Irregular Periods… Finding Balance
Usha Anandi. 05 | APRIL | 2022
Your period isn’t here… again. You’re sure you’re not pregnant, and you don’t think you have PCOS…
Maybe you’ve never had a regular cycle…
Or perhaps the last few months have been strange, and something feels off…
Should you just ignore your irregular periods?
Or is your body trying to tell you something?
If you’ve read any of our blogs before or know about our work, I think you can guess which one of the above options I would choose.
When the period is irregular, it’s likely that other parts of the cycle are impacted too.
One of the biggest questions we receive about irregular periods is whether it’s possible to have an irregular period and also ovulate.
The answer is YES, you can ovulate with an irregular period, but not everyone with irregular periods ovulates regularly. As missed ovulation is a common cause of irregular periods, it’s important to discover whether you’re ovulating or not.
If you’re ovulating, you can get pregnant – which is another common question we receive often about irregular periods.
Knowing if you ovulate regularly is important for everyone, whether or not you wish to conceive.
Regular ovulation supplies a healthy monthly dose of hormones that help maintain bone, breast, heart, and immune system health (plus a TON of other things!).
To know whether you’re ovulating regularly, you need to learn how to track your ovulation using the physical, emotional, and energetic signs of fertility.
Woah, did you know that was a thing?
Most of us don’t know the first place to begin, and how would we? The majority of us weren’t taught anything about our menstrual cycles growing up from elders or in school.
But today is a different day. Today is the day that you get to empower yourself with the menstrual cycle education that you deserve.
In my Free Power of the Period Workshop, I teach you about the physical, emotional, and energetic signs of ovulation as well as the three other phases of your menstrual cycle.
It’s my belief that knowing your body is the most powerful tool accessible for finding balance again.
It’s likely that you’re here because you think you have an irregular period or someone you love has one… so just to make sure you’re in the right place, let’s define what an irregular period is.
According to the Office on Women’s Health, a period is irregular if it’s shorter than 21 days and longer than 35 days.
To determine the length of your cycle, count the first day of your menstrual cycle as ‘Day 1’. If your cycle was 30 days in length, that would mean there were 30 days between the first day of your last period, and the first day of your most recent period.
The cause of irregular periods can vary from person to person and are not limited to: stress, PCOS, thyroid imbalances, and peri-menopause.
The most important thing to remember about irregular periods is that although they are common, we shouldn’t refer to them as ‘normal’. Irregular periods are a clear sign from your body that something may be out of balance, and it’s time to listen up.
Here are some signs to seek medical help from an experienced practitioner:
- If your periods have consistently gotten longer or shorter (for example, a 23 day cycle turns into a 35 or 40 day cycle)
- If you’re cycle disappears for more than 3 months (not applicable to breastfeeding mothers)
- If your irregular periods are accompanied by other challenging symptoms, see this article on PCOS
This blog is for educational purposes only, so if there’s something going on in your body that strikes you as out of balance, please get yourself the one-on-one support you deserve.
Here are a few things to consider when trying to find balance after experiencing irregular periods.
Lifestyle
One of the most powerful ways to guide the body back into balance is to look at our daily rhythm. I call it a rhythm, because routine feels constricting and linear. Rhythm, though, speaks to our innate cyclical nature. Rhythm reminds us that everyday has a tempo, and we can choose which pace we move through life.
Ask yourself…
Do I rest after long periods of work or strenuous mental/ physical activity? →
Each of us is endowed with a certain amount of energy to move through our day with. We can think of our energy storage similar to that of a bank. If we spend 400 units of energy on strenuous mental work (like writing this blog!) or intense physical labor like running or lifting weights, we need to ensure that we’re resting long enough to build the energy back up.
If we don’t, we move into the next day with a deficit. Stress hormones and sex hormones compete with one another and the delicate balance between them can impact your monthly menstrual cycle.
If the idea of resting is foreign to you (as it is for many of us), try a structured form of rest. A 30-minute walk in nature, a guided restorative yoga class, or a cuddling with a loved one all have hormone balancing effects. Remember that you don’t have to spend money to get meaningful rest, and everyone’s idea of “rest” will be different.
Do I have a regular routine? →
In the ancient life-science from India called Ayurveda, irregular periods are often tied to an excess of the Vata. Made of the elements ether and air, Vata builds up when we don’t have regularity in our lives.
One of the most effective ways to bring Vata into balance is to stick to a regular routine. This means going to sleep and waking up around the same time, eating around the same time everyday, and choosing foods that nourish, ground, and replenish your system (see other food considerations below).
Diet
Another building block of health is the food we eat. As important as the food we eat, is how we eat it. When looking at food for irregular periods, consider the questions below…
Ask yourself…
Do I eat regularly? →
Skipping meals and eating irregularly is one of the biggest culprits of heightened blood sugar, which can lead to hormone imbalance, insulin resistance, and even PCOS.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of eating BEFORE you feel faintish, jittery, or incredibly hungry.
Skipping a meal wreaks havoc on your blood sugar, even if you don’t intake any actual sugar in your next meal! So even if you eat healthy, if you’re skipping meals, it could be impacting your hormones and therefore your periods.
If intermittent fasting calls to you, I encourage you to do more research and investigate further. In my opinion and experience, intermittent fasting was not created with those who menstruate in mind.
Do I cook my foods and use warming spices? →
The only time I’ve ever struggled with irregular periods was when I was raw vegan. Living on a diet of mostly raw vegetables and fruits, my period disappeared for three months and returned only once I integrated cooked foods into my diet once again.
Coincidence? According to Ayurveda, it’s not.
Raw foods have a cold, dry energy that can contribute to a Vata imbalance and is linked to irregular periods. Cooking your foods with warming, carminative spices (like ginger, turmeric, black pepper, fennel, coriander, mints, and cumin) can help change the energy of your food and increase blood flow to the digestive tract to support you in digesting and fully assimilating your food.
Exercise
Most of the womben I know are balancing extremely full plates. After a full day of work or Mothering, they attempt to add 1.5 – 2 hours of exercise into their routine and believe it to be a good thing. But too much exercise (especially depending on the current state of your health), can be a bad thing.
Ask yourself…
Do I exercise according to my cycle? →
We’re not the same everyday, and that’s a good thing. The way you will want to exercise during your peak fertile time is different from how you may want to exercise when you’re premenstrual, and that’s okay.
Restorative movement like walking, swimming, biking in nature, Qi Gong, Yoga, or Tai Chi is an incredible way to experience the benefits of moving your body without adding extra stress. For more about exercising according to your menstrual cycle, check out this blog here.
