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Amenorrhea (loss of periods) Information
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes:
Bran; soya; strict vegetarian diet; low-calorie dieting; eating low-fat dairy; insufficient fat intake; excessive exercise.
What is amenorrhea?
Amenorrhea literally means 'the absence of periods'. This is the situation in girls before puberty, and it happens later in life after the menopause. However, amenorrhea in between those times (except during pregnancy) is abnormal and unnatural. The mistake often made is to diagnose amenorrhea as a distinct condition or disease and then treat it with drugs. But it isn't: It is a symptom of an underlying problem. There are several reasons why you may not have periods; most of them are caused by your lifestyle. This is the area to check first.
If your periods stop for no apparent reason, you may actually be quite pleased. Periods can be inconvenient, but this is not natural and, unless it is corrected, amenorrhea can lead to other problems such as osteoporosis later in life. Thus cessation of periods for no apparent reason should be investigated.
The most likely causes of amenorrhea are associated mainly with deficiencies of zinc and of iron. The absorption of both minerals is inhibited by cereal fibre (bran) and the fibre in unfermented soybean products such as soya milk and soya flour.
The best sources of iron is liver, red meat and egg yolks. For this reason, reduced intakes of red meat and eggs as part of 'healthy eating' advice also has had serious consequences.
Starving or low-calorie, low-fat dieting are also causes of amenorrhea. The abstract of the latest study from Harvard University, published online at the end of February 2007, is in the box below. This shows clearly that low fat intake is another prime cause of periods stopping.
Lastly, too little body fat, either because of anorexia or excessive exercise, is another well documented cause of amenorrhea.
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Chavarro JE, Rich-Edwards JW, Rosner B, Willett WC. A prospective study of dairy foods intake and anovulatory infertility. Hum Reprod 2007 Feb 28; [E-pub ahead of print] |
References
Bryce-Smith D, Simpson R. Anorexia, depression and zinc deficiency. Lancet 1984; ii: 1162.;
Meadows N, et al. Zinc and small babies. Lancet 1981; ii: 1135.;
Lozoff B, Jimenez E, Wolf AW. Long-term developmental outcome of infants with iron deficiency. N Eng J Med 1991; 325: 687-94.
Hughes R E, Johns E. Apparent relation between dietary fibre and reproductive function in the female. Ann Hum Biol 1985; 12: 325.;
Hughes R E. A new look at dietary fibre. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 1986; 40c: 81.
Lloyd T, et al. Inter-relationships of diet, athletic activity, menstrual status and bone density in collegiate women. Am J Clin Nutr 1987; 46: 681.
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