Female stress, hormonal and menstrual cycle disturbances

The regular cycles of women are 28 days from the start of the period until the next period starts again. But sometimes these cycles are not as regular as they should be. There are several causes of menstrual cycle disturbances and among the most common are:

• Hormonal disturbances
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding
• Early menopause
• Malformations of the internal genital organs
• Iatrogenic causes, by medical or surgical treatments

Stress is also among them, since it can produce indirectly.

Regulation of the menstrual cycle occurs from the hypothalamus, which is an area of ​​the brain that produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This hormone is secreted in a pulsatile way and acts at the level of the pituitary gland, which is a gland located at the base of the skull. When the pituitary gland receives gonadotropin-releasing hormone, it releases FSH and LH, which are two hormones that act directly on the ovary. When gonadotropins reach the ovary they cause the development of a follicle in the ovary to begin for ovulation and the production of estrogens and progesterone.

The role of stress

Stress can produce a steady release of releasing hormone of gonadotropins that will be unable to produce gonadotropin release in the pituitary gland and therefore a menstrual cycle will not start.

The pituitary gland, in addition to gonadotropins, produces other hormones such as thyroid stimulating hormone, and therefore controls the functioning of the thyroid. When there is an alteration both upwards and by default of the thyroid, alterations of the menstrual cycle can occur.

Another of the hormones produced by the pituitary gland is prolactin, responsible for milk production during lactation. A higher than expected increase in prolactin at a time when the woman is not breastfeeding can cause alterations in the menstrual cycle. A frequent cause of increased prolactin is stress and therefore this is another mechanism by which stress can alter the menstrual cycle.

Stress is very common in today's society, and to try to combat it they are usually effective in addition to exercising regularly. If this does not manage to regulate menstrual cycles, hormonal treatment will sometimes be indicated, such as taking it, in order to ensure that menstruation occurs every month.

• Stress can produce a constant release of a hormone that will prevent a menstrual cycle from starting.
• A frequent cause of increased prolactin is stress and therefore this is another mechanism by which stress can alter the menstrual cycle.
• If trying to control stress is not enough to normalize the cycle, hormonal treatment can be indicated.
• The insurances have a large medical staff specialized in gynecology.