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First, thank you for the love and support after my post about amenorrhea back in July. I never could have imagined that so many women were dealing with similar issues and it is comforting to know that I’m not alone. It’s also been really encouraging to hear from women who are on the other side and have been able to balance their hormones, regain their cycle and have a family. It gives me hope.
Wine tasting in Charlottesville yesterday. 🙂
Quite a few people have asked me for an update and I’ve been stalling, hoping that if I waited just one more week I’d regain my cycle and be able to share what I did to help it along. Well, here it is four months later (a total of 12 months without a cycle) and it hasn’t happened yet. So at this point I don’t have any answers, but I’m happy to give a quick update by sharing what I’ve been doing over these past fews months and what my doctor has said.
Lifestyle Changes
For starters, I truly took my endocrinologist’s advice to heart. I cut back on exercise and started fueling my body with more food. Through this process I’ve gained about seven pounds. While on a blogging trip in September I had the opportunity to get my body fat checked using a BodPod and found that it was at 31%. I was pretty shocked by how high it was (apparently 32% is considered unhealthy) but at least it shows what I already knew — low body fat is not the cause of my issues.
Yoga. I’ve been trying to do yoga at least once a week. I’d actually really like to increase it to twice a week.
Regular acupuncture. I love my acupuncturist. He focuses on fertility and if nothing else the sessions help me to de-stress.
Supplements
I’ve been taking hormone balancing supplements. Some were recommended by a nutritionist, some by my acupuncturist and others I found through doing my own research. I did bring them to my acupuncturist to make sure it was okay to be taking them all at once. In addition to my normal prenatal multivitamin and fish oil I’m taking Vitex Berry, Dong Quai, Femmenessence Macaharmony, Shatavari, and Symplex F. I’m also using geranium essential oil on my feet.
Medical Updates
I’ve had two appointments with my endocrinologist since my last post. The first was to go over my AMH levels and get an ultrasound. My AMH levels were fine — actually a bit higher than normal for someone my age. The ultrasound showed that I didn’t have any ovarian cysts, but my doctor did see a few areas of concern with my uterus and wanted to do a Saline Sono Hysterogram to check things out further. I had the procedure done two weeks ago. It wasn’t extremely painful but it did cause some of the worst cramps I’ve ever felt. I don’t think my uterus was happy about having a catheter and balloon shoved inside of it.
The results consisted of some good and not so good news. For the good, apparently my uterus looked much healthier than it did during the first ultrasound (which was only three weeks prior). He said my uterus was larger and my lining was thicker, both good things and hopefully signals that my hormones are revving up.
The not so good news was that he saw some debris in my uterus. <— I had never heard of the term “uterine debris” before but apparently it’s a thing. To make light of the situation Isaac and I were joking that uterine debris would make for a gnarly band name. 😉
My doctor said the debris could be because I haven’t had a period in so long and when I do have one the stuff might clear out on its own OR it could be something like Asherman’s Syndrome, which is when the uterus develops scar tissue. I’m really hoping that it’s just old junk that will clear once my cycle starts back. Just in case it is scar tissue I started taking Wobenzym N — it’s a supplement for inflammation and joint support but it’s also known to help heal scar tissue. Even if it’s not scar tissue in my uterus I figure the Wobenzym N will be good for my joints.
He also noticed that some of my lining is migrating into the muscle around my uterus. This is called Adenomyosis — it can cause pelvic pain, heavy periods and make it difficult for an egg to implant when trying to conceive. It can also cause no symptoms at all…
At this point my doctor said the next step would be to have a hysteroscopy to further look into things, but that it makes sense to wait to see if my period starts in the next few months before proceeding. So that’s where I’m at with everything right now — just trying to remain patient while also positive and hopeful that my body will work everything out.
Sharing all this online is really scary and as you can tell, I don’t have any answers. I’m just hoping that me sharing my story sheds some light to the topic and helps others in some way. <3
2020 UPDATE: Just wanted to share that I was able to heal hypothalamic amenorrhea, get my cycle back, became pregnant and had a beautiful baby girl. If you’re currently struggling with HA right now I’m sending hope, love and positive vibes your way!
Thank you for sharing. I went off the pill about a year ago and went through 4 cycles and am now experiencing amennorhea. Needless to say it has been frustrating since things seemed to be working and now they aren’t! I have been thinking about things that have changed between the time when I had my period and now – one of which is Vitamin D. I live at a northern latitude and have no sun exposure ( at least not enough for produce a substantial amount of vitamin D) from roughly November-March, which roughly correlated with my lack of menses. I’m curious to know if you have heard anything about Vitamin D deficiency and amennorhea.
Hi Brittany, Thank you so much for sharing this! So encouraging and helpful. I was just wondering, would you share the brand of prenatal and fish oil you are using? I have not been taking a vitamin regularly and would love a recommendation. Thanks!.
Hi there! Enjoyed your post, I had amenorrhea too but with weight gain, cutting back on exercise and using naprotechnology I am now ovulating! I thought my body could do it all on its own but it really needed the extra help from naprotechnology. You might find it useful if you google it! God bless and may your cycles come back soon!
Brittany, I’m so sorry to hear you are struggling with this. I was diagnosed with HA in May after not having a cycle for 15 months (I came off BC in March 2014). Like you, I exercised intensely 5-6 days a week, focused on ‘healthy’ eating, and had a lot of stress in my life. My period returned in October, and I just finished a second period last week which was thrilling because it began just 32 days after the start of my October period (in women recovering from HA, it’s fairly typical to wait 2-4 months for that second period). Here is what I did to recover, and what I think you should try too: 1) I ate more, a LOT more. I tried to take in 2500-3000 calories a day, but I also didn’t count calories, so I’m sure some days I ate less and some days I ate even more that that. 2) I stopped all exercise with the exception of walking and very light yoga (as in, if my heart was pounding and I was sweating, it was too much). 3) I chilled out big time. I meditated and took more naps. I LET GO. My period returned 2.5 months after making these changes, and in that time I gained 20 pounds. That might sound like a lot, but it really only translated to one pant/dress size. And now that I’ve been cycling regularly for two months, some of that weight has come off. I don’t own a scale, but judging by how my clothes fit, I know this to be the case. I am VERY slowly reintroducing more vigorous exercise. Right now I go to 2-3 vinyasa classes a week, and then I rest or walk on other days. If you’d like more information about symptoms I experienced in recovery, I’d be happy to email you.
I really hope things sort themselves out soon!
I had amenorrhea for a long time in my twenties (I think it was about 3-5 years, I honestly can’t remember exactly when it started or stopped because I was on the pill for a while which was causing me to have a “fake” period). But I also happened to have PCOS which it sounds like you don’t have. I have no idea what finally got my cycle going again, but one thing that I did do in the month before my period came back was eat tons of this bread – http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2012/06/08/pcos-muffins-pcos-bread-recipe/ – on the recommendation of a coworker at the time who had struggled with the same issue. No idea if it would help you at all but probably wouldn’t hurt and the bread is tasty! I had to order the flour specially from some place in Michigan.
On the positive, I now have a kiddo (he just turned 19 months) and I am pregnant with our second due next June! It’s amazing how bodies can heal themselves.
I had Asherman’s Syndrome in 200-2002 and it took a bunch of hormones to restart my ovaries, thicken the lining of my uterus and then the hysteroscopy to remove scar tissue….the sides of my uterus were stuck together. But, I have had 3 lovely children since then because treatment was progressive, as was healing. My prayers that you are through this journey and on the other side soon!
Oh wow! Thank you for sharing. I’m so happy to hear that you were able to get treatment and have three beautiful children. It’s stories like yours that keep me hopeful. And thank you for the prayers.
Amenorrhea is such a common thing! It’s sadly comforting knowing that I’m not the only one struggling with it. I have gone years without a regular period. Until recently. I tried everything, including stopping exercise and eating more fats. I gave it time, but nothing. The longest time without a period was about 2 years. I have been training for a half marathon and have been eating more fruits. Then bam! Period! I started taking a supplement which has vitex and black cohosh. I believe that supplement has been the reason for regaining my period. Amenorrhea is such an individual thing. Something that works for others, may not work for you. I wish you all the best for finding the key to unlock your menstrual cycle.
So much I want to share! But as someone with Celiac AND PCOS dealing with infertility I can tell you that I’m here if you ever need me. It sounds like your doctor(s) have a plan for you and that’s the most important thing – getting help and getting feedback on prescriptions, eastern medicine, supplements. I know that otherwise it’s incredibly frustrating and hard to wrap our head around sometimes. Especially active people like us who care about what they eat. And props for using Geranium. I sell doTerra and those oils have really helped me emotionally and mentally. Aromatherapy can do amazing things to help us with stress, depression, etc. etc…
Hugs.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am currently traveling down a very similar path. Would you mind sharing the name of your acupuncturist? I am on the hunt for one here in Richmond that specializes in fertility and would love any recommendations you have.
Hi Rebecca. I’m going to send you an email with this info. 🙂
I feel like you’re going through all the medical motions that I went through earlier this year. I actually found the OBGYN & Endocrinologist I saw at Mayo Clinic to be not so very helpful. Eventually, I saw a naturopath who determined my issue was my thyroid and food allergies. She did allergy testing and discovered I am gluten sensitive. It has been shown that gluten sensitivity can cause thyroid and female reproduction problems. Unfortunately, not many doctors know about this. I’ve been gluten free now 5 months and my periods are regular and I’m not even losing weight. Might be something for you to look into.