Has anyone lost their periods for no apparent reason? Really worried

[Ltc2020]

Hi everyone,

I am under 30 and suddenly stopped having periods for 4 months. There was no identifiable cause e.g. healthy BMI, stressed but no more than normal. I was convinced it was hypothyroid because my hair is also feeling really really thin and I have a range of other symptoms that can be attributed to that. I had blood tests and an utlrasound. All my bloods came back normal. My ultrasound showed some tissue not where it was supposed to be but Dr reassured me that it is not a problem and would not cause stopped periods.

I now have not had a period in 4 months which is worrying after having regularly for 12 years. The dr suggested going on the pill to regulate my periods. I felt this was covering up a symptom of something going on within my body, and I want to identify the issue, not cover up the symptom. They have agreed to refer me to a consultant instead to discuss further.

None of my friends have ever had this and it is just really concerning. Like, if I wanted to get pregnant how would that even be possible because I have not had a cycle in 4 months. I'm almost convinced my blood tests are wrong at this point. How can I have a healthy female hormone blood count when I do not have a cycle?

Just wondering if anyone has been through something similar?

Sorry if this is not the right thread

I had this in my early 20s, i went on the pill for a couple of months and they restarted

really - and was there any reason for them stopping? I really have not got on well with the pill in the past so I'd be nervous to start it

Yes in my 20's when I was very underweight and again when I was a regular distance runner but overtraining (not underweight though).

@user6537811 that's interesting, because I am not underweight, if anything I need to lose some weight, but I do exercise regularly although nothing I thought was excessive

I was exercising excessively eg hours each day, also I was in a hot country so placing quite a bit of strain on my body. How much exercise do you do (like minutes per day, KM per day?)

@user6537811 Yeah see nothing like that when I first lost them. I would do somewhere between 5-10k steps a day, and workout in the gym 3x a week by doing a 30 min heavy weight session. That was about it with the odd yoga class thrown in here and there! Now I've stopped and am doing more low intensity exercise like yoga and pilates etc.

That's not a huge amount of exercise. Stress? Covid vaccine?

@user6537811 Vaccine is an interesting one, think I may have got the booster Feb 22 and this all started Apr/May 22. Would that be a link? Stress - I have a lot of life stressors but I would not say I am more stressed than I have been at other times in my life and maintained a period. When this first started it was mid summer and I was having a good time, I'm more stressed now because of this on top! I really cannot figure it out :(

Some women have premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). I think the stats are 1 in 100. Mention it to your GP and ask to see a menopause specialist. If they rule out other causes they can prescribe you HRT as there are side effects to losing estrogen. Many of which are similar to other symptoms like thyroid issues.

@SophiaLarsen thanks so much - I will mention it but unfortunately bc my hormone bloods came back normal they seem to be ruling out all things like this

Many women have reported this after covid jab so yes could be that. If you do an advance search on covid and periods there are a lot of threads!

Blood tests cannot diagnose this as hormones fluctuate so much. Your GP is not up to date (no surprise, very few are trained in this). Blood tests should be done to rule out other issues so they can then try HRT. Definitely ask to see a GP with experience and training in POI and early menopause. And/or ask to be referred to menopause clinic. Check out Menopause Matters and the Newson Clinic including the podcast by Louise Newson.

www.balance-menopause.com/subject/premature-ovarian-insufficiency-poi/

There is a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhoea which is a cause of secondary amenorrheoa (less than 2 cycles a year). It is triggered by stress, excessive exercise, low body weight. Look it up. It cannot be diagnosed by a GP - ask your doctor for referral to an Endocrinologist. They will take more hormonal bloods than is possible in the community and look at the ratios of specific things like LH and FSH.

Thank you everyone this is so helpful, I will take all of these questions to my consultant gyno when I go. I wasn't even aware that these things couldn't be caught via blood tests.

@SophiaLarsen I was about to add the same thing to this thread. I have POI and reading the post would strongly urge the OP to get properly checked.

My periods stopped for 9 months when I was trying to conceive, I did get pregnant at the time, so don’t give up hope.

@MrsMo21 thank you!
@KangarooKenny wow - congratulations! I did not know that was possible, I thought if periods stopped then it meant I was not ovulating at all

I had exactly this. No period for 4 months. Hair loss. Hot flushes. Convinced I was going through early menopause. Had blood tests which showed slightly raised fsh but repeat test came back normal. Then all of a sudden my period started up again and now I'm pregnant. I'm quite certain this was covid related which I had in January. My body seemed to have a big immune response to it. I also think stress contributed too. What I think really helped was taking starflower oil, zinc and high dose vitamin d. Perhaps it made no difference but you can get them in sainsburies, worth a try?

@Mistymeow omgthank you so much for sharing that. Did this happen instantly after covid? I had covid feb 2022 and this all started from around may 2022. I did have the booster jab maybe March 22.

I had one period in Feb and then it went awol. I can't say for certain if it's covid related but it has been reported that both covid and the vaccine can cause temporary changes to periods. In my case it seems to have buggered off for months. If you don't have early menopause in your family it's quite rare (1 in 100). As your tests were normal of you're not ttc I would ask your doc about it being covid related and try the pill as a pp suggested. If you are ttc try those supplements, I found them really great.