PCOS Message Board - View Single Post

Laura0621 · 04-11-2008, 03:14 PM

Hi There

I have read a lot of about weight impacting periods over the past 6 months or so. Although there could be many reasons for your missed periods (PCOS causes missed periods so the fact that you have PCOS is probably a big factor), I believe that low body weight does make some women's periods stop. I have always been very slim (5'3 and about 107 lbs) and my periods were always regular up until the age of 25 when I went on the pill. I came off the pill and my periods remained normal for 8 months but then became completely irregular with a couple cycles over 70 days. I have determined that my issue seems to be the PCOS rather than my low body fat. However, in Jan/Feb I worked very hard to gain some weight and then had a regular cycle in March for the first time in months. I managed to go up to 114lbs by adding high fat flax oil to all of my drinks. You could try this and see if it works....the oil I drink had 14 grams of fat (omega-3 and 6) in 1 tablespoon. It really works well but I find it makes me feel kind of gross sometimes.

So, maybe find out what your % body fat is and see what a doctor says about that. Mine was 20.8% and the doctor said that 20-30% is a healthy range for a female. She also said that she finds that the middle of that range is ideal in terms of regular periods and promoting fertility. Some women would still have normal periods with very low amounts of body fat and others may be more sensitive to changes in body fat.

I hope you get the answers you need. Hopefully your doctor will be able to help you determine what a healthy weight range is for you.

Good luck