Keto Diet and Menstrual Cycle – How Keto may affect your Periods?

The Keto or the Ketogenic diet is a globally trending diet that is low in carb intake, high in protein intake, and high in fats. You all must know about how the keto diet may lead to weight loss and has a lot of other possible health benefits, but it may also be the reason your cycle has become irregular or stopped completely. Yes, you read that right!

According to reports, some women on the keto diet started having irregular periods, while others say there is an absence of periods altogether (called amenorrhea) after adopting the keto diet. Such menstrual irregularities are the results of the Keto diet which did not go well with the body.

Give a read on the most common reasons of the Keto diet interfering in the menstrual cycle and causing dysfunctions in the body:

• One of the major reasons for the irregular periods is the consumption of fewer calories than the body needs to survive and proper functioning of the body cycles of which menstruation is a vital part. As far as the female body is concerned any diet that tends to cut off on one of the major nutrients directly hits on the reproductive system. Therefore, if a woman is on a Keto diet, she should take proper care so that she does not suffer from keto-related deficiency.
• Not consuming enough water could be another major reason for the disruption of the cycle. The body tends to lose a lot of water and essential nutrients due to the Keto Flu at the beginning of the keto diet. If the Keto diet in the beginning clashes with the period cycle of the woman, in such cases, the body will not have enough blood to clean up thereby making way to very low bleeding or no bleeding at all.
• Lower estrogen level could also be one of the reasons, most of the women have some kind of deficiency and do not realize it in the long term. If a specific diet such as Keto diet is followed, the body will become scarce in terms of nutrients, and in this case hormonal imbalances are very natural. However, this should be taken care of precisely and the doctor should be consulted.
• When very few calories and carbohydrates are consumed, a signal is sent to the body that enough energy is not available. As a result, many hormones will drop such as leptin. Although leptin is usually involved in metabolism and appetite control, studies have shown that leptin is involved in regulations of the menstrual cycle and that people need a certain amount of leptin to have a normal period cycle.

Over to You:

Health should be the top most priority for everyone and especially the women who are the pillars of human existence on earth. Any problem related to the menstruation cycle should never be taken lightly and a gynaecologist must be consulted irrespective of the diet plan you follow.