We all know the menstrual cycle, and you’re probably not the biggest fan! However, one of the best indicators of our overall health as women is our menstrual cycle. We aim for it to be present, regular, and manageable, but in order to do that, we need to know what factors impact our period and potentially throw off our cycle. 

That being said, getting to the truth of women’s health can be hard sometimes! There are SO many myths out there, and we’ve been hearing them since middle school. One you’ve probably heard is that you can’t have sex on your period (or, at least, you shouldn’t.) But, is that true? With PCOS, our cycles could already be so irregular, that the last thing we want is to make it more complicated on our bodies. Today, I am going to tell you all about how sex affects the menstrual cycle and what other things could influence your period. 

Does Sex Affect Menstrual Cycles?

Yes, sex can impact your period. However, not in a bad way! Sex can actually be really good for your period. Here’s how: 

• Cramp Relief: Orgasms can release a ton of endorphins that can act as natural painkillers and mood boosters. This can be great if you experience menstrual cramps or any other period pain! 
• Stress Relief: Stress isn’t good for period health. High cortisol can disrupt the balance of sex hormones in the reproductive system causing period irregularity or missed periods as well as worsened PMS symptoms. So, the stress relief that comes from sex can be great for your mood and menstrual health. 
• Shortened Periods: When your muscles in your pelvic area contract, it can expel a lot of extra menstrual blood, which can safely shorten your period bleeding. Of course, that means you’ll temporarily experience a heavier flow. 
• Improved Hormone Balance: Regular sexual activity can help maintain normal hormone balance. It does this by releasing endorphins, reducing cortisol, and boosting oxytocin. Sex can also improve sleep quality, which is key to hormone production and balance!  

I think it’s important to note that unprotected sex on your period can still lead to pregnancy. Though it’s pretty unlikely, it’s not impossible. If you miss your next period, make sure you take a pregnancy test before taking other measures to regulate and trigger your period. 

Safe sex during your period can not only prevent pregnancy, but it can also prevent infection as well. There’s an increased risk of infection while having sex on your period, because your cervix is slightly open. So, consider using condoms and ensure you’re maintaining good hygiene before and after sex. 

So, can sex impact your period? Yes. But, should you avoid sex on your period? No way! 

Factors That Affect The Menstrual Cycle

Breastfeeding and Birth

A lot of hormone changes can happen post-birth! For many women, it can take at least a few weeks to get their period back and restart a normal menstrual cycle. However, if you’re breastfeeding, that’s a different ball game. Some women encounter lactational amenorrhea where they don’t get their period back until after they breastfeed. So, if you’re breastfeeding and haven’t gotten your period back, that may not be a sign for concern! 

Medical Conditions Like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

There are lots of medical conditions out there that impact your reproductive hormones and therefore mess with your menstrual regularity. Endometriosis, diabetes, hypothyroidism (overactive thyroid), and, of course, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can all impact your menstrual cycle, causing absent, irregular, heavy, and/or painful periods! Here’s more on how PCOS affects periods. 

Eating Disorders and Extreme Weight Fluctuations

Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, and restrictive eating disorder can all cause changes in your period for various reasons. If you’re not eating enough, your body may stop menstruating to conserve energy while in survival mode. If you’re eating excessively, it can cause hormonal imbalances that prevent menstruation. Please seek help from a dietitian if you’re experiencing disordered eating or think you may have a food addiction. There’s no shame here! 

Additionally, if you drop a lot of weight really fast (like if you’re taking any GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic) or you gain weight rapidly, your body may go into survival mode and stop menstruation to conserve energy. 

Hormonal Birth Control and other Medications

Hormonal birth control, of course, has an impact on your menstrual cycle. Birth control pills and patches, for example, can help regulate your menstrual cycle, but it doesn’t truly regulate your period. Instead, it induces a withdrawal bleed, which is a synthetic version of a period caused by the hormonal fluctuations of the birth control method. However, they can also reduce flow and relieve cramps. IUDs and birth control shots, on the other hand, can eliminate your period altogether. 

Other medications may impact your period too. If you’re unsure if your prescriptions are causing irregular periods or absent periods, reach out to your doctor. 

Extreme Stress 

When you’re feeling extreme stress, extreme things can happen in your body! The high cortisol (stress hormones) can mess with your hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that regulates the menstrual cycle. It can also affect all your hormones directly related to ovulation and reproductive health like luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen, and progesterone. The disruptions can make your periods irregular or absent.  

Extreme Exercise 

If you are doing lots of intense exercise (which I don’t recommend if you have PCOS), you may experience more menstrual irregularity. This is because extreme exercise can increase cortisol levels, disrupting estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones essential for regular periods. Plus, if you exercise too much, you can actually experience an energy deficit and your body may delay your period to save energy.

Want to know what I recommend for PCOS exercise? Here are the dos and don’ts of PCOS workouts! 

Sleep and Routine Changes 

Another common factor affecting menstrual cycle regularity and symptoms is routine and sleep changes! First of all, not sleeping well can throw off the balance of estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and melatonin, which can increase PMS symptoms and make periods more irregular. Also, changes in routine or travel can impact your body’s stress levels and internal clock, leading to changes in your menstrual cycle, too. 

A lot of things in life can affect the menstrual cycle! 

Sex can impact the menstrual cycle in some incredible ways! If you need relief from menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, mood swings, and other period symptoms, sexual activity can actually help with that. However, there are other things that can negatively impact your menstrual cycle that you should be aware of, especially as a Cyster with PCOS! 

If you haven’t had regular periods in quite a while because of PCOS, I’m here to help! There are so many ways to naturally heal your PCOS and repair your menstrual cycle to finally live symptom-free with this hormonal condition. Download The Cysterhood app for all the resources to get you started! 

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