My Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery
Alot of you are probably wondering “What is Hypothalamic Amernorrhea”?
Hypothalamic amenorrhea is a condition in which menstruation stops for several months due to a problem involving the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is in the center of the brain and controls reproduction.
I stopped having my period sometime in my 20’s and truthfully, I had originally felt relived about it! I had miserable periods and I hated the entire process it made me feel uncomfortable. So, when it stopped I was grateful. I look back now and realize how wrong it was, all the signs were there. I would go into my gynecologist for my annual “exam”, I told him I hadn’t had a period in years, he never flinched or showed any signs of concern. On top of me mentioning to him at one point, I felt I was experiencing very low libido, he just quickly wrote me a prescription. I never filled that prescription and I stopped going to this doctor.
Upon my very first visit to a Natural Path Doctor and telling her I hadn’t had a period in nearly a decade. Her mouth dropped! She also was furious, that a young woman in her 30’s had been without her period in near 10 years and that all Western Medicine Doctors had ignored this. Today, this brings tears to my eyes, to think about all the women out there, who are experiencing this same thing, or that have been through this.
Let me tell you something! Your period should not be missed! Your period should not be miserable and your PMS should NOT be debilitating!!! It makes me utterly angry to think this is constantly ignored and dismissed.
How I recovered from HA.
When I came into the Natural Path, my eating disorder was in the beginning stages of recovery. I would consider it more like a remission as I look back now. My eating was “ok”. I had stopped the binge and purging, yet I was still very restrictive of my diet (little to no fat and I was not eating any meat) and I was constantly over-exercising/training and not properly fueling my body. I had never let my body recover. EVER. I had gone from thing to another. During this time, I was training for a 50K Ultra. So, I was running almost every day, with an average of 30-40 Miles of running per week, with one active rest day in there, working full time and maybe getting 5 or 6 hours of sleep a day!!! Oye!
So now what? Well, my Natural Path actually sent me to a Nutritional Therapist, to work with me on this. At this time, she turned my world UPSIDE down. First order was to STOP running, I couldn’t even hold it back as I sat in her office and cried. Gosh, thinking about this moment, I still tear up as I remember how painful this feeling was. Running was all I had that had made me feel whole and had put my life together (it was like the perfect - healthy drug. But was it?).
Second was to make some changes to my diet! With some serious support and encouragement she inspired and supported me to start eating healthy fats and to start meat again.
Truth be told here, I didn’t listen to her recommendations to stop running right away, I had signed up for a 50k trail run and I was determined to train for it and to run like I had never ran before. I continued to train against her advice- she knew this.
Race day!! I got up and ran 6 miles of the 32 miles and backed out of the race due to other circumstances. After this, I gave in. I was so tired, I was ready. I reduced my running, I embraced hiking, fishing, camping and small activities like gardening. It was tough at first, as some days I felt so guilty. I felt sickly guilty for not running so much. I then realized I still had a lot of healing to do in my recovery, as much as I had healed my way of eating I had not yet healed the trauma I had with my relationship with positive and healthy movement. I got my period back around 6 months after this. It has now been almost 2 and a half years. My period is here to stay.
Both of these were very difficult for me as both were very triggering, it has been a very long and liberating process.
If you are experiencing anything like this, please reach out as you are most definitely not alone in this.
With love,
Amanda
This was at my last attempt I have made at a 50K. Where I would DNF at 6 Miles and decide to give into my recovery!