ONE RISK OF BEING TOO HEALTHY!

this post is for all the ladies out there!
can one be TOO healthy?
YUP, yup + yup. (based on MY own experiences)

Many of you know my past struggle with orthorexia and over exercising. Flashback to my young teenage days...I didn't get my period until I was around 14/15. Already a late bloomer. I was always petite, 5'4" around 105-110lbs (until I began drinking + having those late night munchies at in n out LOL). My period was never regular, which I figured was normal. When I dramatically lost around 30lbs, resulting with me being around 90lbs, I completely stopped having a period all together. I figured it was fine and nothing was wrong with that. I had heard of other athletes (although I was NOT an athlete at the time) having lost their period, too, so I kept comparing myself to them. I went to physicals and doctors were not too alarmed by it. 

Flash forward to me now. Seven years later at a healthy weight, living a healthy lifestyle (nutrient dense foods + no over-exercising with my focus on strength training), but still without a regular cycle...

Many of you also know how much I love kids, SO when I turned 24, I decided no more games, pegs. It was time to prioritize this and seek out an Endocrinologist (as recommended by my gyno). SIDE NOTE-My gyno is da bomb.com, literally have to make an appointment one year in advanced with her because of how popular she is LOL. Ladies, I am SO glad that I went to the Endo. Now, it's kind of hard to explain this without going TMI LOL. This post is not for everyone, so I apologize if it is too much for you. However, my heart behind PEGACTIVE is to help, inspire + educate women. 

DAY OF MY FIRST APPOINTMENT: 
The appointment was not at all what I expected. I felt weird because everyone else there was a couple looking to get pregnant (LOL). The endocrinologist was by far the nicest doctor I have ever met. He was genuinely concerned and took this EXTREMELY seriously, as it should have been years ago. Based off of my past and after evaluating my current blood work, he diagnosed me with HYPOTHALMIC AMENORRHEA. What the what? This turned into a major science lesson for me. From the website "Paleo for Women", Hypothalamic amenorrhea is the technical name for when the hypothalamus (in then brain) stops sending “go ahead and reproduce!” signals to the pituitary gland. This problem results in infertility, loss of the menstrual cycle, low libido, and many other disruptive symptoms. A staggering 10% of American women suffer from hypothalamic amenorrhea at some point in their lives." 

There I was, in the 10%. I immediately wanted to start crying and quite honestly was so disappointed in myself. WHY did I allow myself to get to that point in my teenage years? All of these questions came to my mind. We then did an ultrasound (which turned out totally healthy, but, my uterus was small due to the lack of menstruation). He then wanted me to get a brain MRI, a few more lab tests and a bone density scan. BRAIN MRI? yup. 2017 has been pretty crazy because of all of this, but I am so thankful for my close friends that checked in and BEYOND thankful for my family for keeping me sane. 

Now what? Lab work did show that I was extremely low in Estrogen. My bone scan showed that my bones are extremely low density (I'm in the 1% of low bone density for women my age), BUT thank God, my brain is OK. LOL. My Endocrinologist recommended I seek out a sports nutritionist because of my active lifestyle to evaluate my macros and nutrition, which I have (trainers need training, too!)  Thankfully, my strength training and weight lifting has been helping my bones these past few years, so that's a HUGE plus. He is putting me on specific supplements (vitamins, etc..) with the hope that my cycle will regulate. (every situation is different!) 

Why am I sharing this? First off, everyone is fighting a battle that we have NO idea about, whether it is mental, physical, etc.. Second, this blog was created to be raw and real with my clients and followers. Have I overcome my ED? YES! and thank God for that! but.. that does not mean I am perfect. We all go through phases in life and I am FAITHFUL that this is just one phase of PEGACTIVE's story that will result in a positive outcome. I have a huge heart for children, so here I am, taking care of myself and doing whatever I need to in order to have a healthy family one day :) 

To anyone lady reading this, whether you are an athlete or have also gone through some form of ED, and have also experienced similar ovulation issues, please please please seek out help from a Professional Medical Practitioner. There are so, so, so, so SO many harmful side effects of NOT ovulating and NOT having a regular flow. It's important that we bring this to light! 

Questions? EMAIL ME! 

XO,
Pegs

​