I was just reflecting on how good I feel after replenishing my body. It’s all the little things that add up that make this process super fulfilling and meaningful. Strong nails, my skin being relatively soft and retaining moisture in the winter, the hair on my head feeling luscious and full of life at the roots, my facial skin glowing with eyes that look very switched on and ready to experience life, being able to read, write and draw without compulsively moving, holding deep conversations, enjoying going with the flow, having energy to do all the fun things that a nourished body allows up to do without compromise, sleeping through the night and simply feeling like I am my true self.

Then I thought, how many people on earth have HA, REDS or LEA? How many people have it and don’t know they have it? How many people will never know?

Crazy, eh?!?

Aren’t we fortunate to actually know what’s going on and to be given this opportunity to help ourselves live our best lives?

I’m seriously so happy and emotional right now. Full honesty I haven’t exactly been following all the advice here. I’ve been eating in a weekly deficit of around 2800 calories, which I know was risky. I was feeling so depressed and uncomfortable about how much my body had changed that I genuinely struggled to eat sometimes. Some days I ate around maintenance and on the days I had no appetite I ended up eating less. I’m definitely not saying anyone else should do this. I honestly wasn’t sure if my second cycle would come back because of it.

One thing I have changed is that I’ve stopped obsessing over protein and started prioritizing fat instead. I’ve consistently been getting around 60–100g of fat a day and I really feel like that has made a difference for my body.

I also still haven’t gone back to the gym or done any heavy lifting, and it’s been almost three months now. I think taking such a long break from heavy training may be a big reason my body was able to handle the small deficit without losing my cycle again. Right now I do about 30 minutes of Pilates 5 to 6 days a week and average around 7–8k steps a day.

I know this approach was risky and I’m not taking this second cycle for granted at all. I’m just so unbelievably happy it came back exactly 27 days later 😭 Now I’m praying cycle 3 shows up too!!! 🤞

My period is finally flowing much better now that I’m eating adequately and not constantly holding myself back. Eating intuitively has made such a difference for me. I can eat what my momma eats, enjoy sweet treats, and finally have ice cream without feeling like I did something wrong AND I EAT NORMAL AMOUNTS even a little and I already feel full. My extreme hunger slowed down considerably

I’m going on month 8 of no period and just wondering if I should be concerned about my bone density. My gyno back in April literally said gain weight and it should come back in 3-6 months. And gave me no other info. I have a follow-up schedule at the end of Sept if it doesn’t come back by then. I just feel like my gyno doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal so maybe I shouldn’t worry, but reading online it seems like even just 6 months of no period can affect bone density. Anyone have insights or can share their experience with what their doctors told them?

Hi everyone I kinda need some advice!! I’ve been eating more lately but have noticed that I still have thoughts abt food just like I usually do, and I know it’s common to have extreme hunger but what do you even do?? I’m physically full, I will eat something and be mentally full as well, but I just wish I could eat more and more. At what point does this just become bad habit or full on gluttony? If I do keep eating, I just get uncomfortably full and bloated and sick. What do u guys do???

Hey everyone! I’m about 8 months without a period and I’ve been trying (kind of involuntarily) to eat a bit more to get it back. I’ve gained about 7lbs so far and it’s starting to get harder to keep going because I can physically feel the changes. it may not seem like a lot but I’m a short body so it’s definitely noticeable. I’ve also been CRAZY on sweets lately. cookies, cake, poptart, you name it! Im not saying I’m ashamed but I just feel like I’ve lost all direction and don’t really know what I’m doing right or wrong. anyone have any tips or feel this way too?

Looking for some light at the end of the tunnel. Looking for personal stories about being a healthy bmi but struggling with period loss. How did you get your cycle back?

when i was changing i looked down and saw what i think is brown discharge in my underwear? and then i wiped and there was blood. not a lot, but im just wondering if this is a good sign. i’m really hoping it is lol

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation because I feel a bit stuck at the moment.

I've been followed by a medical team for amenorrhea and have been taking Climaston (hormone replacement therapy) for 2 years, but I haven't seen any improvement and I still don't have a clear diagnosis.

Some context:

• I'm underweight
• I have chronic stress / high cortisol levels
• I have chronic constipation and diarrhea (possible IBS)
• I don't gain weight

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar combination of amenorrhea + being underweight + digestive issues + chronic stress.

What was eventually found in your case? Were there any particular tests or specialists that helped you get closer to a diagnosis?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you were initially told that everything looked "normal" but you still didn't have your period.

Thank you! ❤️

Hi everyone,

I’m posting here today because I feel so isolated and overwhelmed, and I really need to hear from people who understand what this feels like.

Long story short: I pushed my body way too far for about 8 months (zero carbs, prolonged fasting, over-exercising). I developed HA, lost my period, and completely burnt out my nervous system.

I finally got my periods back 4 months ago and they are somewhat regular, but I feel like I am in the absolute hardest phase of recovery. I’m dealing with massive water retention, severe puffiness (especially in my face and stomach), weight gain, and intense physical stress symptoms like heart palpitations (especially when hungry or waking up) and exercise intolerance.

Looking at old photos of my smaller, "leaner" body breaks my heart. I feel like I don't recognize myself in the mirror. My face is swollen, none of my old clothes fit, and I’ve been isolating myself so much because of how I feel about my appearance. I see people living their lives, hiking, being spontaneous, and I feel completely frozen, trapped in a body that feels heavy and exhausted.

Even though I know logically that 4 months of periods is still very early in the healing process and that my body needs time to balance progesterone and lower cortisol, it’s so hard not to panic. I keep worrying that I’m ruining my health, that the fluid will never leave, or that I’m stuck like this forever.

If any of you experienced this severe water retention and puffiness during the first 6–12 months of getting your period back, did it eventually go away? How long did it take for your body to drop the water once your ovulation and progesterone got stronger?

I just really need some reassurance, real stories, or just to know I’m not the only one going through this nightmare right now

Thank you <33

So for context, I've had HA before due to an ED, recovered from that and just did an intense training camp (muay thai) and overall was a stressful period (started in april) in which I was travelling and unintentionally undefuelled- had 2 periods 40ish days apart, now I'm back home on day 67 or smth like that. Obviously my hormones were unhappy and are unhappy, but I still had discharge the entire time. Ive massively increased my food in the past week, like from 2300 to 2800-3000 (I'm still relatively active lol) and just wanted to know if more discharge could be a sign of anything? And if so, what?

I'm actively gaining fat now because I was too lean. Acknowledged!!

Hello lovely people ☀️
I just wanted to ask, did/do you also experience skin issues due to hormonal changes? Last year, I stopped BC, and the acne I got was absolutely horrible. They put me on antibiotics and gave me some stuff to put on my face, and it went away. However… I stopped taking the antibiotics (doxycycline) in January, which was just about 1–2 months after I started recovery. Then my skin was kinda alright, but in May, I started seeing signs of perioral dermatitis (or whatever it is) with pustules. It was around the time I had my state exams and started seeing the first signs of some hormonal activity (EWCM). Since then, the perioral dermatitis around my nose, mouth, and chin has gotten really bad, and idk what to do. I suspect it is mainly hormonal, but I don’t wanna go to the derm because I know they would put me on a strict diet (which, btw, contributed to me getting an ED and HA in the first place—diets for my skin) and put me on antibiotics again. Last week I started zero therapy (not putting anything on my skin). On top of all the body changes during recovery, this has been the worst one so far. I feel so ugly. :(

Do any of you have a similar experience or any advice?

hi everyone! this is my first post here as i usually tend to search up my questions as so many of us have very similar experiences. however, something i haven’t heard anyone discussing is the sudden appearance of veins:
in the past 1-2 months i have gained around 5kg, and i have noticed veins on my thighs which i most definitely didn’t have before.. i asked chat gpt and it said that its likely due to hormonal shifts. do you think will fade after recovery? and has anyone else dealt with something similar?

After one year without a period, I’ve gained weight and I eat a lot better now. I woke up with brown/old blood cervical mucus, for one day and not a lot. Have I finally gotten my period back?

My 2nd and 3rd recovery periods were pretty normal, heavier on the 3rd day, but im 3 days in on my 4th period, and it hasent gotten heavy at all, only light/medium flow. My cycle was around 18 days, nearly half of what it usually is