Where's my period?

[suzen]

This is my first time on the MC and I am on day 15. Been feeling really great, could do this forever. However, my period is now at least a week over due. Is this something I should be concerned about? No worries about pregnancy. Just curious.

[sopheetsa]

hey suzen

congratulations on day 15-- how awesome! and happy to hear you're feeling great. of course no one can tell you what happened with your period--there are many factors to consider-- including your age, what has been your stress level (14 days BEFORE your period was due) have you experienced irregular periods ever... etc.

I can tell you that I went on a long term cleanse and had two periods during those 52 days, but on a subsequent cleanse, which began around the time of my period and totaled 33 cleanse days (there was a 2 day break in the middle) I SKIPPED a period afterwards. I went to my gynecologist and my naturopath-- and both of them said they thought it was due to the Cleanse. Now I'm not saying it was or it wasn't-- but what they did say was that the body requires certain nutrients in order to "make a period". You can take that for what it is worth. I also was-- at that point at the lowest weight which I have been for a while: 123, and that meant I had a lower percentage of body fat. It is known that women who are very athletic or women who are anorexic with lower body fat can experience amenorrhea. This may or may not apply to you. Do you have very low fat content?

Finally, many times periods can fluctuate due to our emotions or even a temporary illness. In case this has been alarming, I also would like you to know that it is thought that fasting in general usually HELPS the endocrine system get back in balance. It could be that your body is just "re-tuning" itself!

Wishing you the best on your cleanse,

sophie

PS: This time around (Cleanse 3) I had my period DURING the cleanse but I also had unusual mid cycle bleeding. I don't know if it was BECAUSE of the cleanse, or just a fluke!

[suzen]

Thank you for your quick response, Sophie.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not missing my period at all. (if ya know what I mean) just curious if I'm going to get "blasted" with it when I end my cleanse. I'm 42 and have lost a total of 13 lbs so far. I'm not complaining.

[sopheetsa]

I'm a bit embarrassed to have gone on about it at such length-- but I'm GLAD you're not as "freaked" as I was when I skipped suzen. another thing you can probably look forward to is MORE WEIGHT loss when you get it!

best of luck...

[marcela]

I'm on day 2 and yesterday afternoon i started spotting. My normal period ended about a week ago and I am super-regular. I never have bleeding in between periods. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I be concerned?

[peanutterb]

hi marcela,

anyway, here's some info from the general help for newbies thread concerning the cleanse and women. fasting can affect your cycle and i honestly don't have an answer as to why or how but usually, it's just your body cleansing itself and things usually go back to normal after the cleanse.

Women’s Issues

Periods – missed, late, early
Women sometimes experience changes during and after the cleanse. Your period might come early, be late, and in the case of longer cleanses, skip a month.
It might be heavier, lighter, longer or shorter.
Remember, your period is a cleanse in itself so track any changes.

As for any cravings you might have, remember that they are just mental and will pass. Stay strong and stick through it.
If you are concerned, then just start the cleanse at the end of your cycle.
If your period does comes while you are cleanses, please note that you may not notice any weight loss until after your period.

Birth control
Continue taking/ using your birth control as prescribed.

Cramps
Try a hot water pad for your cramps.
try drinking hot tea
do yoga (no upside down poses though)
take a walk or do some kind of exercise
soak in a hot bath
drink more water
get a massage

On page 19, Stanley Burroughs says, "Blend a part of the lemon skin and pulp with the lemonade in a blender for further cleansing and laxative effect. (Note: commercially produced lemons may have had their skins dyed with yellow coloring and may have been subjected to poisonous insect sprays -- be sure to peel off the outer skin if you cannot get uncolored, organically grown lemons.) The properties in the lemon skin also act as a hemostatic to prevent excess bleeding and to prevent clotting internally should there be any such prevailing condition. (Don't worry -- normal conditions will continue during the menstrual periods.) [Parenthetical thoughts are those of Stanley Burroughs.]

From the latest issue of the Master Cleanse e-newsletter -
"2. The Master Cleanse and Women

80% of people who do the Master Cleanse are women. So, I'd like to cover how the Master Cleanse relates to them.

Pregnant and nursing women should not do the Master Cleanse. Although I know of no instances where violating this has caused problems, I believe "better safe than sorry." The Master Cleanse produces its results by mobilizing and eliminating toxins from the body. If there is any chance these toxins might be mobilized and circulated into the baby before being eliminated, then I don't believe pregnant and nursing mothers should do the Master Cleanse.

Because a woman's period is a form of detoxification, it can be brought on early by doing the Master Cleanse. Occasionally, the Master Cleanse results in easier periods for women who have had difficulties.

Fasting has been known to improve fertility and I know of two women who had trouble conceiving before the Master Cleanse who became pregnant within a few months of completing it.

I'm frequently asked if a woman can continue to take her birth control pills during the Master Cleanse. The answer is yes. This answer is the same as for any prescription medicine. The detoxification might be more complete if she weren't taking them, but I never tell anyone to discontinue any prescription medicine without consulting a licensed health care practitioner.

I know of one or two women who had their menopausal symptoms reduced while doing the Master Cleanse, but don' know how long the results lasted."

if you'd like - feel free to do more research by doing a search on the board for "spotting" or googling "spotting and fasting" and see what comes up.

here's a tutorial on how to do a search:
http://therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1576

the thread for any women's issue is on the main master cleanse board, called "for women" here's the link http://therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131

[marcela]

Thank you! That was very helpful. I appreciate the time you took to go into all of that. I actually am taking the cleanse because I had read that it could help with improving fertility, so it is nice to also read that again in your response.

[peanutterb]

you're welcome. best wishes. let us know how it goes. i think i remember reading about quite a few women who've tried the cleanse to increase fertility and i remember one coming back and saying she was successful.

[peanutterb]

i merged a bunch of related threads on infertitlity together. give it a read
http://therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=714

[writergirl]

My first MC, I missed a period. I had missed in my 20's when I was a long distance runner. I started this cleanse shortly before my period, so time will tell. The condition Sopheesta describes has to do with low body fat content and isn't supposed to be good for us because it deprives us of Calcium. I think ideally I'd bleed on the cleanse.

WriterGirl
MC 3 (Day 2)
MC 2 (11 Days)
MC 1 (17 Days)