Dd periods have stopped

[NCTDN]

She's 16 but only started a year ago. Since lockdown she has eaten very little and lost weight because of it. I'm sure this is why they have stopped, but should I be concerned?
We are talking about food and she is now eating more.

Def not pregnant btw.

You should be very concerned about the not eating if it's causing periods to stop. You need to seek help.

What is her BMI? Is she underweight?

How many has she missed? Just because drs won't look into it until 3 or more periods have been missed. Losing weight could be a factor esp if she was small to begin with. There are lots of reasons tbh. Most common would be pcos or thyroid issues I imagine. Is she well otherwise?

If it's a sustained stop I'd suggest to her to get checked out. Sometimes hormone imbalances can cause it and it's good to get those sorted early on. Or if there's anything like pcos in the family its hereditary.

Also a chat from the doctor on eating etc might also do some good.

Not eating enough can cause low Estrogen levels. That causes periods to stop and can also result in low bone density.

You don't say how many periods are missed. If it's just one, it may not be anything to worry about. If it's several, then that's not a good sign.

Sounds like it's weight loss related but worth checking with GP as PCOS can be the cause too.

I'm sure it's eating related - posted in another thread about this. I know there's lots of teens who feel the only thing they have control over is food and this is definitely her. So I'm not ignoring it but hope the gp will talk to her. I just wanted to check I won't get fobbed off by the doctor. She's missed 3.

Before I even clicked on your link I thought "has she lost a lot of weight" I think you are absolutely right they are connected. You need to get her to the doctor but tread very carefully. I had an eating disorder (not saying your daughter definitely has) and the way my mum approached it drove a big wedge between us and it took me a long time to get better and even longer to repair our relationship. Good Luck OP

Thanks tennis. I'm accurately aware of what I say as I don't want to make things worse. By having the issue with periods I feel it can go to the gp and be brought up in a linked kind of way.

Does she have an eating disorder? Only saying because I had one and it wrecked my period schedule etc

I had anorexia from 16-17, and didn't have a period for months on end because of it. It was actually a real shock to get one after I'd recovered. I think you need to approach her gently, with your next step seeing a doctor.

My 16yo has missed 4 periods and the GP said get back in touch after 6 missed. She has also lost weight, although she has adjusted to a healthier diet (with exercise) rather than just not eating.

Wow fallen 6 seems a lot! Dd does lots of exercise.

It seemed a lot to me too, but he seemed pretty sanguine. However, the not eating much as well as lots of exercise rings lots of alarm bells, and I'm not sure I'd wait if I had those concerns.

mine was very infrequent as a teenager. I had one every 4-5 months while my friends were all regular. After a yr went to see gp who literally just give me the contraceptive pill in order to bring about a bleed.... DONT do that. I'm pretty sure that messed my cycles up even more because when I came off it I didn't have a bleed for almost 2 years. It wasnt until I began by trying for kids that they tested me for pcos and I was officially diagnosed.

But yes poor diet can massively affect your cycle as well so it could just be that.

My 16 and a half yr old rarely gets periods. Started 2 yrs ago and i can count on 2 hands how many she’s had. Very slim and athletic, and she -nor I-am overly concerned. I was like that when her age.

@Bargainhuntbore you should be concerned. Irregularities in your cycle is the first sign that you are not eating enough and/or exercising to excess.

She is eating. Always has and always has been slim. As i said, I'm not concerned. I’ve been there. My periods were never regular.

My dd is similar age and very slight but also healthy and eats very well. Her periods stopped last year for a few months. The doctor put it down to school stress but said she wasn’t worried about it at all and that it was quite common! Funnily enough they restarted during lockdown and have been quite regular for about 3 months now so perhaps the stress theory was right.

Not eating, doing a lot of exercise and periods stopping only add up to one thing.
You could ring an eating disorder helpline. That would be very helpful support for you in order to help her. Most calls to these helplines are from parents seeking advice on how to broach the subject with a family member.
www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/supporting-someone/worried-about-friend
Ireland also has a very good website too:
www.bodywhys.ie/supporting-someone/

Your GP can help. But you as her mother, will have a major role in helping her emerge from this.
That's why you need to do your homework. And also not inadvertently collude with the denial of what's going on.
Your DD won't really be able to notice what she's doing.
She may well have the opinion 'Why are you saying I am anxious I'm not anxious I just don't want to be fat'.
Isolating herself within the eating disorder is a way to make herself feel less alone. The Rules she creates start to becomes like a friend to rely on every day. Only now, like a drug, it's telling her what to do not the other way around.

An eating disorder is a coping mechanism, it is trying to do a good job to protect her from rejection by society, but unfortunately the critical voice of the eating disorder can very quickly get louder and drown out the other parts of her.
It is dangerous and a serious threat to her if it takes hold. However, with support recovery is very achievable and the earlier the intervention the better.
Best of luck with it. With love and perseverance and by seeking support yourself you will get through this.

Hi op I'm in a similar position, my dd is 14yo and her periods seem to have stopped around 2 months ago. This coincided with her stepping up the exercise and becoming very restrictive around food.

I spoke to the a dr who said she wasn't ill enough to make the criteria for a referral to the eating disorder service.

I feel at a loss tbh, she's also being assessed for ASD but everything is delayed due to Covid.

DD missed a few and we went to go who said not to worry and come back if 6 missed. She then got it the next month and monthly thereafter. I was a bit hit and miss in my teens too.

Eating disorders are deadly and ruin lives of those around them - with high mortality rate - you need to intervene fast and hard. Like any addiction the DD will keep it hidden. She needs you to out the problem. Eva Musby (on Amazon) and the FEAST website are literally lifesavers. Sorry I don't want to panic you but our 13 yr old DD had this and we had to move very assertively and fast to stop her becoming chronic - I can't emphasise enough how an eating disorder is like cancer but equally deserves rapid intervention and speed is essential too. GPs and NHS are a mixed bag - do please read Eva Musby's book as that alone is a manual to save someone's life.

To add our DD now is fine but it took serous work to get her there. Do message me if I can help - you are a good parent and recent studies have found this horrid complex illness is genetic. The Maudsley method is a proven cure but again I can't say how a fast effective intervention makes a big difference - good luck and really welldone for noticing loss of periods as that is a red flag as is 'appearing' to eat but not and exercise. Not easy to do but 4xmilk drinks a day will immediately help your DD's mental health - any anxiety or depression or OCD is due often to malnourishment and therapy a total waste of time - food is medicine but they don't want that hence it needs prescribing just like medicine until their faculties recover. Big hug welldone again for spotting a red flag here.