Reproductive health

Why Women Experience Irregular Periods

By James S. Pendergraft
www.womenscenter.com

For every woman, menstruation is a part of life. For many it is an affirmation of their womanhood and a manifestation of the fulfillment of their role to bear children and ensure continuity of the human species. As such, despite the discomfort menstruation may bring, women have learned to put up with the process. However, when some disorder in their menstrual process comes about and can potentially ruin their health, that's the time women should be concerned for the possible impact on their health.

Irregular periods are known in medical terms as anovulation. It happens when the ovaries fail to release an oocyte; that indicates that ovulation did not take place. The problem affects about 30 percent of women. However, when the disorder becomes chronic, it may indicate infertility.

Causes of Irregular Periods

To properly treat the disorder, one must be properly acquainted with its causes. There are numerous reasons for irregular menstruation. The following are the most common:

Stress

Stress can affect menstrual flow in women because it causes hormonal reactions in the body. As such, if it should be too difficult to avoid getting stressed, it is important that one have some means to compensate for it by getting enough rest.

Changes in the menstrual cycle

In some instances, what happens during an irregular menstruation is that there is a change in the menstrual cycle. Changes in a woman's menstrual cycle are prevalent in young girls at the onset of menstruation and may persist for a few years afterwards.

Pregnancy

Although this may not be strictly classified as a cause for an irregular menstruation, pregnancy will make menstruation stop altogether. When this is the case, a pregnancy test should be performed to keep a woman from thinking that what is happening is just another irregularity in her menstrual cycle instead of her being pregnant.

Poor diet

A very poor diet, especially if one is deprived of proper nutrients, can cause hormonal changes that may disrupt menstrual flow. For women suffering from anorexia or bulimiaa>, menstruation may stop altogether.

Psychological factors

When the woman is burdened with deep emotional thoughts, the result may be that production of bodily hormones related to menstruation is affected, thus causing menstruation to stop altogether.

Drugs

Taking drugs as well as birth control pills can cause irregular periods. This is because such drugs induce changes in the body: the body requires some time to adjust to the new level of hormone production as a result of taking the drugs.

Menarche

Menarche refers to the time a girl begins menstruating. A girl's first periods may take some time to become regular: it may be years before the menstruation becomes regular. This is a common occurrence in girls and does not require usually require medication.

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