How to Get Your Period Back
A Functional & Naturopathic Medicine Guide
Loss of a menstrual period (amenorrhea) is often the body’s way of saying it doesn’t have enough energy or stability to support reproduction. In functional and naturopathic medicine, we treat the root causes: energy availability, stress, sleep, inflammation, and nutrient status, while using gentle, evidence-informed therapies to restore normal neuroendocrine signaling and bring menses back. Below is a clear, practical plan plus what the research shows about why these steps work.
The biology in one paragraph
The hypothalamus → pituitary → ovary (HPO) axis controls the menstrual cycle. When the brain senses low energy, chronic stress, or illness, it reduces pulsatile GnRH release, which in turn lowers LH/FSH and stops ovulation, resulting in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). Energy repletion, stress reduction, and targeted support can commonly restore normal signaling and menstrual cycles. PMC+1
What the research supports
Restoring energy intake (increasing calories, especially carbohydrates) frequently restores menses within months in women with FHA or low energy availability. Several intervention studies and reviews support dietary repletion as a first-line therapy. PMC+1
Psychological interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can trigger neuroendocrine recovery when stress and disordered thinking are important drivers. A randomized trial showed CBT restored ovarian function in many women with FHA. PMC
Thyroid and cortisol interact with reproductive hormones; low T3 or chronically elevated cortisol both impair ovulation. Therefore, addressing these systems can help facilitate menstrual recovery. PMC+1
What Your Body Needs to Feel Safe Enough to Cycle Again
Getting your period back isn’t about quick fixes; it’s about creating safety in the body. Ovulation only happens when the brain feels you have enough food, enough energy, low enough stress, and enough reserves to sustain a pregnancy. Here are the most important truths and tips:
1. Eat Enough
The hypothalamus is extremely sensitive to energy availability. Undereating, intentional or not, tells the brain: “We don’t have enough resources to reproduce.” This lowers GnRH, LH, FSH, and ultimately ovulation.
Key actions:
Add 300–500 extra calories/day if you’ve been restricting or overtraining.
Eat 3 meals + 1–2 snacks, NO skipping meals.
Eat breakfast within an hour of waking to stabilize your cortisol and blood sugar levels.
Energy repletion is the single most important signal for restoring the cycle.
2. Increase Complex Carbohydrates, Crucial for Hormone Safety Signals
Carbohydrates are essential for regulating thyroid hormones, cortisol, and blood sugar. When carbs are too low, cortisol levels rise, and Free T3 levels drop, both of which can halt ovulation.
How to support this:
Include complex carbs at every meal (oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, beans, fruit, squash, rice).
Add a carb-rich bedtime snack if sleep, anxiety, or nighttime waking are issues.
Remember: Carbs reduce the need for cortisol-driven gluconeogenesis, lowering physiological stress.
Carbs don’t “cause weight gain.” They help your body feel safe enough to menstruate.
3. Support Adrenal Health: Your Body Can’t Ovulate in Survival Mode
High or dysregulated cortisol directly suppresses GnRH, progesterone, and ovulation. If your body perceives physical or emotional stress, it will choose survival over reproduction.
Support your adrenals by:
Swapping daily HIIT for walking, pilates, yoga, or moderate strength training.
Sleeping 7–9 hours with a consistent bedtime.
Implementing an evening wind-down (no screens 60–90 minutes before bed).
Using breathwork, therapy, and nervous system regulation tools.
Your adrenals need nourishment, not pressure.
4. Correct Nutrient Deficiencies: Micronutrients Are Hormone Messengers
Hormone production and ovulation depend on key nutrients like iron, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, B12, folate, and a healthy thyroid.
Recommended actions:
Test ferritin, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, B12, and thyroid labs (TSH, Free T4, Free T3).
Aim for 20–30g protein per meal to stabilize blood sugar and support hormone synthesis.
Supplement only when clinically indicated.
Even a single deficiency (e.g., low ferritin or low vitamin D) can be enough to disrupt cycles.
5. Create Emotional and Nervous-System Safety
Your body registers emotional stress the same way it registers famine. Mental and emotional overwhelm suppresses ovulation through increased cortisol and reduced hypothalamic signaling.
Create a sense of internal safety through:
Journaling, therapy, CBT, or somatic practices.
Breathwork, meditation, and slow walks without your phone.
Reducing perfectionism, harsh body expectations, and overachieving tendencies.
Studies even show that CBT can restore menstrual cycles in FHA because it reduces perceived stress load.
6. You Can’t Force a Period Back: You Build the Environment for It
Ovulation is a luxury, not a survival function. When your body feels:
Fed
Rested
Calm
Nourished
Supported
Not overtrained
Not inflamed
Not depleted
…it naturally turns ovulation back on.
A missing period is a message: “I need more safety and support.” Once those needs are met, your hormones respond.
Recap: What Truly Helps Your Period Return
1) Eat Enough, Especially Complex Carbs
Restoring energy availability is the #1 factor. Increasing daily intake by ~250–500 calories and adding complex carbs at every meal helps stabilize blood sugar, lower cortisol, and signal safety to the brain.
2) Lower Physiological + Psychological Stress
Use tools like CBT, therapy, breathwork, and gentle movement. Prioritize consistent, restorative sleep — it directly impacts cortisol and ovulation.
3) Rebuild Healthy Weight (If Low)
Even modest weight restoration can restart ovulation by improving leptin and metabolic signaling.
4) Support Blood Sugar + Sleep
Eat regularly, avoid skipping meals, and consider a small bedtime snack. A calm, structured sleep routine reduces the stress load on the HPO axis.
5) Optimize Thyroid & Key Nutrients
Correct low Free T3, ferritin, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, and B12 to support ovulation and hormone production.
6) Heal Gut Health & Reduce Inflammation
Address infections, dysbiosis, or malabsorption to improve nutrient status and reduce internal stress signals.
7) Go Slow, Safety Builds Over Time
You don’t force a period back; you create the conditions for it. Small, steady changes create the safety your brain needs to resume normal hormone signaling.
Timeline: When to Expect Your Period Back
Many women regain cycles in 1–3 months, especially when under-eating and overtraining were the primary causes. Others take 3–12 months, depending on severity, duration, and underlying drivers.
The Honest Truth
Your body is never betraying you; it’s protecting you. A missing period is a sign of deep wisdom, not dysfunction.
When you rebuild safety through nourishment, rest, stress reduction, and consistent support, your cycle often returns to a natural state.
References
Roberts RE, et al. Current understanding of hypothalamic amenorrhoea. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2020. PMC
Mountjoy M, et al. IOC Consensus Statement: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). IOC Medical Commission. 2014/2018. Olympics
Dobranowska K, et al. Dietary and Lifestyle Management of Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. 2024 (review). PMC
Michopoulos V, et al. Neuroendocrine recovery initiated by cognitive behavioral therapy in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: RCT. Fertil Steril. 2013. PMC
Jacobson MH, et al. Thyroid hormones and menstrual cycle function in a population-based cohort. 2018. PMC
Karunyam BV, et al. Infertility and cortisol: a systematic review. 2023. PMC
