Are you wondering what hormones cause irregular periods? In this short article we're going to talk about the different categories and specific hormones that cause irregular periods.
If this interest you, keep reading. We are going to discuss the details.
So what hormones are involved with irregular periods? There are three groups of hormones that I think about with this question. They are:
The main group of hormones that affect a women's periods are the female sex hormone. In a similar article "Can Hormone Imbalance Cause Irregular Mensuration?", I go into much more detail on why these hormones do this.
Female Sex Hormones
Estrogen, progesterone and the relative balance between these is the most important thing to look at. Sometimes if you have high testosterone it can throw off this balance leading to higher amounts of estrogen. So both a high estrogen with normal progesterone or normal estrogen and a low progesterone can cause the issue. Both of those can lead to irregular periods or menstruation. High testosterone can do that too. For instance, when females are getting supplementation with testosterone, either pellets or injections, it can cause irregular periods. Testosterone itself does not do this but testosterone turns into estrogen. So the testosterone can lead to high estrogen and more frequent menstruation.
This problem with hormones causing irregular periods occurs because of estrogen and progesterone effect on the uterine lining. Estrogen causes the uterine lining to thicken and grow. Progesterone provides blood and nourishment to the uterine lining. If there is not enough progesterone the uterine lining does not get nourished and begins to shed. This naturally occurs when the egg is not fertilized and this is a period. With low progesterone the shedding occurs earlier than expected and so does your period.
Problems with the thyroid that cause irregular periods and usually occur from hypothyroid. However, both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid can do this. So we have to keep both in mind.
The last hormone that can lead to irregular periods is cortisol. If you are under high periods of stress, this can reduce or stop your hormone levels all together. As a result it can stop ovulation from occurring. In these cases you will see a longer duration and even skipping a cycle or two during that period of high stress.
So that should answer the question what hormones cause irregular periods. If you have questions about the contents of the article, please ask in the comment section below. To get a customized plan to help regulate your periods, click on the link below to get started.