How to Get First Period After Amenorrhea?

By - Dr Hafeez Arshad

Are you a woman having a complaint about missing periods, diagnosed with amenorrhea, worried about getting your periods back after amenorrhea?

So what are the causes of amenorrhea? And how can you get the first period after amenorrhea? 

Amenorrhea is an absence of periods. It can occur because of various reasons, such as ovulation problems, thyroid disorder, doing too much exercise, hormone imbalance, eating disorder, anatomical problems with the reproductive system, and pregnancy. To get the first period after amenorrhea, you may need to lose weight, eat more with intense exercise, get rid of stress, and live a healthy lifestyle. 

So if you want to know the reasons for not getting the first period after amenorrhea, read more.

What is Amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea is an absence of periods that can occur in young girls and in women, too. There are two types of amenorrhea: primary and secondary.

Primary amenorrhea is a condition when a girl does not get periods even when she has reached the age of 15.

Secondary amenorrhea is a condition when the woman who used to get a period does not get them for over 3 months. 

When the girl reaches puberty, the two hormones estrogen and progesterone prepare the uterus for a possible pregnancy, and when it does not happen, the endometrium- a tissue that lines the uterus to protect the fetus sheds itself as periods.  

For the girls to get periods, many factors play a role. Therefore, any problem at any level can cause you to miss periods or a total absence of them.

Amenorrhea should not be taken lightly, as it can affect your fertility and lead to various complications. If you have the same complaint, see your healthcare provider soon.

Amenorrhea can occur due to various reasons, such as ovulation problems, thyroid disorder, doing too much exercise, hormone imbalance, eating disorder, anatomical problems with the reproductive system, and pregnancy. But sometimes, it can be hypothalamic amenorrhea. Now we need to know what it is?

What Is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea is a condition in which you do not get periods. It is not a disease but can be a symptom of some underlying health condition. There are various types and reasons for amenorrhea. 

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is a disorder in which you do not get periods because of hormonal disturbances resulting from a problem in the hypothalamus. 

Your brain has a gland called the hypothalamus that performs various functions. It regulates:

Your hypothalamus regulates various hormones, including childbirth and periods. It produces a hormone known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that regulates the production of hormones such as estrogen- a hormone that regulates reproduction. 

If you are not pregnant, GnRH produces periods. But if the hypothalamus does not produce hormones, it can cause no periods- a condition known as hypothalamic amenorrhea. 

What Are The Symptoms of Amenorrhea?

The common symptom of amenorrhea is not getting periods for more than three months. However, it may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

What Causes Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?

Hypothalamic amenorrhea can occur due to various reasons such as:

When you are too stressed, your body produces a glucocorticoid hormone known as cortisol.

Cortisol stops the production of the GnRH hormone that regulates sexual activity and ovulation in women and sperm count in men. When there is no production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, eventually there are no periods, resulting in amenorrhea. 

Significant and Rapid Weight Loss

When you lose a significant amount of weight rapidly, your body tries to conserve energy. For that, it does not prepare your body for a possible pregnancy, hence no periods occur, causing amenorrhea. 

Being Underweight 

When you are underweight, your body stops ovulating, hence no periods occur. To get your first period after amenorrhea, you need to eat more and gain weight. 

Excessive Heavy Weight Training

When you do excessive exercise, your body burns calories. And if you do not eat enough to meet the daily caloric requirement of your body, it conserves energy. For that, it does not prepare your body for a possible pregnancy as it can not provide nourishment to the baby. Therefore if you do intense physical training and eat less, you may not be able to get the first period after amenorrhea. 

You can consult with a nutritionist if you do not get periods due to a heavy exercise routine. They can help plan the diet schedule that contains enough calories for you. 

Disordered Eating Habits 

Having an eating disorder can lead to amenorrhea. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa can lead to weight loss, which, in turn, causes a stop in ovulation. 

Eating too much can also lead to hypothalamic amenorrhea because you gain too much weight, which can, in turn, lead to excessive estrogen in your body. 

How Can You Get First Period After Amenorrhea?

To get first-period amenorrhea, you can exercise the following tips:

Relieve Stress

If you have hypothalamic amenorrhea, you need to get rid of stress to get your periods back. You may not be able to eliminate stress completely from your life, but you must try to relieve it. 

To relieve stress, you can exercise the following tips:

Deep Breathing 

When you are stressed, your breathing gets affected. To relieve that, sit straight and try breathing not just from your chest but also use abdominal muscles. 

You must learn the art of coping with stress to relieve it. 

Read A Book 

Reading a book can help you wander in fiction and get rid of negative thoughts that ponder in your mind, making you anxious. 

Do Some Entertainment

Listen to music or watch your favorite TV show so that your brain can focus on something else, rather than those stressful thoughts. 

However, if you cannot get rid of stress, you must consult with a psychologist. 

Gain Some Weight

To get your first period after amenorrhea, you need to gain weight if you are underweight according to the body mass index. However, make sure that you do that healthily. 

If you have any eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, you can consult with a healthcare provider and exercise the following tips.

Do not keep checking your weight on the scale. Keep it inside, where it is not easily accessible. 

Take a break from dieting. However, during that period, do not eat fat and sugar-rich foods. To gain weight, eat plenty of fruits, dry fruits, cashews, peanuts, dates, and drink milk.

Incorporate protein into your diet. You can get it through eggs, chicken, milk, and fish. 

Eat some fatty products daily. However, do that in an optimal amount. Make sure you do not end up overeating fatty foods as they can raise your blood cholesterol levels. 

Incorporate calcium-containing foods into your diet. You can also take supplemental calcium. Make sure to maintain an adequate amount of calcium in your diet to have optimal bone density. 

Get vitamin D in an adequate amount. You can get it by exposing yourself to morning sunlight. 

Eat-In an Optimal Amount 

When you do excessive physical activity and do not eat according to your caloric requirement, your body may go into hypothalamic amenorrhea. 

To get your first period after amenorrhea because of excessive exercise, skip some workout sessions and increase your dietary intake. 

When you do not eat well according to your diet and exercise a lot, your body goes into a caloric deficit. Therefore, to cope with that, you should eat more than you do and skip some exercise sessions.

To get a customized diet plan, you can visit a dietician or a nutritionist. They can help you get the right plan according to your exercise routine. 

Normalize Diet Plan

Having an eating disorder can affect your periods, leading to amenorrhea. There are various eating disorders, such as:

We can summarize the symptoms of an eating disorder as:

The symptoms of eating disorders are of two types: emotional and physical. 

The emotional symptoms of an eating disorder are:

When you do not eat right, your body eventually becomes deficient and can not function well. The physical symptoms of an eating disorder are:

If you have any symptoms of an eating disorder, you must consult with the healthcare provider. To get the first period after amenorrhea, you must normalize your eating pattern. 

Eating too much and eating too little can be harmful to your health and can affect your health in many ways. 

FAQs

What is primary amenorrhea?

Primary amenorrhea is a condition when a girl does not get periods even when she has reached the age of 15.

What is secondary amenorrhea?

Secondary amenorrhea is a condition when the woman who used to get a period does not get them for more than three months. 

What should you do to get rid of amenorrhea?

To get the first period after amenorrhea, you may need to lose weight, eat more with intense exercise, get rid of stress, and live a healthy lifestyle. 

Conclusion 

To get the first period after amenorrhea, you may need to take various steps in your daily life. If you do not have periods for over three months and are not pregnant, you must consult with a healthcare provider. They can guide you about the changes you need to make in your life.