Your menstrual cycle is something you deal with from the moment it starts during puberty until you reach menopause in your 40s or 50s, and the clockwork assortment of routine stages and symptoms that come with it.
Irregularities in women’s periods are not uncommon, and hormonal changes and stress can lead to some changes in your monthly period.
There are also several conditions that can cause changes during your period, including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
To help you better understand the effect of this condition on your period and to promote September as PCOS Awareness Month, we want to look at the common reasons you may have abnormal periods, some basic facts about this condition, and what we can do to treat it.
If you live in the Lake Mary, Florida, area and are dealing with abnormal periods due to PCOS or other problems, Dr. Christopher Quinsey and our team are here to help.
Slight variations in your period are entirely normal. As long as it fits somewhere close to the 28 days (within 21-35 days) you normally go through, there’s nothing to be concerned about.
But it’s time to make an appointment with Dr. Quinsey when:
Are you wondering why your periods are irregular? It can happen for several reasons, in addition to PCOS:
Stress, rapid weight changes, viruses, and exercises that work to give you very low body fat can all lead to changes in your menstrual cycle.
Illnesses that affect blood clotting or otherwise lead to more bleeding can lead to irregular periods.
This often affects women under 40 whose ovaries don’t function properly.
These glands produce hormones, and anything that affects them risks changes in your period.
This endometrial growth outside the uterus causes bleeding that leads to cramps, bleeding, and abnormal cycles.
This is a bacterial infection often caused by an untreated sexually transmitted infection that affects your periods.
This is a widespread condition that affects your hormone levels, causing you to produce more male hormones (androgen) than your body should. Up to 27% of women in their childbearing years deal with PCOS, and of that number, about 70% don’t realize they have it.
PCOS can happen due to inherited genes, insulin resistance, and inflammation connected to being overweight.
Since hormones regulate your menstrual cycle, a condition that causes your body to produce too much of the male hormone androgen creates problems for more than just periods. You can experience:
This also means preventing the normal shedding of your uterine wall every month, which leads to having fewer or no periods. It also may cause infertility, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, depression, and endometrial cancer.
Treatment options vary with the causes, and they include lifestyle changes and a range of medications.
Lowering blood glucose levels by losing weight and modifying your diet can reduce the inflammation that causes PCOS and can help you to ovulate more frequently.
Medications to stimulate ovulation, diabetes medications, and birth control pills can all help to balance hormone levels. Some medications that treat hair growth, acne, and other related symptoms can also help.
Millions of women struggle with this condition without even knowing it, and during PCOS Awareness Month, we want to make sure you’re more aware so you get the treatment you need.
Make an appointment with Dr Quinsey today if you're experiencing irregular periods or other signs of PCOS.
