A "Female" Topic Question
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| Mon, 07-10-2006 - 4:48pm |
So my dd is 14 and has been menstruating for less than a year. Just a couple of months ago she stopped menstruating. She is otherwise growing and healthy so we figure its due to a very rigorous rehearsal and performance schedule for her dancing. She did about 6 competitions and 2 major recitals in 8 weeks. It was hours and hours of rehearsals and classes and not always the best eating schedule and I think it took its toll.
Anyway about 3 weeks ago her schedule lightened up for exams and for summer break. And she's back to a more healthy eating schedule and plan. So now I am wondering how long it takes a body, on average, to "bounce back" and start menstruation again?
Has anyone's teen girl gone through this? I had one experience myself at her age and it took about 3 months. Any other insight here???

Is your dd quite slim? You said that she dances and was rehearsing/competing a lot and not eating well, did she lose weight during that period? There is a correlation between the amount of body fat and menstruation or lack of. If you Google body fat+menstruation you will get a few articles about it. If it is due to low body weight/fat then hopefully it will resume when she increases her bodyfat--although a dancer may not want to do that.
I think it is not uncommon for periods to be somewhat irregular in the first couple of years. I would probably try to get and keep her on a regular eating and sleeping schedule and see if her period resumes by the end of the summer. If it doesn't I would probably have her see the doctor about it at that point to get a professional opinion.
Female athletes (especially runners) frequently stop menstruating due to low body fat. I don't think it's necessarily unhealthy, just uncommon, given that most women aren't physically fit enough for that to occur. That said, I don't think a "more healthy" eating schedule will bring her period back, unless by "more healthy," you are implying
Thanks, yes she is quite thin as a rule. But during the 10 weeks or so of competitions, recitals, a ballet exam, rehearsals and her school exams there was so much activity and so much stress that she slimmed down even further. I think the benchmark for menstruation is about 105lbs and a BFI of about 14. At one point she was below 12 BFI and I am sure under 100lbs. She is now nicely filling out again and getting her curves back, slowly, due to a combination of eating again and resting and cutting back her exercise to a more reasonable rate.
Dancers and athletes alike do go through this I understand given how at certain points when they are competing heavily, their body fat %-age does go down. I just have no clue how long it takes by rule to bounce back from this sort of thing. I'll give it until end of summer....