If your menstrual cycle is occasionally a few days early or late, it’s usually nothing to worry about, but if your periods are consistently irregular, unusually heavy, or unpredictable, it’s time to talk to Dr. Houmam Al-Hakeem and our team at Westover Hills Women's Health.
Some causes of irregular periods require medical treatment, while others may improve with healthier daily habits. By partnering with our team of gynecology specialists and trying these seven lifestyle changes, you can take steps to regulate your menstrual cycle.
If you’ve gained or even lost a significant amount of weight, your menstrual cycle may be one of the first places you notice the effects. Body fat helps with hormone production, and being significantly underweight or overweight can interfere with ovulation. This can then lead to irregular or missed periods.
Skip the crash diets and focus on modest, sustainable weight changes. If you’re concerned about your weight or menstrual cycle, we can help determine whether an underlying condition, such as PCOS or a thyroid disorder, may be contributing to your weight fluctuations.
What you eat can (and does) affect your menstrual cycle.
For example, eating iron-rich foods, such as beef liver, spinach, and lentils, can help replace iron lost during menstrual bleeding. Eating magnesium-rich foods, such as dark leafy greens, dark chocolate, and almonds, can relax uterine muscles. Omega-3s, found in salmon, flaxseeds, and chia seeds, can help reduce inflammation and cramps.
Pro tip: Pair your iron-rich foods with vitamin C to boost iron absorption. You can find vitamin C in fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, and broccoli.
Many women like to drink red raspberry leaf tea throughout the month. This tea not only delivers antioxidants but also helps tone your uterus and ease cramps. As always, keep up with your water intake.
If you eat a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats, you get what your body needs throughout the month.
On the other hand, highly restrictive diets, skipping meals, or rapid weight loss can interfere with ovulation and disrupt your menstrual cycle.
High levels of physical or emotional stress may disrupt communication between your brain and ovaries. Specifically, excessive stress affects your hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
When this communication is disrupted, you may experience missed periods or even longer periods.
While eliminating 100% of your stress isn’t realistic, activities such as walking, yoga, meditation, deep breathing, or spending time with loved ones may help lower your cortisol levels. You may also find that clearing your schedule for some of your favorite hobbies helps, too.
It’s no secret that regular physical activity supports your physical and mental health. It can also help regulate menstrual cycles.
But excessive exercise combined with inadequate calorie intake can have the opposite effect, particularly in athletes or women participating in intense endurance training.
Poor sleep or even irregular sleep schedules can disrupt the hormones involved in your menstrual cycle.
Try to get seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up schedule whenever possible.
According to data published in Contemporary Clinical Trials, vitamin D deficiency is associated with several period changes, including:
That’s not too surprising, as vitamin D supports many processes in your body, including hormone function.
If your vitamin D is low — we can check this with a blood test — eat plenty of vitamin D-rich foods and take a supplement if our team recommends it. (Spending time in the sunlight can also help your body make more vitamin D.)
Not all irregular periods look the same. Some are irregular because they don’t come every 28 days. Some periods come on time but are too light, too heavy, or too painful.
This kind of information, paired with hormone labs, can help our team determine what’s causing your period irregularities.
Use a period tracking app to log details like:
You can share your list of concerns and symptoms during your well-woman exam.
During your annual well-woman exam, we can identify medical conditions that may be affecting your menstrual cycle, such as PCOS, thyroid disease, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, or perimenopause.
To get started at one of our four San Antonio, Texas, offices, call or click to schedule your appointment.
