#periodpainfree | How Stress Affects Your Menstrual Cycle

Monday mantra: stressed, depressed, but well dressed. The daily struggle is real. From messy bun moments to hair jerking jitters, we all are running too low on energy and too high on stress. And who’s to blame us?! While modern life may be excuse enough, what you may not know is every time you deviate from your stress-free zone it affects your cycle.

Before we dive in, what even is stress? The “official” definition of stress according to MedicineNet.com is:

A physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the "fight or flight" response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems.

Stress is more than just a feeling; it’s something that affects your whole body. It affects your:

• Brain and nervous system

• Muscles and joints

• Heart

• Stomach

• Pancreas

• Intestines

• Reproductive system

The effect on your body translates to these common reactions:

It’s pretty clear - stress is no joke. For your body or your cycle. Stress and your cycle are connected. At a very specific time, too. Studies show heightened vulnerability to psychological stress in the mid-luteal phase of your cycle (aka the second half of your cycle.) How do we know? One study tested how men and women (split into the follicular phase and mid-luteal phase of your cycle) reacted to stress. They found that mid-luteal and follicular women both report higher distress than men, but mid-luteal women put more effort into suppressing responses to stress than those in the follicular group (we’ll cover follicular feels later.) So long story short - it’s proven you’re the most susceptible to stress right after ovulation ends and before your period even begins.

Now that you know when you’re most vulnerable to psychological stress, wondering about the how? Let’s take a look at what goes on on the inside between stress and your cycle.

Meet the players:

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (aka HPA axis)

Better known as the central stress response system, the HPA axis may directly affect reproductive hormones and potentially interferes with normal follicle development, menstruation, and fecundity (aka getting preggers the first time you try.)

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (aka CRH)

CRH has been identified in most female reproductive tissues including the uterus, the placenta, and the ovaries. It is responsible for “hypothalamic” amenorrhea of stress (aka when menstruation stops for several months due to a problem involving the hypothalamus.)

How do they intermingle? When the stress feels start flowing, the HPA axis releases CRH and cortisol, which can cause dysregulated reproductive hormone release. This can transpire into amenorrhea (not getting your period,) anovulation (not ovulating,) or irregular ovulation. This also means chronic stress can have long term negative effects on the reproductive system.

Yes, you read that right - stress not only affects how you menstruate but it also affects fertility. We already talked about how the mid-luteal phase plays a role in how your cycle affects stress. The follicular phase (aka the period between the first day of menstruation and ovulation) plays a role in how stress affects your cycle. The hot topic: fertility.

Higher reported stress during the follicular phase shows a strong correlation with changes in normal reproductive function. Stress can cause amenorrhea (not getting your period,) abnormal ovulation or anovulation (not ovulating,) and changes in cycle length. All of the above can make conceiving much more difficult and even impossible. That’s because to conceive you need to ovulate, and women with irregular cycles do not have normal ovulation and sometimes don’t ovulate at all. Need some proof? One recent study showed those with stress during the follicular phase were less likely to become pregnant compared to those with no stress during the same time. This tells us stress may cause our bodies to delay or entirely suppress ovulation.

The next hot topic: something near and dear to our hearts here at #periodpainfree - dysmenorrhea (aka period pain.) Stress and period pain have a direct link to each other. Here’s how:

• Stress on the job - Boss got you rattled? Last minute assignments got you drafting your two weeks notice? Every pang of stress you feel on the job contributes to dysmenorrhea. In fact, dysmenorrhea has been linked to working a job that exhibits low control, insecurity, and low co-worker support.

• It’s a month-to-month thing - One would assume present stress affects a present period. Wrong! Turns out stress from a preceding month may affect how often dysmenorrhea occurs. That means you might not have a painful period as a result of stress until the next month. Talk about the “gift” that keeps on giving…

• There’s a history lesson - But one less riveting than the American Revolution. You know how we said it’s a month-to-month thing? People with a history of dysmenorrhea are more likely to experience the prolonged effect. Similarly, have a history of experiencing stress earlier in your cycle? Those who fall in that bucket report severe symptoms leading up to and during their period.

Feeling a little hopeless? Not to worry - you are not at the mercy of cycle. We have some great stress management tips to help you cope with stress to reduce its effect on your cycle.

Get some ZZZs

We all know sleep is important. And it turns out stress can affect sleep, which negatively affects our cycle. Research shows our bodily timing systems (aka our circadian rhythm) interacts with the HPG axis (remember, this regulates the menstrual cycle.) Distress in daily rhythms is associated with an increased menstrual cycle irregularity, increased risk of miscarriage, difficulty conceiving, and a higher risk of breast cancer. If you’re interested in learning some sleep tips, check out our sleep article here.

Get your blood moving

Whether you Zumba, Bikram, or SoulCycle, exercise is proven to help reduce and help cope with stress. And bonus - exercise has also been shown to reduce dysmenorrhea (aka period pain.) Additionally, mindful exercises like yoga have been shown to reduce stress. Yoga helps to improve the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis.

More ideas

In addition to getting some ZZZs and exercising, try any of the following to help reduce stress:

• Eat well

• Take breaks

• Talk to close ones

• Avoid drugs and alcohol

In addition to these stress-reducing tips, our personal period health blends help reduce stress’ impact on your flow by regulating hormones and decreasing inflammation. If your doctor agrees you’re safe to consume Chinese herbs, our personal period health elixirs are a great solution that works to balance your body for a more peaceful flow.