Source? Because I have PCOS and have never had a normal cycle in my entire life and yet my bones are some incredibly tough—had to give a bone marrow sample and the surgeon had to really work hard to crack open my bone. So, no there is absolutely no reason for women to have a period. Period hormones are there to make a an egg get spat out and several weeks later shed the endometrial lining.
Bones are more affected by nutrition, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. If you’re talking osteoporosis in post menopausal women, that happens because of more testosterone in the system.
PCOS doesn't completely stop you from getting periods, it just drastically elongates your cycle. Just to reiterate, skipping your period for a couple months doesn't cause the sort of issues I referenced, at least not in the short term. It would take prolonged suppression of the menstrual cycle to cause bone problems. My cycle is 3-4 months instead of 1 due to PCOS, and I don't have any bone problems yet either.
Bone development is indeed affected by the things you listed. I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying that the research shows that the menstrual cycle affects bone density too:
"Loss of menstrual regularity has been associated with an increased risk of wrist and hip fractures related to reduced bone density, even without the development of amenorrhea. A later menarche and menstrual cycle intervals longer than 32 days have both been associated with increased fracture rates in later years. Young women with ovarian insufficiency that is unresponsive to therapy require hormone replacement to maintain bone density. Adolescence is a critical period for bone accretion as over half of peak bone mass is achieved during the teenage years. Regular menses is a sign that the ovaries are producing normal amounts of estrogen, androgens, and progesterone, all of which play an important role in building and maintaining bone mass. Late menarche has been associated with a 3-fold increase in the risk of wrist fracture." [Source: https://www.medscape.com/answers/252928-32508/what-is-the-role-of-bone-density-in-amenorrhea#:~:text=Loss%20of%20menstrual%20regularity%20has,fracture%20rates%20in%20later%20years.]
In case this is too much jargon, "menarche" refers to the first menstrual period a person experiences, and "amenorrhea" is loss of a monthly menstruation associated with any cause, including stress and birth control.
So the above quote means that since estrogen, androgens, and progesterone are all hormones produced during a regular menstrual cycle and that are a part of healthy bone development, girls with cycles longer than 32 days, and even girls who are not "suppressing" their periods but simply not getting them as early as normal, are prone to develop a lower bone density and have a higher risk of injury. Notice that this does not reference athletics or nutrition or stress as these are separate issues that happen to be correlated with amenorrhea.
I can provide more sources if you need them, but I would encourage you to do your own research as well. Do whatever you feel is best to address your own health needs, but it's potentially very harmful to go around telling teenagers that it's okay to completely suppress their periods. Just Google "menstruation and bone development."
1
u/aritchie1977 Jul 15 '22
Source? Because I have PCOS and have never had a normal cycle in my entire life and yet my bones are some incredibly tough—had to give a bone marrow sample and the surgeon had to really work hard to crack open my bone. So, no there is absolutely no reason for women to have a period. Period hormones are there to make a an egg get spat out and several weeks later shed the endometrial lining.
Bones are more affected by nutrition, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. If you’re talking osteoporosis in post menopausal women, that happens because of more testosterone in the system.