The regularity of your menstrual cycle is a reflection of your overall well-being. Regular periods indicate that your womb is healthy, your hormones are in balance and that your body is getting the food, exercise and sleep it needs.
As a result, making sure your cycles are regular is the first step towards good overall health.
It is a common misconception that a menstrual cycle should last for 28 days. Regular cycles can vary from 23 to 35 days and they are considered regular if your periods occur after the same number of days each cycle. So if your periods always appear, for example, around day 24, they would be classed as normal. Irregular periods, on the other hand, can be difficult to predict.
Saying that, minor or occasional cycle irregularities are common for most women, because dieting, travel, stress, exercise and seasonal changes can all come to bear on your cycle.
However, if you have experienced irregular menstrual patterns for more than three cycles in a row, follow the nutritional advice below and please also visit your doctor, to rule out any medical cause, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, a build-up of your womb lining, fibroids or a womb infection.
Key steps to balancing your hormones naturally:
1. Load up on nutritious food
The first stop in dealing with irregular periods is to eat a healthy diet, incorporating oily fish, a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, beans, lentils and wholegrains, amongst other items. For some nice recipe ideas, log onto: http://www.glenvillenutrition.ie/blog/. While being the right weight for your height is certainly good for your well-being, avoid crash dieting or fad diets, because losing weight rapidly may cause erratic periods or stop them completely.
2. Balance your blood sugar levels
Sugar highs and lows can interfere with your hormone levels and contribute to irregular periods. Sugar should be eliminated completely, and caffeine and alcohol consumption curtailed. In addition, eating little and often is important to keep blood sugar levels even and stop adrenaline being released. Adrenaline blocks the uptake of progesterone in the second half of the cycle.
3. Give yourself a boost
Take a good multivitamin and mineral to make sure you are getting sufficient amount of key nutrients especially the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Also take an Omega 3 fish oil supplement containing 770mg EPA and 510mg DHA a day. (Consider NHP’s multivitamin and mineral called Healthy Woman Support and also NHP’s Omega 3 Support, available from your local health food shop or www.naturalhealthpractice.com).
4. Consider herbal support
Herbs like agnus castus can be especially helpful for irregular periods as it can help to balance your hormones.
5. Relax
Lastly, also look at your stress levels. When you are under physical or emotional stress your body releases hormones that interfere with ovulation. This is nature’s way of saving you from pregnancy when you would find it hard to cope and can cause irregular periods or if severe stress stop them completely
Try these dietary and lifestyle changes and see what difference they make to your menstrual cycle. For more tips on managing hormones the natural way, visit our website on www.glenvillenutrition.ie, or find us on Facebook.
