At times menstrual problems are the signs of undiscovered health conditions. Delayed or early menstruation, more or less frequent periods, heavy bleeding or lighter bleeding, lack of periods trigger the females to visit the doctor.
1st thing with the menstrual abnormalities which bother women is pregnancy. Missed and Irregular Periods may be the result of several problems like hormonal imbalance, eating disorders, significant weight loss or gain, anemia, thyroid disorders (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism), menopause, liver disease, irritable bowel syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine abnormalities, recent birth or miscarriage, stress, etc.
It is not something to be avoided if you have
• Periods are coming less than 21 days apart
• Periods regularly last more than seven days
• Heavy bleeding lasts for over 24 hours
• Periods have stopped for more than three months
• Unbearable pain during periods than usual
Here we are listing the most Common Causes of Missed and Irregular Periods
Poor Diet
A healthy diet is important for the overall functioning of the body. A diet low in nutritious components can affect adrenal glands, thyroid gland which may further lead to hormonal irregularities and absent or irregular periods.
So in case of menstrual problems it is essential for females to take nutrients rich diet.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) has become the leading cause of irregular periods in females. It is a hormone imbalance in women which affects ovulation and causes irregular periods. In PCOS, there are the elevated and persistent levels of sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Over-Exercising
Doing exercise is good for overall health, but the excess workout is bad for females. The reason behind this is cortisol gets released in response to any physical exertion, which in turn can impair the functions of sex hormones. Hence excess exercise is one of the main reason behind disruption of the menstruation cycle. This excess workout problem specially affects the females who are athlete. Moreover along with excess physical stress, several other factors contribute to the loss of periods in athletes like low body fat and high energy expenditure.
Thyroid Disorder
Association between thyroid disease and the menstrual cycle is not well understood by many of us. The thyroid gland produces hormones which help to maintain the body’s metabolism and stimulate many sex hormones. Fluctuations in estrogen and cortisol hormones can pause ovulation, which in turn affects the menstrual cycle.
Thereby any type of thyroid gland error, either it is an overactive (hyperthyroidism) or under active thyroid (hypothyroidism), can cause menstrual irregularities.
High-Stress Level
High-stress level is a prompt cause of irregular menstruation. If one is experiencing extremely high stress, then it can cause the missed or irregular periods.In the extreme stress conditions, brain blocks the production of estrogen and other reproductive hormones which are required for ovulation.
Low Body Fat
Body fat is vital for making the hormone estrogen because deficiency of estrogen can contribute to irregular periods and bone damage. If one has the low body fat means your body mass index (BMI) falls below 18 or 19, then you may have chances of getting disturbed periods. Having low body fat disturbs various hormonal functions in the body which further affects your ovulation and menstrual cycle.
Excess alcohol intake
It has been found in various studies that drinking too much alcohol can cause irregular periods as well as infertility. Toxins found in alcohol can cause permanent tissue damage and disrupt hormonal balance which is essential for maintaining menstrual cycles. It also creates the difficulties in conceiving and also leads to risk for having a healthy baby.
Smoking
Smoking is equally bad for the health of both active and passive smokers either they are males or females.
Smoking leads to disrupt the levels of hormones which are involved in the regularity of the menstrual cycle like estrogen, progesterone, etc. Thereby Women who smoke are at a higher risk of suffering from irregular periods, difficulty to conceive, metabolic stress etc.
