The menstrual cycle tells a woman about her physical fitness, emotional health, and balanced lifestyle. It is a very simple network of hormonal glands intricately working together to maintain our reproductive health, calcification of bones, texture and turgidity of skin, hair and functioning of the heart and brain.
The menstrual cycle is controlled by ovarian and pituitary hormones. The first half of the cycle is predominantly the oestrogenic phase and the second half is under the effect of the progesterone hormone. The release of hormones is greatly influenced by the physical and psychological well-being of a lady. To Know more about the causes and treatment options of the irregular menstrual cycle, OnlyMyHealth reached out to Dr Aruna Kalra, Senior Gynaecologist & Obstetrician, CK Birla Hospital.
Factors Affecting Menstrual Health
The impact of stress on mental and hormonal health disrupts the menstrual cycle. When a woman is in a stressful condition, it is normal for them to experience a delay in the next due date or even excessive bleeding after the menses.
Here is what Dr Kalra has to say about imbalanced hormonal health. According to Dr Kalra, the following factors can affect your menstrual irregularity:
- Stress
- lack of sleep
- Prolonged screen time
- Too much work pressure
- Meeting deadlines
- No exercise and Workout
- Change in food habits
- Psychological trauma
- Medicines taken for some other illness
- Abnormal thyroid profile
- Abnormal prolactin values
Besides the above-mentioned factors, eating too much junk and unhealthy eating habits lead to obesity and resistance to the smooth functioning of hormones.
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Too little eating, starvation or anorexia is also responsible for the loss of hormonal receptors to work on and abnormal hormonal cycle.
Treatment Options
Regular exercise, a high-fibre diet, nature walks, healthy hobbies, and keeping stress at bay should correct the imbalance in hormonal health and might result in proper and regular menstrual cycles.
Other things that can help are as follows:
- Iron and multivitamin supplements are also helpful.
- Use of concrete contraception methods.
- Taking anti-inflammatory medicine 2-3 times a day during heavy menstrual bleeding.
Continuing exercise even during days of menstrual bleeding will help to correct menstrual problems.
Abnormal bleeding is also related to menstrual cycle dysfunction is a range of disorders often associated with heavy irregular bleeding. Once the diagnosis is confirmed and doctors rule out the endometrial and structural pathology, definitive treatment can be offered.
“The underlying problem that causes abnormal uterine bleeding associated with ovulatory dysfunction should be treated medically, not surgically”, says Dr Kalra. Treatment options include
- Progestin-only contraception
- Medroxyprogesterone acetate
- Combined hormonal contraception
These options thin the endometrium and hence reduce the bleeding. If medical treatment fails, endometrial ablation and hysterectomy are other options. Hysterectomy without cervical preservation can be considered in women who have completed childbearing, in whom medical therapy has failed, or with contraindications to treatment.
