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Thanks for all the replies. I do believe it is some how connected to stress
and the new Gluten free diet I started exactly two months ago.  Here are some
added insights: It seems like I am not the only one with this problem:


I was beginning to think that I was the only one with this problem.  I have a
period every two to three months now that I am gluten free.  I don't seem to
understand why either.  I find it frustrating because I never know when I
ovulate, and I don't want to get pregnant.  My doctor thinks that I should try
going on the pill, but I'm unsure about it.  This disease almost cost me my
life during my pregnancy two and a half years ago.  I was undiagnosed at the
time, and my OB doctor didn't believe me when I told him what was going on
with me.  I didn't have the option of switching doctors because my husband is
in the Navy, and you get what they give you so to speak!  I diagnosed my self
a year after having my son. (If you want to hear a absolutely horrifying
pregnancy nightmare about what undiagnosed celiac can do to you I have the
perfect story for you!)  I was told that my estrogen was a little low at first
when I went to the doctor about the problem.  He wanted me to take Provera to
bring on my period.  I didn't want to take any drugs, so I didn't.  I
eventually got it anyway.

1.  My diet and lifestyle had just radically changed - it seems menstrual cycles
are very affected by this (as if at 23 I hadn't noticed this already, but he was
a guy, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt)

2.  Your menstrual cycle is very affected by your liver.  If it is full of
toxins and busy doing other things, your menstrual cycles can be very erratic.
Clearing out the liver by going on a detox diet (which ironically, is a celiac
diet, minus sugar and dairy) can help return things to normal.

Stress can do that to you. I lost my job the last day of July and
haven't had a period since. If I miss another month, I will go see
my doctor.

Start taking high amounts of B6 vitamin (100-400 mg/day) together with
the others from the B group. Sometimes B6 deficiency causes amenorrhea.
It is important that you take B-complex because B& alone can again cause
other deficiencies in the B vitamin group. Also, hormonal imbalances are
very hard to detect and sometimes even a little imbalance can cause
amenorrhea. You could try taking some herbs, like Chaste Berry. If your'e
suffering from a hormone imbalance, Chaste Berry might help you. It has
natural forms of both estrogen and progesterone, and it's safer to use
than synthetic hormones.


Hi Alison-- My experience is that lots of things change more or less
quickly and always for the better after starting a gluten-free diet (and
I wasn't quite as fortunate as you--I didn't get to start until my late
30's).  After awhile on the GF diet, I noticed that, for the first time
in my life, my periods were coming regularly, every 28 days, and  I
didn't have PMS anymore (well, I still do occasionally--but it's always
related to accidental gluten ingestion).  My point is that all this
change took awhile.  My 3-month absence of menses was prediagnosis, but I
do identify with what you're going through.


My situation wasn't like yours, exactly, but when I was a young
woman (I'm 55 now), and undiagnosed, my periods were very
irregular, and I used to skip several every year. My doctors said
that stress, strenuous exercise, or vitamin or mineral deficiencies
could all be responsible, and I got so I just didn't worry about it.
When I did get them, my periods were so long & heavy that I
was glad to have a break! I had a hysterectomy shortly after I
started the gf diet, so my subsequent experiences aren't too
relevant to you. I do suspect your body may be trying to make up
its nutritional deficiences from before your gf diet, but I don't see
how that would affect your cycle adversely. Maybe the responses
from other young women will help clarify that.


After going GF it took about 4 months before I began to menstruate again.  I
think that your body has to recover from the anemia etc. before things can
return to normal.   I am regular now and things are OK.  You might want to
bring this up with your doctor though, in case there is anything else going
on.

My periods went from extremely regular to up to a week late after starting
the gf diet. I think this might be a result of probably not eating enough
iron and thus becoming a little anemic. This happenned because pre-gf I
used to eat take-away hamburgers, steak sandwiches, meat pies and roast
beef rolls regularly, thus keeping up my iron levels through red meat
consumption. Now I don't eat any of them, so even though my body is
probably absorbing iron better, it's not getting much. I've got the gf part
of my diet sorted out now, and am working on ways to eat more iron. This is
an example of the way eliminating one thing from the diet can incidentally
and accidentally eliminate something else.

Alison,  I urge you to see a gynecologist.  I went almost three months
without a period.  I "knew" I was pregnant but kept testing negative.  I
believe in all there were 4 at home tests done before I saw my gynecologist.
Yes, I was pregnant. It was a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy and, due to how far
along I was, I was rushed into emergency surgery that night.  I am not the
celiac of the family, my son is, so I cannot help you with the diet
question.  I suggest you see a doctor for the pregnancy hormone test (I
cannot remember the name of the test, sorry).