Why is my period light?

Symptoms:

Your periods are lasting fewer and fewer days, you’ve been on a strict fitness regime for a cycle challenge, you’ve lost a lot of weight and your body is well-toned.

Your periods have become irregular, you’re dieting strictly to fit into your wedding dress, you’ve lost a great deal of weight and your parents are concerned.

Your periods are irregular, you’ve been putting on a lot of weight, you’ve noticed that you’re getting a lot of facial hair and acne.

It could be:

Overexercising. Women who exercise frequently change the ratio of lean muscle mass to fat and this can result in altered periods.

An eating disorder like anorexia which can lead to a low body weight and in turn to the imbalance of hormones that regulate your period.

Polycystic ovary syndrome which is due to an excess of male hormones causing possible infertility and hormone imbalance.

Stop it:

By all means continue exercising but you need a lot of energy to do so. So eat healthy foods including some healthy fats such as olive oil and omega 3, found in fatty fish.

If you have true anorexia (or bulimia) you need medical help to overcome it. But if your eating pattern is temporary, start a healthy balanced diet including carbs to put on some weight.

See your doctor to confirm the diagnosis. Losing weight and taking contraceptive pills will help your period return to normality. You may also be given metformin to control insulin levels and improve ovulation.