376: Why No One Could Tell Bianca Why Her Period Was Missing: Bianca's Recovery Story
The Hypothalamic Amenorrhea PodcastShow Notes
For years, Bianca did everything she believed a "healthy" woman should do, she exercised daily, tracked her calories, avoided carbs, and was repeatedly told by doctors that nothing was wrong. After nearly 8 years without a menstrual cycle, countless specialist appointments, blood work, MRIs, and a misdiagnosis of PCOS, Bianca finally discovered she had hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA). That discovery didn't just lead to getting her period back, it completely changed the trajectory of her life. In this episode, Bianca shares her recovery journey, the mindset shifts that helped her embrace weight gain and rest, and how recovering from HA inspired her to become a certified Holistic HA Practitioner so she could help other women avoid the years of confusion she experienced. We also discuss: Bianca's 8-year journey to recovering her period naturally Being misdiagnosed with PCOS and told to "just go back on the pill" How over-exercising, under-fueling, and diet culture contributed to HA The mental challenge of eating more, exercising less, and accepting body changes Why recovery is about so much more than getting your period back The surprising symptoms of HA that disappeared after recovery (cold intolerance, fatigue, hair loss, food obsession, irritability, and more) How recovery transformed Bianca's relationship with food, movement, and herself Why she chose to become an HA coach and now helps women recover around the world The importance of support, patience, and not comparing your recovery to someone else's
Recovery gave Bianca far more than a menstrual cycle, it gave her freedom, purpose, and a life that no longer revolved around food and exercise. If you're in the middle of HA recovery and wondering whether it's worth it, this conversation is the reminder that the life waiting on the other side is bigger than you can imagine. If you want to turn your mess into your message like Bianca, check out our Holistic Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Practitioner (HHAP) Certification program.
Become a certified HHAP Practitioner https://www.holistichapractitioner.com/
Connect with Bianca: Instagram & TikTok: @letthemeatcarbs
Try the Blueprint https://thehasociety.com/blueprint
Join The HA Society http://thehasociety.com/join
Work 1:1 with us to get your period back http://thehasociety.com/coaching
Visit us on YouTube https://youtube.com/c/danisheriff
Follow us on IG http://instagram.com/thehasociety http://instagram.com/danisheriff https://instagram.com/ashley_marie_smith_ https://www.instagram.com/itsmishigarcia
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician.
More from The Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Podcast
In this episode we answer listener questions that range from: - I used to menstruate at X weight, why not now? - Cycling going backward when REDUCING coffee, is this possible?! - How does BC affect lab work & more - and we address a listener comment from a past episode, explaining that honestly, having HA probably isn’t very feminist either.
If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll do what it takes to get my period back…I just really don’t want to gain THAT much weight,” you’re going to relate to Ali. Ali spent years in and out of recovery, sometimes bleeding, sometimes not, but never really letting go of the food control or trusting her body. And when she finally decided she wanted to become a mom, she had to face the thing she’d been afraid of since childhood...allowing her body to change without knowing exactly where it would land. We talk about her years of “quasi-recovery,” trying to find a way to recover while staying thin, the very real fear of weight gain, and what changed when she finally said, essentially, screw it, I’m doing this. Once Ali went all-in, she got her first period in about 50 days, ovulated, and eventually got pregnant on her third ovulation. If you’re currently trying to figure out how to recover without having to fully surrender to recovery…this episode is for you.
Mady thought she’d go all-in on HA recovery, get her period back in 3 months and move on with her life. Instead, recovery took about a year and forced her to completely rethink health, her identity as the “healthy girl,” weight gain and her need for control. Ironically, it wasn’t until she stopped making recovery the center of her life and started actually LIVING again that her period finally came back.
You've lost your period, you know you're not pregnant... the good news is it's probably just something called hypothalamic amenorrhea. Easy to understand and simple to resolve but surprisingly difficult to actually execute. In this episode we walk you through why you should be relieved that it's not something else like polycystic ovaries, premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause and how to approach it!
You've gained weight, you've been eating more food consistently, you've even reduced or stopped working out. This isn't making SENSE! I get it and as a coach who works with many women with amenorrhea all of the time, this isn't an uncommon concern.