Kashish Sharma
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Written By: Kashish Sharma | Updated : February 22, 2023 6:31 PM IST
While irregular periods may be expected, if bleeding is disproportionate, one must get tested for a pap smear and, in some instances, Dilatation and curettage. In addition, endometrial cancer risk is higher postmenopausal; hence, the treating doctors' team requires high index suspicion.
Women can skip periods for many reasons. This is more common than one can think about. It is natural for periods to be early or late sometimes. It can also vary in the time for which it lasts and in the volume of the flow. Stress is among many reasons for which a woman can have irregular periods or no periods at all.
Stress can impact your reproductive cycle which can become longer or shorter and even painful sometimes. The relation between stress and the menstrual cycle might sound odd but the former can change the nature of your periods. High levels of cortisol in the body can alter many functions like digestion, reproduction and others.
The hypothalamus of the human brain controls many vital functions of the body. It is responsible for stimulating other endocrine glands to secrete their hormones into the blood, for instance, it stimulates the pituitary gland which in turn stimulates your ovaries to release period-inducing hormones. When the body is in a state of stress, there are high levels of stress regulating hormone called cortisol. The hormone plays a crucial role in the body's stress response. It shuts down unnecessary functions like digestion and reproduction to deal with the stress at hand. It also interferes with the functioning of the immune system and might make your body more susceptible to invading pathogens.
According to experts, depending on how a body responds to stress, cortisol can lead to delayed or light periods or sometimes no periods (amenorrhea). According to them, if the factors causing stress are not identified and the body is in a state of chronic stress, one can go without periods for a long time.
Since a woman can miss or skip periods for many reasons, it is important to rule out other factors that might be causing the hormonal shift. The affected person can identify if they are constantly stressed and if it is the main reason behind the irregular or absent periods. As per experts, the first thing to do when you skip a period is to rule out pregnancy. If the person skips three consecutive periods, then it might be a good idea to check it once with your physician to rule out factors like PCOS, thyroid problems and others. If your doctor identifies stress as the main cause, the following techniques can be useful to get out of it-
