body fat %age and menstruation

[charmo.livejournal.com]

i haven't had a period since April and being that July is the 3rd month since .. I realized that there might be a problem.

I was on birth control for about 18 months before I stopped back in November. I continued to have my period every month until April. I took a pregnancy test about 3 weeks ago which came out negative.

Anyway, I'm also a long distance runner, I train for marathons (ran my last in March, in training for an August 1st race). I had my body composition tested a few weeks ago and I'm at about 16% body fat. While surfing the net, I came upon a site that discussed 'athlete amenorrhea' and I seem have most of the symptoms associated with this condition.

I don't have a regular GYN that I see (I usually go to a nurse on my college campus) .. I'm def. going to make an appt. sometime this week to see one; in the meanwhile, is anyone here familiar with athlete amenorrhea? Would it be possible for this to be the culprit behind my missed periods? Anyone know how much body fat is needed to 'have' a period?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

i don't know what % is needed for regular menstruation, but just to ease your mind, when i was in high school, one of my friends was a long distance runner and quite slim. she would only menstruate maybe two or three times a year, and even when she did, it was erratic, not a normal flow or anything.

you wouldn't necessarily need to see a gyno, your normal doc/general practicioner should know the deal w/body fat and cycle relationship.

in any case, best of luck!

[maiden-midwife.livejournal.com]

I believe that it varies slightly, but once a woman drops below 18% body fat she may experience amenorrhea. The reason for this is that estrogen is stored in fat tissue and if you don't have enough fat your body stores less estrogen. Whether you have athlete amenorrhea or general amenorrhea, it is important to be sure you are getting enough iron and enough protein. Since you are a runner you probably already know that diet is really important for athletes though.

[neko-san.livejournal.com]

Is anyone here familiar with athlete amenorrhea?

only a little.

a very good book about the female athletic triad (one part of which is amenorrhea) is The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide: How to Win the Battle Against Eating Disorders, Amenorrhea, and Osteoporosis by Carol L. Otis, Roger Goldingay. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0736001212/qid=1089665366/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6190009-3795143?v=glance&s=books

make sure that you're getting enough calcium. osteoporosis starts to be a concern after about one year of amenorrhea.

also make sure that you're eating enough to support your training. if you exercise a lot, it's easy to be running a energy deficit, where you burn more calories than you take in, and your body goes into a state of semi-starvation. (yes, this can happen even if you're eating over 2,000 calories per day.) running an energy deficit can also contribute to amenorrhea.

also, watch out. your doctor may simply put you on birth control pills to induce regular periods, which masks the problems of not having sufficient body fat to be healthy and not eating enough.

Would it be possible for this to be the culprit behind my missed periods?

oh yes, extremely possible.

however, i've read that going off of birth control can make your cycle irregular. i think that cycles even out within 3 to 6 months after stopping hormonal birth control, but don't trust me on that.

Anyone know how much body fat is needed to 'have' a period?

it differs from person to person. one number which i have seen bandied about in several places is 22% body fat. (yeah, that *sounds* horribly high, but it's actually healthy for females of childbearing age.)