Plan for HA:

As we mentioned in our earlier post, the primary driver for HA is thought to be stress, whether that’s mental, social, and emotional stress, or physical stress from lack of sleep, over-exercising and under-eating.

As such it’s important to address the four main pillars of hormonal health (diet, exercise, sleep & stress) when tackling HA. We have them broken down by category, but please realise that for many, working on several of these areas is necessary to restore menstruation.

1. Diet. You do not have to be underweight or have an eating disorder/disordered eating to lose your period from under-nourishment. In fact, many exercising women and athletes lose their period by putting there body at a slight, persistent energy deficit—oftentimes unknowingly...

This is called REDs. As such, try to consume more nourishing foods - especially protein & healthy fats (& if your current diet excludes carbs you will need to up your intake of them). Also be sure to eat regularly - every 2.5-3 hours so you have enough energy.

2. Experiment with reducing the intensity and frequency of exercise and maybe ditch the high intensity stuff for now. High intensity exercise increases stress on the body. If you are experiencing an absent period, its a sign that your stress levels are already elevated...

High intensity exercise will likely lead to a more depleted, stressed-out system as opposed to aiding in health. You will need to determine what decreasing exercise means for you, but often the more a person decreases exercise, the sooner they see a return in their period.

3. Getting good quality sleep is one way to reduce your body’s stress load.
4. Prioritise self-care in order to reduce stress.
5. Finally, alternative therapies such as acupuncture, herbs and supplements have also been successful with some people in bringing their cycle back.