Why am I late?

[Ihearditthroughthegrapevine]

I was just wondering if anyone has experienced this, I am 39 years old and have always had regular periods every 28 days.
No chance I can be pregnant, I’ve had regular periods until my period was due 7 days ago and it didn’t arrive.
It hasn’t started at all since then.
I’ve had no peri menopausal symptoms my periods haven’t been heavier or lighter in recent months.
The only contributing factor I can think of is that I started a VLCD about 3 months ago and have lost much more weight than I expected to in such a short time frame, my hair has also gone a little finer than usual so I’m wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this?
I’ve also had a few recent stresses but no worse that stresses I’ve dealt with before and I’ve never had this problem.

Sudden weight loss can mess with your period. As well as stress or a change in lifestyle. I once went from 0 exercise to 3 exercise classes in the gym ( the likes of body attack and body pump) and my period was one week early 😂

VCLD can change your periods for a while - it’s perfectly normal. I lost ten stone in 18 months on one years ago (and have kept it off!) and my periods adjusted at first and then went back to normal after a few months. It happens to a lot of women.

Oh good thank you both, I’ve lost 5 stone since the start of lockdown in March, I didn’t intend to lose that much, I think it just worked really well. I don’t want to stop the diet as I want to lose two more stone before starting to increase my calories again so it’s good to know it’s temporary. Thank you.

How much weight have you lost in 3 months? Is there a reason for losing weight very quickly? (for an operation or something?) Or have you had a gastric bypass?.The sudden weight loss is the most likely cause.

The fact that your hair is also falling out may mean you're deficient in nutrients due to your new diet? I'm not an expert.

Ok cross post! Congratulations on your weight loss and your determination.

Just make sure you're getting the nutrients you need. I don't eat much, (I tend to restrict my eating when stressed, long boring story) and I find taking iron tablets and multi vitamins helps.

I’ve lost 5 stone, which I don’t think is massively unusual for a VLCD, I was just really unfit before and started lots of exercise and eating a lot less calories at the same time. I’m genuinely so much healthier than I was a few months ago I have so much more energy it’s just the hair and period thing that’s annoying me.
I was recommended a VLCD by my GP I think I just probably exercised too much (lockdown boredom ) for the calorie intake I had and lost weight more quickly than I ever expected to.

Oh thank you SmileyClare I will have a look online for some vitamins

Sounds like something has just "clicked" with you and you're enjoying the benefits of weight loss and exercise so well done you

Iron deficiency can cause hair loss/thinning so maybe up your intake?

@Ihearditthroughthegrapevine that is an amazing weight loss. I’ve had a health scare and need to do similar - did you follow a plan,?

What an amazing "Before and After" lockdown you've achieved! I wonder if people won't recognise you.

Thank you SmileyClare that’s really kind to say.
CormoranStrike I’m doing one called Exante, honestly because when my GP told me to look them up it was the first hit on my screen and I’ve stuck with it. There are lots out there but I think you need to speak to your GP first though because they aren’t suitable for some people.

Loosing so much weight and/or so quickly that you lose your period is really not a good thing - a month is okay but longer term it can, obviously, impact your fertility but also your bone density as well as the hormonal cycles which help to build bone strength. I've been treated for eating disorders in the past and it's one of the things that doctors are most concerned about.

I think the changes in your hair and periods should be taken as a warning sign tbh. Losing 5 stone in what, 4 months? a little more/less? is really not good for you and could lead to future health problems. Great that you have lost weight but your body is screaming for a normal diet.

@mynameiscalypso personally, the only impact a VCLd had on my fertility was to enable me to become pregnant after years of trying. Being hugely over weight affected me more than losing the weight quickly.

Also, if you do it correctly, adding in food slowly and changing your diet slowly over all VCLDs are wonderful tools. All I heard was horror stories about how I’d gain it all back and more when I stated eating “normally again”. I want eating normally, I was gorging on shit, that’s why I was ten stone overweight. It’s been ten years now and I’m still a healthy weight and I’ve changed my whole outlook on food.

OP, you’ve done great. Of course you will lose fast on meal replacement And it will take your body a while to adjust.

Of course being overweight can impact your fertility but if you're not having periods for an extended period of time, you're most certainly not going to become pregnant until your cycle returns to normal (if it does return to normal depending on the length of time and the severity of the amenorrhea). I have nothing against VLCD under medical supervision but the fact remains that your reproductive cycle is one of the first thing the body shuts down when you're not giving it enough food. There's a reason why people with low BMIs often are required to put on weight in order to have fertility treatment (of course, the opposite is true too).

There is a difference between your period stopping due to anorexia for example. Being very underweight without enough fat means your body stops producing enough hormones and you stop ovulating.

I don't know, perhaps keep an eye on your cycle and consult your doctor. I would have thought it would return to normal once your weight loss slows or plateaus.

In fact fertility is usually improved by being a healthy weight.

This is a useful article about amenorrhea due to exercise (rather than weight loss per se):

www.healthline.com/health-news/losing-period-because-exercise-is-bad-sign#14

It's definitely something to keep an eye on. I know it's quite a big discussion point in the fitness industry at the moment because of the number of female non-professional athletes who are suffering from it and the potential consequences.