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Are you or have you ever been troubled by irregular periods? They do mess with our head. But don’t panic. There is actually a simple reason why your cycle is out of whack. Here are 5 possible causes of your irregular periods, including medical conditions, plain biology and lifestyle factors.

The contraceptive pill

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If you are taking hormonal birth control, it may explains why your period acts up.

The contraceptive pill can change the hormone levels, which will in turn lead to your menstrual disorder. According to NHS, the progestogen-only or ‘mini’ pill can cause your period to stop, become lighter, irregular or more frequent.

So if you are considering about coming off the pill, please talk with your doctor.

PCOS

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According to the doctors, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a general condition affecting a woman’s ovaries work. The main three features of PCOS are irregular periods, meaning your ovaries do not release eggs; excess androgen, possibly resulting in physical signs like excess facial or body hair and central weight gain; and polycystic ovaries, where your ovaries expand and include many fluid-filled sacs.

So if you have two or three of above-mentioned features, you may suffer from PCOS.

Stress

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Your great stress from work or family may be the reason of irregular periods. Have you suffered from such stress lately?

According to the doctors, stress activates a hormonal pathway in the body called hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis via the release of increased levels of cortisol. The HPA axis and cortisol help control the stress response in the body. And the cortisol release will suppress normal levels of reproductive hormones which could result in abnormal ovulation, no ovulation or absence of menstration.

Weight gain

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Once overweight, cholesterol compounds in fat cells will be converted into a type of weak oestrogen called estrone. So overweight or obese women carrying extra fat cells have “little estrone-making factories”, which can have an oestrogenic effect on glands. This added oestrogen can lead to bleeding or irregular periods.

For example, a woman may go months without ovulating while the uterine lining is still building up to the point where it becomes unstable. This can result in prolonged or very heavy bleeding.

Weight loss

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Not only overweight women, those underweight ones with eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, may also be unintentionally affecting their menstrual cycles. Without much fat on their bodies, these women may have fewer periods or go longer without ovulating.

Starvation can trigger an effect that suppresses the brain. Being so underweight, these women’s bodies simply stop making oestrogen.