Atkins and Womens Health: Periods

Question
I have done the atkins diet before two years ago and this went really well I lost a stone and felt good.
I then gave up and have decided to go back onto the atkins. I have been on this diet for two months I feel good and am losing the weight i wanted to lose the problem is i keep coming on my period when it is not due and bleeding for longer than a week. i spoke to the doctor and was told itis the change in my diet so to start eating carbs again. is this something you hear of often or is this diet not suitable for me?

Answer
Dear Wendy,

The only connection between Atkins diet and your problem that I've managed to find was a study showing that protein increases ammonium levels in the reproductive tract affecting the uterus.

However, two case reports suggested that high protein diets may make the blood thicker - not thinner - and even requiring a higher dose of blood thinning drugs. From this stand point, it looks unlikely that your bleeding problem could be due to Atkins diet. I'm afraid I need more tile to dig deeper into the problem. I'll follow  up with you when I'm ready.

Talk to you soon!

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

1. Prev:Eating too little to lose weight?
2. Next:Vomiting