Aside from being pregnant and going
through menopause, which both
normally stop a woman from getting
her period, here are the other major
causes for irregular periods or
amenorrhea.
1. High Stress Levels
When you’re under a lot of stress for an
ongoing period, your body can start to
conserve energy by preventing
ovulation. Experiencing a traumatic
event can suddenly cause the adrenals
to work overtime, which can disrupt the
production of estrogen and other
reproductive hormones (a condition
called hypothalamic amenorrhea).
When you don’t have a lot of estrogen,
you aren’t able to properly build up the
uterine lining, and as a consequence
you don’t get your period.
Why does this happen? Essentially,
your body makes sure that
emergencies get priority. Comfort is
nice and being fertile is important, but
it’s still secondary to survival. A built-
in survival mechanism that is ingrained
in all of us is the ongoing production of
crucial “fight or flight” stress hormones
like cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenaline
and cortisol are the two major players
related to our stress responses that
help us get away from threats (whether
real immediate ones or just perceived
ones). Adrenaline and cortisol are
completely necessary and sometimes
beneficial — helping us to run, climb,
exert energy, sweat and regulate our
heartbeat, for example — but too much
can become a problem.
The body always grants priority to
producing these stress hormones that
will help you survive a crisis, so sex
hormones can take a backseat when
your body perceives that “times are
tough.” Under chronic stress, there’s
not enough raw materials available –
such as amino acids that help
neurotransmitters to work – to make
both sex hormones and stress
hormones in some cases, so a choice
must be made and the body always
chooses stress hormones. Severe
stress conditions like dieting, heavy
exercise training or intense emotional
events are all situations that can
induce amenorrhea with or without
body weight loss.
2. Poor Diet
A poor diet low in nutrients,
antioxidants and probiotic foods yet
high in stimulants can tax the adrenal
glands and thyroid. For example, a
high intake of sugar, hydrogenated fats
and artificial additives, or pesticides is
linked with thyroid issues and adrenal
fatigue that can raise cortisol.
Excess cortisol hinders the optimal
function of many other essential
hormones, such as sex hormones. It
can also promote the breakdown of
bones, skin, muscles and brain tissue
when high over a long period of time.
This cycle of excess cortisol can lead
to protein breakdown, which results in
muscle-wasting and potentially
osteoporosis.
If you’re struggling with menstruation,
make sure to eat enough food and
make it the right kind. Eat high
antioxidant foods that are nutrient-
dense, especially plenty of fats
(even saturated fats that are good for
you) and proteins. Also, choose a high-
calorie supplement if you are
underweight, have low body fat or are
an athlete.
3. Extreme Weight Loss and Low
Body Weight
When your body mass index (BMI) falls
below 18 or 19, you can start to miss
your period due to having too little body
fat. Body fat is important for creating
enough estrogen, which is why very
thin women or those with serious
conditions like anorexia and bulimia
can experience absent or missed
periods. Increased physical activity and
nutritional demands of intensive
exercise can sometimes lead to a low
body weight that put you at risk for
hormonal problems.
A low-calorie, low-fat diet can also
result in nutrient deficiencies and
lowered body-fat percentages that may
contribute to irregular periods and bone
loss. Some reports also show that very
lean vegans and vegetarians, including
those on fully “raw” diets, might also
be at a higher risk – likely because
they are more prone to becoming
underweight and suffering deficiencies.
4. Over-Exercising
Although moderate exercise is very
important for ongoing heart health,
mood regulation, sleep and maintaining
a healthy body weight, too much
exercise can also put excess pressure
on your adrenal, thyroid and pituitary
glands. Women who rapidly start
exercising at high intensities — for
example, by training for a marathon or
some other major event that requires a
high level of physical excretion — can
stop getting their period suddenly.
Like other stress hormones, cortisol is
released in response to any real or
perceived stress, which can be
physical (including exercise) or
emotional. Such stressors include
overworking and overtraining, in
addition to things like under-sleeping,
fasting, infection and emotional upsets.
Today, with pressure to stay thin and in
shape, some women feel they need to
exercise intensely and “break a good
sweat” too much and too many days
per week.
This kind of exertion can actually
increase stress and deplete the body of
energy needed to regulate sex
hormones. One University of Michigan
report found that running and ballet
dancing are among the activities most
closely associated with amenorrhea . As
many as 66 percent of women long-
distance runners and ballet dancers
experience amenorrhea at one time or
another! Shockingly, among women
bodybuilders, 81 percent experienced
amenorrhea at some point and many
had nutritionally deficient diets!
“Exercise-induced amenorrhea ” can be
an indicator of an overall energy drain
and is most common among young
women. In fact, female participation in
high school athletics has increased
800 percent in the last 30 years, and at
the same time hormonal imbalances
have also risen. Other concerning
issues that sometimes come along with
this phenomena include bone density
loss and eating disorders. That’s why
addressing skeletal problems, heart
complications and nutritional
deficiencies in this population is a very
high priority for physicians.
Causes of irregular periods infographic
5. Thyroid Disorders
You may never suspect it, but it just
might be that your thyroid is the cause
of your problems related to hormonal
imbalances. Some reports show that
thyroid disorders may be one of the
leading causes of missed periods, with
roughly 15 percent of amenorrhea
patients experiencing thyroid
irregularities. The thyroid gland, often
called a “master gland” and considered
a crucial controller of the endocrine
system, largely controls your
metabolism and impacts many sex
hormones.
Thyroid disorders, including
hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism ,
can cause widespread symptoms
like changes in estrogen and cortisol
hormones and missed periods. Too
much cortisol circulating in the body
can lead to overall hormone resistance,
including thyroid resistance. This
means that the body becomes
desensitized to these hormones, and
more may be required to do the same
job.
6. Stopping the Birth Control Pill
Some women stop getting their period
somewhat intentionally while on birth
control, but even when they stop the
pill their period doesn’t return . While
some doctors advise that a woman’s
period should adjust and return within
a few months of stopping the pill, many
women experience missed or irregular
periods for years afterward.
A woman’s natural menstrual cycle is
composed of rising and falling levels of
estrogen and progesterone, but taking
birth control pills keeps estrogen at a
sufficiently high level, which fools the
body into thinking it’s pregnant and
results in irregular periods. It takes the
body many months or even years to
correct this and return to homeostasis.
One report published in the American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
found that about 29 percent of women
experience missed periods for more
than three months after going off the
pill. My advice: Just say no to birth
control pills.
7. Ongoing Hormonal Imbalances
and Disorders
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is
a hormone imbalance in women that
negatively impacts ovulation. When a
woman has PCOS, she experiences
altered levels of sex hormones —
including estrogen, progesterone and
testosterone — that can result in
abnormal body or facial hair growth,
weight gain, blood sugar problems,
acne, and irregular menstrual cycles.
PCOS can be diagnosed by a woman’s
gynecologist who will test for hormone
levels, review symptoms and family
history, and potentially examine the
ovaries for cyst growths.
It’s also possible to go through
“premature menopause” prior to the
age of about 40, which can missed
periods, hot flashes, night sweats and
vaginal dryness – although this is a
less common reason for irregular
menstruation.
8. Food Allergies and Sensitivities
Undiagnosed gluten sensitivity or
celiac disease can both impact
hormone levels. Because these
conditions can cause nutrient
deficiencies, negatively impact gut
health and add chronic stress to your
adrenal glands, they have the ability to
affect sex hormone production.
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