NOTE READ ME FIRST!
Original Post
I have to tell you guys something that feels somewhat like a confession. For the past five years (so a year before starting this blog) I have struggled with amenorrhea. If you think the word struggled is a bit extreme, I get that. How could not having a period be a struggle? Well, it is. It is because you know your body isn’t functioning right, you know something is wrong, and you don’t know what to do. I had always intended to write about it, but I didn’t want to add to the confusion out there. I had read so many posts from people who had it but hadn’t solved it, and I didn’t want to contribute to the confusion. I wanted to share the answer. However, if you would have asked me four years ago if I thought it would take five long years to get my cycle back, I probably would have fainted.
You guys, there are so many posts in my drafts that consist of me pouring out my frustration, anger, fears, and pain struggling with this issue. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be getting this off my chest finally. So, let me start from the beginning.
I started my cycle at age 14, a bit of a late bloomer compared to my friends but no big deal. It was regular, although I do remember some pretty severe fatigue and cramping in high school. I remember coming home those days passing out for hours under a heating pad, looking back I can see that might not have been normal. In college, I started having my cycle every two weeks, and so the University doctor quickly put me on birth control. (First Yasmin then later on Yaz.) I continued on birth control for almost six years. For a variety of reasons, in the middle of graduate school, I decided to stop taking it. When I finished it I got one cycle where I know I ovulated because I remember calling my future MIL (my mom would rather die than talk to me about these things) and asking her WTH was going on. Then absolutely nothing for five solid years. NOTHING. When I mean nothing, I mean nothing. I think the best thing I can do is break this up into sections, so here we go.
EMOTIONS
- “But you don’t look too skinny or emaciated?” —> my general reaction, “so what do I look like then?”
- “But I’ve been way skinnier than you, and I haven’t lost my period yet” —> “thank you for pointing that out.”
- “This may never go away for you.” —> this was said to me by the first Doctor I saw at Loma Linda. I’ll never forget his words. My thoughts, “I’ll show you.”
- “Maybe you should go back on birth control until your ready to have kids.” —> My thoughts, “how the hell does that solve the problem?”
- “Are you guys ever going to have kids?/ Do you guys want kids? / When do you want kids? ” —> “I don’t know if I can.”
- “My friend got off of birth control and her period came back right away.” My thoughts —> “thank you for sharing, mine did not.”
- “I think you need to eat a few Oreos and chill out.” —> “so chemical additives and preservatives are the answer to my problem?”
- “You need to chill out, relax, stop stressing.” My thoughts, “ so this is all my fault?” Whenever someone would tell me that it would stress me out so much further like something was wrong with me, and I just needed to control my emotions. If I was stressed, that particular comment sent me off my rocker.
- “I’m not convinced you don’t have PCOS. “ —> WTF, am I suppose to do with that info? Should I eat fewer carbs than I’m already eating? Update: I’ve received a lot of questions about carbs. I addressed that here.)
- “We can try this medication.” I look it up. It’s for drug addicts weaning off drugs. No, thank you, hard pass.
- You’ve lost weight/gained weight. The hardest comment came in the last couple of months when someone told me my face looked fuller (and relaxed). If she weren’t 90, I would have felt like hitting her. It stuck with me for daaaaayyyyyyysssss and daaaaaayyyyysss and daaaayyyyyssss. Then my husband reminded me the same person before would continuously ask me if I was getting enough to eat. So really you can’t win with some people, and that’s why you don’t worry about any people. More on that later.
DIET
This was around the same time that I know my metabolism was JACKED up because I at some point I started gaining weight at 1200 calories. I stopped counting calories, and my weight normalized to my high school weight, but it was still a struggle. Let me preface something, my weight never dropped below an acceptable range, my body fat percentage was always healthy, and my BMI was never below 21. I didn’t look emaciated, and I didn’t feel emaciated, yet my monthly cycle continued to elude me.
EXERCISE
BODY IMAGE & WEIGHT
The most important thing I did that I think affected my cycle was to choose to love myself.
STRESS
After about a year of that, I applied and took a job at Life Time Fitness. I loved every second of what I was doing, but eventually, 70 hour work weeks and variable pay caught up with me. Plus, let’s be honest. The fitness industry is not the place you want to be when you have amenorrhea. In the past year, I’ve been working on my own business and teaching at a local community college. It’s been a struggle to launch everything but worth it. I can manage my back pain which is, thanks to Dr.K, virtually gone. It pretty much flares when I travel, and that’s it. I can maintain my work schedule, get enough sleep, and pour my heart and soul into work I love. The hard part has been keeping up with my massive student loan, but I know I’m not the only entrepreneur millennial out there.
SUPPORT
I mentioned in the emotions section that people have said things to me that cut me so deep I felt you could see into the hole straight through me. People have said things to me that stuck with me for years on end, and the best part is they probably don’t even remember saying them. My first Doctor in Loma Linda told me that this “probably wouldn’t go away for me.” Great. Your an ass. Next.
My second Doctor, in Arizona, at first made me feel really good. He was sure it would come back, and he wanted to wait it out. This Doctor was Catholic, and so the best thing about him was that he wasn’t about to put me on birth control as the answer. He also made me feel, on several occasions stupid and like the problem was my fault. To the point that every time I went in to see him, I would get so anxious the night before I would throw up. I should have stopped seeing him years before I did.
As I mentioned, I read SO SO SO many stories online of people who had lost their period, but few who talked about getting it back. Many of those admitted anorexic tendencies which I didn’t identify because I had abandoned eating 1200 calories and wasn’t counting anymore. I was at a healthy weight, body fat percentage, and BMI. I was at my high school weight, so it wasn’t like I was underweight. I never identified with those stories, and I still don’t. One day I ran across a blog that I finally identified as at least somewhat similar to me and found out this blogger was in Arizona. I asked her to meet up and talk with me about it, and even though she lived an hour away, she agreed. We talked for a couple of hours, and it became clear to me that some parts of our stories overlapped and others didn’t. However, just talking to her felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Since then, she has become one of my most significant sources of support in friendship and business. I’m fortunate to have found such a great friend who understood what I was going through.
I should also mention in this section that my MIL always always always listened and talked with me. She was caring, supportive, and wonderful. However, she couldn’t hold me accountable for seed cycling or any other diet change. I also would feel better and anxious at the same time while talking to her about this issue. Hi, it’s your DIL calling again about that problem that might cause you never to have grandchildren by your son. That was an accepted fact by all members of the family (or at least I assumed it was) but still weird.
What Now?
So why do I call it a battle? Well, hopefully, you see now how many factors I was continually weighing. It wasn’t just one thing. It was a combination of the right moves that finally brought it back. Many of those moves took courage beyond what I thought I could ever muster up.
I appreciate you all letting me share this story with you. I was going to wait until I had two cycles, but Mr. Hungry urged me to write about it sooner. I think he knew that it was important to me to share. I hope that this story helps someone out there not to lose hope and know they aren’t the only ones to go through this. More updates after the holiday.
Updates/ Related
- DUTCH Hormone Testing
- Post-Pill Amenorrhea Update (4 months later)
- Seed Cycling for Hormone Balance (6-month update)
- How to Make Your Hormones Work For You
- Low Carb? No Period? Why Your Hormones Need Carbs
- Iron Foods, Functions, and Facts (related)
- My friend Ashley wrote an ebook called Fit & Fertile (affiliate link)about her experience with Amenorrhea as a Group Fitness Instructor and what she did to get pregnant naturally. Her experience was different t n mine, but similar in some ways as well. Either way, it was a comforting read.
Marina @ Parental Journey says
Thanks for sharing such a personal story with us.. I struggled with infertility for such a long time, but never had a courage to share my story..
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thank you, Marina! I understand, it took a long time and a lot of urging!
Chelsey says
OH MY I can 100% relate and write the longest comment here (but I won’t!)… This was so refreshing to hear such an HONEST recount of these struggles…because it is a struggle (I know, I’ve been there!). Your openness is so inspiring and those 1,000 drafts I have about my own struggles may just become published sometime too thanks to you! As a dietitian with weight fluctuations outside of my control too, I 100% have thought this exact sentiment, “It didn’t bother me that a 90-year-old told me I gained weight, it bothered me that I thought everyone else was thinking it.” 100% have been there and it can be so taxing on your psyche thinking that everyone else is thinking something and judging…even though we’re dietitians, we’re humans too!! So happy to hear you’re getting back on track and kicking ass mentally and physically…you look beautiful!! xoxo
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Hi Chelsey! I love the we are humans too! SOOOO True! Thanks for your comment, I’ll look forward to reading about your experiences as I know we all deal with these things differently.
Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian says
Thank you for taking the time and willingness to share such a personal story. I think it’s great when people share their struggles because you never know who is going to read it and be going through the same thing!
jennifer says
hormone issues yes, infertility issues yes . . . almost lifelong lack of cycle or very light and unpredictable. Low body fat, low-ish weight, and basically female athlete triad. I DID manage to have 3 children (with fertility help) they are 14, 17 and 19 now! I still have hormone issues, and cycle problems . . . was just at doctor about it yesterday in fact. Sigh. However, I DONT want to get pregnant . . . so that takes out some of the sting. Good luck with everything and I’m glad your body is now responding the way you want it too BTW, the the way you used the emotions of your dog 🙂
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
sometimes nala can say it better than me!
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
AWW…thanks for the mention! If there’s one thing (besides my hip) that I’m thankful for this year, it’s meeting you. Even though that meant we both struggled for a very long time getting our periods back, it brought us together! xoxo
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Me too girly me too!
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
Thank you so so much for sharing this personal story and the ups and downs of it with us. You know that I am in the midst of dealing with hormone and fertility issues (and about to start IVF). I have never had a normal period, and I have done so much to try to get it back, but to no avail. Thank goodness for amazing doctors and a fantastic support base. I would be lost without them
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thank you for reading Susie! That is one thing that has always comforted me, modern medicine has come so far in the area of fertility! I’m keeping you in my thoughts and will be following your journey!
Sarah says
Thank you so much for writing and sharing this Kelli! Your story is truly amazing and you should be damn proud of yourself! One thing I worry about a lot is my own period issues and future fertility. I had my first period when I was 13 but only got it one time. That was also about the time I developed anorexia. I started BC pills when I was 17 and have been on them ever since. I am so scared that I won’t have a natural period when I go off them. This fear is a huge motivation to me in my recovery (I am up 9 pounds since August- woohoo- and getting closer to a healthy weight and BMI). Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that your strength and mindset is super inspiring to me!
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Sarah that is so awesome! I’m glad I could help in any way!
Diana Fitts says
Thanks for sharing this Kelli! I’ve had a similar struggle for many years now too and am constantly trying to find the perfect balance of exercise, diet, stress, and other lifestyle factors. In fact, the stress of trying to perfectly balance everything became so stressful that it just made everything worse! I’ve now reached a point where I control what I can control and try to let everything else go. If I’m taking care of my body, I can trust that it will work itself out eventually. I know that after years of messed up hormones, it won’t resolve itself immediately, so I’m trying to be patient. Your story means a lot! Thanks again!
Diana
http://betterthanalive.com/
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
I totally understand!
Rebecca says
Big hug to you! I think a lot more women struggle with these issues than we are aware of. I had amenorrhea for a few years in early college when struggling with my eating disorder. Thanks to terrible doctors that didn’t care if I had a cycle or not, I never worried or focused on it, and as a result of just taking care of myself and what I think was most important, managing stress, it came back on its own. It has never been super regular and I sometimes skip a few during stressful periods. Personally, I know a lot of people focus on the food and the weight, but I’ve found a lot of it has to do with women leading lives that are just much too stressful and it takes a toll on our hormones.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thank you for sharing Rebecca! Absolutely, well said! Food never fixed mine (except I think the seed cycling helped get enough healthy fats), nothing changed until I changed my mindset and how I dealt with stress.
MICHAEL BRANDON says
“Yes, i did” for all the issues ! But i can’t be brave enough to share it as you do 🙁
We all have to struggle with not only those but also tons of issues outside there !
The only way we can help each others to overcome is encouraging them !
Just keep moving forward !
Your story inspired me much Kelli !
And hope you have a good week by the way 🙂
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
htank you Micahel! sorry for the very overdue reply, I hate how sometimes I miss comments! Your encouragement is appreciated!
Richard Friesen says
My daughter got the amenorrhea for 6 months. We did take her to the hospital and do some checks but they say nothing is wrong with her.
Thanks for the very detailed and helpful post. I really appreciate what you shared.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
hope everything is alright!
Pompi Borah says
Hey thanks for being so honest, to tell your personal story, your struggle to recover, all are so touching and inspirational.
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Thank you!
Karly F says
I am so happy I found your blog and all your great post! They are so helpful. I’ve just recently started the struggle with hormone issues. After counting macros for almost 2 years, having an extremely low body fat percentage and cross fitting 5 days a week I lost my period 2 months ago. I’ve made the decision to get off of birth control and see what happens. I’m going to try your seed cycling and see what happens. Like you said a boost of healthy fats cant hurt right?! Your blog will now be one of my go to daily blogs!
thanks again for all this great info
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
Hi Karly, the best part about seed cycling is it can’t hurt anything! Don’t forget to add in the supplements, I’m updating it with my new recommendations.
Karly F says
Cant wait to see them, thank you so much for responding! 🙂
Kelli Shallal MPH RD says
No problem! I just adding them to the seed cycling post!