Causes l Symptoms l Treatment l Nutritionist Advice l

Now you might look perfect (whatever that means) and live an ideal lifestyle that includes regular exercise every day after work at the gym. You might have a healthy diet high in vegetables and low in processed products, dairy, and gluten. Maybe you've been doing the Paleo diet or intermittent fasting. As a result, you probably look healthy, strong, and slim in your Tink top, even though you don't believe it. But one drawback is that your friends and colleagues who admire your healthy lifestyle will never notice: "your period has gone missing."

Our society places a great emphasis on being thin and fit, which strongly affects women, who often diet excessively to try to obtain that cultural ideal of thinness. Usually, a woman will decrease her calorie intake and/ or "burn it all off" at the gym. 

What is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, aka Secondary Amenorrhea?

Hypothalamic amenorrhea, also known as hypothalamic hypogonadism, is a condition in which a woman does not have her menstrual period due to an imbalance in the pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

A poor diet, severe stress, or excessive exercise cause this imbalance. Hypothalamic amenorrhea occurs when the body does not receive enough calories, which is why it is common in anorexic women.

It could also indicate that you are overexerting yourself or are under too much stress.

What is Amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea is the absence of your monthly menstruation. It could be either temporary or permanent. A change in function or an issue with the female reproductive system can cause amenorrhea.

Amenorrhea is classified into two types:

• Primary amenorrhea occurs when you do not have your first period by age 16 or within the first five years of puberty.

• Secondary amenorrhea occurs when you have regular periods but do not receive them for more than three months. Secondary amenorrhea is characterized by hypothalamic amenorrhea.

What Causes Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?

Hypothalamic Amenorrhea 1

• Hormonal imbalances

  Hormonal imbalances are frequent in women who are under a great deal of stress. There is a hormonal imbalance if you have stress-related hypothalamic amenorrhea.

  The disorder occurs when the pituitary gland secretes a higher amount of corticotropin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropin hormone, decreasing GnRH secretion.

• Diet

  One of the most common reasons for hypothalamic amenorrhea is a poor diet. Some women may suffer from eating disorders that are difficult to overcome. Anorexic women, for example, are more likely than healthy women to develop hypothalamic amenorrhea. They restrict themselves to food because they don't want to acquire weight or have self-esteem issues relating to their appearance.

• Exercise

  There is nothing wrong with regularly exercising to stay fit or improve your overall health. However, this becomes a problem when exercising becomes an obsession. Excessive exercise reduces leptin levels in the body. Leptin is a hormone that controls energy balance by suppressing appetite. Leptin levels are reduced when body fat is reduced and negative energy balance increases. As a result, GnRH levels fall, resulting in hypothalamic amenorrhea.

• Contraceptives

  Some birth control tablets have been shown to disrupt the regular menstrual cycle. It may take several months for menstrual cycles to return to normal. Implants such as intrauterine devices and injectable contraception are also known to cause hypothalamic amenorrhea.

• Medical issues

  A number of disorders or conditions can cause hypothalamic amenorrhea. Among these ailments are:

  PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a hormonal condition that affects girls and women of reproductive age. Women with this condition produce more male hormones (such as testosterone). Menstrual abnormalities, acne, obesity, and excessive hair growth are all caused by this fluctuation in hormone levels. A large number of pearl-sized follicles (tiny fluid-filled sacks) on one or both ovaries is an ultrasonography characteristic of PCOS.

  Thyroid diseases, such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, can induce amenorrhea and other menstrual abnormalities.

  A pituitary adenoma is a disorder that causes non-cancerous tumors to form in the pituitary glands. These tumors can interfere with the hormone that regulates your menstrual cycle.

What are the symptoms of Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?

Depending on the reason, some frequent symptoms of hypothalamic amenorrhea include:

• Menstruation not occurring. A lack of libido,

• Sleeping problems, Depression,

• Insufficient energy, Increased appetite, Anxiety

• Acne

• Bloating, constipation, etc.

• Blurred vision and nipple discharge

Treatment for Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

Treatment is available for hypothalamic amenorrhea. Some treatment options necessitate a change in food, particularly if you have diet-related hypothalamic amenorrhea. If you eat too few calories daily, your doctor may advise you to increase your calorie intake by eating more food.

If you have anorexia and hypothalamic amenorrhea, your doctor may suggest medications, dietary changes, and mental health support.

If you have stress-related hypothalamic amenorrhea, your doctor may offer therapies such as yoga and meditation to assist you in managing stressful events that increase your stress levels.

This can help prevent bone loss when combined with hormonal replacement therapy. Your doctor may also recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements as part of your treatment plan to assist prevent additional bone density loss.

Finally, women with hypothalamic amenorrhea must receive support and counseling, especially if the disease is linked to stress or eating disorders. This is because we must also address mental and emotional issues.

Anastasiia's Advice (Nutritionist)

By preventing the causes of the condition, you can avoid hypothalamic amenorrhea. This includes the following:

• Eating adequate food for your activity level. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, eating more can reverse cases of exercise-induced absence of periods.

• Refrain from controlling your calorie consumption.

• Find methods to lessen and manage your stress. 

• Avoid extremely intensive exercise. 

• Take careful notes about your cycle's duration and other details (consistency, etc.)

• Get plenty of rest, and good-quality sleep, and avoid stress.

Women who are consistently stressed may develop melancholy, persistent anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. As a result, they require extensive counseling and support.

I can help you deal with irregular or missing periods, create hormonal balance, and optimize your nutrient intake without stress.

I use a holistic approach that incorporates nourishing foods, mindset, and lifestyle changes that support and optimize individual body needs and create healthy relationships with food.

If you want to be happy and healthy, recover from stress-related health issues such as thyroid and gastrointestinal problems, infertility, depression, and the like by overcoming your restrictive mindset about food.