'Oh boys, you just laugh about your period until it stops.‘
Do you know that scary moment when you look at your calendar and realize that your period hasn't started?
The case seems clear at this moment: no period means pregnant.
Maybe you wait a few more days, hoping the bleeding still starts. Or you can rush out and take a pregnancy test. But it turns out negative.
No period, but not pregnant. What's going on in your body?
In this article you will find out
- What amenorrhea is
- How a hormonal imbalance may cause it
- Which diseases could be possible causes
- Why your lifestyle is the main cause of amenorrhea
- How you can support your body during amenorrhea to get regular ovulation again
1) What is amenorrhea?
There are several types of missed periods.
If you are over 16 and have never had your period, the technical term is primary amenorrhea. This usually occurs due to congenital physical causes such as maldevelopment of the genital organs or autoimmune diseases.
If you've already had your period but you haven't had it for more than three months, it's secondary amenorrhea. This variant is usually based on external influences such as stress or medication.
If you have not had a period for more than 6 months, this is referred to as hypothalamic amenorrhea.
A missed period is a symptom from your body that something is wrong. This article serves as an overview of possible causes.
The tips in Chapter 4 provide general support for a healthy lifestyle. However, if you have the feeling that an illness as described in Chapter 3 is behind your amenorrhea, then be sure to discuss this with your doctor.
Your cycle consists of a sophisticated and fragile hormonal process.
Estrogen is produced in the follicular phase, which causes an egg to mature until ovulation, ovulation is the transition to the luteal phase, the egg produces progesterone.
If the egg is not fertilized, the progesterone level drops again and menstruation marks the end or beginning of a new cycle.
When you look at this circuit, you realize that the lack of blood is not the problem. The origin lies in a lack of ovulation.
No egg means no change in progesterone levels. As a result, your body simply hasn't received the information to build the placenta in the uterus for implantation. That's why it doesn't have to be rejected. So you don't have a period.
Always be aware that your body only wants the best for you.
Pregnancy is a feat of strength. If your body feels that it is a time of crisis and that carrying a child to term would take too much energy from you and therefore harm you, the body decides that you should not become pregnant. Therefore, he skips ovulation and you don't have a period this cycle.
In the following sections you will find out the possible reasons for missing your period.
2) Hormonal changes and imbalance
As described in the introduction, it may well be that you miss your period because you are pregnant. During pregnancy, a different cocktail of hormones floods you and different processes take place within you than in the normal cycle.
Most women begin menopause between the ages of 40 and 50. Here, too, your hormonal balance changes naturally as the cycle slowly stops.
Many women experience irregular cycles with missed periods when they stop taking the pill. This is because the body has to produce hormones itself again and the 'correct' dosage first has to settle down.
Taking or stopping certain medications such as hormone preparations, cancer medications, psychotropic drugs, cortisone and antihypertensive drugs can also lead to a hormonal imbalance, which becomes apparent in a missed period.
3) Allergies and illnesses
The absence of your period can also indicate other illnesses. Two examples of this are:
Your thyroid plays an important role in the production of sex hormones. Both over- and under-function can result in a missed period.
In polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS syndrome for short, hormone production is disrupted in the ovaries, among other things. This not only leads to missed periods, but also often to obesity, insulin resistance and an excess of male hormones.
4) Your lifestyle as a possible main cause
In most cases, the reason for missing your period is your lifestyle.
Young women in particular often chase after an illusory body ideal: To achieve this, they exercise excessively and starve themselves into a lack of nutrition.
The body needs a certain amount of fat. If it lacks this energy reserve, it will not allow ovulation because the starved female body would not be able to supply the embryo with enough nutrients for healthy development.
Malnutrition is also a kind of stress for the body itself. This doesn't necessarily mean you're not eating enough. You may be missing important micronutrients. It is also possible that you have a one-sided diet and are therefore deficient in a macronutrient.
Even if you actually consume enough calories to cover your daily nutrient requirements, it may be that you are missing carbohydrates due to your low-carb diet, for example.
For your body, this means 'starvation' despite a sufficiently high number of calories.
Stress and lack of sleep have almost become status symbols for professional success in today's society.
While poor nutrition and too much exercise cause stress on a physical level, stress on a mental level can also cause you to miss your period.
Perhaps you are now thinking that you don't want to have children at all and that you are actually happy that you are rid of this useless period. But unfortunately it's not that simple.
A missed period for a long time (except during pregnancy) is not without consequences.
In the long term, a missed period means a drop in estrogen levels. The hormone estrogen is responsible for more in your body than just maturing an egg. Among other things, it also plays an important role in maintaining bone mass.
Osteoporosis, i.e. bone loss, is therefore widespread in women after menopause and with low estrogen levels.
Bone loss is becoming increasingly common among young athletes. Your low estrogen level causes the bone mass to shrink - sometimes before the bone formation is even properly completed.
A regular period is a sign of your health. Therefore rejoice in this!
5) How can you support your body during amenorrhea in order to ovulate regularly again?
- Take the symptom of a missed period seriously.
- Look for the cause of what may be the reason for the absence for you personally.
- Learn to listen to your body's needs and meet them. This starts small: drink when you're thirsty, eat when you're hungry. As simple as this may sound, it is essential. If you don't drink when you're thirsty, your nervous system thinks it's a drought and stays in stressed survival mode. This simple exercise is also a great introduction to learning to listen to your body again. Remember: your body always wants the best for you.
- Exercise and sport are essential for your health. But you also need breaks and regeneration time, otherwise you will burn out. Consciously plan training breaks in your calendar.
- Treat yourself and your body to a balanced and healthy diet. Make sure your menu has variety and prepare your food fresh. As trite as this sentence sounds, it is full of truth: You are what you eat.
- Lower your stress levels through meditation or yoga. Prove to your body that there is no crisis period and allow it to relax every now and then.
- You can also support your body with medicinal herbs. Rosemary, raspberry leaves, elderflowers, sage and mugwort are the basis of classic cycle teas. Monk pepper is particularly effective. With these herbs you support your body in regulating the hormonal balance.
About the author:
Corinne Tolotto ist certified organization coach brings her clients more structure, lightness and joy into their lives through Lagom. On her blog she writes about tidying, sustainability and productivity.