disease in itself so can be prevented and healed naturally.
Lifestyle modifications are key.
First and foremost it’s important to accept and acknowledge that your body needs time to heal.
The exact amount of time as well as the method is going to look different for everyone. We tend to forget our bodies are bio individual, the time and exact factors which stressed them out in the first place differ from women to women therefor recovery is no different.
To recover from HA, your body needs nourishment to feel safe again. When you think about it; stopping menstruation/procreation is actually a super smart reaction by your body in order to conserve energy for more important functions.
To make your body feel safe, you need to reduce overall stress on your body - this means enough food, enough rest and prioritising stress management.
Healing starts by being honest with yourself and your current routine:
FUEL YOUR BODY
Fasting, under eating, restricting/eliminating important macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats or protein) can really mess up your hormones. All macronutrients play an essential role in hormone production, hormone health and metabolic function so ensuring you’re eating enough to adequately fuel current energy needs is crucial.
ASSESS YOUR WORKOUT REGIME
HIIT/running are more than likely going to hinder your healing journey as they’re too taxing on your body and only further increase your stress hormones.
Rest is essential & if you like; some gentle yoga, stretching & slow walks can be beneficial for mental health as well as to help you cope with exercise ‘withdrawals’ while you work on healing your body.
REDUCE OVERALL STRESS
Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences, essentially like a survival technique built into the body as a means of protection. When triggers arise, the sympathetic nervous system signals the ''fight or flight" response which helps your body respond and take action via the production of cortisol + adrenaline. This is beneficial at times, however your body doesn't know the different between good stress (hence the need to reduce exercise) and bad stress (emotional, mental & environmental type). Both are perceived by the body as life threatening causing our body to be on constant high alert.
This causes the continuous production of cortisol/adrenaline which overtime can impact things like digestion, immunity, blood sugar/, blood pressure, and of course - sex hormones.
Some external factors are hard to eliminate entirely, so it’s beneficial to find ways to mitigate the affects of stress (like daily-self care & setting boundaries).
Essentially the concept of recovering from HA is fairly straight forward. It’s the inner work thats going to get you.
When you have to let go of some of the control you have around food/exercise and let your body be healthy not just ‘fit’.
The inner work is the psychological practice of diving deep within yourself in order to transform your beliefs and properly heal…
Its reconditioning
Its revisiting past trauma
Its self-compassion
Its realising your worth
Its reevaluating your identity
Its replacing your values
It’s forgiving yourself
Its making peace with imperfection
It’s the things that will look differently for everybody; and the things that have no right or wrong way of doing.
As messy, uncomfortable and impossible as the journey to get your period back may feel like right now; you will grow so much during the process. You will realise that there is more to life and you’ll come out the other side with a much deeper respect for your body.
So trust in yourself, know that this is temporary and that your body actually wants to heal AND will if you give it what it needs, and if you need more help, reach out and I’ll be here to support you every step of the way.
xx