u/inspiringc0uch

Hi!! Posting again as I am almost five months all in with no period. I’ve noticed a lot of great signs like on and off EWCM and my body seems to be going through cycles but never ovulating and I can tell I’m close. My question I’m wondering if maybe my activity level is unintentionally higher than I realize? I currently don’t exercise at all whatsoever and haven’t since starting recovery, however due to my food service job I often work 8-10 hr shifts on my feet doing a lot of back and forth, sometimes only with one short sit down break. However I always make sure to eat and snack consistently throughout my shifts and hit my minimum 2500 calories (sometimes more) which I am lead to believe should be enough because I’m only 5’2. During these shifts I often end up ending my day at around 8-10k steps because I’m constantly moving throughout the shift (scooping ice cream and decorating cakes and it’s a VERY busy shop lol). Is anybody else currently going through recovery working food service, and if so are you setting a higher minimum for yourself? Could more food be the extra push my body needs?

Just a vent post I guess. I’ve been all in for four months now and without a cycle since June/July of 2025 and have been tracking my hormone levels with a Mira device and my body is so so close but just can’t quite get there. I’ve been having follicular waves for MONTHS on end and now that I’ve been tracking my hormone levels I’m seeing my estrogen rise over the course of a couple days with good FSH levels but my LH levels just stay the same usually not going any higher than 7.1mIU/ml but normally just staying in the 1.5-3 range. It’s so frustrating being in what feels like a neverending follicular phase for the past two months. I just wish I knew what my body needs to get there. My cycles were always regular like clockwork before all this mess I caused for myself since I was like 10 and started my period. I just wish I could turn back time and undo all of this. Honestly recently I haven’t even noticed a true follicular wave with EWCM for a few weeks now whereas a couple of month ago I was having them pretty much every week. I have SO much CM pretty much daily and I know I’m so close but I don’t know how to just get there and cross the finish line and feel okay again.

Hi! Hoping to gain some insight. I am a 21yo & haven’t had a cycle for just over a year now and have been all in for 4 months. I have been going through follicular waves for a couple of months now but not quite successfully ovulating. I tested with my mira device today and these were my results:

LH 7.1
E3G 79.7
Pdg 2
FSH 32.5

I read that my FSH is abnormally high. Does anybody know if this is normal in HA recovery? Is my brain possibly sending extra strong FSH signals to my ovaries to try and make ovulation actually happen? Please help :/ I’m confused if i should be concerned or not

Hi! For those of you who have purchased a Mira device to track hormone levels at home, how is/was your experience with it? I just bought one and would love to hear people’s experiences with them during HA recovery. Pros, cons, likes, dislikes, etc. Thank you!

Hi! Currently 3 months all in. For the past month to month and a half or so, I’ve been experiencing follicular waves on a weekly basis I would say, sometimes they are seemingly 5-6 days apart where I have an abundance of EWCM. More recently, following those ovulation attempts I’ve also been experiencing VERY light spotting. Like, so very light it is only visible when I check my CM patterns with my finger. Anyways, for those who are recovered, how long did you experience these waves before your first cycle? It’s so frustrating knowing my body might be so close and trying so hard but I can’t figure out what the last puzzle piece is to get it to successfully ovulate.

Hi! So, I’ve posted before about no longer having my copper IUD because it became displaced so I pulled it out myself. Currently, I’ve been in recovery for just shy of three months and I know I’m either going through another follicular wave right now or MAYBE a true possible ovulation may be coming. My libido is back, so I did have spontaneous unprotected intercourse today (another recovery win is my vaginal lubrication is back! Prior to today there was absolutely none during *that* time but today she was actually wet and happy!) I know I’m having a follicular wave or possible true ovulation because I have an ABUNDANCE of ewcm, like more than I’ve noticed the past 4 or so times I’ve had ewcm/follicular wave like there is so so so much. Anyways, I took a plan B to be safe but that was my first time taking one. Could it negatively impact my hormones or disturb any recovery process? I would really appreciate any insight or experience somebody may have with this type of situation. Like I said I’m not familiar with Plan B. If it causes me to bleed, is it just a fake bleed or what does that mean?

Hi! Just making an update on my recovery and how the process has been going so far as I know reading other people’s journey throughout my own has been super comforting and helpful for me. For background, I lost my period almost exactly one year ago after going losing about 45-50lbs in the span of about 6 months from Jan 2025 to June 2025 which is right around when I had my last period. Then, I pushed even further and lost an additional 20 or so pounds in the 6 months that followed after losing my period. My HA was caused by essentially every ingredient in the book. Overexercising, extreme undereating, rapid weight loss, you get the idea. I began a quasi recovery from Jan-March of 2026 but wasn’t nearly in it and was terrified of the extreme hunger I was experiencing. Then in April I began my “all in” and accidentally lost about 4 more lbs due to what I am certain was hypermetabolism and was at my lowest of 97lbs at 5’1. Since April 2nd, I have been all in eating at least 2200 calories but more often than not consistently closer to 2500 range if I had to guess (not properly tracking). Some days or weeks even I’ve DEFINITELY eaten more due to EH especially in the beginning. I haven’t recovered my period yet, but I really truly feel like I might be SO close. I hope I’m not just having wishful thinking but I feel like I am closer than ever. Some more recent symptoms of things turning on hormonally I’ve had were what I believe to be follicular waves. I had what I believe to be 3? over the course of what seems like two weeks where I’d have very unmistakeable EWCM followed by it turning watery the next day then dry the next. I’ve had consistent CM on a daily basis other than the few dry days following EWCM. On the days where I have had a LOT of EWCM I’ve also noticed the TINIEST bits of red spotting like a very minimal amount. That being said today I’ve had SO much creamy CM. I’ve also thankfully made it through the extreme hunger phase which I am so extremely grateful for to not be 110% food focused at all times. I have pretty clear distinguishable hunger cues now which I NEVER thought would be possible (like I was so deep in the trenches of HA I could not physically remember a time where I EVER felt full or satisfied), but still making sure to eat plenty even if I don’t necessarily want it. I’ve also noticed my boobs seeming HUGE like so much bigger than they were the last time I was at this weight. I also have had ovarian twinges. Last night I even had a dream I got my period back haha but I think it’s just because recovery is always in the back of my brain everyday because I need my health back. Anywho, all that to say it’s like I feel like I am so close like everything is lined up and just so so close but it also makes me anxious because I know I am still pretty well below the weight I had my last full period at so it might just very well be several more months before I get my first bleed given how severe of an energy deficit I caused to myself. It’s very strange I can physically see my body changing and gaining weight like very noticeably but I haven’t gained much on the scale at all (I have only gone up 2-3 lbs from where I was when I started all in before I lost 4lbs due to hypermetabolism) so the only explanation I really have is that I must have lost a LOT of muscle mass to balance out the body fat gain because I certainly have been eating enough for there to be much more body fat gained than just a couple of pounds. I guess where I am at mentally is just so happy to see whenever something happens like EWCM and all of these follicular waves and better satiety cues being three months all in and just FEELING like I am so close, but also just flooded with disappointment because I likely still have a lot of weight to gain before my body truly feels safe again because I really put it through the ringer. I am also struggling with the body changes of course, but really kind of starting to feel like ME again. Pre HA I always had wide hips, big boobs, and a big ol butt and the lack of hormones completely stripped that away from me. I’m starting to get those back for sure which is kind of just making me feel a lot more like myself. Realistically, the body changes have only become truly noticeable as of recently like within the past two or three weeks i would say and I truly think that was because initially my body was using the excess energy to repair all of the damage and now it’s starting to feel safe to store the extra energy if that makes sense. Anyways, all that to say that it just FEELS like I am so so close but realistically probably not but I am going to keep on pushing because I want my health back so so fucking badly. Once I do recover I plan to write out a VERY thorough and extensive post about this entire journey because I have a lot more thoughts and feelings to share about it all.

Sorry another post lol!! But just curious-If you have recovered, how far apart did you notice your follicular waves and ovulation attempts? It seems like mine might be happening within days of each other. On Monday 6/8, I had a bunch of EWCM with the tiniest bit of pink spotting like BARELY noticeable then again on Friday 6/13 I had the same thing. Then, today I had a bit of EWCM with quite a bit of bright red spotting that was really only noticeable up towards my cervix. Anyways, can anybody who’s recovered share their experiences with this? Are these follicular waves/ovulation attempts happening within days of each other?

Hi!! These past couple weeks I’ve noticed a MAJOR difference in my appetite and fullness. I never thought I’d make it past extreme hunger but I think I’ve fully made it through thank god. Now I can eat a meal and feel genuinely full for hours. My question is, if you are recovered, how soon after noticing your appetite regulating did your period come back? I’m so grateful for it though I really never thought there’d be any way I’d ever be normally hungry at normal intervals it feels INCREDIBLE.

Hi again! So, I’m 2 months all in as of a couple days ago. This past week or so I’ve noticed SIGNIFICANT improvements in my satiety after eating snacks and meals. Like I really no longer feel the empty bottomless pit sensation we all know too well, that is unless I go too long without eating but I’ve been pretty good about eating every 2-4 hours even if it is just something small or a bite here and there at work when I can because it can be hard to get a full true snack in. I also noticed VERY light pink spotting yesterday (like, very light it was hardly even noticeable) and increased CM (but no EWCM that was noticeable when I checked). Anyways, I took an ovulation test and it was negative so I’m assuming it’s probably just another follicular wave and not ovulation spotting like I was hoping but hopefully this means I’m getting closer! I also wanted to kind of reflect on my body changes. It’s very weird because I’m not gaining the way I thought I would. In fact, my weight is only up 4lbs from my absolute lowest despite eating what I’m absolutely positive is a pretty significant surplus for my weight/height/activity level. I’m not strength training anymore so I do believe I must have lost muscle because I have seen more of a change in my body composition. Like a higher fat to muscle ratio but not much of a scale change and I’m also not fitting into some pairs of jeans that fit pre-HA recovery. Prior to starting recovery I was looking quite emaciated and like a little boy. Now, even though I have bad body image days or moments as well it’s like I really don’t think that overall I even look that different. I just look more feminine than I did during the depths of HA even at the same weight I am now. My hips and boobs are more filled out, my butt is bigger but I truly just look healthier. I know I mentioned believing I’ve lost muscle because that’s the only way I can explain having seen such a small increase on the scale but a change in body composition, but it’s almost like the muscle I do have looks SO much more defined and toned than it did pre recovery somehow despite not having lifted for a couple months now. I didn’t even realize it at the time but my muscle definition looked so flat if that makes sense and it didn’t matter how hard I pushed myself in the gym with my lifts I couldn’t progress after a certain point or see any muscle growth but now it feels like I can see muscle that I was struggling so hard to see when I was still in the gym if that makes sense. Let me know if anybody else has had a similar experience with their HA recovery process. I lost my period at about 20-25lbs heavier than the weight I am right now because of extreme weight loss (around 50lbs in the span of about 6-7 months then another 20lbs over the next 6 months after that) and basically every other ingredient for HA disaster. It feels like although I probably have a very long way to go before I actually recover my period because I’m still much lighter than I was when I lost it, my body is starting to feel so much more natural and relaxed now. Or maybe this is close to where my body will naturally want to settle, I’m not sure. It also just confuses me because I’m not sure if I should push even more food, or just do what feels natural and good for me. Anyways, I guess this week’s win has just been not feeling like a freaking bottomless pit of hunger 24/7 and being so food focused all the time. It feels really fucking nice to have actual fullness cues after over a YEAR of the bottomless empty pit feeling. I spent the entirety of last year losing weight and didn’t realize how much of my entire life was sucked away from me. I truly didn’t even think it was possible to get fullness cues anymore because it had been SO long since I’d sat down and eaten anything and felt satisfied like I had completely forgotten what it felt like to eat a normal person amount of food and not feel like I could eat three or four more portions. Just a nice reflection while I sit down and feel grateful to be full after eating a late breakfast.

Just wanted to share a very TMI possible recovery symptom I experienced today in case anybody else has experienced it and was wondering if it was just them. I took a nap this afternoon and literally had a full blown orgasm in my sleep with no external stimulation or anything. I don’t know if I’d call it a wet dream necessarily because I don’t even think there was a dream leading up to it unless there was and I just don’t remember, but it definitely happened and caught me VERY off guard. Just a surprising sign that my reproductive system and libido are turning back on I guess?

Hi! I’m wondering if anybody else has experienced this throughout their recovery journey. I’ve been consistently eating 2500+ calories every single day for probably around 7-8 weeks now. I see a lot of other women talk about how their weight drastically/rapidly shot up or they felt like they were holding on to a LOT of water and having lots of bloating/digestive issues. I feel kind of odd in the sense that my weight has not drastically gone up and I haven’t gained rapid weight or water weight despite eating like a grown man. My weight is trending up slowly but surely, just not rapidly due to water weight as I would have anticipated?

For those who have recovered after completely cutting out exercise, what did the return to it look like for you? I cut it out entirely April 2nd after losing it in July of 2025 and haven’t gotten mine back yet and think I still have a ways to go before my body feels safe again because of the damage I caused (extreme overexercising, weight loss, undereating, basically every bad thing in the book). Of course I know I can’t jump right back into exercise right away once it does come back, but I hope to be able to one day and do it in a healthy and nurturing way. If you reintroduced exercise how long did you wait, and how did your body respond? I didn’t get into exercise until last year and unfortunately I never found a healthy balance of doing it in moderation while properly fueling which really disappoints me and I’m really looking forward to hopefully within the next year being able to go about it in the right way after waiting a few successful cycles. I really can’t wait for the day I’m able to go about movement the right way in a happy healthy body.

Hi again :) Just making a post to vent I guess. I’ve been in all in recovery since April 4th eating anywhere from Id estimate 2200-4000 calories (not tracking) daily sometimes probably even more than that which should be a VERY good surplus for my size/height because I have cut out ALL forms of exercise other than the days I work as a server spending 8-10hrs on my feet and getting in about 10k steps and making sure to eat extra good those days. At first I noticed better sleep quality almost immediately, and a week or so of what I believe was hypermetabolism with SEVERE night sweats, then consistent discharge within about three weeks or so and I believe I even had an annovulation attempt at one point. I’ve even noticed extreme hunger and food noise beginning to taper down but still continuing to eat on a consistent 2-3 hour schedule. I’ve been eating plenty of “junk” food and things I previously restricted and LOTS of meals out. I’ve been allowing myself to eat pretty much however much I want whenever I want which sometimes ends up being a LOT. However for the past two weeks or so I’ve had basically nothing that shows I’m heading in the right direction. No discharge, CM, anything really. The only minor changes i’ve noticed have been an improvement in my overall mood, better satiety after eating meals and snacks, and my libido starting to come back. But I’ve been feeling super discouraged because I’ve had essentially nothing happen down there in terms of discharge or CM to kind of keep me feeling encouraged. I know I probably have a very LONG way to go in my recovery process seeing as I’m somehow only up 4lbs from my lowest weight of 96lbs which is nowhere near where I lost my period to begin with at around 120lbs after beginning my weight loss at 170lbs. I have absolutely no idea how that’s possible given that I have been eating like a grown man genuinely. I know I’m very likely going to have to gain a pretty substantial amount of weight which I have accepted (of course I still struggle with this but I have come to terms with it). Given the fact that I’ve been eating such a large amount and have hardly seen the scale go up kind of makes me believe my body is going to need a lot more time and energy to repair itself after being in a deficit for so long. The thing I’ve been struggling with the most has been not knowing when I’m going to reach the finish line. Trusting the process has been so ridiculously hard, and having no idea when it’ll be over and being able to say I’ve accomplished the recovery process has been so much harder than the process of gaining weight and having no real signs recently that have pointed towards me doing the right things for my body. I’ve also just been struggling so hard with not even KNOWING where my “set point” might be for my body because I was always a heavier set girl with pretty awful eating habits before losing weight. I guess I’m also just struggling with my identity really, going from one unhealthy extreme to another unhealthy extreme and never really having the chance to experience and see myself in a balance of a healthy body with healthy eating habits. I guess I just wish my body would give me a sign that I’m heading in the right direction, even if I have a long way to go. It felt like I was seeing so many positive signs almost immediately then basically nothing for the past couple of weeks despite honestly probably eating even more. Anyways if you read this, keep on pushing even when times get tough. :)

Hiii! I posted a few days ago about seeing some spotting but I believe now that my copper IUD may be displaced from my cervix and that may be the cause of the spotting. I haven’t had any cramps or pain due to it, but I do feel something up there other than just the strings. I’m going to get it removed tomorrow but was wondering if it could be getting rejected by my uterus or something because my hormones are starting to turn back on? I have had consistent and a lot of CM the past few days so I know things are starting to kick back into gear.

Hiii! Posting again because I’m feeling more hopeful now than ever that I’m getting closer to getting my period back than I’ve ever been. I may still have a couple months ahead of me after only being all in for a little over a month but I feel like I’ve seen really strong signs the past week or two. I’ve noticed REALLY bad acne breakouts on my cheeks, jawline, and under my chin like so so bad lol. I also posted about having the tiniest bit of spotting last weekend that lasted about a day and a half and for the past two days I’ve seen a pretty significant amount of CM. I also think I’ve noticed much better satiety after meals? Not so much of a rumbly starved stomach right after eating I feel like I can go more than a couple of hours without needing a meal or snack. I know all of these signs can go on for months before a period comes but for now they’re giving me the push I need to keep picking up the fork because it means I’m doing something right. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but I hope to get my period back before the 4th of July or even the end of June because that’ll be around the one year mark of me losing my cycle. If you have recovered your period, did you notice any of these symptoms and how long after did a period follow for you?