Thread: Diet, Weight loss and Missed Period

I was just wondering, does dieting stop your period? A friend of mine asked me the other day, she said she missed her period for 2 months and it might have been caused by her dieting. No, she's not sexually active so she's not pregnant. She is, however, too busy with her work and her diet is 1200-1300 calories a day (I think). She's been on this diet for a year now and she had missed periods before but not this long.

What's your opinion? Do you think it has something to do with her diet? Could it have been caused by too much stress from her work? Or was it caused by something more serious?

If she missed 3 periods in a row, that can be considered as secondary amenorrhea. Missed period can be due to a lot of factors. Since you mentioned she's not pregnant, it could have been caused by her lifestyle stress (her work and diet). This is a common condition in women and having it caused by a serious disease is rare. If she wants to be certain, she can go see her doctor.

In some cases, when woman's body fat drops below 12%, it could cause stop her period. It's not good for a woman to skip periods for too long since it could lead to an early onset of osteoporosis.

Actually, 8-12% is the healthy body fat percentag in women. But she if lost weight too rapidly, that could have been the trigger. You mentioned she missed her period before right? She should consider taking a break once in a while.. I would also suggest that she consults her doctor. Our advice are based on facts but doctor's advice would be best.

Thanks a lot.. If she reaches the third month, I'll tell her to see her doctor.. I also suspect that it was because of lifestyle. I'm relieved to hear that it's not just me who thinks the same.

I agree with sasa.. yes, it's best for her to go see her doctor just to be sure.. It's best to be safe than sorry right?

That's true.. But i don't think it's that serious though. Based on what kathy mentioned, it seems her friend's body is sufferring from too much stress.

I think so true. She won't listen though.. Maybe she'll listen to us now since she's a little worried why her period is still late.