Menstrual bleeding is unexpected or occurs more frequently or less frequently than it does for the average person during irregular periods.
According to scientific studies, people can help control an irregular menstrual cycle by using home remedies and making lifestyle adjustments including changing their food and exercise routines.
Despite the lack of scientific proof, people can also try other all-natural treatments like consuming pineapple or turmeric.
The effectiveness of many home remedies is discussed in this article, along with which ones have no scientific support and how to apply them.
What are irregular periods?
The period between the start of each period and the next is known as the menstrual cycle. This usually takes 28 days. Some people’s menstrual cycles are longer than others, and vice versa. The average range is 21 to 35 days.
Irregular periods occur more frequently or less frequently than every 21 to 35 days, or when a period is highly variable or unexpected. The intervals between periods can change each month for someone with irregular menstruation.
Causes of Irregular Periods:
Your menstrual irregularity could be caused by several factors. Menorrhagia refers to excessively heavy or protracted menstrual periods.
A period that lasts more than seven days or bleeding so thick you need to replace your period product every hour are also common symptoms.
Causes of irregular periods may include:
- Heavy menstrual bleeding is a side effect of IUD birth control, and some anti-inflammatory or hormone medications can also affect it.
- Hormone changes. Heavy bleeding may result from an overabundance of progestin or estrogen, which regulate the lining of the uterus. People who have just begun menstruating or who are close to menopause are more likely to experience hormonal imbalances.
- Medical conditions. Menstrual irregularity has been linked to several conditions, including benign growths and cancers, endometriosis, inherited blood disorders, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and inherited blood disorders.
How to get regular periods naturally?
Your doctor will be able to recommend treatments that are tailored to the disorder that is causing your irregular periods. For instance, if you have an eating disorder, it is crucial that you seek treatment instead of trying home remedies (or at least in addition to other treatments) for that condition.
The ten lifestyle modifications and at-home remedies that, according to research, can help with irregular periods are covered in the following sections.
1. Practice Yoga for Irregular Periods
Yoga! An exercise that almost anyone can perform at home as a form of physical meditation. To improve their health, many people regularly use this age-old practice. Both your body and mind are relaxed by it.
Yoga might be an effective way to manage your period. According to a small-scale study, practising yoga every day can help to normalize the hormones linked to irregular periods. Yoga can also help with emotional symptoms like anxiety and despair as well as pain related to menstruation.
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2. Lose or gain weight
A person’s menstrual cycle can change as their body weight changes. A person’s periods might become erratic or even stop if they are underweight. Gaining weight might assist in controlling their periods because the body needs some fat to produce the hormones that control the menstrual cycle.
Similar to obesity, being overweight can affect menstruation. Periods might become more regular after weight loss.
For reproductive health, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy weight. Eating a healthy, calorie-restricted diet and exercising frequently can help someone manage their weight.
3. Ginger tea
Ginger helps with a variety of illnesses and symptoms, including irregular periods. Consuming raw ginger regularly can help control your period. Gingerol, which is found in ginger, reduces inflammatory responses in the body.
It promotes hormonal balance and aids in uterine muscle contraction. It uniformizes the occurrence of periods every month. The metabolism is boosted by consuming a cup of hot ginger tea in the morning or evening on an empty stomach, along with a dash of lemon juice and honey.
4. Adopt a Balanced Diet
The symptoms of PCOS, such as irregular periods and weight gain, must be managed, and diet is essential to this process. A diet rich in refined carbohydrates and sugary foods can exacerbate insulin resistance and make managing weight loss more difficult if you have PCOS and other conditions.
High insulin levels and insulin resistance can continue to encourage the production of too much androgen, making PCOS symptoms like irregular menstruation worse.
Maintaining stable blood glucose levels, managing insulin resistance, and assisting with weight loss can all be facilitated by eating a balanced diet that includes a good amount of healthy fats, a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates, and high levels of protein and fiber. Therefore, if you have PCOS, a balanced diet can help you regularize your menstrual cycles.
5. Manage Stress
High levels of stress, according to experts, could trigger irregular menstrual cycles. Stress can elevate cortisol levels in the body, which can exacerbate insulin resistance and trigger an overabundance of androgen production, which results in PCOS symptoms like irregular periods.
Finding enjoyable activities to do, like meditation, gardening, walking, etc., as well as getting enough sleep, are crucial for reducing stress. Your menstrual cycle may then be controlled by this.
6. Add some cinnamon
Several menstrual issues respond favourably to cinnamon. Though the study had a small sample size, it was found to help regulate menstrual cycles and may even be a helpful treatment for women with PCOS.
It has also been demonstrated to significantly less menstrual pain and bleeding as well as primary dysmenorrhea-related nausea and vomiting.
For young women with primary dysmenorrhea, cinnamon is frequently recommended as a natural remedy that is both safe and effective.
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7. Unripe papaya
Unripe papaya is well known for its effects on erratic menstrual cycles. Your uterine contractions, which aid in the occurrence of your periods, are improved. Drink unripe papaya juice frequently for a few months, but avoid doing so when you are menstruating.
8. Turmeric with milk
Anything can be accomplished with turmeric. It is a miraculous home cure that we can use for any ailment. Jaggery consumption may help control irregular periods when consumed regularly.
Additionally, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic qualities that lessen uterine cramps. Try mixing turmeric with warm milk and honey if you want to naturally advance your period. Take it every day from your period’s start to the end.
9. Pineapple
Numerous of the home remedies mentioned above target excessive flow. Bromelain, a substance present in pineapples, may be helpful if you feel that you need to increase the volume of your flow, for example, if you are suddenly experiencing a much lighter period than usual.
Bromelain has been demonstrated to lessen pain and inflammation in a variety of conditions, but it has also been demonstrated to increase menstrual flow, so if you are worried about a heavy flow, you may want to avoid it.
To prevent tooth decay, the National Health Service in the UK advises consuming only 100% fruit juice in amounts no greater than 150 mL (roughly 5 oz).
10. Load up on fiber
While maintaining a regular menstrual cycle requires eating a healthy diet overall, fiber is a crucial macronutrient that can support regularity in numerous ways.
According to research, foods with enough fiber, like cruciferous vegetables, berries, and whole grains, help your gut’s metabolism of estrogen move more quickly. Doctors recommend adding 1 tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed to your morning smoothie for a significant boost in fiber each day.