Okay ladies, it’s time to talk about your good old Aunt Flow and how frequently she visits. What’s her schedule like? Is she gone for awhile then out of the blue comes out of nowhere? Well I can relate! Just a few short years ago, my body was completely off balance and I lost control. I literally had NO clue what time of the month she would pop in. 1 week late, 2 weeks early, missed one month, doubled up on another. This was by no means normal and I knew I needed help. It took some time before I finally took control of my body and hormones… and you can too!
 
Listen, I get it. Having an irregular menstrual cycle can be really frustrating and it isn’t always easy to fix without the right advice. When your hormones are off, your cycle is off. This is why it’s important to pay attention to daily habits that might be affecting your hormonal levels.
 
Here are 8 reasons why you might be missing your period:
 

You’re Stressed Out of Your Mind

High levels of stress can have a major negative impact on your body, especially your period. Your body might even stop ovulating just to conserve energy or kick your adrenals (stress glands) into overtime, therefore affecting your production of estrogen. When your body is lacking the right estrogen levels, it isn’t able to build up your uterine lining, which means you won’t be getting your period. Why does your body do this? Priorities. We have been programmed from our cave-man days to elicit a fight-or-flight response, and therefore stress is interpreted by our body as a threat to our well-being. When it comes down to it, your body sees survival over having a baby as priority number one. That means sex hormones take a back seat so that more survival based stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can take precedence.
 

Your Diet Needs an Overhaul

When your diet lacks the proper amount of nutrients it needs it begins to overstretch the adrenal and thyroid glands, which can raise cortisol (stress hormone) levels. When your body produces too much cortisol, it can hinder the functioning of other hormones in your body, like your sex hormones. Vegans and vegetarians are more likely to experience menstruation problems since they are more prone to becoming underweight and suffer more nutritional deficiencies.  If you’re having trouble with your cycle, check your diet to be sure it’s full of foods high in antioxidants, healthy fats and proteins.
 

You’re Underweight Or Experiencing Dramatic Weight Loss

If you’re missing your period and your BMI is under 18, it may be because you’re lacking body fat. Being underweight, having a low body fat percentage, or an overly muscular body composition can also inhibit the regularity of your period. Body fat is key for creating estrogen. This is why women who suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia will experience missing periods.
 

You’re Exercising Too Much

Ladies, exercising is important, but too much of a good thing can be devastating to your cycle. Exercising at high levels and intensities can result in your period stopping all together. Similarly to your body under emotional stress, cortisol will be overproduced while not to mention the risk of cutting down too little body fat.
 

You Went Off the Pill

One pit fall of the pill (among many), is that sometimes once you go off of it, your period doesn’t return for long periods of time. The pill is tricky in that it works by fooling your body into thinking that you’re already pregnant by keeping high levels of estrogen in your body. When you stop taking the pill, it can take months to years for your body to adjust back to its normal state. If you’re not on the pill, you may want to consider alternative forms of birth control.
 

You May Be Experiencing a more specific Hormonal Disorder

Ovulation is negatively affected in women who suffer from an endocrine system disorder called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS alters a woman’s sex hormones that can result in weight gain, abnormal body hair, severe acne, blood sugar issues, and an irregular period. While it is less common, women can also go through what is known as “premature menopause,” which includes absent periods, night sweats, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness.
 

You have been Traveling

When it’s time to go to bed your brain produces the hormone melatonin. However, when traveling across time zone, even if it’s broad daylight in your new location your body releases melatonin as if it were still home at night. In order to adjust to the new schedule, your body tries to adapt to the new cycle. These fluctuations aren’t good for your flow and can cause it to get way off track.
 

You Eat Too Much Gluten

A gluten sensitivity can affect hormone levels by negatively impacting the health of your gut, and add to your body’s stress levels. The adrenal glands respond to the stress of unstable blood sugar and gastrointestinal tract inflammation caused by gluten by pumping out more cortisol. This causes increased body fat, fatigue, unstable moods and yes irregular periods.
 

Your Thyroid Is Off

If you’re having a hormonal problem, your thyroid might be to blame. I have seen many women who experience hormonal imbalances due to irregularities of the thyroid. Your thyroid is a gland which controls your metabolism and most of your sex hormones. If you have ruled out all the above, and you’re period is still out of whack, your thyroid may be the culprit.
 
To effectively help balance the hormonal instability throwing off your period, you need to adopt and promote an all-around healthy lifestyle.
 
For each woman, the details of this are different and unique. Click here to apply now for my one-on-one coaching program and let’s re-balance your hormones and get your period back on track!
 
Cheers & Namaste, 

 
P.S. For more tips on restoring hormonal balance be sure to sign up for my e-mail mailing list (I promise not to spam you ;))