Today we share Louise's journey. Louise tells how she went from not having a period ( hypothalamic amenorrhea ) to getting her period back through lifestyle changes. It's an inspiring story that shows how you can use lifestyle in the form of diet, exercise and recovery to bring back missed periods and live in sync with your menstrual cycle.
What caused your missed period?
It all started in high school, when I decided as a seventeen-year-old to quit gymnastics, which I had devoted my entire life to. I went from working out 5-6 times a week to nothing, which was clearly a big adjustment that resulted in me being out of balance with my body and mind. I have always been a person who set high standards for myself, which in many situations has been to my advantage, but here somewhere it started to get out of hand. Without really realizing it myself, I had ended up in a place where I never thought I would end up. I had heard about girls around me, watched documentaries and read about young girls who spent their lives starving themselves, and now I was subjecting myself to just that. From being filled with joy and energy, I slowly began to turn more and more inward and stopped seeing friends. Everything came to revolve around food and exercise and how I could avoid social contexts so as not to have to end up in difficult situations.
After a few months of heavy weight loss and a completely changed lifestyle, neither my family nor my friends hardly recognized me anymore. Somewhere around here I lost my period which had previously been faithful to me and came every month. At the same time, an acne developed that I had never had before. My mother took me to the gynecologist who put me on birth control pills to "get my period back" and get rid of the acne. Thanks to my beloved mother (who, during this time, I thought was my biggest enemy), I relatively quickly came into contact with Stockholm's Center for Eating Disorders . Even though they diagnosed me with Anorexia, I still couldn't believe it or admit to myself that I had become ill. Months passed and it wasn't until my wise friend told me "but you who want to be so healthy are actually the unhealthiest of us all when you undernourish yourself", that I realized what I was really doing.
How did you get your missed period back?
The road back was not easy but after I began to understand what I had put my body through and how much more life is than the little world I had locked myself into, I decided to create change. When I learned that birth control pills did not induce a real period but only bleeding, I began to understand what actually happens when you start birth control pills. It became clear to me that birth control was not at all what I needed to solve my real problem, but only alleviated the symptoms caused by my hormonal imbalance.
I decided to go off the pill. Even though I had reached what was classified as a "normal weight", my period continued to be absent and the acne more present than ever. I saw countless gynecologists who told me that no matter what I did, I should not stop taking the pill because "it was so important to get a bleed." It wasn't until I found my Chinese acupuncturist that I finally felt like I had come to the right place. By making a holistic assessment of both my condition at the time and my history, we began a healing process together that would involve both treatments and herbal medicine.
Did you make any changes to your lifestyle to get your missed period back?
Yes, it is important to remind yourself of what is actually important in life and dare to let go of all the stupid thoughts that you know deep down are not true. Give the body the energy and rest it needs to be fertile. You are the most important person in your life and you are enough, just the way you are - never let anything else fool you! It might sound cliché, but I really love the expression “ One year from now, you're gonna wish you started today ”. Take control of your life and treat your body with respect, mentally as well as physically. Your body is your temple and it deserves all the entertainment and love it can get.
If you are curious about Louise, you can follow her here . If you liked this post, tips to read: I have missed periods - is it HA? And get your menstrual cycle and ovulation back in the event of a missed period.
This is a personal story from a person in the Womensync community. The same results and experience cannot be guaranteed, but depend on the person's state of health, background, lifestyle in general and genetics. Womensync does not intend to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Always consult a doctor in case of suspected illness.
