Lee Si-young Opens Up About Hormonal Imbalance and Missing Periods After Extreme Training Regime
Actress Lee Si-young recently revealed she experienced severe hormonal imbalance and stopped menstruating following a rigorous training routine—an ordeal she candidly shared on June 23 via the YouTube channel Jjanhan Hyung Shin Dong-yup.
While appearing alongside Jung Sang-hoon, Kim Dasom, and host Shin Dong-yup in a segment titled “Lee Si-young Witnesses an Iconic Scene…,” she shed light on the physical toll her intense fitness regimen took post-divorce.
Lee, who had brought her son to set, charmed viewers through a warm interaction between her son and Shin, with moments of levity provided by Jung Sang-hoon. The lighthearted conversation turned serious when Kim Dasom introduced the terms “테토녀” (testosterone woman) and “에겐남” (estrogen man), describing confident, bold women and soft, caring men, respectively.
Prompted by the comment, Lee disclosed:
“My testosterone levels actually became too high, and I had to go to the hospital for about a year.”
Advertisement
She recounted her experience while filming Sweet Home, during which her muscle mass exceeded 30 kg and her body fat dropped to just 6%. The drastic change led to her menstrual cycle stopping entirely. Although similar effects had occurred during her boxing days, and remedying that with a higher weight class restored her period—this time, normalizing her body fat didn’t help. A hospital visit confirmed her symptoms were due to extreme hormonal imbalance.
Doctors informed her that her system had become “confused” by the high testosterone and intense training, prompting Lee to reflect:
“I was so shocked that I’ve never pushed myself that far again. It’s scary to lose that much fat.”
Advertisement
Lee married a restaurant entrepreneur in September 2017 and revealed their divorce in March 2025. She is now a devoted single mother and continues her acting career. She currently stars in ENA’s Monday–Tuesday drama Salon de Holmes, portraying Gong Mi-ri, a sharp-witted former detective turned apartment community leader. The comedy-drama follows the exploits of four women teaming up to protect their neighborhood and deliver justice.