Today I’m sharing a comprehensive list of things to consider in your hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) recovery journey. ✨

HA is generally caused by too much stress on the body in the form of an energy deficit — for active women like myself, this can be not eating enough (or quite enough) to fuel your exercise.

HA is also common in women who aren’t eating enough for their needs even if they aren’t active or an athlete. Many women struggling with disordered eating experience HA.

Many doctors will tell you the “solution” to your missing period is to go on the birth control pill to “regulate” your cycle. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do this at all! 🤦‍♀️

When you have HA, you aren’t ovulating and therefore aren’t getting your period. Birth control pills suppress ovulation, and the bleed they cause is not a normal ovulation-induced bleed at all. Birth control pills do absolutely nothing to solve or heal HA. They only create the facade that things are fine by creating the illusion that you are having a normal / actual period when you are in fact not. 

To actually resolve your HA, you need to heal your body to allow it the safety it needs to ovulate again. This typically boils down to eating more and resting more. 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about some of the specific practical and mindset strategies that helped me get my period back in about two months of focused effort.

Following up on that post, I wanted to create a comprehensive and more general list of “things to consider” if you are missing your period.

If you are currently experiencing a missing or irregular cycle, I’d encourage you to use this guide as a resource to help you uncover any blindspots (major or minor) that may be hindering your recovery progress. 

While each person’s situation and timeline for recovery is unique in many ways, what is generally NOT unique in HA is the need to eat more, exercise less, and rest more. I know that’s easier said than done for most people who find themselves with HA! 🤯

[Dropping by with more mindset encouragement here!] 🌟

These considerations are intended to decrease overall stress on your body, giving your body the energy and safety that it needs to ovulate and therefore cause a period 2 weeks post-ovulation.

Each of these bullet points could be a post on its own! Drop a comment below or message me if you have further questions. 💫

Comprehensive List of Things to Consider in HA Recovery

Nutrition Considerations

• Eating more in general
  • Likely MUCH MORE than you might think!
  • I repeat: likely MUCH MORE than you might think!
• While I don’t recommend obsessively counting calories, just for your general knowledge, most women need at minimum 2500 calories per day to recover their cycles
  • Even more if you are exercising or have a decent amount of informal movement throughout the day
  • Consider this is an average — many women (especially if exercising) need considerably more
• Eating enough carbs
  • Having a main carb source at each meal / snack
  • Carbs = energy availability = safety to the body

• Eating enough fat
  • Having at least one fat source at each meal /snack 🥑🥓
  • Ex: nut butter w/ apple, butter on baked potato
• Eating a variety of protein sources (animal recommended)
  • Ex: ground beef, poultry w/ skin, pork, bacon, eggs w/ yolk, salmon
• Consuming full-fat dairy (if dairy is tolerated)
• Not restricting portions or certain foods
• Challenging food rules / disordered eating thoughts + behaviors

• Incorporating desserts / “fun foods” regularly
• Eating a bit beyond comfortable fullness
• Not skipping snacks (or meals!)
  • Consider each meal and snack non-negotiable
• Having 3 solid meals + 2-4 snacks
• Eating often enough
  • Generally every 2-4 hours
  • Eating often enough = energy availability = safety to the body
• Having “2-part” snacks
  • Ex: protein bar + yogurt, cheese w/ crackers + dark chocolate
• Having an evening snack / dessert each night
  • You don’t need to be hungry for this!

• Eating soon after waking up
  • Ideally a solid / filling breakfast within 30 mins of waking up
  • Delaying eating = stress to the body
• Not choosing “diet foods”
  • Always eat the real thing!
• Going back for more if you have the stomach space
  • Challenging yourself here — if you are always comfortable fullness-wise, you probably aren’t eating enough
• Noting if you are walking more (outside of general exercise) in a given day and adding in extra snacks or increasing portion sizes as needed

• Not having water as your drink with meals / snacks
  • Ideas to consider: whole milk, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, almond milk, coconut milk, whole milk latte, non-dairy latte, milk-of-choice with protein powder or another mix-in, orange juice, apple juice or cider, tea w/ whole milk or coconut milk
  • 🌟 Recipe for homemade chocolate cashew milk: combine ¾ cup raw cashews, 6 pitted dates, 1 tbsp + 1.5 tsp cacao powder, ¼ tsp vanilla, a dash of Himalayan pink salt, and 3 cups of water in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth. Delicious on its own or mixed with iced coffee!

• Limiting caffeine to one caffeinated drink per day
  • Pro tip: do not drink coffee right away in the morning! It’s best for one’s cortisol levels to wait an hour or two, if possible.

• 🌟 Foods in general to consider incorporating regularly:
  • Red meat, fattier cuts of poultry (such as chicken thighs / drumsticks), fattier fish (such as salmon), bacon, eggs (w/ yolk), full-fat dairy, coconut milk / yogurt, oils (olive, avocado, coconut), tallow, butter, ghee, dark chocolate, baked goods, regular or coconut milk ice cream, potatoes, nut butters, avocado, + any foods that previously were “off-limits”

Exercise Considerations

• ⚠️ Highly recommend NOT running or doing HIIT exercises
  • This can be temporary and you can get back to more intense training when adequately fueled / recovered!
  • Incorporating higher-intensity exercise will likely only slow down your healing timeline

• Consider daily movement beyond formal exercise – all can significantly add up!
  • Ex: walking to/from class, chores, movement associated with a job, taking care of a child, etc
• Consider in general that exercise is a stressor on the body, and your body is in a stressed state right now 

• If wanting to exercise, I recommend gentler forms of movement such as walking (limit to 45 mins – 1 hr max daily; not too strenuous), light strength training, Pilates, or yoga
• I recommend NOT exercising on an empty stomach!
  • This is even more of a stressor to the body
  • It’s likely better to exercise later in the day, if possible
  • If exercising right away in the morning, definitely have a solid snack beforehand
    • Ex: homemade energy ball, protein bar, apple w/ peanut butter, toast w/ nut butter, dates w/ nut butter
    • Fuel up w/ a filling breakfast afterwards 🍳
      • Ex: eggs in butter + toast + avocado + fruit
      • Ex: oatmeal w/ peanut butter + coconut oil + honey + fruit

Other Stress & Health Considerations

• Consider main mental / emotional stress sources
  • While not always possible to shift immediately, consider what shifts may be possible
  • Consider what support may be helpful
    • Ex: therapy, friends / family, church community
• Having good / healthy boundaries
  • 📚 Books I love! –> Boundaries, Boundaries in Marriage, Necessary Endings 
• Aiming to get 8-9 hours of sleep per night
• Having a consistent bedtime
• Having a consistent winding down routine to help w/ sleep
  • Example activities: journaling, reading, stretching, praying, listening to restful music
  • Example NON activities: being on your phone, having stressful conversations, watching TV, checking or answering email, studying

• Incorporating adequate rest + downtime
• Tracking your basal body temperature
  • Read more on this here!

Recovering your missing period can be a really tough process. It often involves gaining some weight, which can be uncomfortable.

It may involve letting go of the identity of being the “super fit person” who never misses a workout. (Question: disciplined, or obsessive? 🤔)

It involves trusting the process and trusting your body. It hasn’t abandoned you or forgotten how to function properly. It simply needs the rest and care it deserves. ✨

Explore More

10 Things I’m Doing to Get My Period Back 10 Healthy Fat Sources to Include Regularly Starting My Period Recovery Journey Part 2 Key Strategies That Helped Me Get My Period Back