It is a well-known fact that ladies experience irregular period or abnormal flow at certain points in time. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that about 30 percent of women experience irregular periods.

Be that as it may, irregular periods are not something to worry about since they are not a sign of danger healthwise. But then, it is important to understand the reasons they happen and what the body is trying to say.

A woman will, on average, get her period for three to seven days once a month (every 30 days or so). After menstruating for several years, women tend to settle into a cycle where some women can even predict down to the hour when their periods will come.

However, a menstrual cycle would be considered irregular if there should be distortions in the normal twenty-eight days cycle pattern such that menstrual bleeding occurs more frequently than every twenty-one days or lasts longer than eight days.

1. Diet

Another common reason for a late or missing period is the food you eat and, more specifically, the weight you're carrying.

If you're eating a diet that's rich in unhealthy carbs or if you've gained weight, your body will produce varying levels of certain hormones, shifting when you ovulate. The same goes for women as they lose weight.

2. Infections

Any infection ranging from std's, STI's, yeast infection, as well as illnesses, such as thyroid disorders, can cause irregular periods if blood levels of the thyroid hormone go too low or too high.

3. Stress

Stress is the most common cause of irregular periods. Cortisol, the stress hormone, has a direct impact on how much the two sex hormones: estrogen and progesterone are produced by the body.

If you have too much cortisol in your bloodstream, there is the tendency for the time and flow of your monthly cycle to change.

4. Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a medical condition that causes tiny cysts to form on ovaries which interfere with regular ovulation.

Women experiencing (PCOS) have almost always been recorded to deal with such anomaly in their menstrual cycles.

5. Over-exercising

Over-exercising like for instance, burning too much energy in the gym affects menstrual flow, if you burn too much energy during exercise there will be nothing left for the body to use at that time of the month.

6. Birth control pills

It takes months for the body to get used to hormones birth control pills release and this affects menstrual flow. As a matter of fact, birth control pills can actually make your periods lighter, or cause you to miss periods or have less or more frequent periods or even no periods at all.

7. Alcohol

Excessive intake of Alcohol can cause damages to the liver as well as affecting period- normalizing hormones. The liver helps regulate a woman's menstrual cycle by metabolizing estrogen and progesterone where the liver is overworked or damage this affects the woman's cycle.

In conclusion, other factors like early onset of menopause, cysts, and pregnancy could possibly disrupt the monthly flow.

However, it is advisable to seek medical help if you suspect that irregular flow could be as a result of other factors.

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