No period- am I damaged forever?
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No period- am I damaged forever?
| Wed, 10-25-2006 - 8:24am |
As I've mentioned before, I am struggling with anarexia. I've been slowly gaining weight- which has been very very scary for me. I'm up to about 128-130 and I still haven’t gotten my period! My doctorrs tell me I need to gain a little more weight before I can get it back, but I'm sooooo scared that I've messed up my body permanently!!! I want to have kids some day! Has this happened to anyone else? Have I damaged my system permanently?
Thank you

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Hi Sheesha,
It might take your body some time to adjust and recover before your hormonal and menstrual cycle become regular again (and it's always a longer time than we'd like it to be). Our bodies are very complex and it depends on so many things, but it also has an amazing ability to recover. A few years ago I had a prolonged period that lasted a couple of months and it took me more than a year to fully recover my health again. After my SIL's stroke, it took about 7 months for her to have a normal menstrual cycle. The doctors weren't sure she'd ever have it back, but she eventually did.
Trust your doctor, and for now concentrate on your recovery, your healing and your general well-being. Freaking out will only throw you off the path you are on and distract you, which in turn will have you running around in circles but getting nowhere at all, kwim? Are you doing fun and happy stuff? Are you looking after your emotional an spiritual needs? These play a huge role in your recovery as a whole, and will help you not only with your ED but with getting to where you want to be in life.
Good luck, and keep up the great work!
Hey there
Like Poppy said, there are many factors involved, but for you, it may have mostly to do
~Diana~
follow what your doctors say. be healthy and just know that even if it turns out that you aren't able to have kids (which, AGAIN, is not necessarily going to be the case) you can still take comfort in the fact that YOU'RE here, that you beat it.
congrats on your recovery process : )
How long were you starving yourself? (I'm sorry if this question hurts...)
If you've done it long enough (over a few years), it will take a VERY long time to get it back. When I was 15-16 years old, I would say I starved myself for nearly a year. I didn't get my period for around 7-8 months. I didn't get it back regularly for another couple years.
The body is amazingly resilient. Hopefully you can get your period back soon. I'm immensely happy to hear you're working on gaining a little more weight. :)
I was starving myself for about 6 months....and as of right now- I still haven't gotten it yet. I am eating more healthyfully now, but at times I still restrict myself. I am currently 130lbs and it's wearing me out just trying to gain more weight. But in the back of my mind I'm still worried about no being able to have children anymore.. :/
Are there other things that come into play about this issue? (not just about starving myslelf???)
The personality type of many people with EDs is a very ambitious, driven person who strives for perfection. This definitely describes my daughter. These tendencies can mean that you stress about other aspects of your life as well and overwork yourself, so be sure to take time for yourself, relax and just do the best you can at eating healthy balanced meals. It will probably take a while but I'd bet you have not done yourself any permanent damage.
Best of luck!
~L.
Stress and how much you workout can really affect your period too. When was the last time you were on birth control? And what sort of birth control?
If you starved your body of nutrients for 6 months, you have to think of it from "it's" perspective- the first bodily function is your ability to produce the lining to have a child (menstrual tissue). It takes a very long time to have your body be nourished, even if you DO gain weight.
Also, mentally, if you are worried about your weight or restriction, you can be sending sub-conscious messages to your ovaries not to produce.
Give it time- you didn't starve yourself for years on end (thankfully!) so hopefully your body can bounce back. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
I'm 23...and I HAVE been stressing out over this. Do you think smoking again has anything to do with this???
:/ I just want to have kids someday and I'm so scared!
You are still young! Your body will bounce back. :hugs: Give your body time to heal- you gave it a run for it's money, so it's going to take a little while to get back to normal. :)
As you know, smoking reeks havoc on your body. I would suggest giving it up, but I know it's hard to ditch all "coping" habits, smoking and starvation being a couple.
I have been bulimic and anorexic (on and off, on and off, on and off) for around eight years now. I lost my period for around 7-8 months and it took a couple YEARS to get back. It is still irregular. But your body will get back into a cycle after you make sure to nourish your mind and body. Take time for yourself to mind YOU why YOU are a special and wonderful person, and why what others think about you shouldn't come into play. Remember as well that starvation is not a good way mentally and physically to cope with stress- rise above that "voice" and be YOU for YOU, not for a gross disease. :hugs:
If you want to have kids, I would suggest seeing a gynocologist. She will be able to talk to you about your medical history and your ability. She will give you some firm answers, hopefully. :)
Thanks for your insight. I know that I'm still young but no one seems to understand this intense desire to have children. I am regretting that I started all this bs in the first place! It's very aggravating and frustrating for me. There are times (like this past weekend) where my old habits creep back into my life and I despise it! I feel awful after I behave the way I do and then regret doing it (esp. when I find myself sooooo hungry!)
If you don't mind me asking- are you still currently dealing with your bulimia/ana? How do you cope with your disorder?
My doctors keep telling me that I'll get my period back when I hit my "target weight" which is still about 5 lbs away! Is this true? Or are they just telling me this to pacify my anxiety around this issue?
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