Did bodybuilding bring on my early perimenopause? - BBC News
Adele Johnston was 33 when she developed painful symptoms such as heart palpitations and itchy skin.
1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Adele JohnstonImage caption, Adele was a Scottish double gold bodybuilding championBy Angie BrownBBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporterWhen Adele Johnston was a bodybuilder she was on gruelling diets and fitness regimes that left her hungry and exhausted all the time.
The Scottish double gold bodybuilding champion's hair began to fall out, she had bleeding gums, heart palpitations, itchy skin and painfully swollen genitals.
After years of scans and painful tests it was discovered these were symptoms of early perimenopause - the stage before a woman's period stops.
On average, it starts when women are 46 years old. Adele, a mother-of-two from Fife, was in her early 30s.
"For years and years I was pushing my body beyond its limits physically and mentally. Bodybuilding is an extreme sport and I wasn't healthy," she told BBC Scotland News.
Rating: 5