Low body fat percentage = no AF?

[Ngala]

Hi All!

My sis sent me a message today that her DH talked her in to doing a HPT because her AF still hadn't shown up since coming off the pill roughly a month ago. And well it turned out to be negative.

I remember back in our teens that my sis got her AF very late because she was quite athletic and was in to a lot of different sports. She went on the pill to regulate her cycles.

Since then she's been on the pill, mirena and then back on the pill for about a year.

I seen my sis today after about 3 weeks and she is looking very slim and very lean so must be on a pretty strict diet with the gym training she is doing. So could the cause of no AF be that her body fat as reached a low level that will stop AF showing up?

My sis said that she will wait 2 more weeks before going to see a doctor but is googling for some answers for now.

Any opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

TIA

[MrsBexie]

I know my AF disappeared when I was very lean, now I had an ED so it is normal in that case...

I would think AF could disappear from low body fat for sure. Is she stressed at all?

[LimeSlice]

Your period will stop with either low or high body fat. It is a physiological survival mechanism.
When menstruation ceases due to body weight it is called "amenorrhea".

Basically it is the body shutting down non-essential systems for survival, a "you can't support life at the moment, your body is in alert mode" kind of thing.

I would tell her to ease off the gym a little and work on maintaining weight and make sure not lose any more.

There are some essential oil blends that she can use to stimulate her menstrual cycles again though that work well.

[Nai]

Many athletes do not get AF as they have such low body fat and physically demanding regimens. The same for many women with eating disorders. I know a friend who has been following a program to reduce her exercise (she has an addiction) and increase her weight (she also has an eating disorder) and she has been working with a dietitian and personal trainer to help her get her AF back through increasing her body fat and reducing her energy output.

[Ngala]

Cheers for the replies MrsBexie, LimeSlice and Nai
I do think that my sis has amenorrhea but I am not going to diagnose her! I've told my sis to get to the doc sooner than 2 wks cause her body could get back on track and she could have an oopsie! (Even tho my sis would love to give her 8yo boy a sibling, her DH is not keen on the idea at all!)

I was trying to do the math on how late she could be as she hasnt replied to my message last night asking the question and I thought maybe if she has just gone over being late then a positive HPT might not be possible, but I THINK she is around 6 weeks from her last AF so a HPT would definitely have a result. It was wishful thinking last night that she was pg was I would LOVE to be pg with my sis and we would be due about the same time!!

I will be seeing my sis this weekend I hope so will be having a talk to her. She is pretty clueless with this sort of stuff!!

Thanks again gals

[mbear]

I never got AF during my last year of school - year 12. I used to cycle every 2nd day with my dad, over huge distances, i was quite lean, and didnt really look after my diet. I hope you can talk to her about it and she sorts it out....