Low body fat percentage = no AF?

[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....