meat and fertility/ menstruation
I am a 26 y old woman.
As a child and a teen, I was raised with processed foods, ( although not junk foods, precooked meals etc. ) .Refined flours, sugar, little fruit/veggies, my favorite food always being MEAT ( I did not even consider any meal worth calling that way unless it had meat or at least eggs in it ). Interestingly, in spite of this fact ( all the hormones in the meat etc), I had a very late puberty. ( 1st period at 16).
Until I was 19 , I ate mainly meats, a fair amount of white bread/pasta, fruits and veggies in small amounts, occasional dairy. I did not like sweets.
I went lacto-ovo-vegetarian at about 20.
I started to eat lots of processed baked goods, sugar, and pasteurized milk to replace the cravings for meat. I then suddenly developed PCOS, lots of water retention, and gained lots of weight on this diet. I had delayed periods for a while, and they finally stopped completely.
I then became almost anorexic in the effort to get healthy again. Confusion and
Depression brought me to severe underweight. After emotional recovering, I was finally able to get my periods back by upping my calories intake and re-introducing a fair amount of meat. This allowed me to get pregnant.
After giving birth I started following a raw vegan diet. 3 years have gone by, I never got my periods back after delivery and I am not fertile either.
I know I tend to have low progesterone imbalance, and I was wondering whether it is possible that I cannot be fertile without being a meat eater, maybe because I need the hormones in the meat to get my reproductive system working?
I have never heard of hormones in the meat being helpful to maintain hormonal balance. Is this possible?
I enjoyed the benefits of a raw diet and I like to live meat-free, butI would appreciate much more having a second baby now that my first just turned 3.
I appreciate any help