Causes of Irregular Periods

Menstruation can be really hard to deal with. The PMS, the cramps and 5 terrible days of fretting and frowning. But, in some women, the cycle skips to repeat because of functional issues in the body.

Even though most women with regular periods fret their plight each time they are in their cycle, not having them for a month can be even more daunting. In order to be able to understand and treat irregular periods, one must understand the underlying body chemistry that can cause them. 

When is the Meaning of Irregular Period?

An irregural menstrual cycle or period refers to a difference in the interval between periods each month. For instance, sometimes the periods may come every 28 days as they should ideally come while on other days they may come in 20 days or even 30 days. To have irregular periods is a common problem, but in most cases, the cause may not be as serious as feared.

Common Causes

Some of the common causes of irregular periods are as follows:

• eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia
• emotional problems and stress
• excessive travelling
• excessive weight loss or weight gain, obesity or extreme thinness. The two can cause the menstrual cycle to become irregular
• hormonal problems such as when the thyroid fails to function properly
• over-exercising; if you train very hard, your body may prevent menstruation to save energy
• breastfeeding
• drugs such as birth control pills that can affect the intensity or frequency of menstruation
• problems in the pelvic organs.

Other Causes

Apart from the above mentioned causes of irregular periods, another cause for the same includes premature ovarian failure in which a woman stops having periods before she turns 40 years old. This may also be caused by radiation, chemotherapy or surgery in the case of those women with cancer.

If you are sexually active and do not want to get pregnant, make sure that you use some form of birth control method so that you are not surprised to be having irregular periods suddenly. Also, it is important to not assume that with the period not regularly happening, you will never be able to conceive. You must always take careful steps whether you are planning a baby or not.

Read more articles on Women's Health.