Reading time: 2 min 17 sec
Topic: troubleshooting unpredictable periods
Hiya Reader,
Last summer, my periods started to come in weird intervals.
I went to barre classes for a few weeks (got to get the most out of ClassPass, amiright?) and then my period came a week early.
The next period? Two weeks late.
The next next period? Four weeks late.
Since periods are my profession, I thought--damn, this isn't supposed to happen to me. Wtf. I know all of the right things to do, and how to take care of my body.
Yet...
My unpredictable periods did not really care what I thought about it. 👎
Btw--I don't know why I mention the barre classes because generally consistent workouts would be good for your body. But. I've thought about that connection 7593 times so maybe it's worth mentioning. 👀
Anyway... I went into trial-and-error mode, starting to do some good investigative work.
The things that I made sure I did pronto:
1️⃣ Keep track of all cycle-related symptoms in my tracking app.
2️⃣ Avoided alcohol and minimized caffeine.
3️⃣ Removed as many sources of stress as I could.
This was my thought process ⬇️
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Welcome to those of you who have joined the community since my last email! As a Women's Hormone Coach, my goal here is to share with you the ways that you can support balanced hormones. Naturally. And so it actually works for your busy life! Happy that you're a part of this community off 500+ gals looking to feel their best.
— Bridget Walton, @bridgetwalton
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I thought: what are the main reasons why my period would be off kilter?
Could be related to stress. In fact, it's surely related to stress.
I knew that I wasn't ovulating regularly since I track my temperature, and that's also a really clutch tool to use if you're trying to solve for your period problems.
Are predictable cycles a thing of the past for you? I'd encourage you to first inspect your stress, and remember that that can come in the form of emotional stress, physical stress (over exercising or under nourishing), lack of sleep, food sensitivities, and more.
The next thing I'd think about: could this be perimenopause?
Well, I was 31 at the time. And I knew that my mom didn't go into menopause until much later in life, so I could safely rule that out.
Here are some of the other interventions that I tried out:
✨ taking melatonin at night, as it has antioxidant properties
✨ being meticulous about well-rounded meals in three times a day
✨ taking a multivitamin
✨ cryotherapy and red light therapy
^^The last one might've been a little overkill, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Ultimately, my period came back into it's normal rhythm in August which was three months after that ClassPass-induced barre-class spree. (No shade to ClassPass of course--I love it.)
You might whip your hormones into balance quicker than me. Or it may take longer. It will be really important to understand what is the root cause of your imbalance.
Again, a few starting points to noodle through:
🌱 PCOS
🌱 perimenopause
🌱 stress
🌱 medications
🌱 prolactin levels
In this week's episode of I'm Hormonal, I talk about the Three Reasons Your Periods Are All Over The Place & Unpredictable | Ep. 92. You'll hear me talk through PCOS--polycystic ovary syndrome--in greater depth there.
PCOS is a bit more nuanced, but some 5-10 million women in the US alone are dealing with it. And up to 70% of gals with PCOS go undiagnosed.
If you're still with me, you're probably reading because you've got irregular or unpredictable periods too.
Frustrating, right? You feel like you're doing everything right.
You're taking the right supplements.
You're doing your best to take care of your body, even though your schedule is packed and you're always on the move.
And you're probably doing a great job! Let me hype you up a bit. You're subscribed to this email which means that you care about learning. You want to make and see changes in your health. You're doing the right things.
But do you know what YOUR root cause is?
If you're ready to break free from your period struggles and bring things back into balance, click here to set up your free strategy call with me.
As a Hormone Coach, I help high performing women to fix their period and fix their gut health so they can shift their energy back to their family, friends, and career. If you're sick of stagnation, really--I'd love to hear about your goals.
🚨 Heads up: coaching packages will be revamped and pricing will be ⬆️ going up ⬆️ when the rebrand comes out. If you've been on the fence about 1:1 support but want to snatch current pricing, book your strategy call today.
Hit "reply" if you have any questions! I'd love to hear what you think and I actually read all of the emails that you send, so don't be scurred. Would love to hear from you.
You deserve the best sleep of your life,
Bridget
P.S. One major change: LinkedIn is going to be where it's at. You'll still get these emails from me (now weekly, instead of bi-weekly!) and I'll share on LinkedIn about how you can support gut/hormone health as a busy professional who's trying to keep your period in line while also on the road.
