Reason for Irregular Periods After Marriage: A Comprehensive Guide

As we all know, marriage is not about just a bed of roses or breakfast in bed. It goes through some rough patches, not with your partner but with your menstrual cycle. An irregular menstrual cycle after marriage is when your periods are missed or delayed due to several reasons. The reason for irregular periods after marriage could be several.

In this article, we will understand why irregular periods after marriage can occur as well as irregular periods after marriage treatment.

Understanding Irregular Periods

The average menstrual cycle is 28 days; however, your cycle time can vary by several days. You can track your cycle easily by remembering the first date of your Last Menstrual Period (LMP).

If your cycle lasts for less than 24 days or lasts for more than 38 days or varies by more than 20 days from month to month, then your periods are regarded as irregular. According to the experts, marriage may influence a woman’s menstrual cycle.

How Married Life Can Affect Your Menstrual Cycle?

It is quite normal for a woman to feel a bit stressed soon after marriage due to drastic changes in her lifestyle, daily routine, diet, lack of sleep, sexual activity, coping and adjusting to a new family, balancing personal and professional life and so forth. Discussions with your partner about family planning can also cause unnecessary mental stress. If all this has started taking a toll on your married life, then you must have a word with your gynecologist about irregular periods after marriage treatment.

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1. The Role of Stress in Irregular Periods

Stress is an important reason for irregular periods after marriage. Theories have proved that emotional stress temporarily impacts the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle. Adjusting to a new life and responsibilities after marriage is quite stressful and this can become normal if you know how to manage your stress levels.

If you indulge in meditation, reading books, breathing exercises, Pilates, yoga and a relaxing massage then you can easily manage your stress levels.

2. Weight Fluctuations and Irregular Periods

Sudden weight gain or loss or fluctuations in body fat can also be the main reason for irregular periods. With the beginning of a new life and lifestyle, it’s possible that some women may start gaining weight or losing it rapidly after their wedding. There could be various health issues behind it like thyroid or emotional stress. It’s important to never neglect weight management.

3. Birth Control and Hormonal Changes

If you are wondering why irregular periods after marriage, then you must understand the logic behind it because there are massive hormonal changes in your body after you get married. You might completely rely on contraceptive pills and want to refrain from unwanted pregnancy too soon after your wedding, resulting in hormonal changes.

There are other factors also that can impact hormones in your body when you keep popping those contraceptive pills. However, sometimes the doctors also advise some women to take birth control pills if they are suffering from PCOS or PCOD.

4. Smoking and Irregular Periods

Studies have found that heavy smoking can be associated with nearly four times the risk of short menstrual cycles and significantly more variable cycle lengths compared to non-smokers, while greater smoking can increase the risk of anovulation and short luteal phase.

5. Underlying Health Conditions and Irregular Periods

Sometimes the main reason for irregular periods can also be an underlying health condition such as:

• Adenomyosis- When the lining of the womb, which normally grows there, instead integrates into the muscular wall of the womb.

• Endometriosis- A chronic (long-term) illness where the body has tissue that resembles the lining of the womb elsewhere.

• Polycystic ovary syndrome- A hormonal disorder that affects how your ovaries function.

• Pelvic inflammatory disease- An infection of the fallopian tubes, ovaries or womb.

• Fibroids- A benign tumor that forms in the muscle wall of the uterus.

• Thyroid problems- After the wedding, your doctor will insist you undergo a thyroid check-up after every 6 months. Issues like hypothyroidism can be quite harmful if you do not have regular check-ups with your doctor.

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When to See a doctor

• You might spot between periods
• You have irregular periods and you’re struggling to get pregnant
• You have missed more than 3 consecutive periods and aren’t pregnant
• You have unusual discharge during your periods
• Your periods have become extremely painful
• You experience a sudden irregular menstrual cycle after having been regular
• Your periods last longer than a week
• Your periods are less than 21 days (about 3 weeks) or more than 35 days (about 1 month and 4 and a half days) apart
• You soak through a sanitary pad every 1 or 2 hours for several consecutive hours
• If your delayed periods are accompanied by bloody stools or urine.

Your Ob-Gyn will be the best person to tell you the reason for irregular periods after marriage and will advise you on the appropriate treatment. A common fear of women having delayed periods or missed periods after a wedding haunt them about pregnancy. However, you must not panic and rely on a pregnancy test kit. If your periods get delayed by a month or two, then you should not worry and consult a doctor.

References

1. Boyle JA, Teede HJ. (2014). Irregular menstrual cycles in a young woman. CMAJ.
2. Rostami Dovom M, Ramezani Tehrani F, Djalalinia S, Cheraghi L, Behboudi Gandavani S, Azizi F. (2016). Menstrual Cycle Irregularity and Metabolic Disorders: A Population-Based Prospective Study. PLoS One.