5 Things You Never Knew that Could be Affecting Your Period

healthandhealingpt
  1. Diet
    • I am the biggest proponent of getting women OFF sugar when they report painful periods. I am actually going to write an entire blog post specifically on this, because I cannot stress enough, how much of a role sugar plays on your reproduction system To make a long future blog post very very short, just know that increased blood sugar levels leads to higher levels of inflammation, and your uterus is VERY sensitive to inflammation. You really really ought to watch your sugar intake around your periods. (I know this is super hard because most women crave sweets around their period, but there are literally hundreds of blog posts out there that give recipes on sweets that will satisfy your cravings without spiking your blood sugars).
  2. Your weight
    • Being overweight or underweight can have it’s affects on your period. Women who are overweight tend to produce excess estrogen. Excess estrogen can cause
      • Decreased ovulation
      • A thickening of the lining of the uterus which can lead to a heavy flow, and longer lasting period
      • Women who are underweight can have the opposite problem where not enough estrogen is produced which will also affect ovulation, and decrease the lining of the uterus which will lead to light or absent periods
  3. Stress
    • Stress can impact the length of your cycle, making your period shorter given the more stressed you are
    • Stress has also been linked to dysmenorrhea (Menstrual pain) meaning that the more stressed your are, the more painful your periods can be
  4. Medications
    • Anti-depressants, high blood pressure medication, and antipsychotics all have documented negative effects on your menstrual cycle. I would recommend speaking with your primary care provider if you believe this is affecting your menstruation negatively.

There are lot of conservative interventions available to women to help ease the discomforts of our menstrual cycles, and it mostly involves small lifestyle changes here and there, and a few stress relieving interventions that will make all the difference with how you feel. I think most women find that once they get their periods under control, so many other aspects of life seem to improve.

If you’d like help managing your period I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to call or text at 682-231-1607. I’m also available by email at amanda@healthandhealingpt.com

Published by healthandhealingpt