5 Signs There May Be a Deeper Reason Behind Your Missing Period

When I first lost my period, I didn’t think much of it.

I was exercising a lot, eating what I thought was healthy, and figured my body would sort itself out eventually. I didn’t realize that my missing period was actually my body trying to tell me something.

Looking back, there were so many other signs that my body wasn’t functioning the way it should have been. At the time, I either ignored them or assumed they were just part of who I was. It wasn’t until I learned about hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) that everything started to make sense.

If you’ve lost your period, here are five signs that there may be a deeper reason behind it.

 1. You’re Always Cold

I used to carry a sweatshirt everywhere.

I’d be sitting in a room where everyone else was perfectly comfortable while I was freezing. My hands and feet were almost always cold, and I honestly thought I just had bad circulation.

Now I know that feeling cold all the time can be a sign that your body is trying to conserve energy. When your brain senses that there isn’t enough energy available, it begins slowing down processes that aren’t necessary for immediate survival, including reproductive function and metabolism (Roberts et al., 2020).

When I finally started eating enough and my body began recovering, I noticed I wasn’t constantly cold anymore. It seems like such a small thing, but it was one of the first signs that my body was healing.

 2. You’re Having Trouble Sleeping

This one surprised me the most.

I assumed that because I exercised so much, I should have been sleeping great. Instead, there were nights when I struggled to fall asleep or woke up throughout the night for no obvious reason.

I didn’t realize that chronic under-fueling and the hormonal changes that come with hypothalamic amenorrhea can affect sleep quality. Low energy availability and increased stress hormones can make restful sleep much harder to achieve (Berga & Loucks, 2006; Roberts et al., 2020).

 3. Your Appetite Is Either Through the Roof or Almost Nonexistent

One thing I wish more people talked about is how unpredictable hunger can become.

Some women with hypothalamic amenorrhea feel hungry all the time. Others barely feel hungry at all. Both can happen when your body has been under-fueled for a long time because the hormones that regulate hunger don’t always behave the way we’d expect (Loucks & Thuma, 2003).

For me, I spent so much time trying to ignore my hunger cues that I stopped trusting them altogether. Recovery meant learning that hunger wasn’t something to fear. it was my body asking for what it needed.

 4. Your Sex Drive Has Changed

This isn’t something many people talk about, but it’s incredibly common.

Low estrogen doesn’t just affect your menstrual cycle. It can also decrease libido and contribute to vaginal dryness because estrogen plays an important role in reproductive and sexual health (Roberts et al., 2020).

Looking back, this was another clue that my hormones weren’t where they should have been. I just didn’t know enough at the time to connect the dots.

5. You Have a History of Restrictive Eating or Mental Health Struggles

Not everyone with hypothalamic amenorrhea has an eating disorder, but many women have a history of restrictive eating, over-exercising, anxiety, perfectionism, or other mental health challenges (Berga & Loucks, 2006).

For me, it wasn’t about wanting to lose my period. I genuinely thought I was being healthy. I believed that eating “clean,” pushing through workouts, and always doing more was the right thing to do.

I know now that our bodies don’t care how good our intentions are. If they don’t have enough energy to support all of their normal functions, they’ll prioritize survival over reproduction.

 Your Body Is Trying to Protect You

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that a missing period isn’t your body failing you.

It’s your body communicating with you.

When your brain senses that there isn’t enough energy available, it temporarily shuts down reproduction to protect you. That’s exactly what hypothalamic amenorrhea is! It a protective response, not a sign that your body is broken (Gordon et al., 2017).

As frustrating as recovery can be, I also want you to know that healing is possible. I remember wanting my period back immediately after I started eating more. Instead, my body needed months of consistent nourishment, more rest, and more weight restoration than I expected.

At the time, that felt incredibly discouraging.

Now, I’m grateful I stuck with it because my body wasn’t asking for too much, it was asking for enough.

If your period has disappeared and several of these signs sound familiar, don’t ignore them. Your body is giving you valuable information, and it deserves to be listened to.

Wondering if low energy availability could be the reason behind your missing period? Take our free Period Recovery Quiz to learn whether you may be experiencing hypothalamic amenorrhea and discover the next steps toward recovery.

References-

Berga, S. L., & Loucks, T. L. (2006). *The diagnosis and treatment of stress-induced functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.*Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, 33), 647–661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ogc.2006.09.004

Gordon, C. M., Ackerman, K. E., Berga, S. L., et al. (2017). Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 102*(5), 1413–1439. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2017-00131

Loucks, A. B., & Thuma, J. R. (2003). Luteinizing hormone pulsatility is disrupted at a threshold of energy availability in regularly menstruating women.journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88 1), 297–311. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2002-020369

Roberts, R. E., Farahani, L., Webber, L., & Jayasena, C. (2020). Current understanding of hypothalamic amenorrhoea.therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2042018820945854. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042018820945854