How Long Will Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery Take?
In this article I will go through the need-to-know information for determining how long your period will take to return from hypothalamic amenorrhea once you’ve begun taking steps to recover and give you what to consider to speed that timeline up.
FYI, if you’d rather watch than read, this article is based off a YouTube video!
What you need to know
How long will it take to get my period back is one of the most frequently asked questions…EVER!
However, you already that an exact answer for you, the individual reader, can’t be given.
We cannot say that everyone can recover in the same amount of time. It doesn’t make sense to think that’s even a possibility. Not only are we bioindividual creatures, but we also live completely different lives and have different life experiences. And so, we can’t expect to have the same results.
Length of time to recover consideration # 1: How long has it taken for you to make changes?
Now, what we’ve seen in practice is the more you’re willing to do upfront the faster everything will go. Meaning, if you take the recommendations that are meant for YOU and implement them without a ton of issues you’re going to recover faster. More often than not, the time it takes to recover has more to do with how long it takes you to make changes.
Length of time to recover consideration # 2: When did you really start putting in the work?
One reason why there is such a variance in how long it takes someone to recover is because some people count the beginning of their journey the first day they heard about HA and someone people count the start of their journey the moment they fully surrendered to the process and said “screw it, i’m going to ditch all my weird restrictive habits, eat to full satiety, stop drinking so much coffee and balance my blood sugar.” So it really depends on how long it takes you to fully commit to the process.
Length of time to recover consideration # 3: Health history, genetics and medications
On top of that, we need to take into account your genetic variables and how long you’ve been on hormonal birth control or other medications i.e. depression and anxiety. And, if it’s taking you a really long time, we will want to look into blood tests such as prolactin. But, for the majority of people, if you do your part, you’re going to get your period back in 3 months.
Length of time to recover consideration # 4: Are you potentially still dieting?
Not everyone is going to be able to read this article or watch the YouTube video and be super motivated to go and get their period back in 3 months. And this is because it takes A LOT of mental energy to make the true sustainable and meaningful shifts needed to get your period back.
“We don’t believe it takes a lot of mental energy to recover, it takes a lot of mental energy to stop dieting.”
Dieting doesn’t just mean you’re counting calories or macros. It means that you are still in control of something such as what you can or cannot eat, the amount you can eat, you’re exercising to avoid weight gain in the process, you’re still making food swaps such as low fat yogurt vs full fat or zero calorie jelly. Any and all of those behaviors are connected to dieting and those are what will make your recovery take longer.
You could potentially recover in 3 months, but it’s going to take you 6 months (or more) to recover if you continue to hold onto your dieting behaviors and continue to play this game we like to call at The HA Society, “how low can I go?”. Meaning, “how low can I keep my calories and still recover? How can I eat the bare minimum and still get my period back?” But, that’s not going to work.
In the slim chance that it does work and you get your cycle back on the bare minimum, your cycle parameters will be suboptimal. If that’s the case and you’re trying to get pregnant, you might assume that you need fertility treatment or think something else is wrong with you. But, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s that YOU ARE STILL DIETING.
You getting a period just means some hormonal activity has turned on, thanks to what you have been willing to do, but because you’re still holding on strong to your dieting past i.e. step count, maintaining your body composition, you’re not giving the body everything it needs to function properly or optimally. Saying goodbye to the control and the dieting behaviors is the stone that needs to be turned if you want to achieve a speedy recovery.
If you’re unsure if you are doing recovery 100%, I have a question for you to journal on!
What does the nourished version of you look like?
Take the below into consideration as you expand on that question.
What does the most nourished version of you look like?
How does she wake up in the morning?
How does she dress?
What does she look like?
How is she nourishing herself?
When does she workout? What does that look like? What is the frequency? And what does the training to rest frequency look like? What does the training output to food input look like?
Whatever that version is, if it doesn’t quite look like what you’re currently doing, you have a little work to do. Want your period back ASAP? Do what the nourished version of you would do fully and with intention. Remove all restrictions from your mind and from your food, and you will recover in the fastest time frame for YOUR body.
Maybe, learn about blood sugar balance and all the macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs), and how they impact the menstrual cycle just in case there’s a knowledge gap you're missing.
But more importantly, keep an eye out for your roadblocks and blind spots, those sneaky little dieting behaviors, and start systematically removing them as you notice and discover them. Try not to get discouraged- you are unlearning years of programming- just become aware of them and make the change and you will recover in the fastest possible time.
What next? Take the Quiz
If you’re itching to know, I have a quiz called “How Long Might It Take to get My Period Back?”, that will help you better understand how long this process might take. This quiz will ask you about the types of behaviors we discussed in this article (but in more detail) that might be holding you back. It will then spit out an answer based on your responses of how long it might take, along with some strategies and suggestions.
Remember the quiz has its limitations, it doesn’t know anything about you or your health history. It’s more of a guideline meant to help you see where your hang ups might be. Overall, the quiz is pretty accurate if it’s 100% based off of behaviors and lifestyle stuff. If you have any questions based on your results you can respond to the email and I will personally respond! If you want to provide extra detail, I’m happy to have a quick look and let you know what I think.
Hear more from Dani
Dani recently did an interview with MysticMag all about hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery, answering some of your most common questions. Check it out!
Ready to make big recovery moves?
Or we are happy to have a free strategy call with you if you think working with a coach 1:1 might work better for you. We can listen to your case and see if there’s something my team can do to help you speed through this process. If our proven process for recovery isn't right for you based on your health history and the challenges you're working through, we’ll give you specific next steps to try that might be more suited for you. It’s a no obligation call, promise!
