Lest you think only very thin women with eating disorders have to worry about lighter or absent periods, it seems dieting can mess up periods for people of every size. A study found that dieting behaviors are associated with menstrual disruption, regardless of body mass index and eating disorder diagnosis. If you think your light periods are due to not eating enough, let a doctor evaluate your overall health and contact a mental health professional to discuss eating disorders.
Periods typically get lighter as a woman ages. They may be heavier in teen years and get lighter in your 20s and 30s. In their 40s, most women enter perimenopause and have shorter or lighter periods. During perimenopause , ovaries produce less estrogen and progesterone, and ovulation is less frequent. Lack of ovulation is a common underlying factor for light or absent periods.
Other signs of perimenopause include:. Birth control pills prevent ovulation with a daily dose of estrogen and progestin. No ovulation means no period. During the week of placebo pills containing no hormones a woman experiences breakthrough bleeding while the uterine lining sheds.
These are some other side effects of hormonal birth control:. Living with stress impacts all aspects of mental and physical health. Is it any surprise it also impacts the menstrual cycle? A study of stress and menstrual problems in health science students found a correlation between how stressed the women felt and their experience of abnormal bleeding and irregular periods.
Stress may also cause functional hypothalamic amenorrhea FHA , affecting about FHA disrupts interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovaries. Suppression of several hormones in this system leads to low estrogen levels and prevents thickening of the uterine lining.
FHA may produce no bothersome symptoms beyond stopping periods, but the hormone disruption can cause long term problems. When women spend more energy exercising than they take in through diet, reproductive, bone, and cardiovascular health can suffer. This phenomenon has been recognized in participants of sports that emphasize smaller body size, lean body composition, and endurance think ballet, long distance running, gymnastics, and swimming.
Not just elite athletes are at risk, though. Any woman who significantly increases her energy expenditure can notice menstrual changes such as lighter periods.
Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS affects 5 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age. PCOS is named for the bumpy cysts covering the ovaries. These methods include progestin-only pills the mini pill , progestin injections the shot , or progestin implants When using progestin-only birth control pills, you may not have a typical menstrual cycle. Some progestin-only pills suppress ovulation, but it depends on the type Bleeding can vary a lot on progestin-only contraceptives.
Changes in period amount happen in response to the changes in hormones. These hormones affect the growing and shedding of your uterine lining. Many people experience irregular bleeding, reduced bleeding, shorter cycles, or amenorrhea no menstrual period with progestin-only pills, especially when pills are not taken at the same time every day Methods like the contraceptive injection and the implant suppress ovulation 16, Unpredictable bleeding, spotting, and prolonged bleeding are common when using these methods, especially during the first few months These symptoms usually improve with time, but they can continue for some people.
This typically results in lighter or occasionally absent bleeding, especially for people who have been using the hormonal IUD for many months or years Many people experience an increased amount of menstrual flow and longer period length while using the copper IUD , especially in the first 6—12 months 14, This may happen due to vascular changes and changes to blood flow in the uterus 20, Bleeding may be accompanied by an increase in large clots and cramping. This is known as spotting and can be caused by a variety of reasons including hormonal birth control HBC , ovulation bleeding , or other physiological reasons 3, If you experience spotting on a regular basis, talk to your healthcare provider as they may need to adjust your birth control if you are using HBC or investigate to find a cause.
Spotting is common in the first weeks of pregnancy, and can also be caused by certain infections and physical changes, which should be addressed with a healthcare provider 7,26, If your period amount is regularly over 80 mL, your period is longer than 8 days in length, or if your menstrual flow is so heavy that you are repeatedly soaking through a pad or tampon every two hours, this is considered heavy menstrual bleeding , and should be discussed with your healthcare provider 9.
Heavy menstrual bleeding can have many potential causes including: fibroids growth of muscle tissue on your uterus , adenomyosis a condition where endometrial tissue invades into the muscular wall of the uterus , problems with blood clotting ex.
Thrombocytopenia or Von Willebrand disease , uterine polyps growths on the inside of your uterus , and rarely tumors 31, If your period has stopped and you are not taking any form of hormonal contraceptive, you should also discuss this with your healthcare provider, as you could be pregnant.
The majority of health research is conducted on populations from western industrialized countries, which may not reflect your own personal genetic background or environment. Everybody is different, just as everyone's period is different. Speak to your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your period volume. Are vaginal fluids really all that different? In this article, we explain how to identify vaginal discharge, arousal fluid, and cervical fluid.
Barsom SH - Womens Health Issues Association between psychological stress and menstrual cycle characteristics in perimenopausal women. Evaluation of extended and continuous use oral contraceptives. Ther Clin Risk Manag. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
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