No Periods..?

[whyhellochello]

Hi everyone..
I just wanted to ask what you guys thought of my little problemm...
i havent had a period for about 3 years.
ive had some a few times when i was in 9th grade..i am now a freshman in college..
i got checked out about a year ago, and got my blood taken.
They said i have very low estrogen, so they put me on birth control.
i have heard many bad side effects, so i decided to only use them for 3 months..(this is what he recommended, and then my period was supposed to start up on its own)..it never did..
so now im stuck. i wont ever take bc again..i hated it.
soo what do you guys recommend?
any foods to help with hormone balance?

ALSO..i have a scar on my stomache, and its quite dark..my dermatologist gave me some kind of lotion with hydroquine in it..so i looked it up..its not even legall in some countries, because they believe it causes cancer..
now why the heck would he give me that?! lol..soo does anyone know anything for dark scars...that wont give me cancer.lol
thanks!

[Raene]

Yes, maca for hormone balance. It's incredible!!! Can be found at most health food stores and online raw stores.
About not having periods--there are several raw foodists who don't have them either. People can agree or disagree with if that's healthy or not healthy, but from what I've read, only animals in captivity bleed. Just because you're not bleeding doesn't mean you aren't able to get pregnant/ have a normal cycle.
I think it's diet related in the first place...cooked food makes us have painful periods and heavy bleeding...supposedly it's natural not to get one at all...
As for me, I do have a period but my cycles were completely crazy until I started eating vegan (cooked) food. I always had horrible periods with heavy cramps and bleeding and I'm looking forward to better, less painful periods on raw...we'll see.

[whyhellochello]

Thanks! ive heard maca helps too..i think im going to try it :)
my doctor said my period stopped, because right when i first started to get them i lost a lot of weight about 40 pounds..but i lost it very slowly..and now i eat a ton..so im confused why my body wouldnt just start having periods again..

[zig_zag]

If you don[t mind me asking, how much do you weigh/how tall are you? Do you have any idea what your body fat percentage is? It could very well be related to your weight loss, though if you were, let's say, obese prior to losing 40 pounds, losing weight SLOWLY should not have affected that....:confused:
Also, what is your diet like? How long have you been raw for?And vegan- how long have you been vegan for?

[chocoholic]

Hi,
I've been trying to search online to see if Maca is safe to take while breastfeeding - does anyone know or have experience with this? Any good sites with info on maca?
thanks!

[rawstrength]

Hey there, I feel your pain!
I lost about 40 pounds (from 130 to 90 and I'm 5'2") when I was in eigth grade. I had been getting my period for 3 years, but then it stopped as I began to lose the weight. I lost the weight slowly, but I did get down to a weight that was unhealthily thin for me. They told me that in order to get my period back, I would need to gain weight back to 110 pounds. I got to 110 pounds, maintained that weight, and then 3 months later got my period. Then I lost my period again, after having it for only 2 months. I went to a doctor, who said I had high estrogen but low progesterone. So I went on progesterone pills for 10 days, had the worst PMS-like symptoms of my life, and then got my period. I've been regular since then. However, on the progesterone pills, I gained 10 pounds which I never lost. So maybe I just need to weigh 120 pounds to get my period. Everyone is so different. Since going raw, I haven't lost any weight. I've come to love my body at 120 pounds, even though it is a bit bigger than I would have liked my body to be. I am healthy and strong, and I am dating a wonderful man! It is our messed up culture that expects women to be stick skinny in order to look beautiful. By the way, on raw my period have become way better than cooked. The first few periods on raw were terrible, but then they got much better. I have no more PMS, heavy bleeding, or cramps.

Anyway, I think I got a bit off topic there! I don't know how thin you are, so I can't say much about whether your weight is causing your trouble. I use maca just because I like the flavor it gives certain recipes (but most find it tastes gross, so I could be just weird). I haven't really noticed it have any effect on me, but I started taking it when I went raw, so it could be responsible for my easier periods. I don't have any concrete suggestions besides maca and weight gain (if necessary). If you have low estrogen, it means you are not ovulating, and therefore infertile. You can be fertile and not bleed, but I have a feeling that is not the case in your situation. But I'm sending lots of love your way and I hope you get your period back soon!

[agumble]

I'm in the middle of going through blood tests now since I haven't gotten my period in about a year. The doctor put me on 10 days of progesterone, which was supposed to trigger it but didn't. All it did was put me through 10 days of PMS symptoms from hell, and I gained about 8 pounds that I still can't lose. My LH, FSH, and progesterone levels are all normal, so now I'm waiting to hear back about my estrogen levels. I like my doctor a lot, so I'm hoping she won't try to force birth control on me........I'm not going to take it though either way. Depending on what results come back, I may just try out maca to see if that helps.

[rawstrength]

"I'm in the middle of going through blood tests now since I haven't gotten my period in about a year. The doctor put me on 10 days of progesterone, which was supposed to trigger it but didn't. All it did was put me through 10 days of PMS symptoms from hell, and I gained about 8 pounds that I still can't lose. My LH, FSH, and progesterone levels are all normal, so now I'm waiting to hear back about my estrogen levels. I like my doctor a lot, so I'm hoping she won't try to force birth control on me........I'm not going to take it though either way. Depending on what results come back, I may just try out maca to see if that helps."

agumble, I really feel for you! Those progesterone pills had some pretty terrible symptoms. Fortunately for me, they worked when I took them. I hope you find a solution.

[agumble]

It's nice to hear I'm not the only person who went through that with those pills, rawstrength! The nurse, pharmacist, and even my mom said it was just my body adjusting to having hormones again........this being while I was sobbing uncontrollably. I was starting to think I was going crazy, but apparently I wasn't!

[RawHeaven]

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[Clare]

Body fat is definitely crucial and we all have our own unique minimum amount of it we need to be fertile. But of course there can be may other reasons, like thyroid, pituitary, and ovarian balance.

I didn't start my period until I was 17. I grew up almost vegan (a little skim milk only) and with loads of raw foods. I have since learned that 17 was the average age of menarche a hundred years ago when foods were less refined. Also, menopause comes sooner to vegetarians with high fiber intake. And the less periods a woman has in her lifetime, the lower the risk of reproductive cancers. So that's at least something to be happy about. That's part of why being pregnant and long breast-feeding is good for women. When you think about it, it's not so natural that we're ovulating so many times in our life without babies...just my thoughts, though. I suppose nuns and other people who naturally get periods without birth control for 30+ years seem to be just fine :-)

[whyhellochello]

Thank you all for your support.

zig zag- i weighed 130 dropped 40 and got down to 90..the same as rawstrength.

rawstrength- yeah..my doc said my estrogen is low..not my prog*** whatever thats called..when i lost all the weight i deffinlty did it healthy too, but when i think of healthy back then compared to now..IS NOT HEALTHY..my usualy breakfast would be packaged oatmeal with white bread and jam, and for lunch i would eat a sandwich, yogurt and a cheese stick..and for dinner i would usually eat a packaged lean cuisine..and then for desert i would eat a weight watchers ice cream bar...
thinking back, i rarely ever ate fruits and vegetables..
after losing the weight it only took a matter of months before my hair started falling out..(i still didnt have a period..this was after 2 years into it my diet lifestyle)..i was devestated and went to the doctors..he said your hair could be falling out because you dont have a period..or maybe your to thin..or maybe your not eating enough protein..this is when i was put on birth control.
i was very depressed and all i did was eat crap..with lots of protein..i wanted my hair to come back so fast..which i know cant happen..but i still ate..that was my excuse..i gained 30 pounds in almost less than 3 months.
SOO bad for you..i know. but thats when i really started looking into going raw..its been about a year and a half since ive seen the doctor..im deffinilty at a normal weight..im 5'4 130 pounds now..it wouldnt help to lose a few, but for right now im focusing on getting healthy, and getting my hair back..i dont want any nutritional deficiences..thats basically my story..
do you think its just my body is so out of funk, because i have just transitioned to eating more healthy about 4 months ago??

thanks for everyones consern.. i love green smoothies, and juices,,but green smoothies more..with bananas..yumm.. ill try putting maca in it and see how it goes.!

[rawstrength]

whyhellochello - It sounds like you just need to give your body some more time to return to balance. We really have pretty similar stories. When I lost my 40 pounds I also was eating mainly lean cuisine meals and diet foods with no fruits and vegetables. And at 90 pounds I lost most of my hair :( . A year after getting back to a healthy weight (and I was still SAD), most of my hair regrew. And 6 months after going raw, I grew back even more hair! It is thicker now than it ever was before. You will get there. Trust your body, give yourself some time, and listen to your doctors, but mainly you should follow your intuition! Don't let anything scare you into abusing your body (like you did when you feared the hair loss and binged on unhealthy food).

[whyhellochello]

rawstrength- thank you so much. you are truley my inspiration to keep going with a raw lifestyle. Its really amazing how much more energy i have! were kin do of like twins..my hair regrew back too, its still thin, but like you said when you went raw it regrew back even more..thats the stage im in..very excited for it :)

what do eat for dinner?
im thinking about having another smoothie..i eat one for lunch,and my breakfast is juice..i would eat salads, but they take to much time to make/eat.lol. i love smoothies/juices...im still trying to find something to store my smoothies in when im at school or work..im thinking a thermace. anywhoo..so whats your daily food intake like?? :)