Symptoms, prevalence, and recovery treatment for Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Ally focuses on supporting people with recovery from Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, so we wanted to start by providing the basics to empower you to make the right health decisions for you.
If you find yourself experiencing menstrual disturbances, know that you're not alone. Hypothalamic Amenorrhea is frequently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, so we're here to offer you reliable information and support. In this article we'll cover:
What is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA)?
Recognizing the Signs: Causes & Symptoms of HA
Treatment: What do I do if I have HA?
What is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA)?
HA is a condition where your menstrual cycle becomes irregular or stops altogether due to changes in the hypothalamus, the part of your brain that controls several body processes, including temperature, hunger, and reproduction. When your hypothalamus perceives your body is under stress, it can disrupt normal production of reproductive hormones as a survival response, and therefore, disrupt your menstrual cycle.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea is actually very prevalent, estimated to impact 2-3% of all women between the ages of 18 and 44. It effects about 1.62 million menstruating people in the US alone.
Recognizing the signs: Causes and Symptoms of HA
Although you may not feel like you are extremely stressed, your body and hypothalamus could detect stress as a result of several factors including:
Insufficient food intake (or low energy availability)
Excessive exercise
Inadequate nutrition (such as restricting certain food types or groups)
Low body fat
Emotional or psychological stress
Although there are some myths that Hypothalamic Amenorrhea only shows up in elite athletes or folks with eating disorders, it's also common amongst active people and those who experience stress from work, perfectionism, or overachievements.
How do I know if I have Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?
Some common symptoms include:
Low energy
Feeling tired or burnt out constantly
Low libido
Preoccupation with food
Frequently feeling of being cold
Hair loss
Depression or anxiety
Weakened bones or low bone density (including osteoporosis or stress fractures)
Lower body weight
Additionally, if you typically have rigid routines around food or exercise, if you feel anxious or guilty for scaling back exercise, or if you feel like you're chronically stressed, then these are common indicators that you could be struggling with HA.
You may have 1-2 of these symptoms and others have all of them.
HA is very commonly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. However, this leads to ineffective or irrelevant treatment recommendations. HA diagnosis typically involves ruling out other conditions and reflecting on lifestyle habits. Don't be afraid to get clarity!
Treatment & Recovery: What do I do if I have Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?
Luckily, in most cases, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea can be effectively treated with lifestyle changes that will help you restore your energy, regain your period, and also feel your best. Not to mention, it can help prevent early onset osteoporosis, longer term cardiac issues, and fertility challenges.
We'll distill some recommendations here to get you started. Some of these changes can feel very challenging as they break old habits and beliefs, so we've seen higher success levels with faster, sustained recovery by working with a care team, like a health professional. Additionally, everyone is a bit different, so these are general guidelines and not hard and fast rules that may directly apply to your situation:
Re-evaluate your food. Are you eating enough and getting sufficient energy from each of the macros? If you typically avoid a certain food group altogether, try to add it back in. In almost all cases, we recommend eating more and also more frequently. Meal timing also matters.
Update your workouts. During recovery specifically, scaling back exercise can help manage cortisol (stress) levels, so consider decreasing the time and intensity of your workouts in the near term. In some cases, we recommend full rest temporarily and in other cases, we work with folks to create a training plan that supports recovery.
Manage your stress. Easier said than done, but if you're stress if impacting your sleep or if you're feeling stressed on a daily basis over several weeks or months, then try to incorporate some soothing rituals into your routine.
If you're interested in more individualized support and want to get started today, we're here to partner with you.
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