Under-fuelling (LEA)
Low energy availability
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When the fuel you take in doesn't cover what your body is using, whether from training hard, eating too little or both. It can show up as irregular or missing periods, tiredness and more, and it can affect anyone, not just athletes.
You might notice
- periods getting irregular or stopping
- feeling tired all the time
- gut issues like bloating or constipation
- stress fractures or injuries that keep coming back
- feeling anxious or low
Who can help
- Dr. Hannah Moore · Naturopathic Doctor (ND)Also works with missing periods (amenorrhea)Profile →
- Dr. Michelle Cárdenas, ND · Naturopathic Doctor (ND)Also works with missing periods (amenorrhea)Profile →
- Dr. Laura Ismail · M.D., Obstetrics & GynaecologyAlso works with missing periods (amenorrhea)Profile →
Start with a doctor who will test and look at the whole picture, like an integrative MD or a naturopathic doctor.
See everyone for fatigue →
Where it can overlap
- HA (hypothalamic)
Under-fuelling (LEA) can overlap with HA (hypothalamic). Established
- Missing periods
Under-fuelling (LEA) can overlap with missing periods. Established
- Irregular periods
Under-fuelling (LEA) can show up as irregular periods. Established
- Fatigue
Under-fuelling (LEA) can show up alongside fatigue. Associated
2 more threads +Fewer threads −
- Bloating
Under-fuelling (LEA) can show up alongside bloating. Associated
- Hair changes
Under-fuelling (LEA) can overlap with hair changes. Woo exploration
Established: well documented · Associated: linked, not a cause · Emerging: early research · Woo exploration: worth exploring, not yet sourced. A link isn't a cause.
Keep exploring
5 sources · how we checked
Everything on this page was researched from clinical guidance, government health sources and published reviews first, then single studies. Where a connection is only worth exploring, it says so.
- Do you have hair loss or hair shedding? American Academy of Dermatology · Professional medical organisation
- Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline Endocrine Society (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) · 2017 · Clinical guideline
- Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Cleveland Clinic · 2022 · Academic medical centre
- Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) Cleveland Clinic · 2026 · Academic medical centre
- What causes amenorrhea? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH · 2017 · Government health source
A note from Woo: Body Map is here to help you explore and ask better questions. It isn't a diagnostic tool or a substitute for medical care. Relationships shown here represent areas that may be associated or worth exploring, not a diagnosis or statement of cause.
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