missed periods (please help)

[fittolive05]

How embarassing. :D

But hi. I'm 15 and will be 16 soon. I've been an on and off vegan for the past three years (but always vegetarian). That was mostly due to my one binge eating time period for weeks, as well as the lack of vegan household items. But anyway- I got my period a week before I was eleven, and I don't recall it being regular between that time and the time I turned vegan, which was around the age of 13. My BMI says I'm average, though just a little bit on the brim of overweight-edness. Which is because I binge ate terribly during my depression and still do to this day.

But anyway. =] I've been noticing for about the past year or so that my period is irregular, and often missed. I don't get it for 2-3 months at a time. And when I do get it, I'm horribly emotional and rampant with a heavy flow, as opposed to being unaffected by my hormones when I did have my period.

Umm.. I guess you could say I'm the type of vegan who doesn't care about her health. Which really doesn't help the unhealthy image-stereotype of vegans out there, but I can't help it! I honestly never cared about my health before as an omnivore, not as a vegetarian, and not now as a vegan. I know it's definitely my nutrition that is screwing up my menstrual cycle, but what exactly? Should I stick to the multivitamins (where do you find vegan ones in the US!!!?) and just take them anyway, or should I cook lavish vegetable meals with mock meats that will bite chunks off from my parents' paychecks? I feel that, as a teenager, being vegan can get quite costly sometimes which ascribes to my feeling of being a burden. And to my lack of interest in being healthy. I only did it for the animals anyway.

Thanks for your input, guys. Or should I say.. gals? *Shudder* :eek: I just wanted some opinions first before I see my doctor about this, as well as my nutritionist who I blew off. I'm procrastinating on making the call for the appointment. It's only because I really REALLY need to learn about vegan nutrition to back up my diet, and if I don't they'll attack me with questions about it. I just can't find the motivation to do so! =|

Thanks again, and I apologize for the long post! :p

[RachelJune]

Hi there :D

Maybe take a look at this thread, it could be helpful:

http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11440

Rachel x

[flying plum]

i know you've been pointed to that thread, but it's quite long and there are various discussions, so i just wanted to say quickly:

i'm by no means an expert, but you're young, and often periods can take a while to settle down. some people are just never 'regular' - mine never have been, from when i was omni, to veggie and now vegan. some people's follow a weird cycle...mine just don't seem to follow much of one at all. from what i can tell, it's roughly 30 days, then 35, but i always mean to take a note of it, and always forget....

what i'm trying to say is, i wouldn't freak out about from a health perspective. however, if you get a heavy period, you might want to make an appointment with your GP anyway, as going on the pill or something like that (if you feel that's an option) will regulate your period and could help to lessen the flow and cramps. and perhaps they could run a blood test to check your hormones are how they should be and just set your mind at rest. but i'm sure there's no need to worry :)

amanda

[CoCo]

you're hormones might be a little off. When I change my eating habits, my periods go totally bonkers. I missed my period for about 8 months, which is about 12 cycles for me (I thought I was pregnant for a while--you can imagine how much fun that was, yeesh). I took a hormone supplement (prescribed by my gyno) for 10 days, and all was well again.
So it might be as easy as just taking a pill. :)

[harpy]

Hello - There is some evidence that binge eating can upset your metabolism and cause menstrual irregularities. There is a condition called PCOS that involves irregular periods and has been linked to binge eating. There might be a two way causal link, i.e. hormone problems may increase the tendency to overeat as well as vice versa.

I used to be a bit of a binge-eater - nothing dramatic but I would sometimes eat a load of carbohydrates in one go - and getting that under control seemed to regularise my periods. (I was once diagnosed with PCOS but now I don't seem to have it.)

You could try one of these eating plans that involves eating mainly foods with a low glycaemic index/load (these are absorbed slowly so you don't get peaks and troughs in your blood sugar). Something like that may stop you from wanting to binge and could also help with the menstrual thing at the same time. It would be a good idea to check with the doc as well I think.

Edited to add that you really don't need special "vegan foods" such as mock meats - meals made with vegetables and beans or lentils can be more than adequate nutritionally, tasty, and not hard to prepare. There are quite a lot of recipes around on this forum.

[Tam Lin]

I started my periods at 13 and they carried on irregularly until I had a hysterectomy at 39; in that time my cycle would vary between 24 and 80+ days. I took agnus castus for a while which seemed to help but it's not recommended for longterm use. It was only in the final year that I was diagnosed with PCOS.