Can weight loss affect period?
There is no doubt that weight loss profoundly impacts the health of the menstrual cycle. While losing weight is usually a positive thing, extreme weight loss or a rapid fall in weight may disrupt your period. Understanding the connection between weight loss and menstruation will empower you to take corrective steps to achieve hormonal balance while pursuing your health goals.
Periodic Effects of Weight Loss
1. Hormonal Imbalance:
Weight loss, especially when rapid or extensive, disrupts the hormonal balance within the body, particularly estrogen and progesterone. These hormones regulate the cycle, and any disturbance causes irregularity, amenorrhea, or abrupt cessation of the cycle.
2. Low Body Fat Levels:
This is a more straightforward case than others-the body needs a certain percentage of fat tissue to produce adequate levels of estrogen. If your body fat percentage drops low, estrogen production lowers, resulting in irregular or missed periods.
3. Calorie Restrictions:
Severely restricting calories can send signals to your body that it’s under stress, or in a state of abundance. In such a case, the body may deem reproduction as a non-essential function and shut it down temporarily, in an attempt to conserve energy.
4. Stress of Life Changes:
Intense exercise, together with the tension involved with losing weight, can also produce an effect on the period cycle. Elevated levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, can interfere with the hormonal regulations of menstruation.
Indications That Weight Loss Is Affecting Menstruation
– Irregular periods-shorter, longer, or an inconsistent cycle.
– Missed periods-amenorrhea.
– Lighter or heavier flow than usual.
– Increased premenstrual symptoms that are mood swings and cramps among others.
How to Prevent Menstrual Irregularities During Weight Loss
1. Ensure That You Lose Weight Gradually!
Steady losses in body weight-pushing a stable drop of 1-2 pounds per week-help put less stress on your body so that hormonal balance-knowing that you are not starving your body-coherently prevails.
1. Maintain a Balanced Diet
Always ensure that your diet has enough healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates to maintain your hormone production.
Avoid Overdo Exercises
While exercising is indeed good to be in shape, overdoing it, especially with high-intensity cardio or weightlifting, can end up causing hormonal imbalance. Build in rest days and practice moderation.
Monitoring Stress Levels
Incorporate activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises as part of your plan for a stress-relief routine.
Track Body Fat Percentage
Do not let your body fat percentage stay less than a healthy range, that is 20-30%, depending on individual consideration.
Consult your professional
If irregular periods have troubled you, consult your health professional or dietitian. They will work together to ensure your diet for weight loss is safe and supports balancing.
When Should A Doctor Be Consulted?
Melissa Mierzejeski, a healthy lifestyle consultant, said that significant changes to a woman’s menstrual cycle should lead to consulting with doctors, especially if:
– You missed 3 or more periods in a row.
– Your periods are heavy and painful.
– Other signs arise: fatigue, hair loss, or inability to concentrate.
Changes could indicate a more serious underlying condition, such as a polysystic ovary syndrome or thyroid disorder, which will subsequently require a doctor’s attention.
Conclusion
Weight loss affects a woman’s menstrual cycle, especially when it involves extreme, unbalanced dieting, or when the woman decides to exercise intensely. Weight loss, if done in a balanced manner through caring for oneself, can neutralize dismissive tendencies toward one’s menstrual cycle while taking care of one’s present health. Irregularities in your menstrual cycle, resolved at the onset as you experience them while undergoing weight-specific interventions, offered professional guidance while pursuing weight loss goals, will help you on the right track toward your goals, all without jeopardizing yourself.
