March 25, 2025 • 21 mins
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?
CONNECT WITH BRIDGET
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If your period is all over the place and
unpredictable, that can be asign that something is off
hormonally, probably why you'relistening to this podcast.
In today's episode, I'm goingto walk you through three common
reasons why your period mightbe unpredictable, so you can
finally understand where tostart and how to fix it.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to I'm Hormonal, yoursource of information about
(00:24):
women's hormone health and howto support your body.
Naturally, I'm your host,bridget Walton, and I'm a
certified functional hormonespecialist and menstrual cycle
coach.
I am on a mission to hold thesehormone conversations with as
many menstruators as possible,because you deserve easier
access to accurate informationabout what's up with your unruly
(00:44):
menstrual cycle and with yourfertility mysteries.
Don't you think it's time thatwe figure this out once and for
all?
All right, hello and welcome tothis week's episode of I'm
Hormonal.
I'm your host, bridget Walton.
This is episode numero 92 ofthe podcast and, as you heard in
(01:05):
the intro, I'm going to betalking all about unpredictable
periods.
Today.
You probably, if you'relistening to this, are annoyed
by irregular periods.
It kind of sucks when yourperiod just shows up whenever it
wants, but also if you want toconceive or if you want to
confidently avoid conception.
If you want to conceive or ifyou want to confidently avoid
(01:26):
conception, getting your periodback on track is going to be an
important part of beingconfident in whichever route
you're going.
I'll jump into theunpredictable period
conversation in just a second,but first I want to say welcome
again.
Welcome to those of you who arelistening to.
I'm Hormonal for the first timetoday.
If you fall into that category,then I'll just say again my
(01:48):
name is Bridget Walton, I'm awomen's hormone coach and I
created this podcast about ayear and a half ago because I
think that you deserve tounderstand what your body is
trying to tell you and tounderstand where to start.
So that's what we'll be up youtoday in this long form episode.
On Thursday, that's when themini episodes come out, so
(02:10):
they're always tied together andI know that so many of you out
there listening are gals workingin corporate or otherwise,
working in like a really highpaced, fast paced life.
So that's what I'm trying tofocus my Thursday episodes on
for you.
We're just quick, straight tothe point for those episodes.
That's kind of the whole spiel.
(02:32):
Now you know what's going onhere.
If you have been here before,then, welcome back, and I'm so
glad that you are here.
You guys have really beenlistening, listening.
You know rocking my socks offlately with about like even a
thousand downloads in the lastmonth as of my last check.
So anyway, I'll get to the goodstuff now, but a sincere thank
(02:56):
you for listening and for comingback.
Okay, refocusing on periodpredictability, I'm going to
walk through with you todaythree reasons why your period
might be unpredictable.
There are certainly more thanjust three potential reasons,
don't get me wrong, but we'lltalk through three of the most
(03:17):
common reasons by reallyclarifying for you what does it
mean if your cycle is irregular?
What can you learn from that?
So you know where to go fromthere.
And you already know that youwant to regulate your cycle
because, again, it's easier tonavigate, because you want to
conceive, maybe because you wantto prepare your hormones for
(03:41):
perimenopause, right, you wantto kind of get things in line
before you go into this secondpuberty.
All great ideas.
If you are somebody who hasirregular periods and it doesn't
even seem like that much of aproblem, but yet you feel tired
and kind of burned out, likeyou're just hanging on, then
(04:01):
getting your hormones back intobalance will be helpful for you
as well when it comes to yourenergy levels.
Now, if we are getting reallytechnical or looking at the
definition of unpredictable orirregular periods, then we would
be identifying those cyclesthat vary by more than four days
from one cycle to the next.
(04:21):
So if your January cycle was 25days and then in February it
was 31 days and now in March itis back down to 26 days, you can
see how those are varying bymore than four days from one
cycle to the next.
So that can be a little note toself, like that's kind of the.
(04:42):
Your ears should perk up if yousee in your app or however
you're tracking your cycle, thatthere's a variation of, on
average, more than four days.
Now, of course, you'll know ittoo, because you're like where's
my period at?
She's supposed to be here, butif we're, if we're getting
technical, that's what you'llwant to look for.
Now, the first thing that comesto mind when my period is
(05:05):
irregular is thinking aboutstress, and this is the first of
the three reasons that we'lltalk through.
We'll talk through stress first, second, perimenopause, and
then, third, we'll talk aboutPCOS.
But how does stress impact yourcycle?
And if you've listened to therecent podcast on this.
This was last week or the weekbefore this episode.
(05:25):
Go back to get a deep, deepdive on that and I'll link that
episode in the show notes aswell.
But what happens when stresslevels are high?
Your stress hormone cortisol,increases.
And kind of a long story short.
Those increased levels ofcortisol are really clouding the
(05:46):
communication pathways thatyour other hormones are also
using to communicate.
So essentially, your brain justisn't signaling to your ovaries
the proper hormones in orderfor ovulation to actually occur.
And that's for good reason,right, that's like a defense
mechanism to say, hey, andthat's for good reason, right,
that's like a defense mechanismto say, hey, ish is stressful
out here, let's not riskprocreation because it seems
(06:09):
like it's not a good time Now.
Your ovaries don't know that thestress you're facing is just
physical stress on your bodyfrom the really intense workout
that you're doing every day, ormaybe the training that you're
doing for an upcoming marathon.
And of course that's not to saythat everybody training for a
marathon has period problems,but you follow me right.
(06:31):
So stress can come in the formof these physical stressors like
workouts.
It could also come in the formof under eating.
It can also come throughemotional or mental stressors.
It could be getting a real bigcortisol spike, adrenaline spike
when you are having your tripleshot espresso on an empty
(06:55):
stomach in the morning.
Now, probably not one of thosethings individually will bring
your period to a stop, but it'sthese stresses of life that,
cumulatively, can have thisimpact on your body.
For some people who aren't ableto really conclude what is the
(07:15):
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 theseother things that we will talk
about in this episode.
If it's not stress, it's notany of these other things that
we will talk about in thisepisode.
Hypothalamic amenorrhea is thename of that condition or that
situation when there is no otheridentifiable reason.
(07:36):
I just mentioned that here, notbecause we're going to deep
dive hypothalamic amenorrhea,but if you're listening, because
your period is MIA, then that'sgoing to be a term that is
perhaps relevant to you andmaybe is worth doing an extra
goog on.
The main thing that I want youto come away with here is if you
(07:57):
are having irregular cycles, orfor me in the past, when I have
irregular cycles, I say, okay,bridge.
Well, were you really booked?
Was your schedule absolutelypacked during that week that you
expected to be ovulating?
Because sometimes for me, whenthat happens, then my period is
lengthening out, right?
(08:18):
If you're stressed during thattime or whatever else is going
on that prevents you fromovulating as expected, then that
can draw out your cycle to be alittle bit longer.
Now it's also worth asking thequestion of am I eating enough?
Am I moving my body?
Am I getting enough sleep?
All of these good foundationalareas.
(08:41):
But first and foremost, if yourcycle is irregular, what is
stress looking like in your life?
If this is, you head back tothat other episode on stress for
a much deeper dive.
Now, the next thing that comesto mind when I'm talking with a
client or talking with somebodywho has irregular cycles is
(09:03):
really inspecting where are theyat?
As it relates to perimenopause.
Now, perimenopause is thisphase of life, this second
puberty, when we go from cyclingregularly to being in that
transitional period where yourperiods are less consistent and
ultimately then ends when youhave your final period and go
(09:26):
into menopause.
So for the most part, whenyou're in your 40s, that's when
you will start to go throughperimenopause.
It could be two years, it couldbe 10 years For some people out
there.
They barely even noticeanything.
I'll talk about thecontributing factors to that in
(09:46):
just a moment here.
But if you're not superstressed, maybe ask yourself a
quick how old am I?
Maybe ask your older sister oryour mom at what age did they
stop their cycle?
Or when did they start goinginto perimenopause?
When did they identify somechanges?
Normally with perimenopause atthe beginning, your cycle starts
(10:09):
to lengthen out as well, sothat's something to look for.
I mentioned that there are threedifferent factors that play
into how perimenopause is goingto look for you.
The first is genetics.
So that's why asking the galsin your family what their
experience was like, that can behelpful to kind of set your
(10:29):
compass on.
But it's also going to dependon your overall health status
and wellness.
And then, third, the quality ofyour period or your overall
hormone balance.
So if you are getting yourhormones in line, if you're
having these, or ratherimplementing these good, healthy
(10:51):
habits that support hormonebalance leading up to
perimenopause, that will makethings smoother.
But I really say this to say,hey, it's not all genetic.
You have a lot of influence oryou can have a lot of influence
over what's going on withperimenopause.
But here today we're talkingabout unpredictable periods.
(11:11):
So just know that when youstart going through
perimenopause again, your cycleswill start to get a little bit
longer as your progesteronelevels decrease each time you
ovulate and then at some pointthey will start to become more
erratic as estrogen levels go upreally high and then down
really low and just reallyfluctuate.
(11:32):
So I will also link my longerepisode on perimenopause in the
show notes, if that feels likethat might be a part of your
picture in the show notes, ifthat feels like that might be a
part of your picture.
Now, the third thing that I talkabout with clients who have
irregular cycles would becuriosity and questions about
(11:54):
PCOS.
Now, if you haven't heard ofPCOS before, it's polycystic
ovary syndrome.
While not everybody withirregular periods has PCOS, it's
becoming more and more common.
Per a World Health Organizationarticle that I see here, pcos
affects about 6 to 13% ofreproductive age women, and up
(12:18):
to even 70% of women affected goundiagnosed.
Even just here in the UnitedStates, that's between like 5 to
10 million women, if you wantto do a little math exercise
there.
So just some context on howcommon PCOS is, but let's talk
more about what it actually is.
(12:39):
So when you have a doctor'sappointment right, if your
doctor is or has diagnosed youwith PCOS they're going to be
looking for three differentthings.
Let me list those really quickand then we'll go back through
them.
First, they'll be looking forhigh androgen levels.
Second, they'll be looking formultiple right poly cysts on
(13:01):
your ovaries.
And then, third, they'll belooking for irregular periods.
So, of course, there are otherfactors 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 androgensearlier.
(13:22):
If you've listened to thepodcast before, you might be
familiar with androgens, butthose are your hormones, like
testosterone, androstenedione,dhea or DHEAS, in case any of
those are familiar to you resultin when elevated experiences
(13:45):
like acne along the chin andjawline, like facial hair in
some people, like excess weightor kind of an inability to lose
weight, especially around themidsection.
So those kinds of experiencescan come along with PCOS.
So those kinds of experiencescan come along with PCOS.
It's also worth mentioning, too, that in really any situation
(14:25):
when you're not ovulating andtherefore, you're not producing
progesterone in the second halfof your cycle like you would if
you did ovulate.
That can lend itself to anestrogen 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 dominantpicture let's suffice it to say
PMS symptoms or PMS then thatcould be a signal, too, that
you're not ovulating regularly.
(14:48):
I want to mention a few morethings about PCOS, because there
are actually a couple ofdifferent drivers behind PCOS.
Drivers meaning what is thereal root cause behind your PCOS
.
So I've talked a lot aboutinsulin and insulin resistance
how to support your blood sugarlevels, but some PCOS is driven
and insulin resistance how tosupport your blood sugar levels,
but some PCOS is driven byinsulin resistance.
What insulin does when high isalso brings up cortisol, your
(15:09):
stress hormone, with it, andwhen stress levels are high,
again that's not a great time tobe ovulating.
So that is one driver, andactually let me just add on to
that too when stress levels arehigher, when insulin levels are
higher, that's also going toincrease the amount of androgens
, like testosterone, that yourbody is creating.
(15:31):
So that can contribute to theimbalance as well.
Now, second is being, or ratherjust coming off of birth control
.
That can be a driver of PCOS.
Sometimes it takes your body alittle bit right to come back
into balance to figure outwhat's the right amount of
estrogen or testosterone.
Maybe your sex hormone bindingglobulin has been impacted,
(15:55):
because different types of birthcontrol will have different
sort of effects afterwards, andso, anyway, if you are finding
that your cycles are notreturning or becoming regularly,
becoming regular after you'redone with hormonal birth control
, then that also could be adriver behind PCOS.
Just quickly, I'll touch on thelast two Inflammation is one,
(16:19):
and adrenal driven PCOS isanother.
So if you have a lot ofinflammation, whether that's due
to, again, stress, maybedigestive discomfort, maybe it's
due to endocrine disruptingchemicals or other chemicals
that you're coming into contactwith, that can be a driver.
And last but not least, adrenal.
This is one that you wouldidentify through doing lab work,
(16:41):
Although I suppose they allhave a component of lab works
that can help to validate orconfirm them.
But if your adrenal glands areoverproducing some of those
androgens, then that can be adriver of PCOS.
Now for a couple of honorablementions.
I'll just shout out highprolactin.
(17:03):
Prolactin is the hormone thatyour body releases after you
have given birth, while you arelactating Generally.
There are a couple of otheranomalies when you might be
producing more prolactin thanexpected.
But if you are without a periodand you do some blood work with
your doctor, then they mightrun prolactin and that would be
(17:25):
a good indicator to say, okay,well, that's what we need to
look into and how do we work oncorrecting those levels of
prolactin?
The other honorable mentionhere medication can certainly
impact what's going on with yourhormones, whether that is
hormonal birth control that'llreally impact your cycle
regularity, because for mosttypes of hormonal birth control
(17:47):
you're actually not trulycycling, you're not ovulating.
But there are other medicationstoo that can impact your cycle.
Or, you know, is something goingon with your thyroid.
Are you taking thyroidmedication and is that at the
right level?
I mentioned that too, becausewhat's going on with your
thyroid is really important forbasically every.
(18:08):
You know all of the systems inyour body, all of the functions
of your body.
So understanding what's goingon with your thyroid and that's
something that most people, orat least here in the US
hopefully elsewhere too when yougo to the doctor and have your
labs run, they'll run a thyroidpanel, so that can be a good
source of clues and provide somesupport as well.
(18:31):
I hope that this conversationhas been a little bit of food
for thought for you.
If you have unpredictableperiods, because right when
you're saying, okay, well, whatis my stress like?
How can I pare that down?
And actually, even if you don'thave irregular periods, how can
you pare down your stress?
You deserve it.
We all deserve not to bestressed, but what's going on
(18:52):
with your stress?
Is it something?
Is this a life transition?
Am I going throughperimenopause or do you have
some of these other symptoms ofPCOS?
Has a doctor told you that youhave polycystic ovaries or do
you have these symptoms of highandrogens?
And so starting to put some ofthese pieces of the puzzle
(19:13):
together could be really greatfirst steps for you as far as
what to do, because maybe you'relike Bridget okay, this is
great, this is helpful.
I know where to start lookingnow.
But what do I actually do?
One, I will direct you back tothe links in the show notes to
the other longer form episodes.
I have that dive deep into eachof those stress, perimenopause
(19:34):
and PCOS.
So check those out.
But as always, guys, this is myjam.
I work with gals one-on-one whohave irregular periods and who
are trying to get things back inalignment, back into balance.
So if you are ready to stopguessing on supplements, if
you're ready to feel like youunderstand what's going on your
body, you have control overwhat's going on and you know how
(19:56):
to influence your cycles, thentake me up on my offer for a
free strategy.
Call that link.
You guessed it is also in theshow notes.
I'm really excited because Ihave a rebrand that is going to
be coming out in May, and whatthat means for you all is a
whole new flurry of freebies andresources that will be
(20:19):
available to you.
But it also means that I'mgoing to have new coaching
packages and new pricing comingup.
So if you want to lock in thecurrent pricing, click on that
link in the show notes to book acall, and I would love to
support you in getting thingsback on track, bringing back
this regularity in your cyclesfor whatever goal it is you have
(20:40):
, whether you want to start yourfamily or whether you want to
just confidently move throughoutthe world, not expecting your
cycle to show up at any randomminute.
Okay, gang, thanks for stickingwith me through this episode.
I would love to hear anythoughts that you have any
questions.
You can connect with me onInstagram at Bridget Walton, and
(21:00):
otherwise I'll see you onThursday.
Thanks, guys.
If you loved today's episodeand got something good out of it
, make sure you subscribe sothat these episodes show up
automatically in your feed, nowork needed on your side.
Let's put it on autopilot.
As always, I need to give youmy reminder that the information
(21:22):
I share with you here is foreducational purposes only, and
it should not be used as areplacement for medical advice
or diagnosis.
Now, if you are, on the otherhand, in the market for some
one-on-one support, then I wouldlove for you to take me up on
my offer for a free strategycall.
You can find these links andmore in the show notes.
If your period is all over the place and
unpredictable, that can be asign that something is off
hormonally, probably why you'relistening to this podcast.
In today's episode, I'm goingto walk you through three common
reasons why your period mightbe unpredictable, so you can
finally understand where tostart and how to fix it.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to I'm Hormonal, yoursource of information about
(00:24):
women's hormone health and howto support your body.
Naturally, I'm your host,bridget Walton, and I'm a
certified functional hormonespecialist and menstrual cycle
coach.
I am on a mission to hold thesehormone conversations with as
many menstruators as possible,because you deserve easier
access to accurate informationabout what's up with your unruly
(00:44):
menstrual cycle and with yourfertility mysteries.
Don't you think it's time thatwe figure this out once and for
all?
All right, hello and welcome tothis week's episode of I'm
Hormonal.
I'm your host, bridget Walton.
This is episode numero 92 ofthe podcast and, as you heard in
(01:05):
the intro, I'm going to betalking all about unpredictable
periods.
Today.
You probably, if you'relistening to this, are annoyed
by irregular periods.
It kind of sucks when yourperiod just shows up whenever it
wants, but also if you want toconceive or if you want to
confidently avoid conception.
If you want to conceive or ifyou want to confidently avoid
(01:26):
conception, getting your periodback on track is going to be an
important part of beingconfident in whichever route
you're going.
I'll jump into theunpredictable period
conversation in just a second,but first I want to say welcome
again.
Welcome to those of you who arelistening to.
I'm Hormonal for the first timetoday.
If you fall into that category,then I'll just say again my
(01:48):
name is Bridget Walton, I'm awomen's hormone coach and I
created this podcast about ayear and a half ago because I
think that you deserve tounderstand what your body is
trying to tell you and tounderstand where to start.
So that's what we'll be up youtoday in this long form episode.
On Thursday, that's when themini episodes come out, so
(02:10):
they're always tied together andI know that so many of you out
there listening are gals workingin corporate or otherwise,
working in like a really highpaced, fast paced life.
So that's what I'm trying tofocus my Thursday episodes on
for you.
We're just quick, straight tothe point for those episodes.
That's kind of the whole spiel.
(02:32):
Now you know what's going onhere.
If you have been here before,then, welcome back, and I'm so
glad that you are here.
You guys have really beenlistening, listening.
You know rocking my socks offlately with about like even a
thousand downloads in the lastmonth as of my last check.
So anyway, I'll get to the goodstuff now, but a sincere thank
(02:56):
you for listening and for comingback.
Okay, refocusing on periodpredictability, I'm going to
walk through with you todaythree reasons why your period
might be unpredictable.
There are certainly more thanjust three potential reasons,
don't get me wrong, but we'lltalk through three of the most
(03:17):
common reasons by reallyclarifying for you what does it
mean if your cycle is irregular?
What can you learn from that?
So you know where to go fromthere.
And you already know that youwant to regulate your cycle
because, again, it's easier tonavigate, because you want to
conceive, maybe because you wantto prepare your hormones for
(03:41):
perimenopause, right, you wantto kind of get things in line
before you go into this secondpuberty.
All great ideas.
If you are somebody who hasirregular periods and it doesn't
even seem like that much of aproblem, but yet you feel tired
and kind of burned out, likeyou're just hanging on, then
(04:01):
getting your hormones back intobalance will be helpful for you
as well when it comes to yourenergy levels.
Now, if we are getting reallytechnical or looking at the
definition of unpredictable orirregular periods, then we would
be identifying those cyclesthat vary by more than four days
from one cycle to the next.
(04:21):
So if your January cycle was 25days and then in February it
was 31 days and now in March itis back down to 26 days, you can
see how those are varying bymore than four days from one
cycle to the next.
So that can be a little note toself, like that's kind of the.
(04:42):
Your ears should perk up if yousee in your app or however
you're tracking your cycle, thatthere's a variation of, on
average, more than four days.
Now, of course, you'll know ittoo, because you're like where's
my period at?
She's supposed to be here, butif we're, if we're getting
technical, that's what you'llwant to look for.
Now, the first thing that comesto mind when my period is
(05:05):
irregular is thinking aboutstress, and this is the first of
the three reasons that we'lltalk through.
We'll talk through stress first, second, perimenopause, and
then, third, we'll talk aboutPCOS.
But how does stress impact yourcycle?
And if you've listened to therecent podcast on this.
This was last week or the weekbefore this episode.
(05:25):
Go back to get a deep, deepdive on that and I'll link that
episode in the show notes aswell.
But what happens when stresslevels are high?
Your stress hormone cortisol,increases.
And kind of a long story short.
Those increased levels ofcortisol are really clouding the
(05:46):
communication pathways thatyour other hormones are also
using to communicate.
So essentially, your brain justisn't signaling to your ovaries
the proper hormones in orderfor ovulation to actually occur.
And that's for good reason,right, that's like a defense
mechanism to say, hey, andthat's for good reason, right,
that's like a defense mechanismto say, hey, ish is stressful
out here, let's not riskprocreation because it seems
(06:09):
like it's not a good time Now.
Your ovaries don't know that thestress you're facing is just
physical stress on your bodyfrom the really intense workout
that you're doing every day, ormaybe the training that you're
doing for an upcoming marathon.
And of course that's not to saythat everybody training for a
marathon has period problems,but you follow me right.
(06:31):
So stress can come in the formof these physical stressors like
workouts.
It could also come in the formof under eating.
It can also come throughemotional or mental stressors.
It could be getting a real bigcortisol spike, adrenaline spike
when you are having your tripleshot espresso on an empty
(06:55):
stomach in the morning.
Now, probably not one of thosethings individually will bring
your period to a stop, but it'sthese stresses of life that,
cumulatively, can have thisimpact on your body.
For some people who aren't ableto really conclude what is the
(07:15):
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 theseother things that we will talk
about in this episode.
If it's not stress, it's notany of these other things that
we will talk about in thisepisode.
Hypothalamic amenorrhea is thename of that condition or that
situation when there is no otheridentifiable reason.
(07:36):
I just mentioned that here, notbecause we're going to deep
dive hypothalamic amenorrhea,but if you're listening, because
your period is MIA, then that'sgoing to be a term that is
perhaps relevant to you andmaybe is worth doing an extra
goog on.
The main thing that I want youto come away with here is if you
(07:57):
are having irregular cycles, orfor me in the past, when I have
irregular cycles, I say, okay,bridge.
Well, were you really booked?
Was your schedule absolutelypacked during that week that you
expected to be ovulating?
Because sometimes for me, whenthat happens, then my period is
lengthening out, right?
(08:18):
If you're stressed during thattime or whatever else is going
on that prevents you fromovulating as expected, then that
can draw out your cycle to be alittle bit longer.
Now it's also worth asking thequestion of am I eating enough?
Am I moving my body?
Am I getting enough sleep?
All of these good foundationalareas.
(08:41):
But first and foremost, if yourcycle is irregular, what is
stress looking like in your life?
If this is, you head back tothat other episode on stress for
a much deeper dive.
Now, the next thing that comesto mind when I'm talking with a
client or talking with somebodywho has irregular cycles is
(09:03):
really inspecting where are theyat?
As it relates to perimenopause.
Now, perimenopause is thisphase of life, this second
puberty, when we go from cyclingregularly to being in that
transitional period where yourperiods are less consistent and
ultimately then ends when youhave your final period and go
(09:26):
into menopause.
So for the most part, whenyou're in your 40s, that's when
you will start to go throughperimenopause.
It could be two years, it couldbe 10 years For some people out
there.
They barely even noticeanything.
I'll talk about thecontributing factors to that in
(09:46):
just a moment here.
But if you're not superstressed, maybe ask yourself a
quick how old am I?
Maybe ask your older sister oryour mom at what age did they
stop their cycle?
Or when did they start goinginto perimenopause?
When did they identify somechanges?
Normally with perimenopause atthe beginning, your cycle starts
(10:09):
to lengthen out as well, sothat's something to look for.
I mentioned that there are threedifferent factors that play
into how perimenopause is goingto look for you.
The first is genetics.
So that's why asking the galsin your family what their
experience was like, that can behelpful to kind of set your
(10:29):
compass on.
But it's also going to dependon your overall health status
and wellness.
And then, third, the quality ofyour period or your overall
hormone balance.
So if you are getting yourhormones in line, if you're
having these, or ratherimplementing these good, healthy
(10:51):
habits that support hormonebalance leading up to
perimenopause, that will makethings smoother.
But I really say this to say,hey, it's not all genetic.
You have a lot of influence oryou can have a lot of influence
over what's going on withperimenopause.
But here today we're talkingabout unpredictable periods.
(11:11):
So just know that when youstart going through
perimenopause again, your cycleswill start to get a little bit
longer as your progesteronelevels decrease each time you
ovulate and then at some pointthey will start to become more
erratic as estrogen levels go upreally high and then down
really low and just reallyfluctuate.
(11:32):
So I will also link my longerepisode on perimenopause in the
show notes, if that feels likethat might be a part of your
picture in the show notes, ifthat feels like that might be a
part of your picture.
Now, the third thing that I talkabout with clients who have
irregular cycles would becuriosity and questions about
(11:54):
PCOS.
Now, if you haven't heard ofPCOS before, it's polycystic
ovary syndrome.
While not everybody withirregular periods has PCOS, it's
becoming more and more common.
Per a World Health Organizationarticle that I see here, pcos
affects about 6 to 13% ofreproductive age women, and up
(12:18):
to even 70% of women affected goundiagnosed.
Even just here in the UnitedStates, that's between like 5 to
10 million women, if you wantto do a little math exercise
there.
So just some context on howcommon PCOS is, but let's talk
more about what it actually is.
(12:39):
So when you have a doctor'sappointment right, if your
doctor is or has diagnosed youwith PCOS they're going to be
looking for three differentthings.
Let me list those really quickand then we'll go back through
them.
First, they'll be looking forhigh androgen levels.
Second, they'll be looking formultiple right poly cysts on
(13:01):
your ovaries.
And then, third, they'll belooking for irregular periods.
So, of course, there are otherfactors 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 androgensearlier.
(13:22):
If you've listened to thepodcast before, you might be
familiar with androgens, butthose are your hormones, like
testosterone, androstenedione,dhea or DHEAS, in case any of
those are familiar to you resultin when elevated experiences
(13:45):
like acne along the chin andjawline, like facial hair in
some people, like excess weightor kind of an inability to lose
weight, especially around themidsection.
So those kinds of experiencescan come along with PCOS.
So those kinds of experiencescan come along with PCOS.
It's also worth mentioning, too, that in really any situation
(14:25):
when you're not ovulating andtherefore, you're not producing
progesterone in the second halfof your cycle like you would if
you did ovulate.
That can lend itself to anestrogen 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 dominantpicture let's suffice it to say
PMS symptoms or PMS then thatcould be a signal, too, that
you're not ovulating regularly.
(14:48):
I want to mention a few morethings about PCOS, because there
are actually a couple ofdifferent drivers behind PCOS.
Drivers meaning what is thereal root cause behind your PCOS
.
So I've talked a lot aboutinsulin and insulin resistance
how to support your blood sugarlevels, but some PCOS is driven
and insulin resistance how tosupport your blood sugar levels,
but some PCOS is driven byinsulin resistance.
What insulin does when high isalso brings up cortisol, your
(15:09):
stress hormone, with it, andwhen stress levels are high,
again that's not a great time tobe ovulating.
So that is one driver, andactually let me just add on to
that too when stress levels arehigher, when insulin levels are
higher, that's also going toincrease the amount of androgens
, like testosterone, that yourbody is creating.
(15:31):
So that can contribute to theimbalance as well.
Now, second is being, or ratherjust coming off of birth control
.
That can be a driver of PCOS.
Sometimes it takes your body alittle bit right to come back
into balance to figure outwhat's the right amount of
estrogen or testosterone.
Maybe your sex hormone bindingglobulin has been impacted,
(15:55):
because different types of birthcontrol will have different
sort of effects afterwards, andso, anyway, if you are finding
that your cycles are notreturning or becoming regularly,
becoming regular after you'redone with hormonal birth control
, then that also could be adriver behind PCOS.
Just quickly, I'll touch on thelast two Inflammation is one,
(16:19):
and adrenal driven PCOS isanother.
So if you have a lot ofinflammation, whether that's due
to, again, stress, maybedigestive discomfort, maybe it's
due to endocrine disruptingchemicals or other chemicals
that you're coming into contactwith, that can be a driver.
And last but not least, adrenal.
This is one that you wouldidentify through doing lab work,
(16:41):
Although I suppose they allhave a component of lab works
that can help to validate orconfirm them.
But if your adrenal glands areoverproducing some of those
androgens, then that can be adriver of PCOS.
Now for a couple of honorablementions.
I'll just shout out highprolactin.
(17:03):
Prolactin is the hormone thatyour body releases after you
have given birth, while you arelactating Generally.
There are a couple of otheranomalies when you might be
producing more prolactin thanexpected.
But if you are without a periodand you do some blood work with
your doctor, then they mightrun prolactin and that would be
(17:25):
a good indicator to say, okay,well, that's what we need to
look into and how do we work oncorrecting those levels of
prolactin?
The other honorable mentionhere medication can certainly
impact what's going on with yourhormones, whether that is
hormonal birth control that'llreally impact your cycle
regularity, because for mosttypes of hormonal birth control
(17:47):
you're actually not trulycycling, you're not ovulating.
But there are other medicationstoo that can impact your cycle.
Or, you know, is something goingon with your thyroid.
Are you taking thyroidmedication and is that at the
right level?
I mentioned that too, becausewhat's going on with your
thyroid is really important forbasically every.
(18:08):
You know all of the systems inyour body, all of the functions
of your body.
So understanding what's goingon with your thyroid and that's
something that most people, orat least here in the US
hopefully elsewhere too when yougo to the doctor and have your
labs run, they'll run a thyroidpanel, so that can be a good
source of clues and provide somesupport as well.
(18:31):
I hope that this conversationhas been a little bit of food
for thought for you.
If you have unpredictableperiods, because right when
you're saying, okay, well, whatis my stress like?
How can I pare that down?
And actually, even if you don'thave irregular periods, how can
you pare down your stress?
You deserve it.
We all deserve not to bestressed, but what's going on
(18:52):
with your stress?
Is it something?
Is this a life transition?
Am I going throughperimenopause or do you have
some of these other symptoms ofPCOS?
Has a doctor told you that youhave polycystic ovaries or do
you have these symptoms of highandrogens?
And so starting to put some ofthese pieces of the puzzle
(19:13):
together could be really greatfirst steps for you as far as
what to do, because maybe you'relike Bridget okay, this is
great, this is helpful.
I know where to start lookingnow.
But what do I actually do?
One, I will direct you back tothe links in the show notes to
the other longer form episodes.
I have that dive deep into eachof those stress, perimenopause
(19:34):
and PCOS.
So check those out.
But as always, guys, this is myjam.
I work with gals one-on-one whohave irregular periods and who
are trying to get things back inalignment, back into balance.
So if you are ready to stopguessing on supplements, if
you're ready to feel like youunderstand what's going on your
body, you have control overwhat's going on and you know how
(19:56):
to influence your cycles, thentake me up on my offer for a
free strategy.
Call that link.
You guessed it is also in theshow notes.
I'm really excited because Ihave a rebrand that is going to
be coming out in May, and whatthat means for you all is a
whole new flurry of freebies andresources that will be
(20:19):
available to you.
But it also means that I'mgoing to have new coaching
packages and new pricing comingup.
So if you want to lock in thecurrent pricing, click on that
link in the show notes to book acall, and I would love to
support you in getting thingsback on track, bringing back
this regularity in your cyclesfor whatever goal it is you have
(20:40):
, whether you want to start yourfamily or whether you want to
just confidently move throughoutthe world, not expecting your
cycle to show up at any randomminute.
Okay, gang, thanks for stickingwith me through this episode.
I would love to hear anythoughts that you have any
questions.
You can connect with me onInstagram at Bridget Walton, and
(21:00):
otherwise I'll see you onThursday.
Thanks, guys.
If you loved today's episodeand got something good out of it
, make sure you subscribe sothat these episodes show up
automatically in your feed, nowork needed on your side.
Let's put it on autopilot.
As always, I need to give youmy reminder that the information
(21:22):
I share with you here is foreducational purposes only, and
it should not be used as areplacement for medical advice
or diagnosis.
Now, if you are, on the otherhand, in the market for some
one-on-one support, then I wouldlove for you to take me up on
my offer for a free strategycall.
You can find these links andmore in the show notes.
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