Irregular Periods - Symptom, Treatment And Causes

Menstrual cycles are a part and parcel of a woman’s life. Every woman knows the reasons behind these cycles and what to do during this time. But there are many other facets that are unknown to most women. This article highlights five important aspects of your menstrual cycle which you were probably not aware of till now.

1. Cycles do not protect women from pregnancy: For ages, it has been pointed out that a woman cannot get pregnant during the menstruation period. This is nothing, but a sheer myth. To be precise, these cycles occur only when an egg is released from the ovary. Thus, intercourse during this time would actually increase the chances of getting pregnant rather than reduce it. Male sperms can survive for up to three days in the female body and having intercourse when the female egg is released would allow for the fertilisation of the egg and the sperm, thereby making the woman pregnant.
2. False periods: Many times, you take contraceptive pills in order to make sure that you do not get pregnant. The process of contraception works in a manner that prevents the body from releasing an egg. This means that the process of ovulation is prevented for the month. But the lining of the uterus, which is formed due to layers of blood, cannot be prevented by the contraceptives. Hence, even though no ovulation occurs, one still gets their cycles as the uterus lining discharges itself.
3. Iron deficiency: Menstrual cycles cause loss of significant amount of blood from the body. This leads to the loss of iron from the body as blood is a rich source of iron. Especially, for women who suffer from any form of anaemia, it is in their best interest to take iron supplements.
4. Insomia is of concern: Sleepless nights and insomnia is a matter of concern during your menstrual cycles. Sleep is brought about by progesterone. But lack of sleep would mean that the level of progesterone is low in the body. It is a sign that these levels need to be checked by a medical practitioner. Sleeplessness can trigger additional problems related to menstrual cycles, including heavy bleeding.
5. Check oestrogen levels: High oestrogen levels could result to severe back pain and heavy bleeding during your cycles. This is an indication that the hormone level is high and needs to be controlled.

Thus, these are some of the interesting facts that you need to know about your menstrual cycles. None of them are really threatening and can be controlled via medicines or supplements under medical supervision.
 

Missing out on your periods or irregular periods once in a while is common. However, the problem arises when irregular periods become every month’s story. The irregularity can be an amalgamation of a host of factors. Ignoring the same for long will only complicate things further. For women of reproductive age, the problem can give rise to deleterious consequences, including difficulties in conceiving. In this article, we will discuss some of the common triggers that result in irregular periods and when to seek medical help.

What causes Irregular Periods?
The hormonal balance plays a significant role in the proper functioning of the vital organs of the body. More than often, irregular periods are found to be a manifestation of hormonal imbalance. Some of the conditions that trigger the hormonal imbalance include

• PCO is a common medical condition that affects women of reproductive age. PCOS is characterized by the formation of cysts in the ovary (one or both) that affects the ovulation process. In PCOS, there is an increased production of Androgen, especially Testosterone that can cause irregular periods, hair fall, facial hair, weight gain etc.

• Time and again doctors and health professionals emphasize the importance of leading a stress-free life. Research suggests stress and anxiety often interfere with the functioning of the Hypothalamus. As a result, the pituitary glands that control and regulate the activities of the ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid glands may be affected. These can also trigger a hormonal imbalance giving rise to menstrual problems such as Irregular periods. In case of extreme stress, there may be a short-term cessation of periods (Secondary Amenorrhea).

• The hormonal imbalance and irregular periods can also be an outcome of other medical conditions such as endometriosis, a cancer affecting the reproductive organs, fibroids, obesity, diabetes, hyperprolactinemia (characterized by elevated level of prolactin) or even thyroid disorders.

• Women who indulge in strict dieting can also suffer from irregular periods. Strict dieting (especially the ones that are without a proper nutritional guidance) can rob the body of the essential nutrients disrupting the hormonal balance.

• Irregular periods are normal in women who are nearing their menopause.

When to seek medical assistance?
Irregular periods can be indicative of a severe health problem. Consult a gynecologist

• If your regular cycles get delayed by more than 7 days.

• There is spotting or bleeding in between the periods.

• Your periods last for more than ten days or less than two days.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

• There is excruciating pain during periods.

• The gap between two successive menstrual cycles is more than 35 days or less than 21 days.

• Your periods are heavy and unmanageable, affecting your daily routine.

Vaginal bleeding is a common phenomenon in women. Sometimes it is due to cyclical changes in the cycle, while other times, it may be indicative of something unnatural and perhaps severe. Abnormal vaginal bleeding includes:

1. Heavy periods: This is a very common phenomenon. Bleeding during periods cannot be measured with optimum accuracy but periods can be considered heavy if it lasts over 7 days, if you need double protection, or if you seem to pass too much clots. It is recommended to consult your doctor if it starts to affect your lifestyle and causes hindrance in your day to day activities. The cause of heavy bleeding during menses is often unclear, but it may be indicative of uterine fibroids or cysts.
2. Post coital bleeding: Post coital bleeding happens when you bleed after sex. The most likely reason for this to happen is if there is inflammation in the neck of the cervical opening or it is sore. The common cause of this can probably be sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia.
3. Inter menstraul bleeding: Bleeding between your periods is also a possibility. There can be several causes for this. It can be broadly indicative of uterine polyps or infections. Polyps are fleshy masses of cells which are basically an abnormal growth in the uterus or cervix.
4. Break through bleed: These bleeds happen very suddenly and spontaneously in the middle of the cycles or close to the menstrual cycles. These can happen when you start contraceptive pills and usually settle down in a matter of few months.
5. Post menopausal bleeding: Bleeding or spotting post menopause can be indicative of something more serious. The common causes can be uterine or cervical cancer. Often, it may also happen that the uterus starts to degrade, and small fibrous bleeding or spotting may be visible. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Menopause can be a turnaround for many women in respect to their health and body functioning. It can be disturbing and disruptive. When menstruation ends in women, various changes ranging from physical to emotional occurs which are discussed below.

1. Perimenopause: The age of 40-45 years in women is the time when their hormones, progesterone, and estrogen start falling, as the production of these hormones from the ovaries decreases. The onset of menopause, however, begins from mid thirty’s. You can experience significant cramps while having your periods as well as heavy and irregular periods.
2. Anxiety and Mood Swings: Mood swings are common during the days of your menstruation, but it becomes severe when you are going through the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal phase. This is a time when most of the women become more teary and emotional without much reason. They become irritated easily as well, and the best way to tackle them is to care and be kind and not flattery or insensible. The woman must understand the phase she is going through and must try to find ways to control her temper and mood swings.
3. Night Sweats and Hot Flashes: Hot flashes and night sweats are common symptoms that you experience during menopause. Due to the fall in the levels of estrogen, the body gets heated up, and thus hot flashes are common during these days. The brain needs time to adjust to the changes estrogen level, and then this problem gets solved.
4. Reduced Sex Drive: Due to the fall in the hormones, the sex drive or the libido in a woman falls right after having menopause.
5. Aging: Menopause acts like the red mark on the age calendar of yours which pin point that now you are becoming old. This increases the agitation and the irritation of getting old. But talking about it in the open and being calm can reduce the irritation and also keeps you youthful all the day.
6. Affecting Your Thoughts: Perimenopause can also be symbolized by a reduction in the thought process and the memory of the women. Most of the women complain of having less energy at work and forgetting basic things. This is because of the drop in the estrogen as it helps in keeping you active as well as alert.
7. Calcium Deficiency or Bone Loss: With the falling estrogen level, the loss of calcium from the body and thus affecting the mass of the bones is inevitable, and this thing can get serious that it can turn into osteoporosis. You need to have calcium along with Vitamin D from the natural food as much as possible so that the bone mass doesn’t get affected.

Dealing with menopause is more a challenge to a woman. However, being aware of the changes happening in her body and accepting them is aging gracefully, indeed.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

For young girls who have attained their puberty and have started with their menstruation cycle, it is not uncommon to see irregularity in the patterns of their cycles. Irregularities might be of various kinds like missing the cycle suddenly and resuming from the month after, less discharge of blood than normal, heavy discharge than normal and the likes. There are several causes of these irregularities that are faced by women. Some of the causes of irregular menstrual cycles are explained below. 

The main and commonest reason for irregular menses is the “immaturity of the hormonal pattern”. At puberty, certain new hormones start circulating in your body which cause changes in your reproductive organs namely the ovary and uterus. As these hormones are being set into a routine pattern, irregular cycles are common, and these are predominantly seen just after puberty uptll 21 years and in women nearing menopause, ie. After 40 years of age. In some, the irregularity also remains all throughout life. This is Normal too. The ONLY worry of irregular cycles is about excessive bleeding, or very irregular cycles which could be due to some local physical problems in ovary ( cysts ), uterus (excess lining development, polyps, uterine fibroids etc.) or hormones (thyroid deficiency, high prolactin, etc.) But the most common causes of irregular cycles are as below: 

1. High-Stress Level: Stress has a direct effect on your body when it comes to experiencing your cycles. Excessive stress levels in your body lead to the release of certain hormones in brain and body which interfere in the functioning of normal hormones and this cause an abnormal menstrual cycle. Hence, it is often said that stress, anger and anxiety should be reduced in order to lead a healthy life as well as to experience normal menstrual cycles. 
2. Diet: Consumption of food must be taken care of when you enter your puberty. Diet has an effect on your body. You must not either indulge into excessive fatty or oily foods on one hand, or you must not enter into a crash diet or start starving yourself, on the other. Both these extreme cases affect the normal flow of your menstrual cycle, by creating a hormonal imbalance. 
3. Weight Loss: Your weight must be maintained in synchronization with your height. Overweight and underweight are both harmful in their own accord. If you are trying to reduce weight, then the procedures should be a mixture of balanced diet and proper exercise. In fact, it is best to take help of a dietician for such purposes. Self-practiced weight loss, extreme starvation diets at times can go out of hand and this might cause an irregularity in your menstrual cycle. 
4. Exercise: Exercise is a daily requirement for maintaining proper health. But exercise should also be undertaken under a trainer or proper guidance. Excessive exercise would lead to a release of stress hormones in the body which would start interfering with not only your menstrual cycles but also other health conditions. Hence, exercise is required but not too much of it which would spoil the balance of the body. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!