Now that I have shared Isaac’s birth story, I’d like to rewind a bit and share some of the back story. If you have a history of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and/or Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and you’re worried about being able to conceive, I hope that you find hope and encouragement in this story.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a mother. It was never a question in my mind. However, I struggled with an eating disorder and a disordered relationship with exercise throughout my teenage years, leaving me with relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and primary hypothalamic amenorrhea or primary HA (the absence of a first period) until the age of 21. I spent the ages of 21-26 in a place of quasi-recovery. I had a regular (though sub-optimal) cycle for a couple of years, due in large part to gaining some needed weight and easing up on exercise. I then lost my period for a few months in 2019, when I was training for a marathon and eating a very clean vegan diet, and again in 2021 during pandemic restrictions when I took my outlet–working out–to an unhealthy extreme.

By 2021, I was 26 and while not in a relationship at the time, I was certainly starting to think about my desire to have children in the next few years. This desire motivated me to recover for once and for all, and was a big factor in my transition away from the plant-based diet. A decade of veganism and vegetarianism, coupled with highly restrictive eating and over-exercising, had left me depleted, and I knew that I’d need to let go of it all in order to restore optimal hormonal function and overall health.

I dove headfirst into learning everything that I could about hypothalamic amenorrhea from the HA Society. I delved into their podcasts and resources and implemented all of their recommendations to not only get my cycle back, but to restore it to optimal function. This meant easing way up on exercise, eating in abundance, increasing my animal protein intake, and prioritizing rest and recovery. This was a real challenge for me. I knew that I was doing what was necessary for my health, but it really required me to loosen the reigns of control that I had gotten so used to clinging on to. Thankfully, after a few months of exercising less, eating more (and prioritizing nutrient density over high volume/low calorie foods such as salads), increasing my animal protein intake, and resting more, my period returned. I promised myself that I wouldn’t ever fall back into my old habits and routines, since it wasn’t about just me anymore–it was about my future children.
I had also begun following the Weston A. Price Foundation and its founder, Sally Fallon Morell. I knew that if I was able to someday conceive, I wanted to be in a fully nourished state prior to getting pregnant. This meant starting to prioritize nourishing traditional foods like full-fat dairy (lots of butter and cream!), eggs, higher fat cuts of meat instead of cuts like boneless skinless chicken breasts, wild-caught fish, and of course, properly prepared sources of carbohydrates such as soaked and well-cooked grains and legumes, root vegetables, and fruit. And I’d be remiss not to mention cod liver oil!
I did not become obsessive about the “Nourishing Traditions” diet, but I did maintain an emphasis on ensuring that I was consuming an abundance of saturated fat, cholesterol, animal protein, and carbohydrates on a regular basis. I also made sure to continue consuming plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables, as the vitamins and antioxidants that they provide are also helpful for fertility–I just did not make them the centrepiece of every meal, as had been the case during my plant-based days. Did this mean that I never touched anything made with refined flour, sugar, or oil? Of course not. Knowing how easily my health habits can veer into obsessive territory, I knew that this was not the path for me. But I stuck primarily to whole foods, since this is the best diet for optimized hormones and health and one that makes me feel most energetic and alive.
During this time, I trained for a couple of races–a 10K and a marathon–and had a lot of fun challenging myself while keeping a close eye on maintaining a healthy cycle.

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Even though I was now recovered, there was always a fear in the back of my mind that I had abused my body for too long and that it wouldn’t work the way that it was supposed to when it came to getting pregnant.
Fast forward to 2023, when Yannick and I started dating. I had never opened up about this part of my past with any other partner, but I knew early on that Yannick was someone special. I found it easy to open up to him about my struggles with RED-S and HA and my fear that it would affect my ability to have children. He is a great listener and it was very cathartic for me to share this with him. Still, this fear remained present until we unexpectedly conceived last March.
When I got a positive pregnancy test last March, I almost couldn’t believe it. I had never imagined that I would be able to conceive, let alone conceive rather unexpectedly. And while I know that fertility and pregnancy are fragile ground that I am careful to tread lightly on, I also wanted to share my story because if I was able to get pregnant naturally and easily, I believe that other women with similar histories can, too. And how beautiful and incredible is that? The female body, just like Mother Nature, is incredibly resilient and forgiving. If we give her what she needs, she will respond with vibrant health and fertility.
Around the same time that we conceived, I enrolled in the Holistic Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Practitioner Program with the HA Society. I am working my way towards becoming a recovery coach so that I can pay it forward and turn my mess into my message, as the founder, Dani Sheriff, puts it.
Here are some key action steps that I took in the year prior to conceiving. As mentioned, while we were not trying to conceive, these action steps all support healthy reproductive function, which in turn supports conception and pregnancy.
- I ate in abundance: For me, this meant three large meals and 2-3 snacks per day, all consisting of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. This also kept my blood sugar balanced, which is another key to optimizing reproductive function.
- I maintained a relaxed and flexible approach to eating: I never shied away from homemade desserts, enjoyed my daily coffee, and consumed some wine or beer every weekend.
- I emphasized animal protein and fat: Every day, I ate at least three eggs, plenty of butter, whole milk and whole milk yogurt, and either chicken, beef, or fish at both lunch and dinner. While I do not track macronutrients, I estimate that I was eating at least 120 grams of protein per day, and well over the recommended 50-70 grams of fat.
- I never exercised on an empty stomach: Even on mornings when I worked out before breakfast, I made sure to consume something with protein, carbs, and fat beforehand. A banana and a glass of chocolate milk was a common pre-workout snack.
- On days when I was not working out first thing in the morning, I ate breakfast as soon as I woke up: Waiting too long to eat breakfast after waking causes cortisol to remain elevated. Chronically elevated cortisol can suppress reproductive hormones and disrupt ovulation.
- I reduced exercise volume and intensity: I began to favour strength training over running. I reduced my mileage and replaced long runs with shorter interval sessions. Instead of running 3-4 times per week, I ran 1-2 times per week and strength trained 3-4 times per week. I also incorporated yoga and walking. I always made sure to fuel very well before and after each session.
- I listened to my body and prioritized rest and recovery.
All of the above action steps helped to lengthen my luteal phase, which I knew to be too short early on when I had restored my cycle but it was still sub-optimal. The luteal phase is the second half of the menstrual cycle and occurs after ovulation. A short luteal phase (anything less than 11 days) means that progesterone is too low to support a pregnancy.
Stay tuned for part 2 of my pregnancy journey, in which I will go into detail about my nine months of pregnancy–how I felt, what I ate, my exercise routine, and more.
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