I’m an Austinite (born and rasied) married to a Yankee transplant. Our two canine children provide endless entertainment. My interests include nutrition, running, traveling, reading and Law and Order SVU marathons.
I recently went back to graduate school to work on my Masters of Food & Nutrition. My hope is to help others struggling with hypothalamic amenorrhea, orthorexia, and/or female athlete triad syndrome.
thirtystars 
Hi Katie,
I came across your instagram and that led me here to your blog. I’m so inspired by your story. I’m currently struggling with amenorrhea and also trying to conceive. I’m a 30 year old mom of two and I”m also a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. A couple of years ago, I got really into health and fitness and lost way too much weight. It got a bit out of control. I have been working with a nutritionist, therapist, OBGYN, and doctor and have slowly slowly slowly been putting on weight but still no period. My body fat percentage was scary low so I’m trying to increase it but gaining weight is the most terrifying thing. I’m wondering what you think about exercise while trying to recover? I’ve heard some people say to stop completely to get your period back. That’s difficult for me for two reasons: one-I love working out, but I also feel like I NEED to and two-i teach fitness classes. Anyway, I guess I’m just looking for support and encouragement to really do this. Almost like I need permission or something. I don’t know. My head is a mess! I want a baby so badly but I feel like if I eat a little more today than I did yesterday, I will wake up a whale tomorrow. Any tips or advice you have would be so appreciated. Thanks for sharing your story and for your blog!
Karissa Smallwood
karissa.smallwood@gmail.com
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Hi Karissa! I’m so happy you found some comfort in my story, and that you reached out to share some of yours! Connecting with other women who had gone through similar experiences was (is) one of the strongest motivators to push me through this “journey”!
I read somewhere recently that a woman has a MUCH more likely chance of “beating” hypothalamic amenorrhea/exercise addiction/orthorexia/disordered eating if she is trying to get pregnant. This is great news for you and has been HUGE for me!
My husband and I have a name that we LOVE and want to use to name our daughter (if we have one). Every time something gets too hard or too uncomfortable, I tell myself: “This is for _____”. It redirects my focus to what really matters: my family and my future. And for that moment, I forget about my clothing size, my weight, exercise, etc. It sounds silly, but it has really worked for me.
It sounds like you’re doing everything right! You’ve assembled your “team” and you have accepted that there’s a problem. That’s awesome! Now you just need to slowly relinquish some of that control you’ve had over food and exercise. Gaining weight is terrifying, but I eat more now than I have since I can remember and it has been very difficult to gain weight. Everyone always says it (and I didn’t believe them either), but if you just listen to your body and feed it when it’s hungry (not when you think it’s “time” to eat), you won’t “blow up”. In fact, your body will be SO happy that you’ll feel SO much better. For far too many years my mind was foggy, I was irritable and just felt like crap. Food really is the best medicine! 😉
As for exercise, that’s a slippery slope. Most things I read said to cut running and high-impact exercise out completely. My reproductive endocrinologist told me I could keep it under 10 miles a week. In reality, I exercise about 20 minutes a day most days to keep myself sane. However, I still haven’t had my period. A recent ultrasound suggested improvement (and growth in the lining of my uterus), but we decided to move forward with fertility treatments. There is a lot of uncertainty about when a period will come, and even then, how long it will take to conceive after HA. For us, it felt “right” to try to move things along with the help of science, but I know that’s not for everyone. Our bodies need a lot of time to start “trusting” us again. They want to make sure that this new food supply isn’t going to run out soon. Some women get their period back after a couple of months, and others may take a couple of years. I will say, the less you exercise (and the more energy you consume), the quicker your reproductive organs will begin working again.
I know this is a tough pill for a fitness instructor to swallow, but you could consider taking some time off to focus on yourself. I’m assuming your husband knows what’s going on, and I’ll bet, if he’s a good man, he’ll be supportive of your “journey to wellness”– whatever route you choose to take!
Good luck on baby number 3! I wish you only the best, and hope you always remember that there are so many other women out there silently battling these same wars. If you EVER need someone to talk to, or have any other questions, you can reply on here or email me: thirtystarsblog@gmail.com
XoXo
Katie
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Hi Katie,
I’m reading your blog right now and I’m bursting in to tears reading every line. It was a terrible day for me today since my doctor ( at my first visit) told me that I was th first person with HA condition she has ever seen and that I could never have babies unless I do IVF. She told me that I was defected and the moment she said that I burst in to tears.I am trying to read your blog bits by bits to learn what you have done to defeat this disease.
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Sally! I am SO sorry I never saw this comment! I took a hiatus from the blog and I feel terrible for not being there for you! I know a lot can change in more than a year, so I hope you were able to find another doctor who was able to provide both compassion and experience. I can tell you first hand that you don’t have to do IVF–in fact my reproductive endocrinologist told me that my treatment (Menopur + Ovidrel) was the “gold standard” in terms of HA and fertility.
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