5 Things You Never Knew About Your Cycle

If You’re Overweight Or Underweight, You’re More Likely To Have Period Complications

If you're overweight or underweight, it can have a major impact on the size and regularity your cycle. Women who are overweight have a lot of issues with abnormalities in their period, says Dr. Linda Bradley, director of the Center for Menstrual Disorders, Fibroids and Hysteroscopic Services at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Women who are overweight have fat stores in the stomach, abdomen and buttocks that make a chemical called androstenedione that turns into estrogen, and this change has an impact on their cycles, she says. These women more often have heavier and irregular periods. On the other hand, when women engage in extreme amounts of diet and exercise, it can have the adverse effect and these women can develop amenorrheic where they don’t get a period at all. This often happens when their body drops below 8-12 percent. Because fat cells contribute to one-third of estrogen levels in women, if they don’t have estrogen, the body will stop menstruating.

PMS Can Be Combatted

Seventy-five percent of women suffer from headaches, mood swings, bloating and other problems that threaten their relationships, says Mark Hyman, MD, Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center For Functional Medicine. In that percentage, 20 percent can suffer symptoms so severe that they need medical treatment. These pre-period symptoms are recognized as PMS, or premenstrual syndrome. This happens as women’s bodies react to hormonal changes, especially within the 10 day span before their period comes. That’s when our hormone levels are changing the most, causing these dreadful symptoms. While there is often a perception that women just have to live with PMS, there are ways to experience relief when we’re experiencing symptoms. Medical professionals recommend drinking lots of water so that you are not dehydrated and to stay away from alcohol and caffeine. Studies have also shown that high intakes of calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of getting PMS. Many women with PMS also attribute birth control to great relief and low doses of antidepressants to improving mood swings.