Can Anxiety Affect Your Period?

Anxiety affects every aspect of your body.

It raises your blood pressure.

It increases your blood sugar.

Can anxiety affect your period?

Definitely.

We’ll take a closer look at stress and your period, how they interact, and help you find solutions to some common problems.

Can Stress Cause Irregular Periods?

Yes, particularly if you’ve been under a high level of stress for an extended period of time. To fully understand why, we have to look to the “fight or flight” response.

Stress causes your body to go into fight or flight mode—it’s just the way we’re wired. When you’re in this mode, it affects your hormones, which in turn affect your ovulation and, of course, your period.

This means you may have periods that are late or even stop completely for several months.

If you are having these irregular periods and you aren’t pregnant, you should schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible. While stress can be a culprit, there could also be several other causes.

How Long Can Stress Delay Your Period?

It can delay your period by a month or two, but it shouldn’t stop completely. The absence of a period is called amenorrhea, and it could indicate a potentially serious condition. Hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems and even tumors on your pituitary gland can all trigger amenorrhea

The bottom line is if your period has stopped and you’re not pregnant, we need to see you. Please contact us. Often, we can schedule your appointment within the next week.

How to Avoid Stress

We’ve got some bad news for you—it’s impossible to avoid stress completely. It’s part of our world.

In some cases, stress can actually be a good thing. It alerts us to danger and may give us the motivation to accomplish tasks.

But too much stress is devastating to your health.

We want to be clear: We care about much more than your gynecological health. We care about every aspect of your wellness, from how you’re sleeping to your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. We know that stress can offset any of those.

This is why we will address issues of anxiety that you’ve been having. In the meantime, the following are some stress relief methods we’ve found that help our patients. We encourage you to try them and then schedule an appointment with us to let us know how you’re doing.

Tips for Managing Stress

Take Care of Your Body

There’s a reason you reach for chocolates and ice cream when you’re feeling stressed. However, these “comfort foods” can actually compound your problem. Although it’s tempting to eat fast food and unhealthy meals, by keeping your nutritional schedule, you can help your body deal with stress more effectively.

Have a Regular Exercise Routine

Burning calories can go a long way toward relieving stress. It also lowers your blood pressure, cholesterol, and helps prevent heart disease and strokes.

Meditate

Guided meditation is a wonderful way to calm your anxiety and help alleviate stress. Not sure where to start? Take a look at this handy guide from the Mayo Clinic. All you need is a quiet setting, a comfortable position and an open mind.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Sleep usually goes out the window at the first sign of stress, and that’s a shame because rest gives your body a chance to “reboot.” Be sure you get enough sleep by avoiding caffeine later in the day, eliminating “screen time” a few hours before sleeping, and keeping bedtime at the same time each night.

Reduce (or Eliminate) Caffeine

We’re not saying you have to give up that morning cup of Joe. What we are saying is that too much caffeine can make you anxious and jittery. Back off of coffee and sodas for a while. Try decaffeinated varieties or even a relaxing cup of decaffeinated tea instead.

Talk to a counselor

Sometimes, anxiety can be so overwhelming that it interferes with your day-to-day life. If that’s the case, we encourage you to talk to a licensed counselor who can help you adjust and adapt new coping skills to help you.

Problems With Your Period? Contact Us Today

Your period tells us a lot about your gynecological health. If you have severe cramps or unusually heavy periods we want to know. Sometimes these are an indicator of another health problem.

Most importantly, we want you to know we’re on your side. Our doctors are women who have been providing care for women for decades. Our compassion and dedication set us apart, and we consider it a privilege to care for you.

Schedule your appointment today.