Ep 95- What To Do if You’ve Lost Your Period
December 4, 2025
Today we have special guest, Dani Sherrif, who helps women recover their missing periods, optimize them, and get pregnant or avoid pregnancy naturally.
Her expertise comes from many years of research and time spent in the nutrition, sport and fitness industry, as well as being trained to use the fertility awareness method as a diagnostic tool as a certified fertility awareness practitioner.
We cover…
Why you lost your period even if you feel like you're eating enough & healthy
When is losing your period a problem?
What to do if you don’t want to cut back your exercise
What are the long term health consequences of not having a period?
Dani’s Story and the Reality of Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Dani learned about hypothalamic amenorrhea the same way many women do. Her period disappeared in the middle of intense training, dieting, and trying to be as disciplined as possible.
She was deep into Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit. She tracked macros. She tried Paleo and multiple diet approaches. She ate in a deficit all week and then binge ate every one to two weeks because she was so physiologically starved.
She went seven years without a period. At the time she thought, this means I am healthy. This means I am fit. She felt proud of it. But HA has nothing to do with health. HA is the body shutting down reproduction because of stress, under fueling, and over exercising. It is a survival response, not a badge of discipline.
When Losing Your Period Becomes a Problem
The diagnostic criteria for hypothalamic amenorrhea is simple. No period for three months.
Three months is enough time for the body to decide it is not safe to ovulate. And most women assume their doctor will immediately recognize this, but most doctors are not trained in HA at all.
That means many women:
Get dismissed because they look healthy
Get misdiagnosed with PCOS
Get put on birth control as a bandaid
Get told to come back when they want to get pregnant
But HA is not optional and it is not harmless. It is a clear signal that something is wrong with the body’s stress load and energy intake.
Why Eating More Often Is Not Enough
People hear “just eat more” and think it is the whole fix. It is not. Women with HA are almost always:
Undereating
Over exercising
Perfectionistic
Rigid with food
Highly driven
Needing emotional safety through control
So even when you technically add more food, the mindset may still be rooted in fear and scarcity. Adding vegetables is not the same as adding energy dense foods. And increasing volume is not the same as increasing actual calories.
HA recovery requires eating more food, yes, but it also requires healing the nervous system, letting go of rigid food rules, and unlearning the belief that discipline equals worth.
The Binge Restrict Cycle and HA
One of the most surprising parts of Dani’s story is this. Many women with HA are not underweight and do not believe they are restricting. Some even binge regularly.
And this is exactly what I teach in binge recovery. You can binge and still be in a deficit most days. You can binge and still be starving. You can binge and still have a slowed metabolism.
Your body does not see the binge and say we are fine. It sees the six days leading up to it and says we are in famine. This is why many women believe they are eating enough when they are not.
What About Women Who Love Their Sport
A common question is, what if I love running or lifting. I do not want to stop.
Dani shared that there is a difference between someone who loves movement and someone who identifies as an athlete. If the goal is to regain fertility, stabilize hormones, or get a period back, training has to change. And sometimes reducing exercise to zero is temporarily required.
This is especially challenging for runners who say things like, running is how I feel like myself. It is my stress relief. But the truth is, if you are not willing to adjust your training and fueling, you are not actually prioritizing your health. You cannot reach your potential in a starved state. And running with low estrogen and brittle bones is not sustainable long-term.
This is where mindset becomes essential.
Long-Term Consequences of HA
HA is not harmless and the symptoms are not always obvious. Long-term HA can lead to:
Osteoporosis
High cholesterol
Low metabolism
Hair loss
Digestive issues
Low libido
Anxiety
Sleep problems
Brain fog
Hormonal imbalance
Infertility
Many women feel fine day to day, which makes it easy to ignore. But internally, the body is downregulating everything that is not required for survival. Dani calls HA women “the walking dead.”
Why Doctors Rarely Solve HA
Doctors treat symptoms with medication. HA is not a medication problem. It is a lifestyle and nervous system problem.
So when you go to a doctor with HA, you often receive:
Birth control
Hormone replacement
Progesterone
A PCOS label
Instructions to come back later
Not because doctors are bad, but because HA is not part of their training. Healing requires behavioral and psychological support, not a prescription.
The same is true with binge eating and GLP-1 drugs. Medication can help symptoms, but it cannot heal the root cause.
The First Steps for Anyone Who Thinks They Have HA
Here are the steps Dani recommends:
Start learning about HA before you pressure yourself to act.
Awareness creates safety.Consume stories and education so your brain starts recognizing patterns.
You need to see yourself in the information.Get lab work if needed and find support from someone trained in HA recovery.
Avoid jumping straight to medication unless medically necessary.
It will not fix HA.Begin gently exploring your relationship with food, exercise, and control.
This is just as important as increasing food.
Dani’s Free Course and Resources
Dani is gifting us her DIY Period Recovery Course for free. It includes:
A curriculum for understanding HA
A lifestyle audit
A framework for recovery
A one time breakthrough call with her
One month inside her membership
Just message her “the confident eater” on Instagram @thehasociety and she will unlock everything for you. Such an incredible resource for anyone who suspects they may have HA.
Final Thoughts
Healing your relationship with food and your cycle is not just about eating more. It is about retraining your brain, creating safety, and letting your body know it no longer has to survive. HA and binge eating share the same patterns. Restriction. Fear. Pressure. Perfectionism. Nervous system dysregulation.
And both can be healed with the right support.
Join The Confident Eater Program
If binge eating, overeating, or compulsive food thoughts are part of your HA experience or if you are ready to break out of the restrict and rebel cycle, The Confident Eater Program will guide you step by step into full freedom with food.
You do not have to do this alone. The transformation you want with food and your body is absolutely available to you. Click here to join The Confident Eater Program and start becoming the eater you want to be.