While heavy exercise has links to the cessation of menstruation, amenorrhea more frequently stems from a lack of sufficient calories or rapid, excessive weight loss. Most cases of nutritional amenorrhea are temporary, and eating a healthy, balanced diet with enough calories to sustain your activity is often enough to restart your menstrual cycle. A woman who experiences amenorrhea may need to alter her diet or take supplements to stave off other health problems.
Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea occurs when a woman who is not in menopause or peri-menopause stops having a menstrual period. It can result from many different factors, including hormone imbalances, pregnancy, breast-feeding, tumors, stress or some forms of medication. The incidence of amenorrhea in athletes is especially high in competitive runners and ballet dancers. Amenorrhea may also be a sign of anorexia or other eating disorders. If your periods have halted, consult a doctor to determine the precise cause.
Nutritional Causes
A woman may stop having her period if she loses weight too quickly or if her body weight falls below what is healthy for her body. This may result from a lack of calories. Vegetarian women are more prone to menstrual problems, so a diet low in meat could be a contributing factor, according to registered dietitian Nancy Clark. Extremely low-fat diets can also raise the risk of amenorrhea.
Restoring Menses
Menstruation often starts up again in women who gain a small amount of weight. Aim to get at least 20 percent of your daily calories from fat, choosing healthy monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats over saturated or trans fats. Include a serving of red meat in your diet two to three times each week. Vegetarians should include other sources of protein and fat in their diets, such as soy, nuts or beans, recommends Clark.
Nutritional Considerations
Women with amenorrhea do not gain the bone-strengthening boost that estrogen normally provides during the typical monthly menstrual cycle, so they have a higher risk of osteoporosis. Even after menstruation resumes, the bone loss caused by amenorrhea may be irreversible. Supplemental calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium and boron could help protect bones. Amenorrhea also causes an increase in prolactin levels, a hormone released by the pituitary gland. If you have amenorrhea and high prolactin levels, your doctor may recommend vitamin B-6 supplements to reduce the levels of this hormone in your system.
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