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For people who menstruate - has IF affected your monthly visitor?

I started about 14 days ago. I haven’t lost a damn pound but at least I haven’t gained… anyways the day I started was 2 days before my period. Well now I’m 12 days late and still no sign of period. I took 2 tests a week apart and not pregnant.

What is going on with my body?? I would assume it would be late but not this late. And could this be why I haven’t lost a pound yet? Hormones? I’m 31 F and never had kids before for what it’s worth and I was an all day snacker until bed with excercise in between. Now doing 16:8 and staying under 2000 cals per day.

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Answer

Yeah, mine has left me entirely but that is due to a combination of IF and undereating at 1500 kcal/day for one year and a half. Last time I got mine was seven months ago. I have been eating at maintenance level for two/three months now and have entirely abandoned IF but still no sign of it, even though it used to be very regular.
Our bodies are fickle things so anything can delay your period (even stress) but nonetheless keep an eye on it. Don’t put too much stress on your body and make sure you are eating at maintenance level or (if losing weight is your goal) somewhat below it but don’t push it. I regret losing mine.

Answer

Been fasting for 1 year and 7 months, it’s impacted my cycle and hormones immensely. Breakthrough bleeding, late/missed cycles and now the craziest hormonal breakout of my life. Most of the IF studies are done on groups if men so it’s incredibly hard to find out information, especially when I first started having issues! For about 13 months I did a 2-4 hour window. I LOVE fasting and living this way is effortless for me, but I’ve had to open up my window to at least 6 hours and I’ve started adding cream to my coffee even though I prefer it black. My cycle has normalized but like I said I’m now struggling with acne after years of clear skin, so my hormones are still wacked out. At least I am not fat anymore lol!!!

Edit: I forgot to add that from my understanding, estrogen is stored in fat cells so when the fat cells shrink, estrogen is released into the blood and messes up the system. So is it the fasting or just the fat loss that caused my issues? I do not know.

Answer

Yes, I have skipped a full period when I was fasting consistently. For me that’s usually linked to fasts of a few days, but I definitely think that could be the case with IF as well. I used pregnancy tests for weeks 🤦🏻‍♀️

Answer

Check out Dr. Mindy Pelz on YouTube, she has some videos about regulating your cycle while fasting.

Note: She is a chiropractor, not a medical doctor, but I believe she’s done her research in this area and knows what she’s talking about.

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