Periods and ugh

(Judi Kosanovich) #1

This is my first post - I am a 54 year old female, 8 day in keto, and my last period was 8 months ago. Today I got my period, anyone know why?? Will it go away again soon?

(Diane) #2

There can be two main reasons that eating ketogenically can affect a woman’s hormones and menstrual cycle. The first is because you are probably eating more fat (especially saturated fat and cholesterol) which provides your body with the raw materials to address any hormonal imbalances that you may have been experiencing. A second reason is that hormones (and toxins, etc) can be stored in fat cells. When you begin burning fat and losing weight, you are emptying out these fat cells and liberating all the other stuff stored in there with the fat. The resulting hormonal fluctuations can affect women in different ways. If you search these forums re this issue, you will find lots of threads and examples of how different women are affected in different ways.

I was 52 when I began eating keto in September 2018. It had been nearly 6 months since my previous period. I started a period within that first month which lasted quite awhile (longer than normal). These changes should even out as your body adjusts and heals. I also seem to get a period when I fast longer than 3 days. Sigh… the benefits of fasting have outweighed these inconveniences for me.

Good luck! And hang in there, it gets better.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #3
(Judi Kosanovich) #4

Thank you - is it dangerous or is it a good thing? Also, how long til it ‘evens out’?

(Diane) #5

It doesn’t seem to be dangerous for most women. If your period is heavy over a long period of time, you should check with your gynecologist. That much blood loss can lead to anemia etc. Or be sign of a more serious underlying condition.

How long it takes to normalize seems to vary widely between women. I guess the more “metabolically deranged” or sick or overweight one is, the more time it can take to normalize.

After about 4 or 5 months doing keto, I stopped having periods again (unless I do an extended fast for 3 or more days).

(Judi Kosanovich) #6

I do have a fibroid that has slowly been shrinking in the past 6 months due to menopause - should I be concerned that it may start growing again?

(Diane) #7

Developing fibroids was one of the conditions I was referring to and that’s outside my area of experience. Again, I wouldn’t think so. But if you’re concerned (or become concerned), definitely follow-up with your doctor to run some tests to set your mind at ease.