Hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) is when periods disappear due to under-eating and/or over-exercising. It can also present with mild acne, facial hair, and polycystic ovaries.
These two conditions can look remarkably similar in many ways. So similar that quite a few clients have shared with me the way they were mistakenly diagnosed with PCOS when they actually had hypothalamic amenorrhoea.
And that's baaaaad news, because:
- Women with PCOS are often told to eat less carbs, and/or eat less overall, and
- Women with HA are usually ALREADY under-fuelling which is why they have HA in the first place!
Unsurprisingly, these two conditions often have one big thing in common: disordered eating.