Periods stopped in teenager - lost weight

[itstoohotinhere]

So dd2 is just 15. She told me a few months ago that she'd missed a period. Yesterday she told me she hasn't had a period in 4 months. They had been regular since the age of 12.
I've discovered today that she's lost over a stone in weight - now weighs 7 stone 7. She's about 5 feet 4. She's waiting for an ASD assessment - we're pretty convinced as one of her older brothers has recently been diagnosed. She has become very rigid in what she eats. It's the same routine every day. It's very healthy, but I've told her she needs to eat more fat. She's also exercising a lot - mainly cycling and walking.
I mentioned going to the GP, but she doesn't want to go at the moment. I said we need to get more food in to her food routine as it's not good for her developing body. I suggested weighing her again in a month to see if she's put on a few pounds. Am I going about this the right way?

I think you need to talk to your GP. Amenorrhoea is a sign that your daughter is significantly underweight as it means her body is stopping “non-essential” functions to preserve energy. It can also have serious consequences on her health (particularly bone health).

Honestly, I would consider whether she may be developing an eating disorder. Rigidity around food and compulsive exercise are warning signs. Regardless of the cause, your daughter needs medically reviewing to ascertain the reason for this.

I don't have personal experience of this, but to me this sounds like a classic eating disorder. If she won't go to the GP, book an appointment and go alone and have a discussion with the GP yourself. Find out what help you can get. Good luck x

P.S I’m a MH nurse & if I read your post as a referral letter I would want your daughter seen by an eating disorder clinician fairly quickly.

Eating disorder, definitely. Seek out specialist help and good luck

Thanks for your reply. I know you're all right. She is going away for a weeks holiday with a friend and her family, so it gives me space to think. I'll talk to her when she gets back and say we have to go to the GP.

I'm the same height as your daughter, in my early 29s I went down to about 7 1/2 stone and my periods stopped. I went to the gp and he said my periods stopping were as a result of the weight loss.

My friend is a body builder and it's well known that once a woman's body has less than a certain % of body fat periods stop.

It just possible there's something else going on - I had a very stressful patch at 19, and dropped to the same weight as your daughter (we're also the same height). My periods also stopped. The stress made me feel nauseous all the time, and I had to force myself to eat (though clearly wasn't eating enough). However it wasn't an eating disorder as such, and once the stressful situation was resolved my periods returned (as did some weight).

B-Eat are the national eating disorder charity & are a really good starting point if you want to do some reading or get some more information.

Wishing you & your daughter well

I asked her if she was feeling stressed and she said no, but she's not very good at identifying feelings. I think she's anxious as she's constantly chewing her fingers and nails, but if I ask her she says she's not!
I asked her if she feels hungry, but just ignores the feeling - she said no.
I will make a GP appointment for when she gets back from her holiday.
She is doing well academically at school, but she hates it - too noisy, doesn't talk to anyone etc.. so that is a major source of unhappiness. Hopefully she'll be at the top of the list for an ASD assessment soon. We've gone privately as didn't want to wait 2 years for NHS.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eating_disorders/4279530-Teen-Eating-Disorders-Thread-4
There’s a thread here which I think would be helpful to you. It sounds like an eating disorder, and you need to get some support quickly .

Although this may be an eating disorder, it may be due to the ASD (presuming your DD does have it). If she gets treatment (which it sounds like she needs), it is important she's treated as someone with ASD as the therapy should be different than for someone who is NT and the causes of her eating disorder might be different. Could you try increasing her diet (with her agreement) so that it involves more fat and other things she's missing?

It is quite common for people with ASD to be rigid about eating and to confuse their feelings. We were told of someone who interpreted anxiety as hunger and over ate. Alternatively, DD often got 'stomach ache' which was actually anxiety and under-ate.

Good luck.

I did this about her age.
Lots of issues at home between parents and I had no voice/ no control.

I stopped eating during the day at school, I presume I ate at home. Anyway I lost loads of weight (no one noticed but I hid it) and then my periods stopped.

This actually terrified me and because of my background I expected massive consequences if I had somehow 'broke my body'. I began eating healthy and periods returned.

It was a kind of eating disorder though and it's stayed with me as I've aged although not the forefront of me/ my life.

I'd get dd to a gp so she can be checked she's not lacking something her body needs.

Hope she's ok- and her mental health.

Spoken to GP. Long conversation with me and then dd - who of course didn't say much. She said protocol is to refer, but we're going to wait a month and try & boost her fat/calorie intake. Dd is happy with that and gp said to go straight back if in a month she hasn't put on any weight.