Can Your Diet And Exercise Impact Your Menstrual Cycle?
If you’re a woman, dealing with menstruation every month is something you always prepare for. In its simplest terms, the menstrual cycle is the natural, normal fluctuation that happens inside the reproductive system, which enables pregnancy to take place. The cycle generally happens because of the rise and drop of estrogen in the body.
However, just like other bodily functions, there are factors that can affect your menstrual cycle. These can include age, smoking habits, body weight, stress level, alcohol consumption, and many more.
But, aside from these things, the type of foods you eat and exercises you do may significantly impact your menstrual cycle. If you’re wondering how, keep reading this article to learn everything you need to know from start to finish.
How Different Eating And Physical Activities Impact Your Menstrual Cycle
Diet and exercise may contribute to the level of hormones in a woman’s body, influencing their ability to conceive and maintain a regular menstrual cycle. Below are the different ways eating and physical activities may affect your menstrual cycle:
- Strict Dieting
People who are dieting tend to decrease their calorie consumption. However, when a woman tries to lessen the amount of food she eats, it has an impact on her menstrual cycle.
The majority of women who are anorexic tend to have irregular monthly periods or could lose their periods entirely. This is because the lack of nutrients and fat deposits in the body can cause hormonal imbalance.
That being said, it’s important to understand how a woman’s lifestyle, especially their eating habits, is involved in maintaining a healthy and regular menstrual cycle. For instance, aside from taking care of her body during the menstruation period, like eating healthy, wearing proper period underwear from Knix can be a great idea.
- Overeating
Too much weight also has an impact on a woman’s menstrual cycle. When the fat deposits in the body are high, it can alter the estrogen levels in the body, which affects a woman’s period.
When a woman’s body produces too much estrogen, this can cause conflicting signals to the brain and, in turn, irregular periods can happen. There’s also a possibility that the period will cease to occur.
- Overtraining
When the body experiences too much stress, the hormone levels are also altered. For some women who are training more than four hours a day, they might experience irregular periods or excessive bleeding during their periods. This is due to the fact that the energy cost of training along with all the psychological stress in their life is greater than the energy available and needed to do normal physiological functions, such as digestion, respiration, and reproduction. When this happens, their body produces negative hormonal responses, which is associated with menstrual dysfunction.
Ideally, a healthy diet and exercise plan should be followed by both women who are planning to get pregnant and those who are already pregnant. Other than losing the right amount of weight, a woman should ensure that her diet contains all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to help her reproductive organs function normally.
For example, if you want to have a normal menstrual cycle, which is necessary if you want to become a mom-to-be, the following tips should be considered:
- Eating fruits and vegetables
- Limiting your sugar intake
- Limiting alcohol consumption
- Cutting back on caffeine
- Not skipping meals
- Avoiding contaminants found in food such as in tilefish, swordfish, and many more
- Performing exercises that can improve fertility, such as walking, bicycling, dancing, yoga, swimming, and a lot more.
- Taking Dietary Supplements
In addition to eating healthy foods and exercise, taking dietary supplements may also affect a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Generally, there are certain supplements that may help promote menstrual regularity by addressing the body’s nutritional deficiencies and improving one’s hormonal levels. However, just like other forms of supplements, it’s important to consult your healthcare provider before taking one to avoid possible health complications, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is common in women with irregular menstrual periods.
Below are a few dietary supplements that you may take if you want to improve your menstrual cycle:
- Inositol supplements – These are B vitamin-like substances that may help improve ovulation and pregnancy rates in women receiving fertility treatments.
- Cinnamon supplements – These may be helpful in regulating insulin levels, which is necessary for keeping a more regular menstrual cycle. Also, taking these supplements may also ease pain in women experiencing painful menstrual periods.
- Turmeric supplements – Turmeric contains curcumin, which is effective in decreasing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Also, these supplements may also help regulate your menstrual cycle.
Summary
Typically, following a strict diet and doing rigorous exercise may affect hormone levels and the bodily composition and functions of a woman. When this happens, menstrual cycles can become irregular or stop completely. This is one reason why women should be conscious of how they lose weight and observe proper eating habits. They should do safe and natural methods like eating the right foods, hydrating with water-infused bottles, and performing regular exercise.
Therefore, if you’re asking whether your diet and exercise may impact your menstrual cycle, the information mentioned above will tell you how and why.
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About the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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