5 Common Reasons You Are Missing Your Period
Today we are talking all about periods and why you may be experiencing a missing period in this post!
Periods are a pain. Most women wish they didn’t have to struggle with this monthly burden. But what is not often talked about is why not having a cycle is actually very unhealthy for a woman in her reproductive years. Yes, that’s right- NOT having a monthly cycle is NOT healthy!
A woman’s cycle is a sign of fertility! If in the case that cycle stops occurring, it may be a sign that we are not ovulating. In other words, no ovulation means no chance of pregnancy. Even if you are not trying to get pregnant, the hormones involved in our monthly cycle are affected when our cycle goes missing. We may then begin to experience low libido, insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, hair loss, chronic fatigue, low motivation, decreased exercise performance, GI issues, chronic acne, the list goes on!
5 Common Reasons You Are Missing Your Period
1. Under-eating
Under-eating is a major driver in hypothalamic amenorrhea. HA, for short, is a condition in which menstruation stops for several months due to a problem involving the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the region in our brain responsible for hormone production. It produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that signals the pituitary gland to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
When we are eating too few of calories or carbohydrates, the body does not feel that it is an adequate environment to produce a child. Keep in mind that women are the child-bearing gender and our hormones tend to be a little more sensitive to changes in diets than men. Under eating IS stressful on the body.
2. Over-exercise
This often goes hand in hand with under eating, but over exercising also signals to the body that you are in constant “fight or flight” mode. While exercise is healthy when done in moderate amounts, every person has their own stress threshold. Some people can be competitive athletes and never experience a change in their cycles, while some people lose it the second they start training intensely. The body was not meant to be doing hours of training each week. Historically, humans were active on a regular basis via lots of walking and hunting/gathering- not 2 hours of soul cycle every day or running miles every day.
3. Chronic Stress
Maybe you are eating well and getting lots of physical rest, but still no period. Chronic stress is something that many people don’t realize they are struggling with. It could be that you hate your job, have unsettled emotions, feel unworthy and engage in negative self-talk, are in a toxic relationship, etc. Stress, no matter where the source, is enough to make a period go MIA.
4. Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrition is absolutely KEY for a healthy period. There are key vitamins and minerals that help to support a woman’s cycle such as B-vitamins, zinc, vitamin D, iodine, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Nutrient deficiencies are common in those on vegan/vegetarian diets, paleo diets, keto diets, malabsorption from Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Celiac’s disease, SIBO, and other gut disorders that impair nutrient absorption.
5. Hormonal Birth Control
Lastly, hormonal birth control is often prescribed to women when they develop period “problems”. It seems like a quick fix, right? Wrong.
Hormonal birth control shuts down the body’s natural ability to produce it’s own hormones. The signaling from the hypothalamus to the ovaries is shut off because the body doesn't feel the needs to produce hormones when it is already being given synthetic hormones. Post birth control syndrome is common in those who go off HBC to regain their natural cycles but are unable to. Working with a qualified health professional to help you get to the root cause of why your periods are missing will save you lots of headaches trying to figure it out on your own.
