I'm Hormonal | PCOS, periods, gut + hormone health insights

Three Reasons Your Periods Are All Over The Place & Unpredictable | Ep. 92

• Bridget Walton, Women's Hormone Coach • Episode 92

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Unpredictable periods signal potential hormone imbalances that can impact everything from mood to fertility and energy levels. This comprehensive guide walks through the three most common causes of irregular cycles and helps you determine where to start addressing your specific situation.

• Irregular periods defined as cycles varying by more than four days from one cycle to the next
• Stress as a primary cause through elevated cortisol levels that disrupt hormone communication
• Physical stressors like intense exercise, under-eating, or even morning caffeine can impact cycle regularity
• Perimenopause typically begins in your 40s with lengthening cycles first, then more erratic patterns
• PCOS affects 6-13% of reproductive-age women with up to 70% going undiagnosed
• Insulin resistance, post-birth control adjustment, inflammation and adrenal issues can all drive PCOS
• High prolactin levels and thyroid dysfunction can also cause cycle irregularities
• Understanding your root cause is essential for effective treatment

Other episodes referenced in this episode that will give you a deeper dive:

  • Stress's Impact on Your Period & Energy: Why You Should Take Stress Seriously | Ep. 88

  • Perimenopause: what to know about midlife's hormonal shift | Ep. 27

  • Ep. 18. What is PCOS?

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Speaker 1:

If your period is all over the place and unpredictable, that can be a sign that something is off hormonally, probably why you're listening to this podcast. In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through three common reasons why your period might be unpredictable, so you can finally understand where to start and how to fix it. Let's dive in. Welcome to I'm Hormonal, your source of information about women's hormone health and how to support your body. Naturally, I'm your host, bridget Walton, and I'm a certified functional hormone specialist and menstrual cycle coach. I am on a mission to hold these hormone conversations with as many menstruators as possible, because you deserve easier access to accurate information about what's up with your unruly menstrual cycle and with your fertility mysteries. Don't you think it's time that we figure this out once and for all? All right, hello and welcome to this week's episode of I'm Hormonal. I'm your host, bridget Walton. This is episode numero 92 of the podcast and, as you heard in the intro, I'm going to be talking all about unpredictable periods. Today. You probably, if you're listening to this, are annoyed by irregular periods. It kind of sucks when your period just shows up whenever it wants, but also if you want to conceive or if you want to confidently avoid conception. If you want to conceive or if you want to confidently avoid conception, getting your period back on track is going to be an important part of being confident in whichever route you're going. I'll jump into the unpredictable period conversation in just a second, but first I want to say welcome again. Welcome to those of you who are listening to. I'm Hormonal for the first time today. If you fall into that category, then I'll just say again my name is Bridget Walton, I'm a women's hormone coach and I created this podcast about a year and a half ago because I think that you deserve to understand what your body is trying to tell you and to understand where to start. So that's what we'll be up you today in this long form episode.

Speaker 1:

On Thursday, that's when the mini episodes come out, so they're always tied together and I know that so many of you out there listening are gals working in corporate or otherwise, working in like a really high paced, fast paced life. So that's what I'm trying to focus my Thursday episodes on for you. We're just quick, straight to the point for those episodes. That's kind of the whole spiel. Now you know what's going on here. If you have been here before, then, welcome back, and I'm so glad that you are here. You guys have really been listening, listening. You know rocking my socks off lately with about like even a thousand downloads in the last month as of my last check. So anyway, I'll get to the good stuff now, but a sincere thank you for listening and for coming back.

Speaker 1:

Okay, refocusing on period predictability, I'm going to walk through with you today three reasons why your period might be unpredictable. There are certainly more than just three potential reasons, don't get me wrong, but we'll talk through three of the most common reasons by really clarifying for you what does it mean if your cycle is irregular? What can you learn from that? So you know where to go from there. And you already know that you want to regulate your cycle because, again, it's easier to navigate, because you want to conceive, maybe because you want to prepare your hormones for perimenopause, right, you want to kind of get things in line before you go into this second puberty. All great ideas. If you are somebody who has irregular periods and it doesn't even seem like that much of a problem, but yet you feel tired and kind of burned out, like you're just hanging on, then getting your hormones back into balance will be helpful for you as well when it comes to your energy levels.

Speaker 1:

Now, if we are getting really technical or looking at the definition of unpredictable or irregular periods, then we would be identifying those cycles that vary by more than four days from one cycle to the next. So if your January cycle was 25 days and then in February it was 31 days and now in March it is back down to 26 days, you can see how those are varying by more than four days from one cycle to the next. So that can be a little note to self, like that's kind of the. Your ears should perk up if you see in your app or however you're tracking your cycle, that there's a variation of, on average, more than four days. Now, of course, you'll know it too, because you're like where's my period at? She's supposed to be here, but if we're, if we're getting technical, that's what you'll want to look for.

Speaker 1:

Now, the first thing that comes to mind when my period is irregular is thinking about stress, and this is the first of the three reasons that we'll talk through. We'll talk through stress first, second, perimenopause, and then, third, we'll talk about PCOS. But how does stress impact your cycle? And if you've listened to the recent podcast on this. This was last week or the week before this episode. Go back to get a deep, deep dive on that and I'll link that episode in the show notes as well.

Speaker 1:

But what happens when stress levels are high? Your stress hormone cortisol, increases. And kind of a long story short. Those increased levels of cortisol are really clouding the communication pathways that your other hormones are also using to communicate. So essentially, your brain just isn't signaling to your ovaries the proper hormones in order for ovulation to actually occur. And that's for good reason, right, that's like a defense mechanism to say, hey, and that's for good reason, right, that's like a defense mechanism to say, hey, ish is stressful out here, let's not risk procreation because it seems like it's not a good time Now.

Speaker 1:

Your ovaries don't know that the stress you're facing is just physical stress on your body from the really intense workout that you're doing every day, or maybe the training that you're doing for an upcoming marathon. And of course that's not to say that everybody training for a marathon has period problems, but you follow me right. So stress can come in the form of these physical stressors like workouts. It could also come in the form of under eating. It can also come through emotional or mental stressors. It could be getting a real big cortisol spike, adrenaline spike when you are having your triple shot espresso on an empty stomach in the morning. Now, probably not one of those things individually will bring your period to a stop, but it's these stresses of life that, cumulatively, can have this impact on your body.

Speaker 1:

For some people who aren't able to really conclude what is the cause of irregular cycles. So if it's not perimenopause, if it's not PCOS, if it's not stress, it's not any of these other things that we will talk about in this episode. If it's not stress, it's not any of these other things that we will talk about in this episode. Hypothalamic amenorrhea is the name of that condition or that situation when there is no other identifiable reason. I just mentioned that here, not because we're going to deep dive hypothalamic amenorrhea, but if you're listening, because your period is MIA, then that's going to be a term that is perhaps relevant to you and maybe is worth doing an extra goog on.

Speaker 1:

The main thing that I want you to come away with here is if you are having irregular cycles, or for me in the past, when I have irregular cycles, I say, okay, bridge. Well, were you really booked? Was your schedule absolutely packed during that week that you expected to be ovulating? Because sometimes for me, when that happens, then my period is lengthening out, right? If you're stressed during that time or whatever else is going on that prevents you from ovulating as expected, then that can draw out your cycle to be a little bit longer. Now it's also worth asking the question of am I eating enough? Am I moving my body? Am I getting enough sleep? All of these good foundational areas. But first and foremost, if your cycle is irregular, what is stress looking like in your life? If this is, you head back to that other episode on stress for a much deeper dive.

Speaker 1:

Now, the next thing that comes to mind when I'm talking with a client or talking with somebody who has irregular cycles is really inspecting where are they at? As it relates to perimenopause. Now, perimenopause is this phase of life, this second puberty, when we go from cycling regularly to being in that transitional period where your periods are less consistent and ultimately then ends when you have your final period and go into menopause. So for the most part, when you're in your 40s, that's when you will start to go through perimenopause. It could be two years, it could be 10 years For some people out there. They barely even notice anything. I'll talk about the contributing factors to that in just a moment here. But if you're not super stressed, maybe ask yourself a quick how old am I? Maybe ask your older sister or your mom at what age did they stop their cycle? Or when did they start going into perimenopause? When did they identify some changes? Normally with perimenopause at the beginning, your cycle starts to lengthen out as well, so that's something to look for.

Speaker 1:

I mentioned that there are three different factors that play into how perimenopause is going to look for you. The first is genetics. So that's why asking the gals in your family what their experience was like, that can be helpful to kind of set your compass on. But it's also going to depend on your overall health status and wellness. And then, third, the quality of your period or your overall hormone balance. So if you are getting your hormones in line, if you're having these, or rather implementing these good, healthy habits that support hormone balance leading up to perimenopause, that will make things smoother. But I really say this to say, hey, it's not all genetic. You have a lot of influence or you can have a lot of influence over what's going on with perimenopause. But here today we're talking about unpredictable periods. So just know that when you start going through perimenopause again, your cycles will start to get a little bit longer as your progesterone levels decrease each time you ovulate and then at some point they will start to become more erratic as estrogen levels go up really high and then down really low and just really fluctuate. So I will also link my longer episode on perimenopause in the show notes, if that feels like that might be a part of your picture in the show notes, if that feels like that might be a part of your picture.

Speaker 1:

Now, the third thing that I talk about with clients who have irregular cycles would be curiosity and questions about PCOS. Now, if you haven't heard of PCOS before, it's polycystic ovary syndrome. While not everybody with irregular periods has PCOS, it's becoming more and more common. Per a World Health Organization article that I see here, pcos affects about 6 to 13% of reproductive age women, and up to even 70% of women affected go undiagnosed. Even just here in the United States, that's between like 5 to 10 million women, if you want to do a little math exercise there. So just some context on how common PCOS is, but let's talk more about what it actually is.

Speaker 1:

So when you have a doctor's appointment right, if your doctor is or has diagnosed you with PCOS they're going to be looking for three different things. Let me list those really quick and then we'll go back through them. First, they'll be looking for high androgen levels. Second, they'll be looking for multiple right poly cysts on your ovaries. And then, third, they'll be looking for irregular periods. So, of course, there are other factors that can come into play. It's not just that cut and dry, but that's what generally is going to be associated with PCOS. So let's talk more about this. Right, I mentioned androgens earlier. If you've listened to the podcast before, you might be familiar with androgens, but those are your hormones, like testosterone, androstenedione, dhea or DHEAS, in case any of those are familiar to you result in when elevated experiences like acne along the chin and jawline, like facial hair in some people, like excess weight or kind of an inability to lose weight, especially around the midsection. So those kinds of experiences can come along with PCOS. So those kinds of experiences can come along with PCOS. It's also worth mentioning, too, that in really any situation when you're not ovulating and therefore, you're not producing progesterone in the second half of your cycle like you would if you did ovulate. That can lend itself to an estrogen dominant picture, and so if you're experiencing PMS, if you're experiencing mood swings, breast tenderness, migraines, maybe anything that ties into the estrogen dominant picture let's suffice it to say PMS symptoms or PMS then that could be a signal, too, that you're not ovulating regularly.

Speaker 1:

I want to mention a few more things about PCOS, because there are actually a couple of different drivers behind PCOS. Drivers meaning what is the real root cause behind your PCOS. So I've talked a lot about insulin and insulin resistance how to support your blood sugar levels, but some PCOS is driven and insulin resistance how to support your blood sugar levels, but some PCOS is driven by insulin resistance. What insulin does when high is also brings up cortisol, your stress hormone, with it, and when stress levels are high, again that's not a great time to be ovulating. So that is one driver, and actually let me just add on to that too when stress levels are higher, when insulin levels are higher, that's also going to increase the amount of androgens, like testosterone, that your body is creating. So that can contribute to the imbalance as well.

Speaker 1:

Now, second is being, or rather just coming off of birth control. That can be a driver of PCOS. Sometimes it takes your body a little bit right to come back into balance to figure out what's the right amount of estrogen or testosterone. Maybe your sex hormone binding globulin has been impacted, because different types of birth control will have different sort of effects afterwards, and so, anyway, if you are finding that your cycles are not returning or becoming regularly, becoming regular after you're done with hormonal birth control, then that also could be a driver behind PCOS. Just quickly, I'll touch on the last two Inflammation is one, and adrenal driven PCOS is another. So if you have a lot of inflammation, whether that's due to, again, stress, maybe digestive discomfort, maybe it's due to endocrine disrupting chemicals or other chemicals that you're coming into contact with, that can be a driver. And last but not least, adrenal. This is one that you would identify through doing lab work, Although I suppose they all have a component of lab works that can help to validate or confirm them. But if your adrenal glands are overproducing some of those androgens, then that can be a driver of PCOS.

Speaker 1:

Now for a couple of honorable mentions. I'll just shout out high prolactin. Prolactin is the hormone that your body releases after you have given birth, while you are lactating Generally. There are a couple of other anomalies when you might be producing more prolactin than expected. But if you are without a period and you do some blood work with your doctor, then they might run prolactin and that would be a good indicator to say, okay, well, that's what we need to look into and how do we work on correcting those levels of prolactin? The other honorable mention here medication can certainly impact what's going on with your hormones, whether that is hormonal birth control that'll really impact your cycle regularity, because for most types of hormonal birth control you're actually not truly cycling, you're not ovulating. But there are other medications too that can impact your cycle.

Speaker 1:

Or, you know, is something going on with your thyroid. Are you taking thyroid medication and is that at the right level? I mentioned that too, because what's going on with your thyroid is really important for basically every. You know all of the systems in your body, all of the functions of your body. So understanding what's going on with your thyroid and that's something that most people, or at least here in the US hopefully elsewhere too when you go to the doctor and have your labs run, they'll run a thyroid panel, so that can be a good source of clues and provide some support as well.

Speaker 1:

I hope that this conversation has been a little bit of food for thought for you. If you have unpredictable periods, because right when you're saying, okay, well, what is my stress like? How can I pare that down? And actually, even if you don't have irregular periods, how can you pare down your stress? You deserve it. We all deserve not to be stressed, but what's going on with your stress? Is it something? Is this a life transition? Am I going through perimenopause or do you have some of these other symptoms of PCOS? Has a doctor told you that you have polycystic ovaries or do you have these symptoms of high androgens? And so starting to put some of these pieces of the puzzle together could be really great first steps for you as far as what to do, because maybe you're like Bridget okay, this is great, this is helpful. I know where to start looking now. But what do I actually do? One, I will direct you back to the links in the show notes to the other longer form episodes. I have that dive deep into each of those stress, perimenopause and PCOS. So check those out. But as always, guys, this is my jam.

Speaker 1:

I work with gals one-on-one who have irregular periods and who are trying to get things back in alignment, back into balance. So if you are ready to stop guessing on supplements, if you're ready to feel like you understand what's going on your body, you have control over what's going on and you know how to influence your cycles, then take me up on my offer for a free strategy. Call that link. You guessed it is also in the show notes. I'm really excited because I have a rebrand that is going to be coming out in May, and what that means for you all is a whole new flurry of freebies and resources that will be available to you. But it also means that I'm going to have new coaching packages and new pricing coming up. So if you want to lock in the current pricing, click on that link in the show notes to book a call, and I would love to support you in getting things back on track, bringing back this regularity in your cycles for whatever goal it is you have, whether you want to start your family or whether you want to just confidently move throughout the world, not expecting your cycle to show up at any random minute.

Speaker 1:

Okay, gang, thanks for sticking with me through this episode. I would love to hear any thoughts that you have any questions. You can connect with me on Instagram at Bridget Walton, and otherwise I'll see you on Thursday. Thanks, guys. If you loved today's episode and got something good out of it, make sure you subscribe so that these episodes show up automatically in your feed, no work needed on your side. Let's put it on autopilot. As always, I need to give you my reminder that the information I share with you here is for educational purposes only, and it should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or diagnosis. Now, if you are, on the other hand, in the market for some one-on-one support, then I would love for you to take me up on my offer for a free strategy call. You can find these links and more in the show notes.